175. East Carolina Pirates- Last Season Ranking: 164
Conference: American
East Carolina has not been a good basketball team for a long time, they are one of those teams that are automatically penciled into the bottom of the American every season. It is not without reason though, the Pirates have had six winning seasons in the last 30 years, have made two NCAA tournament appearances all time and the last one was 1992-1993, and East Carolina has a hard time keeping talent there. These are problems most every coach has faced at East Carolina including the last one Joe Dooley.
Dooley was replaced this season by Michael Schwartz. Schwartz came to the Pirates by way of Tennessee and when he was on the Volunteers staff, he was one of the best assistant coaches in the game. It was only a matter of time before Schwartz was given his own program to run. The first year for the new coach should not be unfamiliar territory for East Carolina. They have a ton of freshmen, and some quality transfers to make up most of the roster. Tons of question marks usually mean the expectations are low. That is okay for the Pirates as that is what most of their fan base expects out of them. Coach Schwartz will do a great job building up the program, but he is going to have to get them believing in East Carolina basketball first and that is always the hardest part.
There is not much to get excited about for East Carolina this year, but Wynston Tabbs is healthy this year and is going to be the starting point guard. Tabbs has a ton of experience playing for Boston College for three seasons. He has stepped up big for his previous team when they needed him the most. Tabbs is not the most dynamic player on the floor, but he is steady, and right now the Pirates need some stability.
174. Jacksonville Dolphins- Last Season Ranking: 315
Conference: Atlantic Sun
Year one under Jordan Mincey was a success. The Dolphins played unbelievable defense, so good in fact that it was a top 5 defense in the country. Jacksonville plays at an extremely slow pace and slows the offense down even slower when they are on defense. Jacksonville is very active on the defensive end and make getting a shot a chore.
They don’t allow two point shots and they rarely allow threes. Teams only took 52 shots a game against the defense which is not very many. Jacksonville plays very deliberate on offense and likes to get in the paint for the high percentage shots. The Dolphins have most of their roster back from last year and are a top three team in the Atlantic Sun. Kevion Nolan is back to lead the Dolphins.
173. UNC Wilmington Seahawks- Last Season Ranking: 285
Conference: Colonial
I like many others missed on the Seahawks last year. They were far better than they were ranked a season ago and they were good enough that they won the Colonial regular season, made the league final, and won the CBI. It was an overall good season for UNC Wilmington and head coach Takayo Siddle. The Seahawks were also one of the oldest teams in the country last year and 3 out of five starters and the sixth man were all seniors. Those guys are gone now, and the Wilmington program heads into the 2022-2023 season as a team with expectations but with question marks. They do have a good portion of returning minutes from last year, but the stars are gone.
Wilmington hangs their hat on the defensive end of the floor, and they will again. If the offense is good enough, they have a chance to be very good again. The Seahawks finish in the top half of the Colonial and it is now in the hands of Shykeim Phillips. It is now Phillips team and he is going to hope can keep the momentum going for the Wilmington program.
172. Montana State Bobcats- Last Season Ranking: 172
Conference: Big Sky
Head coach Danny Sprinkle has been at the forefront of both Bobcats NCAA tournament appearances. Coach Sprinkle was a player when the Bobcats made the tournament in the 1995-1996 season and now as a head coach, he has placed Montana State in a position to make numerous NCAA tournament appearances.
People need to remember how good of a team Montana State was heading into the tournament a season ago, not what happened in the tournament. The Bobcats didn’t show well in the NCAA tournament against Texas Tech and the game spiraled quickly. Coach Sprinkle will never let that happen again, if the Bobcats make it again the head man will make sure they are ready and will do everything he can to mitigate that type of disaster. Montana State had a dominant offense a season ago as they averaged 77 points per game, and they could score from anywhere on the floor. They were one of the best mid majors in the country a season ago and will be so again this year. Montana State has a team that can beat some power schools if they are not on their game.
The Big Sky runs through Bozeman. Jubrile Belo returns to dominate the paint again for Coach Sprinkle. Belo shot almost 60 percent from the floor last year, was a great rebounder and averaged over a block a game. You can count the number of teams on one hand that have a center as dominant as the big man for the Bobcats.
171. Mercer Bears- Last Season Ranking: 184
Conference: Southern
The Southern Conference is strong and is loaded with talented teams at the top. It is not a great mid major conference to be rebuilding in. Head coach Greg Gary comes from Purdue under Matt Painter and he has done a tremendous job as the coach at Mercer. His 51 wins over the first three seasons are the most by any coach in Mercer history.
The Bears have had a few seasons where they likely would have been closer to the NCAA tournament, or even made it in a lesser conference, but as mentioned, the Southern Conference is loaded with both individual talent and team talent. This season the Bears have lost their two best players from the previous season and it is really going to test the coaching acumen of Gary. Mercer is likely a middle of the pack Southern Conference team.
They do not have near the firepower to beat anyone at the top of this league. Kamar Robertson was a starter for most of the season last year but was a role player at best. In the conference tournament the guard came into his own and showed out. He looks to be the next leading scorer for Mercer and looks ready to take the next step. Coach Gary is going to give him some opportunity for a run and to lead the offense.
170. UMass-Lowell River Hawks- Last Season Ranking: 277
Conference: America East
The River Hawks were very close to the NCAA tournament two seasons ago and over the last couple of seasons they have turned into a program that you need to take notice of in the America East. Lowell is one of those teams who is going to give most every team a game every night just ask the Dayton Flyers. The River Hawks return most of their offense from last season and added some much needed talent via the transfer portal.
The America East is extremely competitive and tightly bunched especially in the middle. Lowell has the talent to finish in the top half of this league. Ayinde Hakim is a player due for a breakout and as the point guard has the keys to the offense.
169. Saint Joseph’s Hawks- Last Season Ranking: 261
Conference: Atlantic 10
The Hawk’s are one of College Basketball’s historically great programs and watching them struggle the last two seasons has been tough. The silver lining is that last season Saint Joseph’s was much improved from the year before, and head coach Billy Lange is showing the rebuild is going much quicker than many think in Philadelphia. No matter who is on the roster expect the Hawks to play fast, shoot a ton of threes and rebound well. The other thing that is going to help Saint Joseph’s is they rarely turn the ball over. The downside of their offense is they rarely get fouled and don’t get steals. Both of those things can and will sway games.
Saint Joseph’s should be better this year but again are likely a bottom half team in the Atlantic 10 due to the talent level in that conference. Ejike Obinna shot 60% from the floor last year and averaged a double double. He is a force inside at 6’10” and needs to be the focal point of the offense.
168. Old Dominion Monarchs- Last Season Ranking: 135
Conference: Sun Belt
The last few seasons in the Conference USA did not go as anyone planned for Old Dominion. If you ask head coach Jeff Jones, why the teams have not been up to his standards he is going to go point to the defensive end of the floor. The Monarchs were one of the best defensive teams in the country until the previous three year run for Old Dominion. Coach Jones has always had a lockdown defender who he can count on to take the opponent’s best offensive player out of the game. The last few teams he has had have not had a defensive player who is like that.
As the Monarchs start their new journey in the Sun Belt there are going to be many new challenges. The familiarity with the teams is gone and everything is a blank slate. That should help Old Dominion as no one knows how to play them or adjust to their defense. Coach Jones went out to the transfer portal and acquired two players who are good offensive players who can also play great defense. Those two players are going to fit in with what Old Dominion already has coming back for their first season in the Sun Belt. The Monarchs finish in the top tier of the Sun Belt pack.
Ben Stanley averaged 22 points per game as a Sophomore at Hampton. He then decided to transfer to a power 5 at Xavier. When he transferred to Xavier, he didn’t play much and was never able to showcase his abilities. The big man was trending towards becoming one of the best centers in the country before he transferred to Xavier. Coach Jones hopes Stanley can regain his form from Hampton and turn into a 20 plus point per game scorer who plays great defense.
167. South Dakota Coyotes- Last Season Ranking: 180
Conference: Summit League
The Coyotes have yet to make the NCAA tournament even though they have been one of the better teams in the Summit League for a good number of years. It has led to South Dakota to go to a new coach. Former coach Todd Lee went 66-52 in four seasons coaching at his Alma Mater and with the success of their rival South Dakota State that was not going to be good enough. The Coyotes hired coach Eric Peterson who was on staff with Craig Smith at both South Dakota and at Utah State. Peterson is a player developer and good recruiter. His recruiting efforts are already starting to pay off for the Coyotes.
South Dakota finished in the middle of the pack in the Summit a season ago and have their three top scorers back and added a great player from another Summit League squad to the mix to help the offense. The offense is once again going to be great. The problem is all the top teams in the Summit play the same way and all can score. South Dakota will finish in the top half of the league this year.
Mason Archambault is the player on the South Dakota roster who has the highest ceiling offensively. Archambault is a great shooter from deep and is very skilled inside the paint he can carry the team at times. The guard will be an all conference player this season and in this offense could average about 15 a game.
166. Penn Quakers- Last Season Ranking: 220
Conference: Ivy League
I would pay a lot of money to get a chance to watch the Quakers play basketball at home. Penn plays at the Palestra, which is one of the games oldest and most historic arenas. The Quakers are one of the three power house programs in the Ivy League. They are arguably the most historic program in the Ivy League, and no matter their record they are always going to finish in the top half of the league.
Keep in mind in order to be eligible for the postseason in the Ivy, you have to finish in the top 4 of the league. That tournament is only four teams and the winner of two games will be the automatic qualifier for the Ivy. The Quakers shoot threes and they do make a lot of them, they are fun to watch especially on a Saturday morning when the Ivy League is on as usually one of the lone basketball games.
Jordan Dingle averaged 21 points per game last year and didn’t win the player of the year. Dingle has a chip on his shoulder and is going to want to win the player of the year before his career is over. The guard took 18 shots per game last year and is a volume shooter but he is the difference between winning and losing games for Penn.
165. Winthrop Eagles- Last Season Ranking: 150
Conference: Big South
No Pat Kelsey no problem for Winthrop as they picked up right where they left off in the Big South and dominated the league again. Longwood was a little more dominant than Winthrop last year and that caused the Eagles to finish in second place in the league. Mark Prosser enters his second year as the head coach of Winthrop and this year may not be as dominant as the past years but are still going to be a threat to make the NCAA tournament out of the Big South.
The Eagles are one of the most efficient offensive teams in the country. They are also one of the best three point shooting teams in the country almost every year. That will likely continue again this year because the roster is full of guys who are great shooters. Winthrop under coach Prosser is not going to ever change much. The one thing that the Eagles are going to have to replace this year is the Big South player of the year. This will mark the first time in two seasons that Winthrop does not have the Player of the Year on their roster. Winthrop still finishes in the top of the league.
Cory Hightower is one of the best three point shooters in the Big South. He is the best three point shooter on the Winthrop roster and is going to lead the team in rebounding and assists. Hightower could be the next player to win the Player of the Year if he has a great season. He is trying to keep Winthrop dominant in the Big South.
164. Cal Baptist Lancers- Last Season Ranking: 206
Conference: WAC
The Lancers are another program that is going through their transition to a full-time member of Division 1. They are not eligible for the NCAA tournament, but Cal Baptist is also not close to making the NCAA tournament this year. The Lancers play slow and they do shoot a good number of three’s and make enough of them to spark the offense. The puzzling thing about Cal Baptist is their ability to get to the line, but they do not make free throws and that is holding the offense back.
On the defensive end, where coach Rick Croy hangs his hat, the Lancers are relentless. They do not allow three point baskets at all. The Lancers run teams off the three point line and force teams to take contested two point shots. That is almost always going to be a recipe for success. Cal Baptist is not going to have near enough talent to find themselves in the top half of the WAC, but they should be able to finish in the middle of the WAC.
The Lancers received commitments from a lot of transfers this year and one of the transfers is going to be a huge X factor for Cal Baptist. Blondeau Tchoukuiegno has perhaps the best name in all of college basketball, and he is one of the best point guards in the country as well. The guard is a transfer from New Hampshire, and he led the America East in assists. He also was one of 23 total players to average at least 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per game. The transfer guard is going to give the offense a new dimension and Cal Baptist and he is going to be coming for the assist records in the WAC too.
163. Sam Houston State Bearkats- Last Season Ranking: 194
Conference: WAC
Jason Hooten has turned the Bearkats into a consistent winner. Coach Hooten has guided the Sam Houston State program to 9 straight winning seasons and they have at least 18 wins in every one of those seasons. The Kats dominated the Southland for a long time under Hooten, and last season, their first in the WAC, they finished in the top half. That speaks volumes on the coaching ability of Hooten.
Last year, Sam Houston State did it a little differently as they had one of the best defenses in the country. The Bearkats were still a team who played fast on offense but when they played on defense, they slowed the opponent way down. They only allowed 53 shot attempts per game on the defensive end. That is always going to be a recipe for success. If the other team doesn’t score it will bode well for the team on defense. The Bearkats did lose their top two offensive threats from a year ago, but coach Hooten is a great player development coach, and someone is going to emerge as a new star for Sam Houston State this year. The Bearkats will still finish in the top half the WAC because history and coaching say they will.
Tristan Ikpe didn’t get a ton of shots in the offense last year, but he was great on defense in the middle of the floor. The big man has an extremely high ceiling and if given the shots is ready to take off. Ikpe is going to have a huge breakout season for coach Hooten and the Sam Houston State program.
162. Tulsa Golden Hurricane- Last Season Ranking: 126
Conference: American Athletic
Three seasons ago the Golden Hurricane surprised and finished in the top tier of the American. Tulsa didn’t make an NCAA tournament that season and that marked the last time that head coach Frank Haith would exceed expectations. The last two seasons Tulsa has struggled and have finished in the bottom of the American. Those last two seasons cost coach Frank Haith his job and Tulsa hired former Louisiana Tech coach Erik Konkol. Konkol has won a lot and resurrected the Louisiana Tech program, nothing tells me he won’t with Tulsa. The rebuild is going to take a few years and Konkol will be given that time. In the new coaches first year, Tulsa looks like a bottom tier American team this year.
They are young, have some pieces that have not played in the system before, and they do not have much depth. Golden Hurricane fans do have a budding star to cheer for this year. Sam Griffin enters his junior season as the biggest piece for the Tulsa squad. Griffin is the one position on the floor that is not a question mark, coach Konkol knows exactly what he is going to get from Griffin.
The question is will the guard have any help? who are going to be the role players? and most importantly who is going to be the consistent second scoring option for Tulsa? Griffin is a volume shooter, but he is still going to be good for about 15 points and clutch buckets when the Golden Hurricane need them. He is not an efficient scorer at all, like most volume shooters, but Tulsa needs him to score. The offense won’t do much without Griffin.
161. Samford Bulldogs- Last Season Ranking: 254
Conference: Southern Conference
Bucky ball is alive and well. When Samford hired Bucky McMillan, this is exactly what they envisioned. The Bulldogs already take a ton of threes and play at an extremely fast pace. However, the head coach for Samford wants it to be faster, he will not be satisfied until they play at the fastest pace and take the most threes in the country. The offense is still new for Samford and they had an extremely young team last year and not many of them had played together.
A new year means a more efficient and quicker offense especially since the Bulldogs have most of their production back. They will also play at one of the fastest paces in the country. Ques Glover transferred from Florida at the beginning of last year and he averaged nearly 20 points per game a season ago. The longer he plays in the offense the better he will be, he will average over 20 points per game this year.
160. UNC Greensboro Spartans- Last Season Ranking: 160
Conference: Southern
UNC Greensboro didn’t score a ton of points last year, but it doesn’t bother head coach Mike Jones or the Spartans, so it is no cause for concern. Greensboro plays slow and they only average about 55 possessions per game. The 65 points they score is a low number, but it is more a result of how they play versus not making any shots. The Spartans don’t have a great offense by any means, but it isn’t terrible. They make a lot of their threes and hit an average number of their twos.
The Spartans have always been a team who plays great defense. Under Wes Miller that was the case and if you followed the career of current head coach Mike Jones it is what he prides his teams on as well. The defense does not allow opponents to get into the middle of the paint or get clear looks at the basket inside. As a result, the Spartans allowed under 30 two point attempts per game. That was the best number in the country. They want their opponents to take threes, they just do not want them to shoot 35% from deep.
The Spartans have a good portion of their roster back from last year and they were able to get a player to carry the offense. Keonte Kennedy is a graduate transfer from UMBC who led the Retrievers in scoring a season ago. Kennedy is going to be the guy who gets the ball in this offense and hopefully will give this offense a shot in the arm.
159. Long Beach State 49ers- Last Season Ranking: 294
Conference: Big West
The Beach really surprised a lot of people last year. I had them ranked as one of the worst teams in the Big West but, the 49ers were able to put it all together and grab the number 1 seed in the Big West tournament. Even though Long Beach State didn’t make the NCAA tournament they still far exceeded expectations and as such have created expectations for themselves this year.
Head Coach Dan Monson has a good amount of talent returning from his 20 win team that the 49ers find themselves as one of my favorites in the Big West. They rarely shoot threes, but it cancels itself out as they are extremely proficient at getting to the free throw line. Long Beach State is going to be a postseason team again this year. Joel Murray returns and is a favorite for the Big West player of the year.
158. Duquesne Dukes- Last Season Ranking: 179
Conference: Atlantic 10
The Dukes were one of the youngest teams in the country a season ago and it showed. Duquesne only won 6 games over the entire season. The Dukes enter this season on a 16 game losing streak and with an entirely new roster. The new roster is not all that surprising given how bad the season was and as a rule it is hard to keep kids on the roster when the team doesn’t win. The Dukes had a terrible time trying to score last year.
Duquesne plays one of the fastest paces in the country but none of that matters when you can’t put the ball in the basket. Duquesne didn’t make many of the shots they took and that along with their overall ineffectiveness on the defensive end can be attributed to youth. If head coach Keith Dambrot has a tough season this year, then Duquesne could be looking for a change. Even with all the transfers and the uptick in talent the Dukes are still a bottom tier Atlantic 10 team.
Tevin Brewer is a transfer from Florida International and he could be just what coach Dambrot ordered. Brewer is a three year starter who can hit shots from deep and was an efficient offensive player. The most important thing that Brewer is going to bring to the Dukes is his ability to pass the ball. Duquesne averaged 10 assists per game last year, which is one of the lowest in the country. Brewer averaged 6 per game last year and if he can carry those numbers over to the Atlantic 10 it will help improve the Duquesne offense quickly.
157. Northern Kentucky Norse- Last Season Ranking: 151
Conference: Horizon League
The Horizon League is hoping for some parity as the top of the league seems to be the same three or four teams over the last handful of seasons. The Norse have done a great job building their program up to become one of those consistent top teams. Head coach Darrin Horn is a good recruiter and has developed a team who is tough, shoots a lot of threes and has a lot of athleticism.
Northern Kentucky is a pesky team who never seems to be out of a game because of their ability to shoot from outside. The Norse are also frustrating to watch because they are not a very efficient team overall, but they make enough baskets to win games. They get a lot of baskets in transition because they have quick guards who hop in front of passes and get easy steals. The Norse are winning games, and no one ever said winning had to be pretty. Northern Kentucky barely missed the NCAA tournament a season ago as they lost to Wright State by one point. They will be back again and will make the NCAA tournament again as early as this year.
Marques Warrick is a two time all conference selection and made the all freshman team in the Horizon League. The guard enters his junior year as one of the players on the preseason player of the year watch list. Warrick shows up when the time is right. He plays his best in the biggest games and in the conference tournament. He is going to lead the team in scoring again and should easily make the all conference team.
156. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks- Last Season Ranking: 144
Conference: WAC
Kyle Keller has picked up right where former coach Brad Underwood left off. The Lumberjacks are one of the teams that no power five team wants to play. They press on defense and run an efficient offense, plus these guys know how to win. Stephen F. Austin was part of the three way tie for the WAC regular season crown last year and coach Keller is ready to get it rolling again this year.
The Lumberjacks have one of the best home court advantages in the entire sport as over the last decade Stephen F. Austin is 136-15 at home against everyone. That is why power schools don’t want to play them. They win games. The Lumberjacks are going to finish in the top half of the WAC again this season. Coach Keller has enough to work with where he is going to be able to work his magic. His teams get downhill and to the bucket with the best of them, they live at the free throw line and do not ever force shots. They are so hard to get ready to play because they do so many things right and rarely make mistakes. Stephen F. Austin moves the ball, gets tons of steals and protects the rim. The one thing they do that could be cleaned up is their penchant for turning the ball over, but it has not seemed to deter them from winning.
Sadaidriene Hall is the perfect player for coach Keller. He shot the ball at 60% from the floor averaging 9.5 points last season to go with 5 rebounds in under 20 minutes of gameplay. Look for a breakout from the wing.
155. Yale Bulldogs- Last Season Ranking 137
Conference: Ivy League
Yale won the Ivy League last year before heading to the NCAA tournament and falling to Purdue. The Bulldogs have finished in the top half of the Ivy League every year since 2017 and has finished in the top one or two spots the last three seasons. Over that time the Bulldogs have had an influx of talent and have had or two of the best players in the Ivy League every year.
All good things must come to an end as Yale has seen the last of their great players graduate last year and this year someone is going to have to take a huge leap to keep the trend of an all conference player alive. Yale has made every Ivy tournament and this year they should again, but it may be as the four seed. I don’t have a ton of confidence in Yale this year because they do not have the dominant player that they have had in the past. Head coach James Jones has been at Yale since the 1999-2000 season, and he has won a ton of games. Coach is one of the best coaches in the Ivy League and he will get the most out of his players. Yale doesn’t have nearly as good of a season as they have become accustomed to, but they still finish in the top 4.
Matt Knowling is the next in line for Yale. Knowling didn’t take many shots in the offense last year but the ones he did take he made 60% of them. Knowling came into his own a lot during the Ivy League tournament when he scored 10 points per game. Coach Jones is a great player developer and Knowling is ready for a breakout in the Ivy League.
154. Hawaii Warriors- Last Season Ranking: 228
Conference: Big West
There are not many of us who can consistently watch Hawaii games, especially when they are at home. I was one of those rare college basketball junkies who did watch 3 or 4 Hawaii games a year ago. Full disclosure, I love the way Hawaii plays, I love their color scheme, and I especially enjoy the coaches on both teams wearing Hawaiian shirts during the game. The Warriors already finished in the top half of the Big West and that was with two of their key contributors injured and out for the season.
Head coach Eran Ganot has developed Hawaii into a consistent threat in the Big West and he has a scary team because not many programs or coaches outside of the Big West know much about the team. The Warriors were a tremendous shooting team a season ago, and with their injured players back this year that is going to get better. Hawaii has a lot of experience returning from last season and have quality depth behind their stars. The Warriors look to be headed for another top tier finish in the Big West. Noel Coleman shot over 40% from deep last year. He was the focal point in the offense most nights and is going to be again. The guard will earn back to back all conference nods.
153. Seattle Redhawks- Last Season Ranking: 168
Conference: WAC
Days before the 2021-2022 season was scheduled to start the Redhawks lost their coach Jim Hayford. Hayford was forced to resign after he was accused of using racial epithets to players at practice. There is and should be a zero-tolerance policy on these things at schools. Chris Victor was named the interim coach at the start of last season but given his success he was given the full time job this offseason.
Under Victor, Seattle won their most games since transitioning back to Division 1 in 2009-2010. It was also the first time the Redhawks have ever won the WAC regular season, and they also started the league 8-0 for the first time ever. It was a historic season for Seattle and one that many hope will become a regular occurrence. Even though the Redhawks got the one seed in the WAC tourney they were still upset in the conference tournament and did not make the NCAA tournament.
The Redhawks have a lot of production coming back this year and they are a hungry team who knows they just missed out on the first NCAA tournament for the school. Seattle looks like a top tier team in the WAC again and the top of the WAC is going to be competitive and tough.
Cameron Tyson enters his final year at Seattle after transferring from Houston. Tyson takes and makes a ton of threes and he has shown he can also put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. He didn’t shoot at a very high percentage overall last season but that was in large part because of the sheer volume of threes that he takes. Seattle loves to shoot the ball from deep, as they average about 30 attempts per game from outside. Tyson is an asset because of his ability to get a shot up from wherever he is on the floor.
152. Wofford Terriers- Last Season Ranking: 132
Conference: Southern
On paper it doesn’t look like the Terriers will have a great season. Wofford is not a team that is going to make the tournament, but they are also not a team who is going to finish dead last in the Southern Conference. Head coach Jay McAuley has built the Terriers into a consistent force in the conference and two of the three years he has been the coach at Wofford they have finished in the top half of the league.
Wofford is heading into the season with a relatively young roster but the players that are currently on the roster are players who are going to fit exactly what the Terriers like to do. The Terriers are going to take a ton of threes and take very smart shots overall. Wofford is never going to be the most athletic team in the country so to make up for that the Terriers take smart shots and load the roster with players who can shoot the ball from deep. Wofford is coached well, and they do not do things that are going to lose games. They rarely turn the ball over, and they box out on every missed shot. The Terriers only allowed 28 rebounds a game which was the top number in the country. Those are the things that keep them in games, and the things that ultimately win them games.
BJ Mack returns for his senior year. The big man is a great offensive player who takes smart shots and shoots at a high percentage from the floor. Mack shot 45% from the three point line and 56% from inside the arc. The big man leads the Terriers in both rebounding and assists this year.
151. Longwood Lancers- Last Season Ranking: 243
Conference: Big South
Last year I had Longwood pegged as a middle of the pack Big South team and mentioned how much of a step in the positive direction that would be for head coach Griff Aldrich and the Lancers. Well, how about a conference championship season, virtually running the table, and making their first NCAA appearance. How is that for a step in the right direction? The Lancers kept the momentum going as they head into this season and are ready to run it back as repeat champions in the Big South.
They have almost their whole team back and when you were as dominant, on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor, as Longwood as it is going to take a lot to unseat the champs. The Lancers made a ton of threes, got a ton of extra possessions with offensive rebounds, and got fouled a ton. That coupled with their ability to play defense is a recipe for success.
Walyn Napper is a tranfer from Southern Mississippi, and he is already going to be one of the most important players for Longwood this year. He is taking over for point guard Justin Hill. The Lancers rely on their point guard for a lot and the PG in this offense has a lot of trust from the coach to make the right play. Hill will be hard to replace but Napper is up for the challenge.