FULLERTON, Calif. – The Big West Conference announced the 2017-18 preseason poll on Thursday as well as the preseason all-conference team. Cal State Fullerton men's basketball was selected to finish third by the media with 158 points and also recorded one first-place vote. Sophomore forward Jackson Rowe was one of six student-athletes, and the only underclassmen, named to the preseason all-league squad.
At third, the Titans earned their highest finish in a preseason poll since the 2012-13 season. UC Irvine, the 2016-17 regular season champions, were picked to win the poll with 216 points and 14 first-place votes.
UC Davis, the 2017 Big West Tournament Champions, were picked second in the preseason poll with 189 points and seven first-place votes.
Behind the Titans, Long Beach State (153 points, one first-place vote) and Hawai'i (146 point, two first-place votes) rounded out the top five of the poll.
Rowe, the reigning Big West Freshman of the Year, averaged 10.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last year in 27 games. The Titans also return two additional starters in junior guards Khalil Ahmad (11.2 ppg) and Kyle Allman (10.2 ppg).
Head coach Dedrique Taylor and the team enter the 2017-18 season returning nine lettermen from last year's squad that went 17-15 overall, 10-6 in Big West and earned a postseason berth. The Titans took third place in the league standings for the regular season, played in the semifinals of the Big West Tournament and hosted a first round game in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. It marked the team's first postseason appearance since 2012.
The first chance to see the 2017-18 Titans in action is on Sunday at 1 p.m. PT for the Blue/Orange Scrimmage in Titan Gym. Admission is free to the public.
Taylor and the squad host La Verne in an exhibition matchup on Saturday, Nov. 4 before opening up the regular season at No. 11 USC on Nov. 10.
SUPPORT THE TITANS!
Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitans.com/Tickets. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan House off of Gymnasium Drive at the eastern end of the Intramural Fields and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday.
FOLLOW THE TITANS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans) Instagram (@FullertonTitans) and Snapchat (FullertonTitans). In addition, the basketball team has established its own Twitter (@FullertonHoops) and Instagram accounts (@FullertonHoops).