Patriot League preseason power rankings

1. Boston University – Last year, the Terriers finished second in the America East Conference before a first-round exit in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). This season, BU is looking to improve upon that finish in a new conference. BU’s transition process should be alleviated by the return of all of its starters, which includes its scoring, rebounding and assist leaders from last season. A lot of the Terriers’ high expectations in the Patriot League come from the reputation built by senior guard D.J. Irving. After averaging 14.2 points per game and 3.6 assists per game last year, Irving was voted the Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year in a coaches’ poll. Irving was also named a Preseason Mid-Major All-American by CollegeInsider.com and NBCSports.com. BU is also getting back sophomore guard Maurice Watson Jr. and senior forward Dom Morris, each of whom scored more than 11 points per game last season.

2. United States Military Academy – The Black Knights will expect a major improvement this season after finishing fourth in the conference last year. A lot of the attention will focus around sophomore guard Kyle Wilson. Last season, Wilson averaged 13.0 points per game and was voted Patriot League Rookie of the Year. Expect Wilson to take charge this year after an impressive 21 point-performance in Army’s final game of the 2012-13 campaign, a 78-70 loss to Bucknell University in the Patriot League tournament semifinals. Despite losing their leading scorer in senior forward Ella Ellis (17.7 ppg), the Knights will be returning most of their starting lineup that led the team to a formidable 72.4 points per game, which was second in the Patriot League last season. This includes sophomore guard Dylan Cox, who led the team in both rebounds (5.0) and assists (3.2) per game.

3. Lafayette College – After finishing second in the Patriot League last year and advancing to the Patriot League championship game for the third time in four years, the Leopards should find themselves in a similar spot this season. Lafayette will be returning four of its top five scorers from last year, including two players (junior guard Seth Hinrichs and junior forward Dan Trist) who averaged more than 12 points per game. The Leopards were also one of the better shooting teams in the league last year, finishing first in free throw percentage (.754) as well as second in field goal percentage (.457) The team, however, will need to find new leadership after losing senior guard Tony Johnson. Johnson led the team in assists (4.8) while also contributing 13.3 points per game. Additionally, the Leopards will need to improve more on the boards this year, as they finished last in offensive rebounds (7.9) and seventh in defensive rebounds (21.9) in 2012-13.

4. Bucknell University – The Bison’s biggest and most obvious obstacle will be overcoming the loss of forward Mike Muscala. Muscala led the Patriot League in both scoring (18.7 ppg) and rebounding (11.1 rebounds per game), and was later selected 44th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. The good news for Bucknell is that Muscala was not the only reason the team won the Patriot League tournament and earned the No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season. The Bison will be returning starters in junior guard Steven Kasper and senior guard Cameron Ayers. Ayers will look to have a much larger role this year after finishing 12th in the Patriot League in scoring with 12.4 points per game. Bucknell will also look to maintain its dominant defense that finished first in the conference in both points allowed per game and blocked shots.

5. Loyola University-Maryland – Along with BU, the Greyhounds will be trying to continue their success in a new league after finishing second in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference last season. In order to do so, Loyola will have to reconfigure with a largely new team. The team will be without four players from last year’s squad, including key scorers in graduate-student forward Erik Etherly (15.7 ppg) and senior guard Robert Olson (12.7 ppg). New head coach G.G. Smith, son of NCAA Champion coach Tubby Smith, will have to lead the team’s adjustment to the Patriot League. The Greyhounds will be helped by an athletic defense – first in the MAAC in blocks (4.4 blocks per game) as well as second in steals (7.2) last season – as well as the return of senior guard Dylon Cormier, who was seventh in the MAAC last season in scoring with 16.4 points per game.

6. Colgate University – This year, the Raiders will look toward their upperclassmen to rally the team back from a disappointing sixth-place finish last season. Although Colgate will likely finish in the middle of the conference this year, there is much room for improvement in terms of its 2012-13 record (11-21, 5-9 Patriot League). For starters, senior forward Murphy Burnatowski is back after scoring 17.4 points per game last year, which was good enough for third in the conference. The team is also returning two other starters, junior guard Luke Roh and senior guard Pat Moore. Roh will be a key all-around contributor for Colgate, as the Scottsdale, Ariz., native finished fifth in the Patriot League in rebounding (6.6) as well as sixth in assists (3.4). The Raiders are hoping to cut down on their mistakes this season, as they ranked first in the Patriot League in turnovers with 13.2 per game in 2012-13.

7. Lehigh University – Despite finishing second in the Patriot League last season, the Mountain Hawks are expected to take a step down this year after losing multiple key players. Although C.J. McCollum, the No. 10 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, only gave Lehigh 12 games last season due to injury, his former team will certainly be hurt by his departure. McCollum averaged 21.9 points per game in 2011-12, his last full season as a collegiate player, before delivering 23.9 points per game in 2012-13. Besides McCollum, the Mountain Hawks also lose scoring from forward Gabe Knutson (13.9 ppg) and forward Holden Grenier (13.2 ppg). Lehigh will hope that it can still challenge teams offensively after finishing first in the Patriot League in points per game last season (73.1 ppg).

8. College of the Holy Cross – Offensively, the Crusaders were lackluster last season on their way to a 12-18 record. The team finished sixth in the Patriot League in both points per game (66.1 ppg) and field-goal percentage (.414). With a largely unchanged team, Holy Cross should expect similar results this season. The Crusaders may see improvement through the progress of senior forward Dave Dudzinski, the team’s leading scorer (15.2 ppg) and rebounder (6.6 rpg) from last season. Furthermore, the emergence of guard Justin Burrell should help stabilize Holy Cross’s backcourt. Burrell led the team with 3.7 assists per game while delivering 12.1 points a game. The most daunting aspect of the Crusaders’ season will be their schedule: their first three matchups include games against Ivy League favorite Harvard University and No. 12 University of North Carolina.

9. United States Naval Academy – The Midshipmen will not see much improvement from their 8-23 finish last year. Although the team lost no major players from last season, they will still need to address multiple areas. Navy struggled to keep up with its opponents offensively, finishing last in the Patriot League in both points per game (55.1) and field-goal percentage (.391). The Midshipmen also need to improve their rebounding. Overall, they finished last in the conference with a -6.1 rebounding margin. If Navy can take solace in anything, it is that it is returning all five of its starters from last season, so will have time to continue to develop together.

10. American University – While American ended up fifth in the Patriot League standings last season, the team should expect a drop in the standings this year in an expanded conference. American loses its top two scorers, forward Stephen Lumpkins (14.2 ppg) and guard Daniel Munoz (10.3 ppg), going into the season, and even with those players, the Eagles were only seventh in the Patriot League in points per game (57.8). In addition, Lumpkins was also the Eagles leading rebounder (9.4), while Munoz was the squad’s leader in assists (3.6).