No conference had as many of its top players transfer than the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference did. Jermaine Ruttley, the league's third-leading scorer, transferred from Florida A&M to Arkansas-Little Rock. RaShid Gaston, the league's second-leading rebounder, left Norfolk State for Xavier. MEAC tournament MVP Deron Powers left Hampton for Hofstra. And Sterling Smith, a second team all-conference selection, graduated early from Coppin State so he could play his final year at Pittsburgh.
It's rare for the conference to not experience any coaching turnover, but one notable name that wasn't in the exodus of MEAC resources was North Carolina Central coach LeVelle Moton, whose name was linked to several jobs, including Iowa State's.
Moton's return may be bad news for the rest of the conference, as they've watched him lead his alma mater to consecutive regular season titles. The Eagles received 14 of 26 first place votes from the league's coaches and sports information directors to again be the preseason pick to win the league.
Favorite
The madness of March vaulted a Hampton team that finished .500 in league play and had a losing record overall into the NCAA tournament. The Pirates won five straight postseason games -- four in the conference tournament and a First Four win over Manhattan -- before losing to Kentucky.
Hampton won't have to sneak up on anyone this season -- it's a loaded roster despite Power's defection. Four starters return including three (Dwight Meikle, Quinton Chievous and Reginald Johnson) who averaged double figures.
The Pirates have enough to break NC Central's grip on the No. 1 spot.
Sleeper
It's hard to list NC Central as a bona fide underdog considering its 31-1 record in the MEAC the past two seasons. But the Eagles lost four starters and a wealth of production. Central will rely heavily on senior guard Dante Holmes -- who averaged 10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds last season -- and forward Jay Copeland, who missed all of last season with an injury but started 34 games in 2013-14. The Eagles hold the nation's second-longest home winning streak at 35 games, trailing only Arizona's 38.
Team that could fall on its face
Florida A&M already knows it won't be playing in the postseason as a result of low academic progress rate (APR) scores that left it with an NCAA-imposed ban. That was also the case entering last season, and the Rattlers won just two games. It will be a challenge for second-year coach Byron Samuels to find motivation for his team to be competitive despite knowing there's no potential NCAA tournament payoff.
Top pro prospect
Jeffrey Short, Norfolk State Spartans
Short made quite an impression his first season in the MEAC after transferring from Fordham. His 19.1 points per game didn't come from high-volume shooting, either. He ranked second in the league in scoring while also making 49.8 percent of his attempts, eighth in the MEAC. Short is the only first team all-conference selection from last season who returned, so naturally, the 6-foot-4 senior was voted the conference's preseason player of the year.
Projected all-conference team
G: Jeffrey Short, Norfolk State
G: James Daniel, Howard Bison
F: Dwight Meikle, Hampton
F: Bruce Beckford, North Carolina A&T Aggies
F: Cedric Blossom, Morgan State Bears