2021-22 season outlook
By March, UNC Greensboro basketball could have 20+ wins under their belt once again and even be in the NCAA Tournament conversation, at the very least as a bubble team, despite their mid-major status.
Head coach Mike Jones has an NCAA Tournament appearance under his belt already in 2018. His penchant for more should be present in the defensive-minded identity of his team in 2021-22. As Radford’s head coach in 2020-21, his squad ranked 44th in the nation in scoring defense (64.6 ppg). If he can replicate that with a much similar bunch, the Spartans could surprise some folks in the SoCon basketball landscape.
The Spartans will need Kaleb Hunter and Keyshaun Langley to step up in a big way. They shouldn’t have much of an issue adjusting to Coach Jones’ style of play that put defense first but also favors a typically guard-heavy rotation. Back at Radford, he led them to back-to-back Big South regular-season crowns from 2018-20 and the conference’s automatic tournament bid in 2017-18 with a conference tournament victory.
Jones has a winning pedigree that fits what Wes Miller had already built before leaving for a bigger job at Cincinnati. Now, he’ll have to prove he can hang in the SoCon in 2021-22 in his first season on the sidelines. Look for them to finish at the Top 5 in the standings.