Predicted Order of End
Memphis
UAB
North Texas
Florida Atlantic
Wichita St.
Temple
East Carolina
South Florida
Charlotte
UTSA
Tulane
Tulsa
Rice
Preseason All-Convention Predictions
PJ Haggerty (G, Memphis)
RJ Felton (G, East Carolina)
KyKy Tandy (G, FAU)
Yaxel Lendeborg (F, UAB)
Dain Danja (F, Memphis)
Atin Wright (G, North Texas)
Tyrese Hunter (G, Memphis)
Jamal Mashburn (G, Temple)
Efrem “Butta” Johnson (G, UAB)
Kobe Knox (G, South Florida)
Staff Outlooks
Memphis Tigers
Penny Hardaway has to show himself together with his alma mater this season. Along with his job safety dwindling by the season, the previous All-NBA level guard now finds himself in presumably essentially the most advantageous positions during which that he has been previously few seasons.
Tulsa switch guard PJ Haggerty headlines a switch class that features Tyrese Hunter from Texas, senior guard Colby Rogers from Wichita State and senior ahead Dain Dainja from Illinois. Returning senior ahead Nicholas Jordain caps off a beginning lineup that has the potential to be one of many nation’s finest offenses, however with Haggerty’s incapacity to shoot the three constantly, Rogers’ talent from the behind the arc might be important.
The lack of David Jones provides Hardaway the chance to uniquely craft a completely new scheme, however that is still to be seen what he’ll do.
Backside Line: The Tigers have all of the instruments to win the convention simply, however this workforce solely goes so far as their newly-minted corridor of fame head coach can take them.
UAB Blazers
Yaxel Lendeborg is definitely one of many best skills the American convention has seen in a very long time. A 6-foot-9 ahead that performs energetic protection within the paint whereas additionally having the mobility and ball management to facilitate when wanted makes this workforce harmful in March towards nearly any prime workforce.
Paired with the scoring of Efrem “Butta” Johnson and Alejandro Vazquez in addition to the paint presence of Christian Coleman, the returning class in Birmingham makes the Blazers a straightforward prime workforce in mid-major basketball. So far as transfers, junior Saint Louis switch Bradley Ezewiro fills the outlet left by Javian Davis, and Georgia Southern’s Tyren Moore provides the workforce much more guard depth.
Backside Line: With a fully-formed workforce this season that retains a lot continuity from final yr’s championship run, the Blazers ought to look to show their convention success into nationwide success.
North Texas Imply Inexperienced
Head coach Ross Hodge has been at work this offseason. After shedding their prime six scorers from final season’s NIT marketing campaign (together with star guard Jason Edwards), the Imply Inexperienced was wanting right into a down yr, however following a profitable switch season, the workforce from Denton, Texas, appears to be like to be again the place they left off.
Coming off an NCAA Event bid at Drake, senior guard Atin Wright places on the inexperienced and white to steer his workforce alongside a equally proficient group of transfers together with junior ahead Grant Newell from Cal, senior guard Johnathan Massie from Longwood and Latrell Jossell from Stephen F. Austin.
UNT, like most groups which can be newly-formed over the offseason, will most probably have some rising pains to start out the season, however might be harmful come convention play towards a reloaded American Convention.
Backside Line: A proficient switch class makes the Imply Inexperienced scary late within the season led by Wright’s scoring prowess.
Florida Atlantic Owls
Dusty Could is gone, however welcome to paradise, John Jakus. The primary-year head coach wasted no time hitting the portal and got here out with a switch class that many newly-minted head coaches would envy.
Jacksonville State’s Kyky Tandy and Florida State’s Baba Miller are anticipated to be a deadly high-low duo that might be scary off the pick-and-roll. Jakus additionally brings in Japanese Kentucky switch Leland Walker and senior Ken Evans Jr., from Jackson State, to bolster the backcourt, and Louisville switch Kaleb Glenn to affix Miller within the frontcourt.
Backside Line: Some rising pains could gradual this roster early however this workforce is constructed to succeed later within the season and can go so far as Tandy and Miller can take it.
Wichita State Shockers
This Shocker workforce boasts one thing that many profitable squads have on this new switch age: continuity. Other than the lack of Colby Rogers to convention foe Memphis, this workforce returns three of its prime 5 scorers from final season.
Senior guards Xavier Bell and Harlond Beverly come again to a lineup that provides the skills of junior Saint Peter’s switch Corey Washington and fifth yr senior Justin Hill from Georgia.
Matej Bosnjak is the largest query mark for Paul Mills’ workforce after coming in from Cibona in Croatia, the place he averaged 7.8 factors and 4.1 rebounds per outing. The 6-foot-9 ahead might be an fascinating addition to a roster ripe with new expertise.
Backside Line: With the second-best returning class within the convention and a highly-ranked class of transfers, the Shockers have the power to hit the highest of the American for the primary time at school historical past.
Temple Owls
KenPom has the Owls towards the underside of the league with the lack of Hysier Miller being an enormous consider that. Fortuitously for Temple, guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. is right here to assist. The New Mexico switch averaged 14.1 factors per recreation for a Mountain West workforce final season that made the NCAA Event. Whereas his 36.0% from the sector wishes enchancment, the graduate scholar joins a workforce constructed on hard-nosed play that wins in shut video games.
Steve Settle III rejoins the lineup as Mashburn’s main weapon with Saint Joe’s switch Lynn Greer III additionally becoming a member of in as a weapon. Head coach Adam Fisher appears to be like to mimic his workforce’s efficiency within the convention match final season as an alternative of their common season file of 5-13.
Backside Line: Mashburn Jr. has been Fisher’s greatest pickup in his tenure because the Owls head coach, so his position within the Temple offense will drive this workforce.
East Carolina Pirates
RJ Felton is coming off a season the place he averaged 17.3 factors and 6.0 rebounds per recreation, and he appears to be like to be an all-conference participant as soon as once more. His return is without doubt one of the largest tales in Greenville.
The problem for head coach Michael Schwartz was bringing in a switch class to encompass the star senior guard. Seniors Julian Soumaoro, out of Gardner-Webb, and Jordan Riley, out of Temple, are there within the backcourt to assist Felton with the scoring load.
Backside Line: The offense will run by Felton, but when the Pirates can develop stable supporting gamers, this workforce is ready for one in all their higher seasons.
South Florida Bulls
The passing of head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim was a tragedy that the Bulls might be enjoying by this season. With the return of three important contributors, the Bulls are projected to make waves within the convention as soon as once more. Ben Fletcher is serving as interim head coach.
Junior guard Kobe Knox leads a powerful group of returners that every one have beginning expertise. Sophomore guard Jayden Reid and graduate guard Brandon Stroud give the Bulls a stable group of guards. Cincinnati switch Jamille Reynolds holds down the center, standing at 6-foot-11, and junior ahead De’Ante Inexperienced rounds up the facility convention transfers, coming in from Florida State.
Backside Line: The Bulls have a stable beginning 5, however they’re removed from as deep as they have been final season. If their returners can increase on their roles from final season, USF can outperform expectations.
Charlotte 49ers
After a productive first season within the American final yr, the 49ers look to be on the down slope following the lack of all three of their prime scorers from final season. Junior guard Nik Graves and senior guard Isaiah Folkes are the one returning starters.
Head coach Aaron Fearne didn’t decide up sufficient within the switch portal for his workforce to be appeared upon favorable coming into the season. DePaul senior switch Jeremiah Oden might be a stable possibility within the low submit after beginning 24 video games for the Blue Demons final season. Aleks Szymczyk, a redshirt sophomore switch from Florida, is an enormous query mark as to his well being and availability.
Backside Line: This workforce has the power to shock doubters, nevertheless it’s troublesome to see them anyplace increased than straight in the course of the convention.
UTSA Roadrunners
Too many metrics have this Roadrunner workforce on the backside of the convention with the variety of returners for head coach Austin Claunch being zero, however there are simply points of this workforce which can be onerous to disclaim. The highlights of this switch class must be the senior guards Primo Spears from Florida State and Tai’Reon Joseph from Southern. Each have the innate potential to attain and can make UTSA’s offense deadly down the road. A grocery record of different transfers makes this workforce so comparatively unknown that there’s a actual risk that they might make huge strikes towards the highest of the workforce mixes collectively effectively.
Backside Line: Although they sit towards the underside now, the Roadrunners are most probably the largest wild card within the American Convention with their massive inflow of recent expertise.
Tulane Inexperienced Wave
Even together with his son and March Insanity legend RJ Hunter on the workforce as an assistant coach, head coach Ron Hunter isn’t set for this system turnaround that the workforce has been in search of. A powerful group of energy transfers appears to be like very promising on the surface, with Tyler Ringgold (Texas A&M), Kaleb Banks (Indiana) and Mari Jordan (Georgia) all transferring from energy faculties, however the lack of expertise in-game on the power-conference degree leaves extra to be desired from the trio.
The lone shiny sports activities for this workforce come within the switch of redshirt-sophomore Rowan Brumbaugh from Georgetown and junior Michael Eley from Siena. The 2 will give Hunter a powerful backcourt that has proven scoring prowess with their former groups.
Backside Line: A really inexperienced and disjointed roster provides Hunter a lot work to do to have his workforce prepared for the gauntlet of the American Convention.
Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
Sadly, PJ Haggerty is gone. With out the star guard, head coach Eric Konkol needed to account for the outlet, and the duty has proven troublesome. The Storm welcomes again a big group of returners headlined by senior guard Keaston Willis, senior ahead Jared Garcia and junior guard Isaiah Barnes.
Two main transfers spotlight Konkol’s workforce in graduate switch from Georgia State Dwon Odom and Minnesota product Braeden Carrington. Even with the manufacturing they’ll have, the Storm are anticipated to remain simply round the place they completed final season, perhaps even a bit decrease with the lack of a lot scoring from final season.
Backside Line: The Hurricanes are working it again from final season, besides with out Haggerty, and the additions don’t appear to have the ability to replicate what the 21.2 level per recreation scorer might do final season.
Rice Owls
Of all of the groups which have suffered since their transition from Convention USA to the American, none have gotten it as dangerous because the Owls. The recruiting benefit that comes with the shifting up in conferences, many groups would enhance, however Rice has but to search out itself in that place.
New head coach Rob Lanier takes over on the helm of this traditionally unsuccessful program and hopes to have the ability to pull them out of that rut with promising transfers in Trae Broadnax from USC Upstate and Kellen Amos from Central Connecticut State.
The Owls added a trio of former power-conference transfers who didn’t see a lot of the ground final season in Trey Patterson (Villanova), Denver Anglin (SMU) and Jalen Smith (SMU). They’re anticipated to make an influence, however total, it’s troublesome to see this workforce putting a lot increased than close to the underside of the convention.
Backside Line: There might be some rising pains below Lanier, and it might take multiple season for him to regulate.
