After only two seasons and a combined record of 14-44, Stokes was replaced in early August by associate Head Coach Mack McCarthy, who previously served as the boss at VCU and Chattanooga. McCarthy team four starters but the situation appears to be as desperate as it has ever been at ECU.

Houston had a disappointing campaign last year despite finishing 3rd in conference. When Lanny Smith went down with an injury it was impressive that Coach Penders managed to keep this team together. Smith is back for another go at his senior season and the point guard will lead the way for Houston.

Former Florida assistant Donnie Jones inherits a surprisingly good situation in Huntington with two of the better players in the league to build around. The new Head Coach knows it won’t be the deepest team around, but Jones has some pieces capable of handling his system.

Remember this about Memphis…they are really, really good. By March it will be easy to forget how good they really are after they cruise through the conference undefeated, but mark them in the Final Four for the office pool right now.

Entering his 16th season at his alma mater, Head Coach Willis Wilson continues to fight the uphill battle. The prognosis isn’t good; Rice is much too inexperienced in the back-court and lack proven talent or size to compensate. Some good news, they’re renovating Autry Court, bad news no home

Matt Doherty has worked hard to elevate the profile of SMU basketball and there’s is no denying his impact. They play tough defense, he put together a pretty good recruiting class and helped generate some excitement. This is a rehabilitation project that will take a few years before improvement i

The Golden Eagles took a big step in their third season under Head Coach Larry Eustachy. The Golden Eagles seem prepared to take another step in the right direction this season as four starters return.

One of the best coaching jobs in college basketball last season was turned in at Tulane, where Dave Dickerson led the Green Wave to a winning league record in only his second year as a Head Coach. Tulane should be competitive again, returning four starters.

As Tulsa has gone from 11 wins in Doug Wojcik's 1st season to 20 victories in his 2nd, it's obvious that the basketball program is well on its way to becoming what Tulsa fans and the college basketball world became accustomed to seeing. Wojcik likes this edition of the Golden Hurricane.

The first year at UAB was not exactly successful for Coach Mike Davis, but year two is guaranteed to be much better. With a trio of impact transfers and a recruiting class that looks like it belongs in Memphis, not Birmingham, the Blazers will soon be back amongst the conference elite.

With a massive upgrade to their athletic facilities, UCF is the up and comer in Conference USA. The recruits are pouring into Orlando and the future is extremely bright. If the frontcourt develops quickly, UCF will be among the large group battling for Memphis’ reflective glory.

Tony Barbee overhauled his roster this summer, hoping an influx of talent will spark an upward climb toward the postseason. It won’t likely happen this season, but Barbee’s recruiting and the current construction of the $13 million Basketball Training Center make future success possible.