Western Kentucky was picked to finish sixth in the Conference USA Preseason Men’s Basketball Poll announced Friday by the conference.

Defending champion Middle Tennessee was picked to win C-USA, receiving eight first-place votes.

The Blue Raiders went 31-5 overall last season and 17-1 in C-USA regular-season play, sweeping the league’s regular-season and tournament championships. MTSU beat Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Butler in the Round of 32.

Following the Blue Raiders in the preseason poll were Alabama-Birmingham (four first-place votes), Louisiana Tech (two), Old Dominion, Texas-El Paso and then WKU in sixth.

Marshall was picked No. 7 in the poll, followed by Charlotte, Texas-San Antonio, Southern Mississippi, North Texas, Florida Atlantic, Rice and last-place Florida International.

WKU finished eighth in C-USA during the 2016-17 campaign with a 9-9 regular-season league record. The Toppers were knocked out of the 2017 C-USA Tournament with a first-round loss to UTSA.

Forward Dwight Coleby was asked Friday during the program’s annual Media Day about WKU’s sixth-place predicted finish.

“Being picked sixth it is (a motivation),” the graduate senior Coleby said at E.A. Diddle Arena. “We want to win a ring and we need to be No. 1. We just take this as motivation and we’re going to come out and compete every night and give everybody our best shot.”

Coach Rick Stansbury was informed by reporters of the preseason poll during his session at Media Day. He said the first-place Blue Raiders were picked “where they should be,” and that the five programs picked ahead of the Hilltoppers “have great continuity.”

“Is that where we want to finish?” Stansbury asked of the sixth-place prediction. “No, we want to be better than that.”

Tops still awaiting word from NCAA

Once again Friday, Stansbury confirmed that WKU is still awaiting word from the NCAA on the eligibility of freshman guard Josh Anderson and redshirt sophomore forward Moustapha Diagne.

Anderson is waiting on NCAA clearance relating to his high school coursework. Diagne is waiting on NCAA clearance relating to his status as an amateur athlete.

Stansbury said both players will be unavailable Sunday for the Hilltoppers’ 1 p.m. exhibition game at Samford benefiting hurricane relief, unless the school hears something from the NCAA before then.

“We need those guys,” Stansbury said, noting that WKU currently has just seven scholarship players eligible to participate in games.

“We need everybody we can get, and both those guys are very important at their positions, give us some depth,” Stansbury said. “Mou gives us some depth and Josh being a young guy, brings a different type of athlete to us out there. We need both those guys.”

Stansbury was also asked Friday about the vacancy on his coaching staff. Ben Hansbrough, one of three full-time WKU assistants, resigned Oct. 16 from his post following an Oct. 14 arrest on a charge of driving under the influence.

Hansbrough’s resignation left Marc Hsu and Nikita Johnson as WKU’s two full-time assistants. Stansbury said it’s unlikely he’ll fill the third seat with an outside hire before next offseason.

“I hadn’t made a 100 percent decision on that, but if I had to make a decision on that today we’ll probably just get through this season right now where we’re at,” Stansbury said. “… We’ll probably just wait on it.”

JUCO wing Queen commits to WKU

Western Kentucky picked up its fourth Class of 2018 verbal commitment Friday afternoon courtesy of junior college prospect Trevelin Queen.

The 6-foot-6 guard/forward from New Mexico Military Institute tweeted Friday that he’d committed to WKU.

The sophomore Queen reportedly held scholarship offers from Colorado State and New Mexico State, where Hsu used to be an assistant coach.

A Baltimore native, Queen averaged 21.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists last season at the College of Marin in Kentfield, Calif. He shot 54.8 percent overall, 39.5 percent from 3-point range and 76.5 percent from the foul stripe.

Queen joins another JUCO product, Matthew Horton, and high school prospects Jeremiah Gambrell and Galen Smith III as verbal commits to WKU’s Class of 2018. Gambrell, Queen and Smith have all committed within the last two weeks.

2018 WKU basketball commits

• Jeremiah Gambrell, PG, 6-0, 150, Houston, Madison High School

• Matthew Horton, PF, 6-11, 220, Tuscaloosa, Ala., Shelton State Community College

• Trevelin Queen, G/F, 6-6, 185, Baltimore, New Mexico Military Institute

• Galen Smith III, PF, 6-10, 240, Bay Saint Louis, Miss., Kahuku (Hawaii) High and Intermediate School