CLICK HERE For All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- UAB
- Louisiana Tech
- Western Kentucky
- Marshall
- Old Dominion
- North Texas
- Charlotte
- Rice
- Florida Atlantic
- UTEP
- UTSA
- Southern Miss
- Florida international
- Middle Tennessee
MEDIA PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE HONOREES:
-Jahmir Young – JR, G – Charlotte
-Taevion Kinsey – SR, G – Marshall
-Kenneth Lofton JR – FR, F – Louisiana Tech
-Josh Anderson, SR, G – Western Kentucky
-Quincy Olivari – SO, G – Rice
-Tyler Stevenson – JR, F – Southern Miss
-Tavin Lovan – JR, G – UAB
-Thomas Bell, SR, F – North Texas
-Kalu Ezikpe – JR, F – Old Dominion
-Isaiah Crawford – So, F – Louisiana Tech
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Taking into account all of the conference realignment, this is the last time we’ll see Conference USA in this format, and it may be the last time we see the league at all. I can’t help it. I like this league, and I CERTAINLY love The Curtain at the conference tournament. I really do hope it is able to hold on. Meanwhile, as far as what we’ve got this year…
-UAB is the preseason favorite and it’s hard to argue with that. Four starters are back, but more importantly they’ve got a ton of talent transferring in. Coach Andy Kennedy has a history of being able to develop players and have the rosters gel, so if they can do that they may be more than just a good Under the Radar team: they may end up inside the bubble. They are looking for their fourth 20-win season in the last five years, and from the way things are looking I’ll be surprised if they can’t make that happen.
-Louisiana Tech finished in a tie for first place last year and ended up winning the 3rd place game in the NIT. With three starters back along with some really good looking transfers, expectations are once again high for LA Tech.
-Western Kentucky always seems to feature a talented roster, and that appears to be the case again this year. Charles Bassey is gone, and replacing him won’t be easy, but with some key returners and incoming transfers WKU should once again be a strong force in the league.
-Marshall got off to a really good start last season, but like a lot of teams were knocked out of their flow with stoppages due to COVID. With three starters back including Taevion Kinsey who (looks to be one of the better players in the league), Marshall could end up surprising some people this year.
-Old Dominion finished the season strong last year, but they lost multiple key players and could be in a bit of a rebuild mode this year. Having said that, they do have some key guys back that came off the bench last year, so if they can step up then ODU has reason to be optimistic.
-North Texas had a really good year last year, but I don’t think many (including myself) were expecting to see them win the C-USA Tournament. Once they did win the tournament, I don’t think many (including myself) were expecting them to win a game in the Round of 64, but both of those things happened. The run in March put this program in the spotlight and gave it a big boost, but they did lose three key starters and have some big pieces to replace this year. They do have some rather impressive looking incoming players, so if they can develop and produce the Mean Green can be successful again this year.
-Charlotte had a disappointing season last year, but we will likely see some improvement this year. Jahmir Young returns to the roster, who will likely be one of the best players on the conference, and some key transfers were used to rebuild the roster as well.
-Rice, as a program, can’t really ever seem to get it going, and while all five starters are back from a year ago I’m not expecting them to have a breakthrough season this year. They are projected to finish toward the middle of the pack, which feels about right as to what to expect out of them.
-Florida Atlantic is a long ways away from breaking through but they have managed three winning seasons in a row, which is a notable improvement. They do lose some key players, but three starters are back and they do add some key transfers, so hopefully FAU can continue to improve.
-UTEP has four starters back and finished in the middle of the pack last year. They also have a new coach in Joe Golding who did a fantastic job at Abilene Christian, so there are plenty of reasons for optimism in El Paso. They did lose one of their top scorers, but with the pieces they have coming back I’m a little surprised there wasn’t a little more love for the Miners in the preseason polls.
-UTSA has shown noticeable improvement under Coach Steven Henson, but they may be in a bit of a rebuilding period this year. The Roadrunners have just two starters back, but they do appear to have a solid backcourt and they also add some key juco transfers, which could help.
-Southern Miss has four starters back and that experience should benefit them, but they had a rough season last year and could be in for another long year this year.
-Florida International is likely in for a long year as well.
-Middle Tennessee is picked to finish last in this league. A few years ago that would have seemed preposterous, but they just have not been the same since Kermit Davis left. Not even close.