NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 353 D-I programs for 2019-20 season
By Bryan Mauro
312. Florida A and M Rattlers
The Rattlers had a winning record in the MEAC a season ago. With the way the previous four seasons had gone that is tremendous progress. The Rattlers did lose their two leading scorers to graduation, but they do return a balanced attack led by junior Kamron Reaves.
311. Jacksonville Dolphins
Dolphin fans have no idea what to expect this season. JD Notae, the best player that Jacksonville has had in quite some time, was not able to get this team over the hump. He has now transferred and senior and team leader Jace Hogan has exhausted his eligibility. The bottom of the Atlantic Sun is not great.
310. Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
The Golden Eagles are another team that is breaking in a new coach this season. After an 8-win season which is their worst since 1997-1998, a change is inevitable. The Eagles return their leading scorer and have a nice core of players for the new coach John Pelphrey to work with.
309. Manhattan Jaspers
In 2014, Manhattan made the NCAA tournament and their head coach Steve Masiello was slated to take the South Florida job. After it was determined he lied on his resume about graduating from Kentucky he stayed at Manhattan. Since that point the Jaspers have been one of the countries worst. The Jaspers return most of their offense from a season ago. That offense averaged 57 points per game, good for second-worst in the country.
308. North Alabama Lions
Entering their second full season at the Division 1 level, the first season went about as well as you could have hoped for. The Lions did have double-digit wins a season ago. As the second season is set to begin star guard Jamari Blackmon is ready to improve on the win total from year one.
307. Charlotte 49ers
Year one of the Ron Sanchez era did not go well. The team could not score, and the one player who did score Jon Davis is no longer on campus. Charlotte has a young team, but most all are recruited by Sanchez. Only time will tell if Sanchez is the right man for that job.
306. Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers
Mount St. Mary’s was one of the premier programs of the Northeast conference under former head coach Jamion Christian. Christian left before last season began to coach the Siena Saints. Coach Dan Englestad inherited a team with one senior, no juniors, six sophomores and nine freshmen. The team is older this year and closed the year playing much better basketball than they did at the beginning of the season. The NEC is an experienced league at the top, something the Mount is not.
305. Lafayette Leopards
Lafayette has won ten games apiece for the last two years. The Leopards return much of their offense from a year ago. The Patriot League has been a competitive and tough conference the last handful of seasons. The Leopards once again are going to have a terrible time competing with their counterparts.
304. Southeast Missouri State Redhawks
The Redhawks out of the Ohio Valley have been a competitive team who finished right around the .500 mark overall the two seasons prior to last year. A season ago they were only able to muster up 10 total wins en route to a 12th place finish in the league. Coach Rick Ray has most of his team back from a year ago and should improve.
303. Little Rock Trojans
In 2015 Chris Beard led the Trojans to an opening-round upset of Purdue in the NCAA tournament. That team also had 30 wins. Since that point, Little Rock has been at or near the bottom of their conference standings. Star guard Rayjon Tucker is no longer on the team. This year may be more of the same in Little Rock.
302. Bryant Bulldogs
Bryant is another one of those teams who have very little to show for their Division one history. They about to embark on their 13th season. To take something positive from their 12 years in Division 1. It seems that second-year coach Jared Grasso has the right formula to help Bryant win some games.
301. North Dakota Fighting Hawks
The Hawks are not known for their basketball program. Their fans know that as well. Hockey rules the roost in Grand Forks. The team still has yet to put out a consistent product. This year may tougher than many considering the team lost two of their biggest contributors for a team that finished seventh in the Summit last season.
300. Eastern Kentucky Colonels
Eastern Kentucky had one of the best players in the Ohio Valley over the last few years in Nick Mayo. Even with Mayo the school could not get over the hump in the Ohio Valley and make the NCAA tournament. Mayo is now gone, and the Colonels are going to have to find a new source of offense. Jomaru Brown looks to be that guy.
299. Elon Phoenix
Elon has never made the NCAA tournament and has only experienced four winning seasons. They are breaking in a new coach this year after the previous coach was let go after an 11-win season, which is Elon’s worst since 2009. The new coach inherited a very young team as most of the scoring from last year is no longer on campus.
298. VMI Keydets
The Virginia Military Institute won 11 games a season ago. Their leading scorer and team leader Bubba Parham decided to transfer and leave the program. The team is extremely young and still has no seniors. Coach Dan Earl has never won more than 11 games in a year.
297. Saint Peters Peacocks
The Peacocks have one of the better mascots in College Basketball. The product on the basketball floor is not usually very appealing. The team had a hard time scoring last year, only averaging just a shade over 62 points per game. The team this year should hopefully be different on the offensive end. The Peacocks have a transfer from Penn State in Nazeer Bostick and two twin brothers Hassan and Fousseyni Drame to help pick up the offense.
296. Hartford Hawks
Hartford has had two great seasons in which they were near the top of the America East conference. However, after last season they lost seven seniors and virtually all their scoring. It is going to be a tough year in Hartford with a young team.
295. UMKC Roos
Missouri Kansas City is a member of the WAC. They won eleven games last year and their best player Xavier Bishop decided to transfer to another program. UMKC hired Billy Donlon this offseason to try and turn around the fortunes of the maligned program. They have never made the tournament in 31 seasons.
294. UNC Wilmington Seahawks
Kevin Keatts built the Seahawks up to one of the better mid-majors in the country before he left for his current job at NC State. Since that point, UNC Wilmington has struggled. This year they enter the season after losing big man and double-double machine Devontae Cacok to graduation and their second-leading scorer Jeantal Cylla to transfer.
293. IUPUI Jaguars
IUPUI won 16 games a year ago and finished one game under .500. The offseason was not kind to the Jaguars as their leading scorer and team leader Camron Justice decided to transfer. The team also lost a trio of contributing seniors. Will IUPUI be able to easily replace that production?