SAN FRANCISCO-Thursday, the Utah men’s basketball team was selected to finish eighth in the Pac-12 upon the release of the media’s preseason poll at the conference’s men’s basketball media day at San Francisco.
The Utes, who went 23-12 last season and lost in the NIT championship game to Penn State, went 11-7 in league play and were slated to finish seventh.
Utah garnered 122 votes from the media.
For the second time in the past three seasons, Oregon was picked to win the conference title as the Ducks received 16 of a possible 25 first place votes.
The Utes return nine players from last season’s squad, including returning starters in senior guards Sedrick Barefield and Parker Van Dyke.
The Utes added another senior in forward Novak Topalovic, a Serbian national and graduate transfer from Idaho State.
Utah’s returning juniors include center Jayce Johnson and guard Beau Rydalch as well as Marc Reinengier.
The Utes’ returning sophomores include forward Donnie Tillman and guard Christian Popoola.
Redshirt freshmen to suit up include guards Vante Hendrix and Brooks King.
Topalovic is among nine transfers to join the Utah program. Others include College of Southern Idaho transfer, junior guard Charles Jones Jr. and forward/center Brandon Morley from SLCC.
The incoming freshmen are guard Naseem Gaskin of Oakland, Calif., forward Both Gach of Austin, Minn., guard Kevin Kremer of Chico, Calif., forward Timmy Allen of Mesa, Ariz., forward Riley Battin of Oak Park, Calif. and Senegalese national, forward Lahat Thioune.
