Busting Brackets
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CAA Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2022-23 season

By Holden Walter-Warner

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 07: Cameron Holden #55 of the Towson Tigers tries to dribble by Kevin Anderson #1 of the Delaware Fightin Blue Hens during the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic Association Basketball Tournament at the Entertainment & Sports Arena on March 7, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 07: Cameron Holden #55 of the Towson Tigers tries to dribble by Kevin Anderson #1 of the Delaware Fightin Blue Hens during the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic Association Basketball Tournament at the Entertainment & Sports Arena on March 7, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Marcus Watson #4 of the North Carolina A&T Aggies (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Marcus Watson #4 of the North Carolina A&T Aggies (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

8. North Carolina A&T Aggies

North Carolina A&T is the best-positioned newcomer to succeed in its first year in the CAA. That still makes the Aggies a middle-of-the-pack squad in the conference, one going through another abrupt change alongside its conference realignment.

In August, Will Jones was suddenly ousted as head coach after compiling a 37-35 record. Assistant Phillip Shumpert will lead the program on an interim basis this season. It’s not clear what led to the summer coaching swap.

Despite the adversity, North Carolina A&T is still in line for a decent season, with a veteran-laden core returning. After short stints at Oklahoma State and New Mexico State, wing Marcus Watson finally found a home at North Carolina A&T, averaging 12.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game during his first year with the Aggies last season.

7. William & Mary Tribe

William & Mary bottomed out in Dane Fischer’s third season, one of the worst in school history. So there’s nowhere to go but up for the Tribe.

Last year, the team won five games total and four in CAA play. They somehow eked out an eighth-place finish in the conference but were quickly ousted from the CAA Tournament.

The Tribe should be in line for a better year as the team’s core comes of age. Anders Nelson is an intriguing addition to the program, arriving from St. Thomas, which started its transition to the Division I level last year. He averaged 14.9 points per game as the Tommies joined the Summit League; there are three other graduate transfers also joining William & Mary this season.