New England BB Preseason Power Rankings

1. UConn

• Even in a national power ranking, this team could arguably be in contention for the top spot. DeAndre Daniels and Andre Drummond form one of Calhoun’s best incoming classes in recent memory and returning stars Alex Oriakhi, Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier will keep the team from starting anew in the post-Kemba era.

2. Harvard

• Tommy Amaker’s done a lot right since taking over as head coach of the Crimson, and his recent recruiting successes seem to indicate that this team will be a force in the Ivy for years to come.  For now however, they seem to be fully capable of being the second best team in New England after the Huskies and are primed to make an NCAA appearance for the first time in their history.  Everyone who played major minutes is back including stud PG Brandyn Curry and fellow backcourt members Oliver McNally and Christian Webster, both capable scorers.  

3. Fairfield

• Even with coach Cooley now stalking the sidelines at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, this team still returns with a great chance to end the season in the NCAA tournament.  Now-eligible transfer Rakim Sanders is one of the best SFs in the country and ought to be a great asset in new coach Sydney Johnson’s Princeton offense. Derek Needham should be able to lead the team at the point while Ryan Olander continues to be one of the MAAC’s best big men.  

4. Boston University

• Despite being without John Holland and Jake O’Brien, the Terriers still return one of the best players in the America East conference in D.J. Irving.  The incredibly fast PG with be the key to the Terriers’ success this season, as well as the continued development of Dominic Morris in the post.  If Patrick Hazel can supplement Irving with defense and Darryl Partin can provide additional offense, the Terriers may have a chance to dance again.  

5. Providence

• Even after Kiwi Gardner was declared ineligible, the Friars still have some decent pieces in place for the upcoming season.  Vincent Council should be a solid leader at PG who ought to be able to guide some of the younger pieces of the roster in becoming more effective as the years wears onward.  Overall though, the team will need to wait for success until their future heralded recruits show up in the next couple of seasons.

6. Boston College

• Three upperclassmen are all that Steve Donahue returns in his second year at the helm for BC but he brings in a class with some decent players in it.  The highest scorer among those two returnees had 4.1 ppg last year.  The freshmen and newcomers should allow them to be at least somewhat competitive out of conference but they will falter in ACC play.

7. Vermont

• The loss of Evan Fjeld will be difficult but the cupboard is never bare in Burlington.  Brendan Bald (AE Defensive POY last year) and Brian Voelkel (defending AE ROY) will lead the team to at least near he top of the AE with strong defense and scoring ability from players like the flashy Sandro Carissimo as the Cats return 4 starters.

8. Rhode Island

• This is a team that has suffered big off-season losses that will hamper them in an always tough A-10.  Auburn and Virginia transfers Andre Malone and Billy Baron will be big additions in the middle of the year at the point and shooting guard positions, but depth in the frontcourt will pose a problem unless freshman Jonathan Holton can make a big impact right away.  By the time the talented transfers show up, will it be too late to pull it all together?

9. Northeastern

• Rebuilding in the post-Chaisson Allen era will be tough.  Still, most of their roster returns this year and Joel Smith should see an increase in production, especially as a deep threat.  Jonathan Lee should also join him among the team’s leaders.  Given the frontcourt weakness of the team, they will go as far as those two can lead them.

10. Yale

• In an Ivy League that seems fairly wide open beyond Harvard, Yale could be a serious player.  Greg Mangano is one of the Ivy’s best players in recent memory and will make this team competitive along with his P.I.C.  Jeremiah Kreisberg.  Together the two combine to form the conference’s best frontcourt, complemented by a steady if unspectacular combo at guard, the combination of which make this a team to watch for sure.

11. Quinnipiac

• The Bobcats should continue to be a consistent performer in the NEC despite the losses of two leaders in Justin Rutty and Deontay Twyman.  James Johnson will look to step up in Rutty’s absence and could become much more productive.  PG Dave Johnson will also need to step up in a big way and run the offense effectively for the team to be a contender in the NEC

12. Central Connecticut State

• Ken Horton is perhaps the most talented mid-major player in New England, and in the NEC he is the sort of player who could really lift his team to the next level.  The team was intermittently very successful last year and certainly belongs in the conference’s upper echelon this year.  If the supporting cast can step up to his level, including guard Bobby Ptacek, watch out for this team.

13. Maine

• This team started great in conference play last year before fading in dramatic fashion down the stretch.  Returning Gerald McLemore is one of the best returning scorers in the league and if he can provide leadership that elevates the rest of his team it could be a good year in Orono.

14. New Hampshire

• After suffering through a more than fair number of injuries as a team last year, the Wildcats will have Ferg Myrick and Alvin Abreu back and healthy to start the season.  Returning those two players and a tenacious defense could boost this team into the top half of the America East Conference.

15. Holy Cross

• Milan Brown returns for a second season as coach to a team that could finally make some strides back toward the top of the Patriot League.  R.J. Evans, Devin Brown and Mike Cavataio are all strong players at the core of this team, but will they be enough for the Crusaders to make real strides this year?

16. Massachusetts

• Although quite a bit of the rotation returns, those players simply were not good last year.  Hofstra transfer Chaz Williams might be able to contribute strongly at the point and help the Minutemen run more this year, but not enough to make the team competitive in the A-10 just yet.

17. Brown

• Jesse Agel Brings back the conference’s best freshman from last year but the top of the Ivy League is very strong.  This team is movg in the right direction but may not be moving up very quickly this year.  

18. Bryant

• This program will continue to improve this year but still has a way to go.  Freshman Ben Altit of the Israeli national team is an intriguing addition to a squad that includes returning strong scorers Frankie Dobbs and Alex Francis.  They will make a bigger leap next year in all likelihood.  

19. Dartmouth

• The Green will be hard-pressed to improve on their one-win conference campaign of last year, despite an intriguing freshman class.

20.  Sacred Heart

• Expect more of the same from the Pioneers this year.  Shane Gibson can score, but interior depth will be an Achilles’ Heel for the team.