The 2021-22 campaign is just two short days from tipping-off. Think of this as our official tip-off article. We begin by looking at the projected one-bid leagues. One-Bid leagues deliver on unbelievable conference tournament drama, unexpected storylines, and rising star Head Coaches each and every season. We’ve always said that these leagues are not only intriguing to follow but in many cases overlooked by the committee when it comes to seeding. It is hard to imagine many or any debates between teams like Colgate, Campbell, and Southern Illinois getting a 14 or a 15 seed in the committee room for example - but that is actually a big deal for those leagues and the schools involved(it also can ding guys like me in Bracket Matrix scoring). The scales have been also tipped in more recent seasons for one-bid leagues to not have opportunities to schedule for big-time quality wins and it is increasingly more and more difficult to send more than one team to the dance from these 21 conferences specifically. Last season we witnessed a 23-1 Winthrop season. However, if the Eagles would have lost in the Big South Tournament, they were not going to go dancing. Fortunately, they were able to secure a bid the hard way, by defeating Campbell in the Big South title game. Not all regular season champs were as prosperous. The deck is stacked against these leagues, no question about it. Not all hope is lost, Belmont in 2019 and East Tennessee State were right there for an at-large (Belmont went to the First Four that season). The best case for a two-bid opportunity this season rests in Conference USA and perhaps the OVC (if Belmont falls in the OVC Tournament). More to come on Conference USA in a bit.
These leagues very quickly get overlooked by bracketologists, who may be assuming “okay this team is picked first” or “this team is currently in first” and just plug them into a bracket forecast accordingly. We will not do that here, we envision which teams are set up well to win the Regular Season Championship, and separately look at which teams are set up to succeed in their specific conference tournament setting. Admittedly, once we make it into conference play at mid-season and beyond, I will change my projected auto-bid winner to reflect who has the inside track to the Conference Tournament #1 seed. It also works as an agent to recognize more programs publically throughout the season instead of just plugging in the same representative for each new bracket post. We love recognizing programs!
For preseason purposes, however, I believe it is more effective and thoughtful to predict both the regular season and tournament outcomes: Not all tournaments are created equal, FAR from it. Some are on-campus, some are in neutral locations and the bracket format varies tremendously from league to league. For these reasons, I have two sets of predictions and the Auto Bid winners will be applied to my upcoming Preseason Bracket. For extra fun, I’ve also added a Darkhorse team to track this year and Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year picks for each conference.
Kenneth Lofton, Jr. and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs would love to be in position for an At-Large Bid come March. Bulldogs scheduled stiff tests at Alabama, at NC State, vs. LSU, and at Santa Clara
The One-Bid Leagues
In order of predicted league finish by Conference Strength.
Conference USA
Season Outlook:
Three heavyweights headline the strength of CUSA heading into 2021-22 - UAB, Louisiana Tech, and Western Kentucky. The sum of talent on these three rosters is unmatched by the other 11 programs. Defending CUSA Tourney champs, North Texas boasts two important claims: Coach Grant McCasland is one of the best coaches nationally and we believe he’s the best x’s and o’s coach in CUSA. Plus the tournament is played in nearby Frisco. The UTEP Miners are bringing in Joe Golding from Abilene Christian, in what should be a pretty quick rebuild. Expect UTEP to be tough by the end of the season. Marshall brings back Taevion Kinsey and an overall solid roster and figures to be a top-four team in the league. Charlotte, Rice, and Old Dominion have enough pieces and dynamic styles of play to stay in the race.
Darkhorse Team:
North Texas
Regular Season Champion:
Louisiana Tech
Conference Tournament Location:
Frisco, TX
Auto-Bid Winner:
UAB
Player of the Year:
Kenneth Lofton, Jr. - Louisiana Tech
Newcomer of the Year:
Keith Williams - Western Kentucky
MAC
Season Outlook:
The MAC promises to be an outstandingly brutal league in 2021-22. Several rosters are littered with experience. This will be an OLD league. This means watch-out in the NCAA’s regardless of which team comes out. The Buffalo Bulls have three players in Jeenathan Williams, Ronaldo Segu, and Josh Mballa with All-MAC level talent. The Bulls also finished 77th in KenPom last season and should maintain or improve that level of efficiency. The Ohio Bobcats are right behind Buffalo with a very capable roster, now led by Mark Spears. Toledo and Akron have very consistent programs. Both the Rockets and Zips have filled in admirably for a few key departures and will be a factor in the race as always. Then you have the trio of Bowling Green, Kent State and Miami-Ohio who all have at least five Seniors in their rotation (if not more). They will be sound fundamental squads. We’re truly looking at seven realistic teams to come out of this league.
Darkhorse Team:
Miami-Ohio
Regular Season Champion:
Buffalo
Conference Tournament Location:
Cleveland, OH - Only the Top 8 qualify.
Auto-Bid Winner:
Buffalo
Player of the Year:
Mark Spears - Ohio U.
Newcomer of the Year:
Sincere Carry - Kent State
SoCon
Season Outlook:
It’s wide-open in the SoCon this season. And guess what? With Wes Miller and Steve Forbes (2020) leaving the conference, none of the current 10 SoCon Head Coaches have ever coached an NCAA Tourney game. So, who will crack the ice? Chattanooga and Furman have the two best rosters on paper. For the Mocs, they’ve returned nearly everyone and hope to get a big contribution from Silvio De Sousa (via Transfer - Kansas). The Mocs have yet to appear in a SoCon Championship game under Lamont Paris, they hope that changes. Furman has had an incredible run under HC Bob Richey. The main thing missing is that elusive SoCon Tourney Title. Paladins return a trio of outstanding vets in Mike Bothwell, Jalen Slawson, and Alex Hunter. Wofford and East Tennessee State bring quality rosters back to the table and you cannot count out VMI under Dan Earl. Mercer also brings back Neftali Alvarez and Kamar Robertson, Bears will be hungry. SoCon promises to provide us with a fascinating race, as always.
Darkhorse Team:
Mercer
Regular Season Champion:
Furman
Conference Tournament Location:
Asheville, NC
Auto-Bid Winner:
Wofford
Player of the Year:
Mike Bothwell - Furman
Newcomer of the Year:
Ques Glover - Samford
Sun Belt
Season Outlook:
So much to cover, so little space. Georgia State and Texas State are your mainstays in this league with excellent continuity. GSU brings a bit more offensive prowess and Texas State is the top defensive team in this league. Then we throw in the kings of the transfer portal - South Alabama and Louisiana. The USA Jaguars are bringing in a ridiculous crop of transfers. Six of them came from Power 6’s/Memphis and the seventh is Greg Parham, a phenomenal scorer from VMI. Louisiana went with quality over quantity in comparison to South Alabama. Cajuns welcome in former 5-star recruit, Jordan Brown (via Arizona and Nevada). Brown is joined by Antwann Jones (Memphis), Greg Williams, Jr. (St. John’s) and Jalen Dalencourt (SJSU) to really spruce up the Cajun roster. These four squads on paper appear geared to lead the conference race, but certainly, keep track of Arkansas State and defending tourney champs, Appalachian State. Both of these programs improved a ton by the end of last season and bring significant contributors back.
Darkhorse Team:
Arkansas State
Regular Season Champion:
Georgia State
Conference Tournament Location:
Pensacola, FL
Auto-Bid Winner:
Texas State
Player of the Year:
Norchad Omier - Arkansas State
Newcomer of the Year:
Greg Parham - South Alabama
Horizon League
Season Outlook:
The depth of the Horizon League has taken a significant step forward heading into ‘21-22. The league will be gaining more eyeballs thanks to blue-chip frosh, Pat Baldwin, deciding to play for his father at Milwaukee. The return of Antoine Davis to Detroit Mercy was equally as big for the strength of the league. Outstanding continuity is returning to Cleveland State and Wright State. The Horizon League moves to a 22-game league schedule, which is unbalanced. I believe that will favor the older teams in the league. This brings Northern Kentucky into the conversation with five seniors in their rotation and led by two emerging Sophomores (Marques Warrick and David Bohm). Also worth mentioning Oakland as a constant threat to win big in March. The Golden Grizzlies still have Jalen Moore and Jamal Cain to lead the way for a final go-round.
Darkhorse Team: Detroit Mercy
Regular Season Champion: Wright State
Conference Tournament Location: Campus Sites and Indianapolis, IN (Semis and Finals)
Auto-Bid Winner: Cleveland State
Player of the Year: Antoine Davis - Detroit Mercy
Newcomer of the Year: Pat Baldwin - Milwaukee
Big West
Season Outlook:
Big West has a stellar top three in UC Irvine, UCSB, and UC Riverside. Much like last season, these three programs should be right there again and in line for a Big West regular-season title. UC Irvine has Collin Welp back, who is a game-changer for the Anteaters. UCI really gets it done defensively, ‘Eaters were a Top 40 KenPom defense and finished 6th in the nation in 2 pt. FG% Defense. UCI has seven players 6’9 or taller and make life misreble for opposing offenses in the paint. Which is key when looking at UC Santa Barbara’s outlook and comparing. UCSB has the skilled big man, Amadou Sow, back for another run. Gauchos also bring in Zach Harvey from Cincinnati and have solid continuity despite losing JaQuori McLaughlin and others from last year’s title team. UC Riverside is one of the fastest turnarounds in the nation under now officially Head Coach Mikey Magpayo. Special congrats to Coach Magpayo. UCR will be led by Zyon Pullin, an All-Big West caliber guard. Highlanders brought in JP Moorman, a transfer from Temple, to accompany a mostly consistent roster returning from last season. UC Davis is a darkhorse team to watch as they have two of the best guards in the league - Ezra Mannion and Elijah Pepper.
Darkhorse Team:
UC Davis
Regular Season Champion:
UC Irvine
Conference Tournament Location:
Henderson, NV
Auto-Bid Winner:
UC Irvine
Player of the Year:
Collin Welp - UC Irvine
Newcomer of the Year:
EJ Anosike - Cal St. Fullerton
CAA
Season Outlook:
Most recent CAA news is quite significant with James Madison’s being ruled ineligible for the CAA Tournament due to their commitment to join the Sun Belt. It’s an exit rule that has been around the CAA for decades. We shall see if anything will overturn the Dukes postseason fate by March, but for now, we will forecast based on this ruling. The Dukes are defending regular-season co-champs and hosted the CAA tournament a season ago. JMU has Vado Morse, Justin Amadi, Julien Wooden back in the fold with a quartet of newcomers that should keep the Dukes in regular-season title contention. The other co-champion last season, Northeastern, will look to replace Tyson Walker (left for Michigan State). The Huskies are extremely well-coached by Bill Coen and have most everyone back with a nice mix of transfers. Delaware was the Media Day choice to win the CAA. The Blue Hens still have Dylan Painter on campus and brought in Jameer Nelson, Jr. from the portal. UD has a veteran roster, will be a tough out. Drexel is the defending CAA Tourney champs and get Cam Wynter back. HC Zach Spiker got things rolling last March and has a variety of zone defenses, and may have it in him to do it again. Charleston upped the ante by landing one of the best hires of the offseason, hiring Pat Kelsey away from Winthrop. Coach Kelsey got to work quickly by adding five quality transfers to join key returnees Brenden Tucker and Osinachi Smart. Cougars project to be dangerous later in the season. And we have to mention Elon, who has Hunter McIntosh back and a rising coach in Mike Schrage.
Darkhorse Team:
Elon
Regular Season Champion:
Northeastern
Conference Tournament Location:
Washington D.C.
Auto-Bid Winner:
Charleston
Player of the Year:
Cam Wynter - Drexel
Newcomer of the Year:
Takal Molson - James Madison
WAC
Season Outlook:
The new-look WAC is finally here! We’ve been tweeting about expansion plans for over a year. Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston, and Stephen F. Austin are officially in! Before the party could even get started, Sam Houston and New Mexico State are on their way out to CUSA in two years or less. It’s unfortunate to a degree, however we will have this current set of teams at least for this season. Chicago State’s last go-round is here as well. For this season, the WAC shapes up to be a likely three-dog race. Defending WAC Tourney champs, Grand Canyon, is ready to contend again. GCU has a key contributor, Jovan Blacksher back to lead. The Lopes got two crosstown players to transfer in from ASU in Holland Woods and Taeshon Cherry. New Mexico State wants their spot back as rulers of the WAC. NMSU has the roster to do it, and should be the favorite on paper. We will see if Teddy Allen can stay consistent all season with his outstanding supporting cast led by Jabari Rice and Donnie Tillman. League newcomers and perennial Southland powerhouse, Stephen F. Austin, is here to make some noise. SFA got incredible news when the trio of Roti Waree, David Kachelries, and Gavin Kensimil all announced they were returning. This is a really experienced starting five with quality depth, eager to get to the NCAA’s. Utah Valley, Seattle U, and Sam Houston have some phenomenally talented individuals and should improve the depth of the league substantially. Cal Baptist is another strong program that is still waiting to be eligible for March Madness.
Darkhorse Team:
Sam Houston
Regular Season Champion:
New Mexico State
Conference Tournament Location:
Las Vegas, NV
Auto-Bid Winner:
Stephen F. Austin
Player of the Year:
Fardaws Aimaq - Utah Valley
Newcomer of the Year:
Teddy Allen - New Mexico State
OVC
Season Outlook:
We made an exception with the OVC. The league as a whole may not be ranked this high due to a fairly weak bottom of the league. However, we needed to keep them high because three solid programs are set to compete for hardware. The Belmont Bruins are an established brand and prepared to join the Missouri Valley next season. Bruins are in the running to realistically achieve an at-large bid and come in hungry after losing last season’s OVC Title game to Morehead State. The Eagles of Morehead State have one of the best-returning Sophomores in the country in Johni Broome, a very impressive player and even more impressive person. Morehead also brings back Skyelar Potter, this will be a stout team. The proud program, Murray State, is eager to get back in the hunt after a rare down season. KJ Williams is back with Tevin Brown. A very formidable one-two punch. The other seven programs retooled to try to be in contention. Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State, and SEMO look to be the best of the rest. It’s truly wide-open for fourth place.
Darkhorse Team:
Tennessee Tech
Regular Season Champion:
Belmont
Conference Tournament Location:
Evansville, IN
Auto-Bid Winner:
Belmont
Player of the Year:
Johni Broome - Morehead State
Newcomer of the Year:
Kenny Cooper - Tennessee State
Summit
Season Outlook:
Oral Roberts’ magical 2021 postseason will be forever etched in Summit League stone. An improbable run to the Sweet 16, and one possession shy perhaps of the Elite 8. The nation learned that Max Abmas was pronounced ACE-MUS. It was a dream for those who follow the Summit League. ORU was able to retain Max after his long process with the NBA draft led him to return to the Tulsa campus. Abmas’ partner in crime, Kevin Obanor, ultimately decided to transfer to Texas Tech. Still, Head Coach Paul Mills was able to put together and strong supporting cast. ORU will be back in the mix to repeat as Summit Tournament champs. In a mix that also includes mainstays South Dakota State and North Dakota Stats. Both SDSU and NDSU have an abundance of continuity. Dave Richman’s Bison have everyone back and landed Andrew Kallman a promising D2 up-transfer. SDSU also lost nothing from a solid team last year. Jackrabbits project to have a rotation full of Seniors and Juniors. The top of the Summit hasn’t been stronger than this in a long time. Also, Kansas City plays the best defense in this league and was able to add Evan Gilyard and Anderson Kopp to a lineup that returns Josiah Allick, Arkel Lamar, and Marvin Nesbitt. Do not sleep on the Roos.
Darkhorse Team:
Kansas City
Regular Season Champion:
South Dakota State
Conference Tournament Location:
Sioux Falls, SD
Auto-Bid Winner:
North Dakota State
Player of the Year:
Max Abmas - Oral Roberts
Newcomer of the Year:
Evan Gilyard - Kansas City
ASUN
Season Outlook:
ASUN got a shot in the arm over the offseason by adding Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, and Central Arkansas to the conference. Although these moves are driven by Football motivation, this is a boost for the ASUN. EKU and Jacksonville State were both Semi-finalists last season in the OVC. EKU has a bright young head coach in AD Hamilton and Jacksonville State has a brilliant and imposing head coach in Ray Harper. Glad we covered our bases there. Let’s make no mistake here though, this league belongs to Liberty until further notice. Ritchie McKay has had the Flames in position for three consecutive NCAA bids. This year’s expectation should be no different led by Senior Darius McGhee and a cast of experienced players. Bellarmine enters their second year as a D1 program. The Knights almost won the ASUN in year one and will be in contention for the regular-season crown. Liberty’s stiffest competition in the ASUN Tourney should come from Jacksonville State or EKU, however, FGCU has upgraded its roster and Stetson has given Liberty fits in recent matchups. Also, Lipscomb brings back Ahsan Asadullah and North Florida has Carter Hendricksen back. Should be a much much deeper league this season as a whole.
Darkhorse Team:
Stetson
Regular Season Champion:
Liberty
Conference Tournament Location:
On-Campus of the higher seed.
Auto-Bid Winner:
Liberty
Player of the Year:
Ahsan Asadullah - Lipscomb
Newcomer of the Year:
Kevin Samuel - FGCU
Big Sky
Season Outlook:
Big Sky basketball made some noise last season as Eastern Washington captured the nation’s attention when leading by double-digits for spurts against blue blood - Kansas. EWU eventually ran out of gas, but the ride was real fun. For EWU, they said goodbye to virtually everyone including HC Shantay Legans, who went to Portland. The Eagles will be in rebuilding mode. Defending regular-season champs, Southern Utah, are poised to repeat. The T-Birds return five senior starters who can all score within a very balanced attack. The other team in Utah is right there with them in experience and veterans, Weber State. The Wildcats actually will turn to six seniors, five of whom are using their extra year. That list includes Kobe McEwen who was a solid regular at Marquette last season. The Montana Griz brought the band back together as well, and only lose one player from last season. We are also keeping a close eye on Northern Colorado, who may roll with a four-guard lineup often and has five players who averaged in double-figures last year on this roster.
Darkhorse Team:
Northern Colorado
Regular Season Champion:
Southern Utah
Conference Tournament Location:
Boise, ID
Auto-Bid Winner:
Weber State
Player of the Year:
John Knight III - Southern Utah
Newcomer of the Year:
Jalen Cone - Northern Arizona
MAAC
Season Outlook:
Anyone thinking it may take a minute for Rick Pitino to get things rolling at Iona, got a cold dose of reality last March. The Gaels entered Boardwalk Hall as the nine-seed after a most-bizarre seeding process led to a wide-open MAAC Tournament. Iona seized the moment and played great basketball to win four games in five days and capture a bid. After a very respectable effort in a 13-point loss to second-seeded Alabama in the tournament and three high-level transfers arrived, the Gaels are poised to control the MAAC for years to come, so long as Pitino sticks around. Another program that got an offseason treat was Saint Peter’s. KC Ndefo was in the transfer portal for quite some time (April thru September), and ultimately landed back with the Peacocks. Much to the delight of head coach Shaheen Holloway, who almost gave out his final scholarship just before receiving the good news. After these two teams at the projected top of the MAAC, a host of intriguing programs like Siena, Marist, and Monmouth feel good about their chances this season. Rider and Quinnipiac picked up “boomerang” transfers in Dimencio Vaughn (via Ole Miss via Rider) and Kevin Marfo (via Texas A&M via QU). Monmouth feels like they have a punchers chance with six seniors in the Hawk rotation including Shavar Reynolds's transfer arrival from Seton Hall.
Darkhorse Team:
Monmouth
Regular Season Champion:
Iona
Conference Tournament Location:
Atlantic City, NJ
Auto-Bid Winner:
Iona
Player of the Year:
KC Ndefo - Saint Peter’s
Newcomer of the Year:
Shavar Reynolds - Monmouth
Ivy League
Season Outlook:
At long last, the Ivy League is finally returning to basketball. It has been a long wait after the league opted out entirely for the 2020-21 campaign. An interesting wrinkle was also to allow foreign-born students to return to their home countries to have the year off entirely. So now they return to campus with a full year removed from studies and college basketball, which shall be interesting. The league, of course, is academic-heavy and so these programs managed to keep decent nuclei intact. Gone are studs like Paul Atkinson (now with Notre Dame) however. And you have to wonder if the quality of teams takes a step back from what we saw in 2019-20. In any event, the Ivy still gets an automatic bid to the NCAA’s. Yale’s James Jones is the most proven head coach to get his team there, and we are giving the Bulldogs the benefit of the doubt. Azar Swain is still around to get buckets and there is a good amount of experience to go along with a challenging non-conference slate to help Yale gradually improve. Harvard may be the most talented team, led by Noah Kirkwood, we will see if they defend well enough to stay near the top of the standings. Also have to figure Penn and Princeton will be in the mix. Tigers still have Jaelin Llewellyn, an excellent guard. Quakers have Jordan Dingle, Max Martz, and Michael Wang - a strong trio. And finally, keep an eye on Brown who is trying to crack the top four behind Ivy POY candidate, Tamenang Choh.
Darkhorse Team:
Brown
Regular Season Champion:
Yale
Conference Tournament Location:
Harvard University - Top four only.
Auto-Bid Winner:
Yale
Player of the Year:
Tamenang Choh - Brown
Newcomer of the Year:
Louis Lesmond - Harvard
America East
Season Outlook:
Like many leagues, the America East really had a wide variety of stories due to Covid stoppages in 2020-21. Maine was only able to play nine total games last season. On the other hand, Hartford and UMass-Lowell played 24 and 23 respectively. Those ended up being the two finalists in a most surprising tournament final. Both Vermont and UMBC were upset victims, and the Hartford Hawks cut down the nets. Now, it’s hopefully a full season coming ahead. Vermont looks to regain their stranglehold as kings of this league behind Ryan Davis and company. UMBC lost their brilliant young head coach Ryan Odom to Utah State. Jim Ferry takes over and hopes to reload quickly. Perhaps a serious threat to the Catamounts comes from Stony Brook. The Seawolves were able to bring back former two-time all-conference player, Elijah Olaniyi. Jahlil Jenkins comes in from FDU as well, where he gained valuable NCAA Tourney experience as a sophomore. Hartford brings back a lot of the players from last season and added a couple of impact transfers in Dejuan Clayton and Jared Kimbrough. Lastly, keep an eye on New Hampshire. The Wildcats have Nick Guadarrama and Jayden Martinez back to lead a nice frontcourt.
Darkhorse Team:
Hartford
Regular Season Champion:
Vermont
Conference Tournament Location:
On-Campus of the higher seed.
Auto-Bid Winner:
Vermont
Player of the Year:
Nick Guadarrama - New Hampshire
Newcomer of the Year:
Elijah Olaniyi - Stony Brook
Patriot
Season Outlook:
Sadly, the days of Santi Aldama are over after two amazing seasons. The now-legendary Loyola Greyhound took the team for a ride to the Patriot Finals last season and simply was the most skilled player to play in this league since Mike Muscala or perhaps even Adonal Foyle. Greyhounds will likely be a middle-of-the-pack team this season, but now possess a great pipeline into Europe. Colgate is the defending champ and poised to repeat this season behind the senior guard, Nelly Cummings. The Raiders had some early fun in the NCAA’s vs. Arkansas prior to getting full-court pressure from the Hogs’ overmatching athletes and ultimately went down quietly. Colgate will likely be challenged by Boston U. The Terriers have a solid roster led by Javante McCoy and Walter Whyte. Behind those two are the service academies, who each had breakout seasons last year in comparison to recent historical standards.
Darkhorse Team:
Army
Regular Season Champion:
Colgate
Conference Tournament Location:
On-Campus of the higher seed.
Auto-Bid Winner:
Colgate
Player of the Year:
Javante McCoy - Boston U.
Newcomer of the Year:
Ian Motta - Bucknell
Big South
Season Outlook:
After celebrating an amazing season at Winthrop, Pat Kelsey took off for Charleston. In comes Mark Prosser to take over. Winthrop supporters were able to breathe a fresh breath of air when DJ Burns decided to remain an Eagle. Burns is a fascinating watch, with a Zach Randolph-Esque left-handed touch near the basket. The team that Winthrop beat in the Big South Final was Campbell. These Camels are poised to finish the job this time around behind seniors Cedric Henderson and Jordan Whitfield. Coach Kevin McGeehan is in his ninth season and has steadily built this program into an upper-echelon Big South team. UNC Asheville brings back a good chunk of experience and adds Tennessee transfer, Drew Pember, another team to watch. This will be the first season in the Big South for North Carolina A&T. The Aggies are the darkhorse choice after snagging a handful of extra-year seniors out of the portal, including former UCF star Collin Smith.
Darkhorse Team:
North Carolina A&T
Regular Season Champion:
Campbell
Conference Tournament Location:
Charlotte, NC
Auto-Bid Winner:
Campbell
Player of the Year:
John-Michael Wright - High Point
Newcomer of the Year:
Collin Smith - North Carolina A&T
NEC
Season Outlook:
Doesn’t get much better than the NEC. It is an outstanding league full of programs playing in packed gyms and intense atmospheres. The conference race almost always comes down to the final day. Last year, Wagner (pictured), was your regular-season champion. Only to be upended in the four-team tournament by defensive-minded Mount St. Mary’s. MSM then went on to beat a very good Bryant team in the title game. Merrimack continues to be an amazing story under Joe Gallo. They won a regular-season title in year one, near the top again last season. Still two more years of waiting for the Warriors to qualify for the NCAA’s, but will be a factor in the regular-season race again this season. LIU made a splash by landing double-double machine, Isaac Kante from Hofstra. Alongside Eral Penn and Ty Flowers - the Sharks will be involved for the NEC crown. Bryant will again be very talented with Peter Kiss and Hall Eisias leading the way. Ultimately, the toughness and revenge factor of Wagner is our prediction for the auto-bid
Darkhorse Team:
Mount St. Mary’s
Regular Season Champion:
Bryant
Conference Tournament Location:
On-Campus of the higher seed.
Auto-Bid Winner:
Wagner
Player of the Year:
Alex Morales - Wagner
Newcomer of the Year:
Isaac Kante - LIU
SWAC
Season Outlook:
Coming off a thrilling title race that left two undefeated teams still standing (due to Covid scheduling) at the end of the SWAC season, we look for an encore in ‘21-22. Yes, both PVAMU and Jackson State managed to go unscathed into the SWAC Tournament. Then the old beasts of the conference stepped in to end both of their seasons, the Texas Southern Tigers. A cruel swift ending to two storybook seasons. And now TSU will return both Justin Hopkins and John Walker to an already experienced team. Prairie View A&M will be looking for payback behind preseason POY Jawaun Daniels. JSU brings back Jayveous McKinnis, likely the best defender in the SWAC. Grambling is a team to watch this season behind the talented Cameron Christon.
Darkhorse Team:
Grambling
Regular Season Champion:
Texas Southern
Conference Tournament Location:
On-Campus of the higher seed.
Auto-Bid Winner:
Texas Southern
Player of the Year:
Jawaun Daniels - Prairie View A&M
Newcomer of the Year:
Trace Young - Alabama State
Southland
Season Outlook:
The Southland Conference will begin life without some of their most well-known programs, Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston. Defending champs Abilene Christian and Lamar also depart the league. Although that is a major hit to the league's strength, the remaining teams now suddenly have increased chances of breaking through and getting to the NCAA Tournament. Leading that list is Nicholls. Austin Claunch’s bunch has been flat-out pesky the past couple of seasons. The news got even better for the Colonels this offseason when both Ty Gordon and Ryghe Lyons both decided to come back for their extra year as seniors. As excited as Nicholls may be, nothing is more exciting than tipping-off league play with an innovative 8-team tournament! That’s correct. The Southland will bring the eight members of the league together for a three-day tournament where each team will play daily. The ultimate precursor for the actual conference tournament in March. Look for New Orleans to be near the top with Nicholls. The Privateers bring back Troy Green, who finished in the top 10 in scoring (15.7) and field-goal percentage (.500), and top-20 in rebounding (5.3) in conference games last year. SELA looks to make some noise again this season behind POY candidate Keon Clergeot.
Darkhorse Team:
SE Louisiana
Regular Season Champion:
Nicholls
Conference Tournament Location:
Katy, TX
Auto-Bid Winner:
Nicholls
Player of the Year:
Keon Clergeot - SE Louisiana
Newcomer of the Year:
Emanuel Littles - Nicholls
MEAC
Season Outlook:
MEAC has a new outlook for the 2021-22. North Carolina A&T, Florida A&M, and Bethune-Cookman have all left, leaving the MEAC with an even eight programs. Of the eight, three really stand out as contenders. The defending MEAC Tourney Champions, Norfolk State, will be back in that mix. NSU returns Jalen Hawkins and Joe Bryant, Jr. Head Coach Robert Jones surrounds them with impact transfers Christian Ings, Kris Bankston, and Dana Tate, Jr. The Spartans are very deep with experience. NC Central will be once again in the thick of the MEAC title chase. Coach Mouton’s Eagles brought in talent from the portal in six new transfers and three JUCO transfers. The Eagles will need the bulk of the season to come together but should be primed for the MEAC Tournament. Morgan State is the third team to watch closely. The Bears first eight players of their rotation are all seniors, including Seventh Woods who transfers in from South Carolina. This roster is built to win now behind De’Torrion Ware.
Darkhorse Team:
Coppin State
Regular Season Champion:
Norfolk State
Conference Tournament Location:
Norfolk, VA
Auto-Bid Winner:
NC Central
Player of the Year:
De’Torrion Ware - Morgan State
Newcomer of the Year:
Eric Boone - NC Central