NCAA Basketball: Preseason top 25 mid-major power rankings for 2022-23 season
20. Bryant Bulldogs
2021-22 record: 22-10 (15-2 in America East)
Last season, the Bulldogs had the nation’s leading scorer in Peter Kiss, who averaged 25.2 ppg and 3.2 apg. He’s gone, along with three other starters and a couple of other role players. Effectively, one key piece of last season’s NCAA Tournament squad is back but he’s a star in his own right in Charles Pride.
The 6’4 guard averaged 17.7 ppg and a team-leading 8.4 rpg last season, including the career-high 44-point and 12-rebound performance in Bryant’s win over Saint Francis (PA). He may not go for 25 ppg as Kiss did but Pride can be the best player for the Bulldogs and will be a candidate for America East Player of the Year.
What makes this team so dangerous is the quality of the transfers head coach Jared Grasso brought in both on the perimeter and in the frontcourt. Chauncey Hawkins is a 15 ppg scoring point guard from St. Francis (NY), Doug Edert is a sharpshooting veteran who was on the Elite 8 Cinderella squad at St. Peter’s this past season, and Earl Timberlake is a former top-50 prospect and starter at both Miami and Memphis.
Tay Mosher and Kvonn Cramer are a pair of wing newcomers that didn’t play much at their previous stops, while Antwan Walker averaged 7.5 ppg and 4.7 rpg in 20 mpg off the bench at Rhode Island and is a 6’7 forward and likely starter.
While the team doesn’t have anyone taller than 6’8 on the roster, that won’t be too much of an issue at the America East Conference. Plus, Pride’s rebounding ability negates that potential issue. Vermont has run the conference in the past decade-plus but the Bulldogs have a really good chance to take over and potentially win it in year one this season.