Busting Brackets
Fansided

Conference USA Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2019-20 season

By Andrew Dieckhoff

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 27: Head coach Rick Stansbury of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers reacts in the fourth quarter against the Utah Utes during their 2018 National Invitation Tournament Championship semifinals game at Madison Square Garden on March 27, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 27: Head coach Rick Stansbury of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers reacts in the fourth quarter against the Utah Utes during their 2018 National Invitation Tournament Championship semifinals game at Madison Square Garden on March 27, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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HONOLULU, HI – DECEMBER 22: Kevin Samuel #21 of the TCU Horned Frogs and Malik Martin #12 of the Charlotte 49ers go to the floor to snag a loose ball during the second half of their game at Stan Sheriff Center on December 22, 2018 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
HONOLULU, HI – DECEMBER 22: Kevin Samuel #21 of the TCU Horned Frogs and Malik Martin #12 of the Charlotte 49ers go to the floor to snag a loose ball during the second half of their game at Stan Sheriff Center on December 22, 2018 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

#12 — CHARLOTTE

2018-19 IN REVIEW

  • Record: 8-21 (5-13, 13th in C-USA)
  • Rankings: #266 in NET, #297 in KenPom
  • Postseason: none

2019-20 AT A GLANCE

HEAD COACH

  • Ron Sanchez (2nd year)
  • School W-L: 8-21 (.276)
  • Career W-L: 8-21 (.276)

PROJECTED STARTERS

  • Cooper Robb, G, So. — 29.3 MPG (20 starts), 6.8 PPG, 2.0 APG 
  • Malik Martin, G, So. — 31.6 MPG (20 starts), 9.4 PPG, 1.2 SPG
  • Brandon Younger, G/F, So. — 23.5 MPG (11 starts), 5.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG
  • Milos Supica, F, Jr. — 22.4 MPG (18 starts), 7.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG
  • Amidou Bamba, F/C, Gr. — 5.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG in ’18-19 at Coastal Carolina

NON-CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

https://twitter.com/CharlotteMBB/status/1156381829034905600?s=20

2019-20 SEASON OUTLOOK

Last season marked the second consecutive year in which the 49ers posted a single-digit win total. Though it feels strange to say so, 2018-19 actually represented an improvement from former head coach Mark Price’s final squad, winning two more games overall and increasing their C-USA total from two wins to five.

Baby steps, right?

Well, now Charlotte just has to find a way to replace the production of departed All C-USA selection Jon Davis, who scored 21.7 points per game last year and ate up over a third of the team’s possessions. The best bet to take up Davis’ mantle is the sophomore guard Martin. As a freshman, Martin finished second on the team in scoring and led the team in steals. But he needs to improve his shooting (28.7% on threes in 2018-19) if he is going to become the go-to option on offense. The Staten Island product may be the de facto leader on offense, but he will need some of his teammates to step up, as well. Supica, Robb, and Younger all come back after playing at least 22 minutes per game last season and need to take the next step.

It’s difficult to see much of a path to success for the 49ers given their results from last season’s and their roster outlook for this year. The trick now, of course, is figuring out which player — or players — will be able to fill the void left behind by Davis’ departure.