Aztecs picked to finish first in Mountain West

Returning three starters to the San Diego State lineup has helped the Aztecs earn the top pick in the 2016-17 preseason polls for the Mountain West Conference, marking the third year in the row that SDSU has earned the honor.The Aztecs received 23 of a possible 27 first-place votes.

Earning individual preseason recognition were Trey Kell, Jalen McDaniels and Montaque Gill-Caeser.

Kell, a 6-foot-4-inch guard, led the team in scoring last year, averaging 12.6 points a game and earning all-Mountain West first-team honors. He was voted to the preseason all-MW team Wednesday.

Picked to repeat as @MW_MHoops regular-season champs, @GoAztecs' coach Steve Fisher previews the upcoming season in 60 seconds. #MWBB pic.twitter.com/xYc3oKqbQ5
— Campus Insiders (@CampusInsiders) October 12, 2016

McDaniels, a 6-foot-9-inch freshman forward, was voted the Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year with Utah State's Koby McEwen. The last Aztec to earn the award was current San Antonio Spurs guard Kawhi Leonard.

Sophomore Gill-Caeser, who sat out last season after transferring from Missouri, was named the Mountain West preseason newcomer of the year.

Go behind the scenes with #AztecMBB at #mwbb Media Day in Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/n06fCUWvDd
— GoAztecs (@GoAztecs) October 13, 2016

San Diego State won the Mountain West regular season title last season, but failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years after losing to Fresno State in the tournament final. The Aztecs then lost to George Washingto in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden.