Last year, Delaware State opened with a game against overmatched Cairn, a Division III school from Pennsylvania.

Monday brings a significantly tougher opener for the Hornets as they travel to Blacksburg, Va., to take on Virginia Tech, the defending Atlantic Coast Conference tournament champion.

What’s the best advice for the Hornets of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, who lost their final 24 games last year?

Guard the perimeter.

Virginia Tech returns its three most accurate shooters from last year’s team that ranked No. 3 in Division I with a 3-point success rate of 39.2 percent. The marksmen are Darius Maddox (50.6 percent), Sean Pedulla (44.7 percent) and Hunter Cattoor (41.7 percent).

The trio combined for 157 3-pointers last year and that number should grow as Maddox and Pedulla figure to play larger roles this year.

Also back is stat-sheet stuffer Justyn Mutts, who averaged 10.1 points per game while leading Tech in rebounds (265), assists (123), steals (43) and blocks (34).

“I’m as excited about this team’s potential and prospects as I’ve ever been,” said fourth-year coach Mike Young. “You always hope there are other talented players coming through the ranks and I think that’s where we are with this team.”

Adding length are 6-9 transfers Grant Basile, who averaged 18.4 points and 8.5 rebounds at Wright State, and Mylyjael Poteat, who contributed 7.7 points and 4.2 rebounds at Rice. John Camden, a 6-8 wing, was highly touted before his injury-marred freshman year at Memphis.

Freshman Rodney Rice, a product of national power DeMatha, could start immediately in the backcourt.

After the departure of the top three scorers from last year, Delaware State coach Stan Waterman will count on 6-11 transfers Brandon Stone (Robert Morris) and Raymond Somerville (Cal State Bakersfield).

Also bringing size to the backcourt are 6-6 Jevin Muniz and 6-5 Aaron Lemon-Warren, both incoming freshmen.

“We’ve got some new guys mixing in with older guys who have transferred in, so there’s a nice blend to go with the returning guys and will hopefully provide a nice nucleus for us,” Waterman said.

–Field Level Media

Georgia’s football program holds the spotlight with Saturday’s showdown against Tennessee in a matchup of unbeaten teams.

The expectations are considerably lower for Bulldogs basketball, coming off a disastrous six-win season, as the Mike White era gets underway Monday night against Western Carolina in Athens, Ga.

Georgia went 47-75 in four seasons under coach Tom Crean, finishing no higher than 10th in the SEC. Crean was fired March 10 and three days later, White was hired after going 142-88 in seven seasons at Florida, where he won at least 20 games four times.

This season, Georgia is picked 13th in the SEC preseason poll but the good news is the return of leading scorer Kario Oquendo, a second-team preseason All-SEC pick.

Last year, Oquendo averaged 15.2 points and 4.3 rebounds. He also reached double figures 23 times and finished with at least 20 points 10 times while also shooting 45.3 percent.

“He wants to help Georgia get going,” White said of Oquendo at last month’s media day. “He wants to win, and he wants to make us a competitive program.”

White also added Oklahoma State transfer Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, hoping he can help them ascend along with Justin Hill, who averaged 14.2 points to help Longwood reach the NCAA Tournament last season.

The Bulldogs also added Terry Roberts, who averaged 14.5 points for Bradley last season, but he is taking some personal time away and will not play Monday.

Western Carolina was picked to finish eighth in the 10-team Southern Conference preseason poll after going 11-21 in coach Justin Gray’s first season. The Catamounts averaged 70.7 points but allowed a league-worst 77.3 points.

Their top returnees are Vonterius Woolbright (9.7 ppg) and Tyler Harris (7.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and the Catamounts added 12 newcomers, including Iowa State transfer Tre Jackson.

“The right kind of kid will be attracted to what we want to do and that was huge for our staff, and I think we’ve been able to do that,” Gray said. “So I’m super-excited to see how all that comes together.”

Georgia leads the all-time series 8-0 and outlasted the Catamounts for an 85-79 victory on Dec. 20, 2021.

–Field Level Media

The second year of the Shaka Smart era at Marquette begins much like the first — with the Golden Eagles picked to finish ninth in the Big East.

Marquette looks to once again exceed expectations, beginning with Monday night’s season opener against visiting Radford in Milwaukee.

“We’ve got a really connected group right now, but we haven’t played any games yet,” Smart said at the team’s media day. “We haven’t been tested or challenged yet by outside competition, other than closed scrimmages.”

Marquette tied for fifth last season in the Big East, finishing 19-13 overall and earning an NCAA bid.

The Golden Eagles will have to replace forward Justin Lewis, who led with 16.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, and guard Darryl Morsell, second in scoring at 13.4.

Key returnees include sophomore guard Kam Jones (7.4 ppg), junior guard Tyler Kolek, (6.7 ppg) and 6-8 junior forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper (6.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg).

Graduate transfer Zach Wrightsil, a 6-7 forward, was the NAIA Player of the Year after averaging 18.7 points and 8.8 rebounds at Loyola (New Orleans) last season.

Darris Nichols enters his second season as coach at Radford, picked sixth in the Big South preseason poll.

Radford went 11-18 last season, including 7-9 in the Big South, but has been bolstered by the addition of seven transfers.

The Highlanders return leading scorer Josiah Jeffers, a 6-1 senior guard who averaged 10.0 points per game, and leading rebounder Shaquan Jules, who averaged 4.6 boards.

Transfers include guard DaQuan Smith, who averaged 3.5 points in 33 games at Murray State. Graduate transfer guard Onyebuchi Ezeakudo averaged 18.7 minutes per game last season at Pitt; and junior guard Bryan Antoine, a former five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American, appeared in 20 games last season for Villanova after missing all of November and parts of December due to a knee injury.

“We tried to get guys from winning programs, that come from maybe a higher level,” Nichols told the Roanoke Times. “Come over here and you can have a bigger role possibly.”

Freshman Ibu Yamazaki, a 6-7 forward, averaged 14.6 points and four rebounds for Japan’s U19 team at the 2021 FIBA World Cup.

Radford rolled past Mary Baldwin 114-54 in an exhibition game Tuesday, shooting 66.7 percent with a commanding 42-19 rebound advantage.

–Field Level Media

Colorado’s Tad Boyle is on the verge of becoming the winningest coach in program history, and he will do it with a young squad looking to make waves in the Pac-12 and reach the NCAA Tournament.

Boyle is entering his 13th season on the Buffaloes’ bench and has amassed a 254-155 career record and five NCAA Tournament appearances. He needs eight wins to pass Sox Walseth atop the Colorado chart for coaching victories, and he goes for his first when the Buffs host UC Riverside on Monday night in Boulder.

Boyle’s roster is flush with inexperienced players but he is optimistic about the season.

“I love where our program is right now,” Boyle said recently. “We’ve had great continuity in our coaching staff. We’ve had great continuity with our players.”

Colorado has two returning starters in juniors Tristan da Silva and Nique Clifford, while KJ Simpson will build on a solid freshman season. Julian Hammond III will be counted on to provide more production in his sophomore year and big men Luke O’Brien and Lawson Lovering hope to make bigger leaps this year.

Lovering is a 7-footer whose freshman season was shortened by injury. He averaged just 1.9 rebounds last year but showed he can do more by grabbing five boards in 20 minutes in an exhibition win against Nebraska on Sunday.

The Highlanders, picked to finish fifth in the preseason Big West coaches poll, are facing a Pac-12 opponent for the second straight year — and hope for the same results. UC Riverside beat Arizona State 66-65 on the road when J.P. Moorman II made a 70-foot heave at the buzzer.

Moorman has moved on but the Highlanders have a senior guard in Zyon Pullin, who was named to the preseason All-Big West team. They also have Flynn Cameron, who scored 21 points in a 94-79 exhibition win against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Oct. 28.

Cameron is one of five players head coach Mike Magpayo has recruited from New Zealand and Australia.

“He is an outstanding recruiter, leader, and developer of student-athletes and coaches, and he does things the right way,” UC Riverside athletic director Wes Mallette said of Magpayo.

–Field Level Media

Florida will usher in the Todd Golden era when it hosts Stony Brook on Monday night in Gainesville, Fla.

Golden was hired from San Francisco as the Gators’ new coach in March to replace Mike White, who left the school for Southeastern Conference rival Georgia. White posted a 142-88 record and led the Gators to four NCAA Tournament trips in seven seasons.

The 37-year-old Golden intends to bring a fresh, analytics approach to the Gators, which he used to lead last season’s San Francisco club to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998. He inherited three returning starters from last year’s Florida team, which went 20-14 and reached the second round of the NIT.

One of those starters, preseason All-SEC center Colin Castleton, appears poised for another big season and is back to full health after undergoing successful shoulder surgery. Castleton, a Michigan transfer, has averaged 14.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks for the Gators over his last two seasons.

“We’re just super careful in bringing him back, but he’s been healthy,” Golden said. “It’s a long year and I want him to be ready not only on Nov. 7, but through January, March, into the SEC tournament. I think his body is in the best place it’s been.”

Golden said Castleton and Kyle Lofton, a transfer point guard from St. Bonaventure, are the only two players set in the starting five. He intends to play a deep rotation early that includes returning starters Kowacie Reeves and Myreon Jones at the wing spots.

“It’s a challenge for me and the staff to really drill down an eight-man rotation at this point,” Golden said. “To be honest, we can’t. We wouldn’t try. We have a number of guys we feel good about.”

Stony Brook, under fourth-year coach Geno Ford, returns two starters from a team that finished 18-13 last season.

One of those returning starters, guard Tyler Stephenson-Moore, is a strong perimeter defender and will look to build off last season, when he averaged 7.4 points while shooting 44.8 percent from 3-point range.

Forward Frankie Policelli (7.7 ppg, 36.1 percent on 3-pointers) is another returning starter and perimeter scoring threat.

Stony Brook is entering its first season in the Colonial Athletic Conference after 20 years in the America East Conference.

“The CAA can compete against any league you put it up against,” Ford said. “There’s good coaches, good players, great venues, great campuses. … We’re looking forward to some fresh challenges.”

–Field Level Media

Texas A&M felt it had earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament a year ago. The selection committee disagreed.

The Aggies then made a memorable run to the NIT final, which ended with a one-point loss to Xavier.

Texas A&M starts a new bid to make the Big Dance on Monday night when it opens the 2022-23 season against Louisiana Monroe at College Station, Texas.

The Aggies open the season on the cusp of cracking the AP Top 25 as the highest among others receiving votes. They last made the NCAA field in 2018 when they advanced to the Sweet 16, and will be without last year’s leading scorer Quenton Jackson, who declared for the NBA Draft.

Returning forward Henry Coleman III, a preseason All-SEC second-team selection (11.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game) and guard Tyrece Radford (10.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg) look to fill the void left by Jackson and Hassan Diarra, who transferred to UConn.

Texas A&M brought in Dexter Dennis (Wichita State), Khalen Robinson (Arkansas), Julius Marble (Michigan State) and Andersson Garcia (Mississippi State) through the transfer portal.

“We would like to do something that we haven’t done since we’ve been here,” Aggies coach Buzz Williams said on his weekly radio show recently.

Louisiana Monroe is hoping its future looks more positive than it has in recent years.

The Warhawks finished last season 13-18 and lost their last six games to finish second-to-last in the Sun Belt Conference. Louisiana Monroe hasn’t finished a season with a winning record since it went 18-15 in 2018-19.

Warhawks coach Keith Richard spent the offseason replenishing his roster after multiple key departures.

Top scorer Andre Jones (15.6 ppg) graduated and Russell Harrison (13.1 ppg) transferred to Oklahoma State. ULM added 6-10 center Victor Bafutto (Mercer), guards Devon Hancock (Milwaukee) and Jamari Blackmon (North Alabama) and forwards AD Diedhiou (UAB) and Savion Gallion (South Plains College) through the transfer portal.

“I’m really excited about the recruiting class that we’re putting together, especially in terms of adding more scoring options to the playing rotation,” Richard said in a press release this offseason.

–Field Level Media

No. 15 Auburn opens its 2022-2023 basketball campaign at home against George Mason with aspirations of defending last year’s SEC regular season title and making a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.

But if Bruce Pearl’s team wants to achieve those two goals, veteran guards K.D. Johnson and Wendell Green Jr. are his crutches early in the year while the Tigers’ coaching staff figures out how to replace the production of first-round draft picks Jabari Smith (16. 9 points per game, 7.4 rebounds) and Walker Kessler (11.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.6 blocks) in the post.

Smith and Kessler played key roles in Auburn going 28-6 overall and 15-3 in conference play last season. But the roster remains healthy and littered with talented players who still have one goal in mind: winning championships.

“Everybody else that won a championship came back,” Green said. “We have a championship mindset. We know we have a lot of special players no matter what anybody says.”

Johnson (12.3 ppg) and Green (12.0 ppg) consistently provided the Tigers with scoring oomph and scrappy defense in the backcourt. Green only started five times last year but ranked third in the SEC in assists per game (5.1).

Zep Jasper (5.1 ppg), Allen Flanigan (6.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and highly touted freshmen signees Chance Westry and Tre Donaldson are also backcourt options.

Versatile forward Jaylin Williams (5.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg) has a lot of potential and could be in line for a major uptick in production after a strong finish to last season.

Morehead State transfer Johni Broome (25 double-doubles last year) and French product Yohan Traore, along with reliable veteran Dylan Cardwell, who ranked second on the team in blocked shots (42), are expected to help replace the production left behind by Smith, the SEC Freshman of the Year, and Kessler, the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.

“Our basketball team’s great strength is I’ve got 13 really good players,” Pearl said. “I really do. There is great competition and depth at every position. If I had to put out a starting five right now, I could tell you that truly there’s only one position of the five where I know who’s going to start. That means the other four right now are up in the air.”

George Mason returns three starters, including rangy forward Josh Oduro, to a team that went 14-16 overall last season and averaged 70.7 points per game. Oduro and senior guard DeVon Cooper make the Patriots’ offense go.

Oduro (17.7 ppg) was the leading scorer in the Atlantic 10 last season and can play anywhere on the court. Cooper (11.6 ppg, 40.9 3-point field goal percentage) is an excellent shooter who doubles as a scrappy defender.

Davonte Gaines (10.2 ppg, team-high 8.1 rpg) is a good 3-point shooter and a quality offensive rebounder for second-year head coach Kim English.

“We lost seven games by one possession. Those losses are etched in my brain forever,” English said. “I think that going through that with the group — I think it really helps growth. You can reach back to those days and think why we didn’t execute, why we didn’t get the job done, and just be more encouraged to get it done in the future.”

George Mason was selected to finish fifth out of 15 teams in the A-10 by the league’s media.

–Field Level Media

The second season of the Earl Grant era at Boston College begins Monday night with the Eagles hosting Cornell in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Despite finishing just 13-20 (6-14 Atlantic Coast Conference) last season, there is some buzz surrounding BC. Four starters and five of the top seven scorers are back from a team that advanced to the ACC quarterfinals for the first time since 2018.

“At the end of last year, we saw all of the things we were working towards (as a team),” Grant said at the ACC Tipoff. “It was a pursuit. It just showed up at the end.”

Graduate Makai Ashton-Langford, junior DeMarr Langford and sophomore Jaeden Zackery all return after scoring in double digits.

Ashton-Langford was at his best during Grant’s debut season, averaging 12 points per game. The Worcester, Mass., native scored at least 20 in four ACC games.

“I like coaching guards. They get a lot of freedom, so I think he enjoyed that,” Grant said. “Having him back as a fifth-year warrior is a big deal. He’s played at Providence and now he’s been with me. He’s battle tested.”

Senior forward T.J. Bickerstaff rounds out the Eagles’ returning starters. Senior Quinten Post looks to build after playing with the Netherlands National Team over the summer.

Cornell ranked 17th nationally in scoring offense (79.2 points per game) on its way to winning 15 games and finishing fourth in the Ivy League a season ago.

The balanced Big Red had 11 players average at least 10 minutes per game, and four returnees earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors at least once. However, sophomore guard Chris Manon is the only returning starter.

“You can take some things from last year and we played a certain way and surprised some people, but that’s in the past,” said Brian Earl, the reigning Ivy Coach of the Year. “This is a new season. We’re 0-0.”

BC hasn’t faced Cornell since 1976, but it did open last season against another Ivy foe in Dartmouth.

–Field Level Media

Iowa State, whose shocking 2021-22 campaign ended in a run to the Sweet 16, will be looking to surprise again as it opens the season Monday night against visiting IUPUI in Ames, Iowa.

The Cyclones, who went from two victories in 2020-21 to 22 wins last year, are picked to finish eighth in the Big 12 in a vote of league coaches.

Leading scorer Izaiah Brockington is now playing professionally, point guard Tyrese Hunter transferred to Texas, and his projected replacement, Jeremiah Williams, will miss the season due to an Achilles tendon injury.

Freshmen Tamin Lipsey and Eli King are expected to man the point guard position, with potential help from St. Bonaventure transfer Jaren Holmes, when he’s not the shooting guard. The Cyclones return just one starter — guard Gabe Kalscheur (9.6 points per game).

Another St. Bonaventure transfer, center Osun Osunniyi, will have an immediate impact, especially on the defensive end while being a reliable offensive option in the paint. Caleb Grill will have an elevated role after making 57 3-pointers (34.8 percent) last season.

“It’s an opportunity for Caleb to take a big step in terms of production, garnering more minutes, ability to make more plays offensively and be an impactful player,” said coach T.J. Otzelberger. “And then to play that defense that we’ve come to know.”

IUPUI is coming off a 3-26 season and begins the season last among 358 teams in KenPom.com’s national rankings. The Jaguars are picked to finish last in the 11-team Horizon League in a vote of league coaches, sports information directors and select media.

Second-year coach Matt Crenshaw is hoping to rebuild with a revamped roster. Freshman DJ Jackson scored a game-high 16 points in an 101-60 exhibition win over Brescia, while freshman Vincent Brady II contributed 14.

“I liked a lot of what I saw tonight,” Crenshaw said after the Oct. 27 game. “I thought we played with a lot of energy, we were unselfish and guys were looking to make the extra pass.”

–Field Level Media

North Carolina State hopes the return of Terquavion Smith and the arrival of graduate transfer guard Jarkel Joiner will lead the Wolfpack’s turnaround following their first 20-loss season in the program’s 110-year history.

The Wolfpack will look to make last year’s 11-21 record, which included a 4-16 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play, a distant memory when they host Austin Peay on Monday in Raleigh, N.C.

Smith, a guard who averaged 16.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, declared for the NBA draft last spring following his freshman year before changing his mind.

He’ll be joined in the backcourt by Joiner, a point guard who averaged 13.2 points and 2.3 assists per game for Ole Miss.

“I love to talk, I love to communicate,” Joiner said at the ACC Media Tipoff. “This team is amazing to be around. I’m very vocal. I like talking and being communicative and learning from my teammates from Day One was the goal.”

NC State also is counting on a production boost from guard Casey Morsell (7.2 points, 3.6 rebounds per game) and center Ebenezer Dowuona (4.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg).

The Wolfpack lost leading scorer and rebounder Dereon Seabron (17.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg) and third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder Jericole Hellems (13.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg) from last season.

NC State has an array of returning guards, including Breon Pass, Chase Graham and Alex Nunnally, to fill the void. The Wolfpack also need sophomore forward Ernest Ross and redshirt junior forward Greg Gantt, who were both injured for most of last season, to contribute more this year.

Austin Peay, which is in its first season in the Atlantic Sun, went 12-17 overall and 8-10 in the Ohio Valley Conference last year.

The Governors return eight players from last year’s squad, including their top two scorers.

Center Elijah Hutchins-Everett averaged a team-high 12.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while guard Caleb Stone-Carrawell averaged 11.4 points and 3.2 assists per game.

“My goals are to win Player of the Year and at least be first-team all-conference,” Hutchins-Everett said.

“We can do anything when we are together and there’s nothing that can get in our way if we believe in each other.”

–Field Level Media