College basketball season tips off: Here are league favorites, contenders, top players

You might be fully immersed in football, but the college basketball season opens this week with a familiar cast of names listed in the “contender” ranks.

But some of those teams that have been college basketball powers in recent seasons will have to change their style this time around.

Duke is the preseason pick in the ACC, but the Blue Devils will have to make their mark with freshmen. The roster is loaded with top recruits from the United States and Canada, and coach Mike Krzyzkewski will need them to respond quickly.

In the Division II ranks, Queens of Charlotte is a national top-10 pick again, but the Royals – who reached the NCAA semifinals last March – willtry to repeat with new names in key roles.

That doesn’t mean all the contenders will have a new look.

North Carolina, expected to battle for the ACC title, will be led by senior Luke Maye, the former Hough High standout who is attracting All-America attention.

And reigning Atlantic 10 tournament champion Davidson is back with Kellan Grady, last season’s Freshman of the Year in the league.

Most of the teams open their seasons Tuesday night, and here’s a look at what to expect between now and March:

ACC

Favorite: Duke (No. 4 nationally)

Contenders: Virginia (No. 5), North Carolina (No. 8), Syracuse (No. 16)

Also: Clemson is picked sixth in the 15-team league, with N.C. State eighth and Wake Forest at 14.

Players to Watch: Zion Williamson, 6-7 Fr. F (Duke); Luke Maye, 6-8 Sr. F (North Carolina); R.J. Barrett, 6-7 Fr. F (Duke); Tyus Battle, 6-6 Jr. G (Syracuse); Kyle Guy, 6-3 Jr. G (Virginia).

Comments: Freshmen Barrett, Williamson, Cam Reddish and Trey Jones probably hold the key for the Blue Devils this season. ...Virginia will rely on defense again, Syracuse is back as a contender with Battle in the backcourt, and the Tar Heels have a mix of experience (Maye) and talented freshmen. Looking for a sleeper? Virginia Tech is loaded with experience.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC

Favorite: Central Florida

Contenders: Cincinnati, Houston, Memphis

Also: East Carolina is picked 13th of 14 teams.

Players to Watch: B.J. Taylor, 6-2 Sr. G (UCF); Nate Hinton, 6-6 Fr. G (Houston); Jarron Cumberland, 6-5 Jr. G (Cincinnati); Jalen Adams, 6-3 Sr. G (UConn).

Comments: UCF has eight of its top 10 scorers and four starters back, ready to show that the Knights have more than football at their school. They ranked No. 3 nationally in defense last season. ...Cincinnati, the reigning regular-season and tournament champ, lost its top two scorers to the NBA. Houston got a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament last year and has Hinton to lead the way.

ATLANTIC 10

Favorite: Saint Louis

Contenders: St. Joseph’s, Davidson, George Mason

Players to Watch: Kellan Grady, 6-5 So. G (Davidson); Grant Golden, 6-10 Sr. C (Richmond); Josh Cunningham, 6-7 Sr. F (Dayton); Otis Livingston II, 5-11 So. G (George Mason).

Comments: Guards Javon Bess and Jordan Goodwin make the Billikens a championship favorite. Saint Joseph’s has several returning starters, Davidson is loaded with standout guards, and George Mason has Livingston running the offense. Most analysts think the A-10 could land at least four NCAA teams this season.

BIG SOUTH

Favorite: Radford

Contenders: Winthrop, Hampton, Campbell

Also: Gardner-Webb is picked sixth of 11 teams.

Players to Watch: Chris Clemons, 5-9 Sr. G (Campbell); Ed Polite Jr., 6-5 Sr.. F (Radford); David Efianayi, 6-2 Sr. G (Gardner-Webb); Christian Keeling, 6-1 Sr. G (Charleston Southern).

Comments: Radford has three starters and eight letter-winners back from the 23-13 team that won an NCAA tournament game in March. With Clemons (24.9 points a game) in the lineup, Campbell is a threat. ...Winthrop has a strong inside game behind junior forward Josh Ferguson. ...Hampton, moving from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, could contend this year.

COLONIAL ATHLETIC

Favorite: Northeastern

Contenders: Charleston, Hofstra, William & Mary

Also: UNCWilmington is picked fifth of 10 teams; Elon is picked eighth.

Players to Watch: Grant Riller, 6-3 Jr. G (Charleston); Vasa Pusica, 6-5 Sr. G (Northeastern); Justin Wright-Foreman, 6-2 Sr. G (Hofstra); Devontae Cacok, 6-7 Sr. F (UNC Wilmington).

Comments: Pusica (18 points, 5 assists per game) will drive Northeastern this season. ...Charleston has Riller (18.6 points a game) and Jarrell Brantley (17.3) back from a team that won the regular-season and tournament championships. ...Hofstra returns four starters, including Wright-Foreman (24.4 points a game), from a 19-12 squad.

CONFERENCE USA

Favorite: Western Kentucky

Contenders: Marshall, Old Dominion, North Texas

Also: Charlotte is picked 13th of 14 teams.

Players to Watch: Jon Davis, 6-2 Sr. G (Charlotte); Taveion Hollingsworth, 6-2 So. G (Western Kentucky); Jon Elmore, 6-3 Sr. G (Marshall); B.J. Stith, 6-5 Sr. G (Old Dominion).

Comments: Western Kentucky returns several key players from a team that beat Big 10, ACC, Pac 12 and Big 12 foes last year. ...Marshall, which won the conference tournament and a first-round NCAA game in March, will be led by Elmore. ...Old Dominion goes with its defense, which held teams to 62.8 points last season.

MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC

Favorite: Bethune-Cookman

Contenders: N.C. Central, Norfolk State, Howard

Also: N.C. A&T is picked fifth and S.C. State 10th of 13 teams.

Players to Watch: R.J. Cole, 6-1 So. G (Howard); Shawntrez Davis, 6-9 Sr. F (Bethune-Cookman); Raasean Davis, 6-8 Sr. C (N.C. Central); Soufiyane Diakite, 6-6 Sr. F (Bethune-Cookman).

Comments: Bethune-Cookman returns four starters from a team that went 12-4 in conference last season. ...Howard’s leader is Cole, who averaged 23.7 points last season as MEAC Freshman of the Year.

SEC

Favorite: Kentucky (No. 2 nationally)

Contenders: Tennessee (No. 6), Auburn (No. 11), Mississippi State (No. 18)

Also: South Carolina is picked 11th of 14 teams.

Players to Watch: Grant Williams, 6-7 Jr. F (Tennessee); P.J. Washington, 6-7 So. F (Kentucky); Bryce Brown, 6-2 Jr. G (Auburn); Quinndary Weatherspoon, 6-4 So. G (Mississippi State).

Comments: Washington, who led Kentucky in rebounds last season, will be the veteran hand on a team loaded with superb freshmen, as usual. ...Williams, who played at Providence Day, is preseason SEC Player of the Year and makes the Volunteers a contender. ...Guards Brown and Jared Harper could shoot Auburn into contention.

SOUTHERN

Favorite: UNCGreensboro

Contenders: Wofford, East Tennessee State

Also: Furman is picked fourth of 10 teams; Citadel is sixth; Western Carolina is ninth.

Players to Watch: Fletcher Magee, 6-4 Sr. G (Wofford); James Dickey, 6-9 Jr. F (UNCGreensboro); Tray Boyd III, 6-4 Jr. G (East Tennessee State); Matt Rafferty, 6-7 Sr. F (Furman).

Comments: The Spartans are picked to repeat as conference champions withDickey (defensive player of the year last season) and guard Francis Alonso. ...Magee, who made 148 3-pointers last season (fifth-most in NCAA history), makes Wofford a contender.

SUN BELT

Favorite: Georgia State

Contenders: Georgia Southern, Louisiana

Also: Appalachian State is picked sixth and Coastal Carolina 10th of 12 teams.

Players to Watch: D’Marus Simonds, 6-3 Jr. G (Georgia State); Ronshad Shabazz, 6-5 Sr. G (Appalachian State); Jordon Vornado, 6-6 Sr. F (Troy); Tookie Brown, 5-10 Sr. G (Georgia Southern).

Comments: Simonds (21.2 points a game) leads Georgia State, which has reached the NCAA tournament two of the past four seasons. ...Georgia Southern returns three starters from a 21-win team, and Louisiana returns several regulars from a 27-7 team that made its mark with 3-pointers.

DIVISION II

CIAA

Favorite: Virginia State overall; Virginia State (North) and Shaw (South) in divisions.

Contenders: Virginia Union, Bowie State, Winston-Salem State

Also: Johnson C. Smith is picked seventh and Livingstone eighth of 13 teams.

Players to Watch: Josh Bryant, 6-1 Jr. G (Fayetteville State); Roddric Ross, 6-7 Jr. F (Johnson C. Smith); Roger Ray, 5-8 So. G (Livingstone); Tyre Gathright, 6-4 Sr. F (St. Augustine’s).

Comments: Cyonte Melvin, who shot 47 percent from the floor last season, leads Virginia State, ranked as high as seventh nationally in preseason polls. ... Shaw returns three starters from a South Division-title team.

CONFERENCE CAROLINAS

Favorite: King

Contenders: Barton, Mount Olive

Also: Lees-McRae is picked fifth and Belmont Abbey sixth of nine teams.

Players to Watch: Jordan Floyd, 6-2 Sr. G (King); Je’Don Young, 6-1 Sr. G (King); Bobby Stenborg, 6-5, Sr. F (Barton); Quay Kimble, 5-11 So. G (Lees-McRae).

Comments: Floyd, who averaged 21.7 points a game, could lead King to its second straight NCAA berth. ...Barton reached the conference tournament finals last season and has Stenborg, who averaged 16.7 points and 5.9 rebounds. ...High-scoring Lees-McRae, led by Shelby native Kimble, is a threat.

SOUTH ATLANTIC

Favorite: Lincoln Memorial

Contenders: Queens, Carson-Newman, Wingate.

Also: Lenoir-Rhyne is picked fifth and Catawba sixth of 10 teams.

Players to Watch: Cornelius Taylor, 6-0 Sr. G (Lincoln Memorial); Djibril Diallo, 6-2 Jr. W (Lenoir-Rhyne); Marco Haskins, 6-5 Jr. F (Wingate); Shaun Willett, 6-4, Jr. F (Queens).

Comments: With Jalin Alexander and Todd Withers gone, Queens will reinvent itself, with several transfers and the experience of Haskins. ...Lincoln Memorial, third nationally in the preseason Division II poll, will be led by Taylor, a preseason All-American. ...Haskins, a transfer from Chowan, will help keep Wingate in contention.