ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The Mountain West Media preseason poll has a grim forecast for first year New Mexico men’s basketball coach Paul Weir and his Lobos. The Lobos are picked to finish ninth. League champion Nevada is picked to repeat while the Air Force Falcons are picked to finish last in the conference.

The Lobos are a relatively new team with only five returners from last year. That group of five accounted for less than 35 percent of last season’s offense, but the Lobos believe they have the firepower to make up the difference with nine new players that include six transfers.

“I don’t think there is anyone in our locker room or in our program that thinks we’re 9th or 10th or 11th or all the different places we’ve been picked,”said Weir. “So now it’s our job to go out and prove those people wrong.”

The Lobos are use to being one of the elite of the league. Forward Connor MacDougall said the team will use the low pick as fuel.

“We’re not too concerned about outside sources,” said MacDougall. “We kinda of just got a lot to do not a lot to say.”

The Lobos also didn’t have one player picked on the all conference team. Still, coaches around the league seem to agree that the Lobos might be better than people think.

“He has some decent pieces,” said Fresno State coach Rodney Terry. “I would take his pieces right now compared to what I had in my first year.”

UNLV coach Marvin Menzies had Weir as an assistant at New Mexico State.

Menzies said, “It will be a winner there for sure.”

The Lobos start with Northern New Mexico November 11 at Dreamstyle Arena.