In this first episode of the new upcoming season, Isaac Bourne, Ian Sacks and Tanner McGrath start conference previews with talks on the first four conferences alphabetically as college basketball season strides its way toward two months until it begins.
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America East
It’s Vermont’s conference to lose…again. The Catamounts return Gus Yalden, who is in the mix for player of the year in the conference, while Bryant and Binghamton seem to be the clear challengers heading into the season. The Bulldogs are led by a two-headed monster in the frontcourt in Andre Pasha and Keegan Harvey, while Ty Tabales looks to run the table at the point for a backcourt that is looking for help from Georgia Tech transfer Eric Chatfield Jr. As for the Bearcats, Jeremiah Quigley projects as one of the top players in the conference and is back with low-post running mate Demetrius Lilley. It should be a well-balanced year in the conference if all holds even as it is.
American
A stellar offseason for Wichita State has the Shockers atop most preseason rankings with Kenyon Giles still awaiting a court ruling as to his eligibility. Aside from the Shockers’ projected success, the conference seems relatively even through the top six, with Tulsa, South Florida, Charlotte, Memphis and UAB all putting together solid rosters. With Penny Hardaway’s Tigers, the roster is not as loaded with all-star talent, but the fits across the board make this team a contender if Hardaway can get the pieces to fit.
Atlantic-10
While it looks like the VCU-Saint Louis show will extend its runtime into the 2026-27 season, a fair amount of other contenders look to build themselves out of the woodwork. Dayton has another solid roster headed into the season, headlined by Ole Miss transfer Travis Perry, who is looking to find a home at the mid-major level. Behind the Flyers sets the remainder of teams looking to make a run toward the middle of the top, featuring teams like Richmond, Loyola Chicago, and George Mason, all of whom were very active in the portal, sporting almost entirely new starting units.
Atlantic Sun
It’s quite a shame to see the ASUN splitting with the UAC, dramatically decreasing the size of the conference, thus depriving us of a rematch of the ASUN championship game between Queens and Central Arkansas. As for the Royals, they bring back both Jordan Watford and Avantae Parker, setting them up to be in contention for a repeat title. The only team keeping them from that looks to be Jacksonville with an incredibly improved roster. The computer metrics have named the Dolphins as one of the better portal classes in lower mid-major basketball.