Picking a favorite isn’t easy

If anything is clear when looking at the Big West Conference crystal ball, it’s that nothing is clear.

The general consensus on this season’s men’s basketball race is that there is no general consensus.

“It’s as wide open as any time I can remember,” UC Santa Barbara Coach Bob Williams said. “I think you’ve got five or six teams with a legitimate shot to win this.”

The Gauchos were picked to win by the coaches and the media in preseason polls, but four teams received first-place votes in each poll.

The coaches gave Pacific three first-place votes and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal State Fullerton each received one. In the media poll, Cal Poly and defending champion Long Beach State each got two and Fullerton got one.

“It’s going to be one of those years where everyone is beating everybody,” Fullerton Coach Bob Burton said.

That said, here’s a look at what will determine who has the best chance of beating everybody else most often:

1. Can UC Santa Barbara return the thunder?

The Gauchos didn’t have much of a home-court advantage last year, going 8-6 at the Thunderdome to equal the fewest home victories since Williams took over in 1998.

This season, Santa Barbara has four returning starters from a team that went 18-11 overall and 9-5 in conference to finish tied for second.

Senior guard Alex Harris, the conference’s leading scorer with an average of 21.1 points and an all-conference selection, is the top returning player in the league.

Chris Devine, a 6-foot-8 forward, also returns for the Gauchos after averaging 14.1 points and 6.6 rebounds.

2. Will Scott Cutley’s broken foot heal in time for conference play?

Cutley, the Cal State Fullerton forward who averaged 15.6 points and a conference-leading 9.5 rebounds last season, is out for at least six weeks after suffering a broken foot during a practice.

Without Cutley, the Titans will have to rely on a deep backcourt that includes Frank Robinson and Marcus Crenshaw, the conference’s sixth man of the year last season.

They have added Washington State transfer Josh Akognon, who led the Cougars in scoring in 2005-06.

3. Will opponents forget about Pacific?

The Tigers were the class of the conference from 2003 to 2006, winning 24 or more games each season. But they slipped to 12-19 last season and finished below second place in the conference for the first time since 2003-2004.

Their 5-9 Big West record marked their fewest conference victories since 1988-89, but they have forward Anthony Brown returning after averaging 14.3 points and 7.2 rebounds.

Coach Bob Thomason also has a solid backcourt with Steffan Johnson and Solomon Horsechief, and has added top-notch talent in 6-8 forward Michael Nunnally and 6-4 guard Terrell Smith.

4. Can Cal Poly replace Derek Stockalper?

The Mustangs have three starters returning from a team that finished 19-11, tied for second in the conference and was runner-up in the conference tournament.

But gone is 6-5 forward Stockalper, a two-time all-conference selection.

The Mustangs are loaded at guard with Dawin Whiten, Trae Clark and Chaz Thomas, but Stockalper’s graduation leaves quite a void in the frontcourt and in the scoring column.

5. Which team will emerge from the pack?

UC Irvine returns four starters, but that’s not necessarily a good thing when the team went 15-18 last season and averaged only 66 points.

Cal State Northridge has perhaps the most prolific duo in the conference with Jonathan Heard and Calvin Chitwood, but the Matadors have 11 new players on the roster, so chemistry might be a problem. UC Davis is a conference newcomer and is in its first season as a full-fledged Division I team, so the Aggies are probably still a year or two away.

UC Riverside is a program in flux after a tumultuous season that included a player’s death and Coach David Spencer stepping down because of an illness, so don’t count on the Highlanders making a serious run.

And that leaves Long Beach State, the defending champion. The 49ers lost their top nine scorers from last year’s 24-8 team and also lost their coach.

So with Artis Gant the top returning scorer at 1.9 points per game and only two players with 75 or more minutes of Division I experience, the team is filled with questions, the biggest of which is: How did they get two first-place votes in the media poll?

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peter.yoon@latimes.com

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Scouting report

CAL POLY SLO

* Last season: 19-11, 9-5.

* Key players: G Dawin Whiten, 6-3, Sr. (11.6 ppg, 62 three-point baskets); G Trae Clark, 5-11, Jr. (9.1 ppg, 3.7 apg); F Titus Shelton, 6-8, Jr. (8.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 38 blocks).

* Opener/home opener: Nov. 9, 1:15 p.m. vs. Washington in the BTI Tipoff tournament at Northern Iowa; Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m. vs. Utah State.

CAL STATE FULLERTON

* Last season: 20-10, 9-5.

* Key players: F Scott Cutley, 6-5, Sr. (15.6 ppg, 9.5 rpg, all-conference selection); G Frank Robinson, 6-4, Sr. (11.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg); G Marcus Crenshaw, 5-10, Jr. (11.4 ppg, Big West sixth-man of the year); G Josh Akognon, 5-11, Jr. (Washington State transfer, Cougars’ leading scorer in 2005-06).

* Opener: Nov. 9, 7 p.m. vs. Cal State Bakersfield.

NORTHRIDGE

* Last season: 14-17, 5-9.

* Key players: G/F Jonathan Heard, 6-6, Sr. (13.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 44 steals); F Calvin Chitwood, 6-8, Sr. (13.2 ppg, 85.1% FTs); G Rob Haynes, 6-4 (42.6% on three-pointers); G Josh Jenkins, 5-10, Jr. (JC All-American from Frank Phillips College in Texas).

* Opener: Nov. 10, 2 p.m. vs. Chicago State.

LONG BEACH STATE

* Last season: 24-8, 12-2.

* Key players: G Artis Gant, 6-3, Jr. (1.9 ppg); C Andrew Fleming, 7-0, So. (One of three 7-footers in the conference); G Donovan Morris, 6-3, Jr. (Fresno State transfer led the WAC with 42.5% shooting on three-pointers in 2004-2005).

* Opener: Nov. 10, 2 p.m. vs. Brigham Young.

PACIFIC

* Last season: 12-19, 5-9.

* Key players: F Anthony Brown, 6-7, Jr. (14.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 53.3% FGs); G Steffan Johnson, 6-1, Jr. (9.7 ppg, 3.6 apg); F Michael Nunnally, 6-8, Jr. (JC state co-player of the year at Delta College).

* Opener/home opener: Nov. 10, TBA vs. Western Michigan in the World Invitational at Oregon; Nov. 17, 7:30 vs. Lewis and Clark.

UC DAVIS

* Last season: 5-23, 0-0 (first year as official member).

* Key players: G Vince Oliver, 6-3, Jr. (12.7 ppg, 88.9% FTs); F Dominic Calegari, 6-9, 220, So. (6.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 48.9% FGs); G Adam Malik, 6-8, Fr. (24.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg at La Canada High).

* Opener: Nov. 11, 4:30 p.m. vs. La Verne.

UC IRVINE

* Last season: 15-18, 6-8.

* Key players: F Patrick Sanders, 6-6, Sr. (11.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 51 blocks); C Darren Fells, 6-7, Sr. (10.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 53.5% FGs); G Chuma Awaji, 6-3, Sr. (7.9 ppg); G Michael Hunter, 5-10, So. (44% on three-pointers, Mid-Major Freshman All-American).

* Opener: Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m. vs. Loyola Marymount.

UC RIVERSIDE

* Last season: 7-24, 1-13.

* Key players: G Larry Cunningham, 6-2, Sr. (13.7 ppg); G Chris Johnson, 6-0, Jr. (10 ppg); G Charles Jim-George, 6-4, So. (45.5% on three-pointers); F B.J. Visman, 6-8, Jr. (10 ppg, 8.6 rpg in five games before injury).

* Opener/home opener: Nov. 10, 11 a.m. at Texas Tech; Nov. 24, 7 p.m. vs. Idaho.

UC SANTA BARBARA

* Last season: 18-11, 9-5.

* Key players: G Alex Harris, 6-6, Sr. (21.1 ppg, 71 three-pointers, all-conference selection); F Chris Devine, 6-8, Jr. (14.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 53% FGs); G James Powell, 6-2, So. (8.8 ppg); G Justin Joyner, 6-1, So. (4.8 ppg, 2.9 apg).

* Opener/home opener: Nov. 9 vs. Northwestern State in the Basketball travelers Classic at Stanford; Nov. 15 vs. Cal Poly Pomona.

-- Peter Yoon