The march to March begins
Coach: Coach: Kelvin Sampson (583-318 overall, 83-48 in four seasons at Houston).
Last year: 27-8, 14-4; tied for second in American Athletic Conference; lost to Michigan in second round of NCAA Tournament.
Outlook: After a 27-win season and longawaited trip to the NCAA Tournament, the Cougars are among the top challengers in the American Athletic Conference. Back is a strong nucleus in the backcourt with Corey Davis Jr., one of the nation’s top 3-point threats, point guard Galen Robinson Jr. and Armoni Brooks. Four newcomers are expected to make immediate contributions: 6-8 forward/center Brison Gresham and 6-5 guard DeJon Jarreau, transfers from Massachusetts who sat out last season; 6-5 forward Cedrick Alley Jr. and 6-5 shooting guard Nate Hinton. One early storyline is the health of 6-7 forward Fabian White Jr., who is being brought along slowly after foot surgery. Two staples that won’t change under Sampson: defense and a push-the-pace offense.
Player to watch: A 6-5 guard from Gastonia, N.C., Nate Hinton had dozens of offers from major Division I programs, including several from the ACC. He is regarded as the top signee in the Sampson era and was tabbed the AAC’s freshman of the year. “He’s going to be really good,” Sampson said. To announce his commitment, Hinton tweeted the words to the Robert Frost poem “The Road Not Taken.”
Key games: Dec. 1 vs. Oregon; Dec. 12 at Oklahoma State; Dec. 12 vs. LSU; Feb. 10 vs. Cincinnati; March 2 vs. UCF. Joseph Duarte
Coach: Ron Cottrell (475-389 in 27 seasons at HBU).
Last year: 6-25, 2-16; shared 11th in Southland Conference.
Outlook: With Braxton Bonds running the point and 6-11 senior Josh Ibarra anchoring the inside, the Huskies are formidable at those two positions. Throw in defensive specialist Ian DuBose, who started every game last season as a freshman wing, and the building blocks are in place for improving on last season’s record. A number of key players return after playing valuable minutes, including combo guard Oliver Lynch-Daniels, who is expected to play more off guard. Philip McKenzie is an undersized forward at 6-5 who has a knack for getting rebounds. Jalon Gates will be counted on for scoring, and Ed Hardt, who took over following the ninth game last season after Ibarra’s year came to an end because of a leg injury, adds depth. Newcomers Qon Murphy, who will back up Bonds, Jackson Stent and Ty Dalton should be in the rotation. A big blow was the transfer to St. John’s of David Caraher, last year’s SLC Freshman of the Year.
Player to watch: Before his 2017-18 season ended prematurely, Ibarra averaged 17.8 points and 11.3 rebounds with a 31point performance and two 17-rebound games. A true back-to-the basket center, the Angleton product is a preseason second-team All-SLC pick.
Key games: : Nov. 7 at Arizona; Jan. 5 at New Orleans; Jan. 19 vs. Sam Houston State; Jan. 23 vs. Southeastern Louisiana; Feb. 6 vs. Stephen F. Austin. Richard Dean
Coach: Scott Pera (7-24 in one season at Rice).
Last year: 7-24, 4-14; 13th in Conference USA and didn’t qualify for the C-USA tournament.
Outlook: Despite entering his second season on South Main, coach Scott Pera will get something of a restart this season after Hurricane Harvey and the departure six athletes disrupted his plans before last se ason even began. This season, Pera’s home is intact as is his team — albeit after seeing another five players depart in this past offseason. A pair of transfers — Josh Parrish and Jack Williams —and a full freshmen class will look to replace those losses in 2018-19. Expect returning guard Ako Adams to have an enlarged role, while newcomers like Drew Peterson could contribute early and often.
Player to watch: Pera has been waiting to unleash former TCU guard Josh Parrish since the latter began dominating in the Owls’ practices last year. Although Parrish scored just 10 points during his time in Fort Worth, the redshirt sophomore will be greatly relied upon to help replace lost scoring production. While sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, Parrish worked to develop his mid-range jumper. But expect to see him cutting and slashing to the basket, an offensive element that last season’s team consistently lacked.
Key games: Nov. 14 at Houston; Nov. 25 at Wichita State; Dec. 29 vs. North Texas; Jan. 12 at UTEP; Feb. 14 at Florida International. Glynn A. Hill
Coach: Johnny Jones (295-234 overall, entering first season at TSU).
Last year: 16–20, 12–6, tied for second in SWAC; lost to Xavier in first round of NCAA Tournament.
Outlook: With electric guard Demontrae Jefferson gone, center Trayvon Reed, the SWAC’s preseason defensive player of the year, headlines the Tigers’ 2018-19 team. After finishing no lower than second in SWAC regular-season play under former coach Mike Davis, Texas Southern is picked to finish second in the league this season. Again, transfers will play a key role for the Tigers. Newcomers like Jeremy Combs (formerly of North Texas) and Jaylyn Patterson (LSU) will look to produce next to the Tigers’ top returning scorer Derrick Bruce (13.9 points per game). And despite facing teams like Gonzaga, Texas A&M, Baylor and Oregon, the Tigers have a more manageable nonconference schedule than in recent years under Davis.
Player to watch: Trayvon Reed, an Auburn transfer, returns after averaging 9.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game last season. He’ll be a central force in the post for TSU again after producing at least 4 blocks in 13 games last season. Reed not only led the conference in blocks (3.0 per game), his average was twice as many as the next best player in the league.
Key games: Nov. 26 at Oregon; Jan. 12 at Prairie View A&M; Feb. 16 at Grambling State; Feb. 23 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Glynn A. Hill
Coach: Shaka Smart (213-106 overall, 50-50 in three seasons at Texas).
Last year: 19-15, 8-12; seventh in the Big 12; lost to Nevada in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Outlook: Gone is Mo Bamba, the 7-footer who led the team in rebounds (10.2 per game) and blocked shots (school-record 111). Smart recruited another top-10 class, though none was made in the one-anddone mold of Bamba. This year’s team will be led by seniors Kerwin Roach, Dylan Osetkowski, and sophomore point guard Matt Coleman. Springy sophomore forward Jericho Sims will assume a larger role after displaying tantalizing flashes of his elite potential. Smarts needs transfer guard Elijah Mitrou-Long and sophomore marksman Jase Febres to open the floor and keep defenses honest after Texas shot 32 percent from 3-point range in 2017-18, 321st nationally. Smart plans to operate at a faster pace — UT ranked 316th in pace last year — given the abundance of athletes and depth provided by four-star freshmen Courtney Ramey, Gerald Liddell, Kamaka Hepa, and Jaxson Hayes.
Player to watch: Of all the returnees, Sims offers the most upside. During a four-game stretch without Mo Bamba last year he averaged 12 points and 9.5 rebounds. He could emerge as a consistent double-double machine for a team that needs a physical presence in the paint.
Key games: Nov. 22 vs. North Carolina; Dec. 9 vs. Purdue; Dec. 21 vs. Providence; Jan. 2 at Kansas State; Jan. 5 vs. West Virginia; Jan. 14 at Kansas; March 9 vs. TCU Nick Moyle
Coach: Byron Smith (29-38 in two seasons at Prairie View).
Last year: 16-18, 12-6, tied for second in SWAC.
Outlook: The Panthers are fielding a team with eight newcomers to blend in with guards Gary Blackston and Dennis Jones in hopes of approaching last year’s success. In 2017-18, Prairie View finished only one game out of first place. Blackston was second-team All-SWAC and Jones led the team with 172 assists. First-year Panthers Devonte Patterson and Darius Williams should fit in nicely in Prairie View’s transition game. New Mexico State transfer Chancellor Ellis and Elijah Holifield, who began his college career at St. John’s, sat out last season. Guard Tyler Singleton started two years ago at Incarnate Word and is an excellent shooter. The Panthers are athletic enough with a good skill set to again be a conference contender despite losing three valuable starters from a season ago. Player to watch: Blackston can get to the basket as well as anybody in the league and is an exceptional ball handler. Being lefthanded makes the 6-2 senior difficult to guard. He led the SWAC in scoring (19.2), was fourth in assists (3.6) and fifth in steals (1.6). A point of emphasis this season for Blackston is learning to take smaller defenders into the post and scoring inside more.
Key games: Nov. 12 at Baylor; Jan. 12 vs. Texas Southern; Jan. 21 vs. Grambling State; Feb. 9 at Texas Southern; Feb. 25 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Richard Dean
Coach: Billy Kennedy (348-277 overall, 137-98 in eight seasons at A&M)
Last year: 22-13, 9-9; tied for seventh in SEC; lost to Michigan in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament.
Outlook: The Aggies intend to speed things up this season, mostly out of necessity after losing a load of size inside. That’s also another reason they’ve gone from one of the league favorites at this time a year ago to trying to prove the naysayers wrong. “We’re playing with a different pace, trying to play a lot faster and play more perimeter guys on the court,” A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. After losing big men Robert Williams (an NBA first-round selection to the Boston Celtics), Tyler Davis, Tonny Trocha-Morelos and D.J. Hogg, A&M’s starting lineup likely will consist of Admon Gilder, fellow returning starter T.J. Starks, Savion Flagg and Christian Mekowulu, with the other starting spot up for grabs.
Player to watch: Gilder went against the grain of his touted 2015 recruiting class and returned for his senior season, while Davis and Hogg turned pro (although neither is in the NBA). Gilder’s decision left him as the unquestioned leader of the Aggies, and with a burden to bear in trying to return the program to the NCAA Tournament after two Sweet 16 showings in two of the past three seasons. “I’m going to be counted on a lot more,” said Gilder, a defensive whiz. “That’s something I know and something I’m looking forward to.”
Key games: Nov. 15 at Gonzaga; Jan. 8 at Kentucky; Jan. 16 vs. Auburn; Jan. 22 at Florida; Jan. 30 vs. LSU Brent Zwerneman
Coach: Anthony Medina (39-46 in three seasons at St. Thomas).
Last year: 16-12, 8-10; tied for fifth in Red River Athletic Conference.
Outlook: The winning percentage as well as the team’s grade point average has gone up in each of Anthony Medina’s first three seasons coaching his alma mater. Last season, St. Thomas beat No. 2 nationally-ranked LSU-Shreveport at home. This year’s squad is capable of being in the mix at the top of the league because of its ability to score. In order to become an elite unit, the Celts will need to show improvement on defense. With four seniors and two juniors, it’s an experienced group. Twins Kennard and Lennard Robinson are disruptive defensively and set the offensive pace. Paris Marquez is an all-around player that earns the opponents’ respect. Orowo Eleyae was all-conference last year, and Paul Taulton is a physical post who has a career 55 percent shooting percentage. There are seven new players on the team, including four who were with the program last year. Of the redshirts, Cameron Gims is a fixture in the rotation.
Player to watch: Even though he’s currently nursing a hamstring injury, Marquez is a player the Celts expect a lot out of on both ends of the court. The senior from Atascocita has a great understanding of the game and shoots a high percentage from the field.
Key games: Dec. 8 vs. Huston-Tillotson; Jan. 11 at LSU-Shreveport; Jan. 12 at LSU Alexandria; Feb. 15 vs. LSU-Shreveport; Feb. 16 vs. LSU-Alexandria Richard Dean