Each team will include its record from last season as well as their final KenPom efficiency ratings. Hyperlinks provided to teams with offseason overviews previously written.
After losing RJ Cole, Tyrese Martin and Isaiah Whaley to the pros, UConn did a heck of a job retooling on the transfer market to fill out their roster. East Carolina’s do-everything point-wing Tristen Newton (17.7p, 4.8r, 5a, 1.4s, 43.5 fg%, 31.6 3p%, 85.2 ft%, 5.8 fta last season) is their best incoming transfer while Adama Sanogo returns as one of the nation’s best big men. Uber-athletic Andre Jackson and three-level scorer Jordan Hawkins look to take big leaps as UConn is poised to be one of the top-three teams in the Big East.
Providence, 27-7, #32
Four starters graduate, but Jared Bynum’s strong finish (16.2 ppg over the last sixteen games) sets up for him to be one of the best guards in the Big East. Each member of Ed Cooley’s five-man transfer haul is expected to play big roles with South Carolina’s Devin Carter, Kentucky’s Bryce Hopkins and UConn’s Corey Floyd all exciting long-term pieces while grad transfer Clifton Moore is a plug-and-play replacement for Nate Watson and Noah Locke brings clutch outside shooting. Consistently overperforming his teams’ expectations, Ed Cooley is one of the best coaches in the nation.
Their top four scorers, including their super inside/outside duo of Ryan Davis and Ben Shungu have graduated, but John Becker never seems to completely rebuild. Case in point, over the last six seasons, the Catamounts have had just one season with a KenPom rating worse than 76th. Five rotation pieces return while Bellarmine grad transfer Dylan Penn (16.6p, 4.2r, 5a) slots in perfectly into Shungu’s spot. After years mining underappreciated talent (Shungu was a former walk-on), Vermont has its best recruiting class ever with three-star recruits Perry Smith Jr. and Jorge Ochoa ranking as the program’s high-rated recruits of all time.
Boston College, 13-20, #114
Finishing the 20-21 season with a 4-16 record, arguably its worst season in program history, the hiring of Charleston’s Earl Grant helped ignite some promise to Boston College, finishing last season with a 6-14 record in the ACC. The Eagles return 71% of their scoring and bring in a recruiting class led by four-star prospects Donald Hand and Prince Aligbe.
Rhode Island, 15-16 #132
With his return back to the Atlantic 10, there’s a buzz in South Kingston with the hiring of former Dayton and Indiana head coach Archie Miller: rarely does a head coach have a decade of coaching experience by the time they are in their early forties. Retaining two key rotation pieces with guard Ishmael Leggett and forward Malik Martin, Miller shrewdly added long-term pieces in the transfer haul led by former four-star recruits Alex Tchikou from Alabama and Brandon Weston from Seton Hall, as well as Brayon Freeman, an incoming sophomore who averaged 10.3 points, 3.7 assists and shot 43.6% from three last season at George Washington. Miller will look to lead the Rams to their first national ranking since Dan Hurley was at the helm.
UMass, 15-17, #185
Continuing the theme of new coaches with impressive resumes, UMass hired former Kansas State and South Carolina coach Frank Martin, who led the Gamecocks to their only Final Four appearance in 2017. The Minutemen will be led by returning point guard Noah Fernandes, a native of Mattapoisett, MA, who averaged 14.9 points, 5.3 assists and 36.0 3p% last season. Supplementing the four returning rotation players is UMass’ five-man transfer class, which include projected starting big Wildens Leveque and TaQuan Woodley, both joining Martin from South Carolina. Four-star transfers Matt Cross (Louisville) and Rahsool Diggins (UConn), plus three-star transfer Gianni Thompson (BC) are excellent long-term pieces. The A-10 looks deep this season, but UMass is poised to be in the middle of the pack with room to grow in future seasons.
Harvard, 13-13, #228
After sitting out the 2020-2021 season, it made sense that it would take time for the Crimson to jell, but coach Tommy Amaker had arguably his worst season at Harvard in over a decade. Injuries were a major bugaboo with four rotation pieces missing at least half of the games, including second leading scorer and top rebounder Chris Ledlum (16.7 points, 9.3 boards per game). With Ledlum and Luka Sakota (11.3 points, 2 assists, 36.3 3p%) as the top returnees, Harvard’s roster is made up of twelve three- or four-star recruits, highlighting Harvard’s potential as one of, if not the most talented team in the Ivy.
Yale, 19-12 #147
Similar story to Harvard, it made sense that Yale started slowly (a 6-8 start with losses to Stony Brook, Southern Utah, Monmouth and Iona) but a 13-4 finish points towards what the Bulldogs can do in 2022-2023. It’ll be tough to replace an all-time great in Azar Swain (1529 career points is fifth most in program history) but James Jones is one of the most underrated coaches in the NCAA. Yale brings back six 10+ mpg rotation pieces, led by Ellington, CT native Matt Knowling, who finished the season averaging 10.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and a 60.0 fg% over the final eighteen games.
In just four seasons, Jared Grasso has built up the Bryant program from a perennial loser, to the team with the quirky recruiting strategy of “offer to every recruit ever” to NEC champions. Peter Kiss, the nation’s leading scorer last year (25.2 points-per-game) graduated, but two-way wing Charles Pride (17.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.6 steals) is a heck of a returnee to build around in the Bulldogs’ first season in the America East. Most of the team’s rotations will consist of their eight-man transfer class, highlighted by former top-50 prospect Earl Timberlake and mustached Saint Peter’s shooter Doug Edert. Vermont is still the king of the America East, but Bryant is a welcomed addition to add hype and talent to the conference.
As Northeast basketball lifer Jay Young enters his fourth season at Fairfield, there’s a strong sense that he is entering the 22-23 season with his most talented roster. Junior big Supreme Cook is the Stags’ best returnee (10.1 points, 8.3 rebounds) while five other rotation players return. Adding former four-star prospect Brycen Goodine from Providence and three-star commit James Johns Jr., the son of assistant coach James Johns, brings a level of high-end talent that raises the team’s ceiling: in fact, Johns is Fairfield’s highest-ranked recruit of all-time. Iona is clearly the king of the MAAC, but with Monmouth moving to the CAA and Shaheen Holloway moving to Seton Hall, Fairfield is in the conversation as the second best team in the conference.
Honorable Mentions:
Quinnipiac, 14-17, #231. Their all-senior backcourt returns (averaged 26.1 ppg last season) and their three-man transfer haul adds excitement to their frontcourt.
Northeastern, 9-22, #255. Bill Coen is one of the best coaches in the Northeast and the injury bug affected the Huskies big time last year. Good mix of returning talent while Chase Cormier and Jared Turner are two of the program’s three highest-rated recruits in program history.
Brown, 13-16, #204. Arguably the most physical team in the Ivy, Kino Lilly and Nana Owuwu-Anane were an exciting inside-outside freshman duo last season who return this year.
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