A substantial portion of the Colonial Athletic Association is now entitled to hang a regular-season championship banner, as last season's conference race ended in a four-way tie at 12-6. Northeastern, William & Mary, James Madison and UNC Wilmington all claimed a piece of the title, but it was coach Bill Coen's Huskies who prevailed in the league tournament.
This season, Northeastern will rely on the senior duo of Quincy Ford and David Walker, the latter being quite possibly the only starter you'll ever see at any level of basketball who has averaged less than one foul per 40 minutes for an entire season.
One of the few teams at or above .500 not to win a slice of the CAA title last season was Drexel, where featured scorer Damion Lee connected 48 percent of the time inside the arc while the rest of the Dragons collectively shot just 41 percent. In other words, Lee's subsequent decision to transfer to Louisville most certainly represents a big loss for coach Bruiser Flint. At least Towson has done its best to redress any trade imbalance between the major conferences and the CAA. This season Tigers head coach Pat Skerry is eager to see Wake Forest transfer Arnaud William Adala Moto take the floor at SECU Arena.
Favorite
CAA Player of the Year Marcus Thornton is gone, but five other players return from a six-man Tribe rotation that was tops in conference play last season on a per-possession basis. Certainly a few more looks for Omar Prewitt and Terry Tarpey won't be a bad thing, as the pair combined to hit 58 percent of their 2s in 2014-15. The dream lives on for coach Tony Shaver's men, as William & Mary still seeks the first NCAA tournament bid in program history.
Conversely, James Madison's already been dancing on five occasions, and it's possible the seasoned Dukes could make it six in 2015-16. JMU will once again feature the inside-outside combo of Yohanny Dalembert and Ron Curry.
Sleeper
Coach Joe Mihalich's Pride rang up 1.10 points per trip in CAA play last season thanks in large part to the tireless efforts of Juan'ya Green and Ameen Tanksley. Both players are back for their senior seasons, and Hofstra again projects to have one of the better offenses in the league. Mihalich will also have 6-foot-10 Clemson transfer Ibrahim Djambo available to help shore up the D (which could use shoring up).
Meanwhile at Delaware, things are actually looking up for a program that opened 2014-15 with an 0-10 record. Coach Monte Ross lost just one player from a seven-deep rotation that finished 9-9 in CAA play last season.
Team that could fall on its face
Craig Ponder has become a lethal 3-point shooter, but the Seahawks' rotation will be a bit on the thin side in 2015-16 after coach Kevin Keatts bid adieu to last season's other four starters
Speaking of thin rotations, that same bug bit Elon when Elijah Bryant decided to transfer to Brigham Young after one heroically possession-guzzling freshman campaign in the Piedmont. And at College of Charleston, the rebuilding continues after a 3-15 conference season taught coach Earl Grant's men the value of "perseverance."
Top pro prospect
Juan'ya Green, Hofstra
Any CAA player faces long odds when it comes to NBA aspirations, and Hofstra's point guard is no different. The main issue could be not so much the 6-2 Green's size (Terry Rozier and Tyus Jones, both 6-1, were drafted in the first round last summer), or his league (point guard Cameron Payne was drafted in the first round out of the Ohio Valley), but his age. Current NBA All-Stars like Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis are actually younger than Green. Still, if we learned anything from Damian Lillard, it's that a point guard who has seen his 21st birthday come and go can be drafted out of a mid-major conference. Green will try to follow that example.
Projected all-conference team
G: Juan'ya Green, Hofstra
G: Terry Tarpey, William & Mary
G: David Walker, Northeastern
G: Ameen Tanksley, Hofstra
F: Yohanny Dalembert, James Madison