School: Clemson
Conference: ACC Arena: Littlejohn Coliseum Head Coach: Brad Brownell (12th Season) 2019-20 Overall Record: 16-15 2019-20 Conference Record: 9-11 Starters R/L: 4/1 Letterwinners R/L: 10/2 Newcomers: 3 Roster Breakdown (Sr., Jr., So., Fr.): 3/5/4/3 SEASON OUTLOOK
The Tigers ended up 16-15 overall last season and weren’t as consistent offensively as they wanted (.428 shooting from the field), but the roster returns three starters in John Newman III, Al-Amir Dawes and Aamir Simms, the latter who had team-high averages of 13 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Clemson had several highlight moments last year, including victories over top-10 opponents Duke, Louisville and Florida State and breaking an 0-for-59 losing streak at North Carolina. Head coach Brad Brownell earned praise for his incoming freshman class that includes three players arguably in the national top 100, including Lynn Kidd and PJ Hall, both of whom are 6-foot-10. |
School: Liberty
Conference: Atlantic Sun Arena: Vines Center Head Coach: Ritchie McKay (6th Season) 2019-20 Overall Record: 30-4 2019-20 Conference Record: 13-3 Starters R/L: 2/3 Letterwinners R/L: 9/5 Newcomers: 5 Roster Breakdown (Sr., Jr., So., Fr.): 3/3/5/5 SEASON OUTLOOK
The Flames had to be one of the most disappointed teams to miss out on the 2020 men’s postseason, as they had a 30-4 record and were Atlantic Sun Conference tourney champions. Head coach Ritchie McKay has earned two contract extensions since his return to Liberty (he was head coach as well from 2007-09) and has steered the program to four straight seasons with 20 or more victories. The team outscored opponents by almost 15 points per game last year, but the roster is now without its top three scorers from 2019-20. It’s possible that two sophomores will be become starters for Liberty as the team reloads; it does return junior guard Darius McGhee, who started all 34 games last year and shot right at 39 percent from 3-point range while averaging nearly 10 points per contest. |
School: Mississippi State
Conference: SEC Arena: Humphrey Coliseum Head Coach: Ben Howland (6th Season) 2019-20 Overall Record: 20-11 2019-20 Conference Record: 11-7 Starters R/L: 2/3 Letterwinners R/L: 5/10 Newcomers: 9 Roster Breakdown (Sr., Jr., So., Fr.): 2/1/7/6 SEASON OUTLOOK
The Bulldogs were 20-11 last season and averaged a robust 73.4 points per game, but the top four scorers from that group are no longer on the squad. There are six freshmen listed on the roster along with seven sophomores, so head coach Ben Howland will be learning a lot about his young talent while hoping for early contributions from three transfers — Javian Davis (Alabama), Jaylen Johnson (Louisiana-Lafayette) and Tolu Smith (Western Kentucky). Howland, who had notable success as head coach at Pittsburgh and UCLA, has piloted the program to three straight 20-victory seasons. |
School: Purdue
Conference: Big Ten Arena: Mackey Arena Head Coach: Matt Painter (16th Season) 2019-20 Overall Record: 16-15 2019-20 Conference Record: 9-11 Starters R/L: 3/2 Letterwinners R/L: 8/5 Newcomers: 7 Roster Breakdown (Sr., Jr., So., Fr.): 0/5/3/7 SEASON OUTLOOK
The Boilermakers do not have a single senior on the roster, one year after going 16-15 overall, shooting under 42 percent from the field and losing more home games (five) than in the previous four years combined. While a sea of young players vie for playing time, Purdue will lean on 6-10 forward Trevion Williams, who led the team with 11.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Head coach Matt Painter guided the squad last year to three victories of 25 or more points over three top 25 teams (Virginia, Michigan State and Iowa), the first time a team managed that feat since Florida in 1999-2000. |
