SMU Picked Third in WAC Media Poll
Oct 31 | Men's Basketball
The SMU men's basketball team has been picked to finish third behind Fresno State and Tulsa in the 2000-01 Western Athletic Conference race, according to a poll taken by conference media members.
The Mustangs, who have been picked first in the WAC by most of the national preview magazines, earned the most first-place votes in the poll with nine, but only earned 154 total points to finish third. Fresno State (162) is narrowly picked to win the regular season ahead of Tulsa (161). TCU was fourth in the poll with 131 points, followed by UTEP (100), Hawai'i (80), San Jose State (71), Rice (48) and first-year member Nevada (38).
Tulsa was the clear favorite as 2001 WAC Tournament Champion with 13 votes, followed by Fresno State (2), Hawai'i (2), SMU (2) and TCU (2).
SMU placed two players on the Preseason All-WAC team with seniors Jeryl Sasser and Willie Davis; and Sasser was touted as the league's Preseason Player of the Year. Joining Sasser and Davis on the All-WAC team were Melvin Ely (Fresno State), Brandon Wolfram (UTEP) and David Shelton (Tulsa). Fresno State's Chris Jefferies was also named Preseason Newcomer of the the Year.
WAC Media Poll Results
| Rank | Team | Points |
| 1. | Fresno State (4) | 162 |
| 2. | Tulsa (7) | 161 |
| 3. | SMU (9) | 154 |
| 4. | TCU (1) | 131 |
| 5. | UTEP | 100 |
| 6. | Hawai'i | 80 |
| 7. | San Jose State | 71 |
| 8. | Rice | 48 |
| 9. | Nevada | 38 |
