Busting Brackets
Fansided

CAA Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2019-20

By Matthew Winick

SYRACUSE, NY - DECEMBER 04: Anthony Green #30 of the Northeastern Huskies dunks the ball as Elijah Hughes (R) of the Syracuse Orange defends during the first half at the Carrier Dome on December 4, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY - DECEMBER 04: Anthony Green #30 of the Northeastern Huskies dunks the ball as Elijah Hughes (R) of the Syracuse Orange defends during the first half at the Carrier Dome on December 4, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images) /
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SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – MARCH 21: K.J. Lawson #13 of the Kansas Jayhawks shoots the ball against Jordan Roland #12 of the Northeastern Huskies during the second half in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 21, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – MARCH 21: K.J. Lawson #13 of the Kansas Jayhawks shoots the ball against Jordan Roland #12 of the Northeastern Huskies during the second half in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 21, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

2. Northeastern

2018-2019 Record: 23-11 (14-4) – 2nd in CAA

After upsetting Hofstra in the CAA Championship Game and making the NCAA Tournament last season, Northeastern put together one of their most successful seasons in the Bill Coen era. Leading the way was First-Team All-CAA senior guard Vasa Pusica and a plethora of elite shooters around him. All in all, there were five Huskies that shot over 38% from deep, resulting in the 20th best three-point attack in the nation.

In that group, only Pusica and Donnell Gresham Jr. have departed. However, useful big Anthony Green graduated and oft-injured Shawn Occeus transferred. All in all, four of the seven players that played in their upset win over Hofstra are now one. This season, the onus falls on guard Jordan Roland, who shot a hyper-efficient 45/55/90 last season. With usage going way up, those numbers are sure to fall slightly, however, he possesses the shooting ability to be a true difference-maker on the floor. Throw in useful forwards Bolden Brace and Tomas Murphy, along with redshirted Maxime Boursiquot and Greg Eboigbodin, and a rotation starts to form for Northeastern.

There’s no doubt that the Huskies will be among the top contenders in the CAA this season. A mature, experienced group coming off an NCAA Tournament berth should ride that momentum into this season. They will be one of the smaller teams in the league, but should their efficiency shooting the ball remain, they will still be a solid roster. What this season boils down to is how every rotation player fares trying to take a step forward. Coach Coen has had a good track record with developing his student-athletes, and a successful development process could have Northeastern dancing for the second straight year.