"We're just days away from the start of the 2025-26 men's college basketball season. Most leagues have announced their preseason picks and player of the year candidates, but the landscape is more complicated than that. The most intriguing storylines for each conference also matter. There are teams chasing national titles. There is major injury news. There are programs hoping to end NCAA tournament droughts, coaching changes and players seeking redemption throughout the field."
"Last season, Vermont lost three games to conference foes (including in the conference tournament) by 15 or more points, and failed to win the America East title for the first time in nearly a decade. In six previous seasons, the Catamounts had suffered double-digit losses to league opponents only four times. With star TJ Hurley back and TJ Long healthy, coach John Becker's group can regain its perch -- although that journey seems more difficult than it has ever been."
The 2025-26 men's college basketball season approaches with preseason picks set but a complex conference landscape. Key storylines across conferences include national-title contenders, significant injuries, programs aiming to end NCAA tournament droughts, coaching changes, and players seeking redemption. In the America East, Vermont seeks to reclaim dominance after suffering multiple lopsided conference losses and failing to win the league title; returning pieces TJ Hurley and TJ Long provide hope but the path is tougher. In the American, Memphis faces questions after last season's peak; the current roster lacks prior star power and features new pieces like Dug McDaniel amid an offseason rebuild.
Read at ESPN.com
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