1.VCU and 2.UMASS Lead The Way

1. VCU Rams- The Virginia Commonwealth Rams only lose the defensive minded and long time player, Darius Theus. They return all the outstanding ball-hawking players from last years NCAA Tournament team. Under head coach Shocka Smart, VCU will always remain steady throughout the long season. With his squad, there are very few up and down moments. The Rams will be prepared and ready to win the A-10 title this year. Look for last seasons best defensive player in the A-10 in Briante Weber to improve all areas of his game now that Darius Theus is gone. VCU is by far the best defensively sound team in the conference and they rarely beat themselves. If healthy, transfer Terrance Shannon from Florida State should help them greatly. The 6-8 forward is eligible to play right away. Last season, Shannon averaged nearly 8 points and 6 rebounds per game before suffering a neck injury which limited him the rest of the way. In the 2011-2012 season, Shannon also suffered a season ending shoulder injury. Hopefully he stays health to add to a Rams roster that already contains a ton of depth. The Rams are a safe pick to win the A-10 title.

2. UMASS Minutemen- Leading scorer for the 2012-2013 Minutemen and former Hofstra University point guard Chaz Williams returns to Amherst boasting an average of 16 points per game with 4 rebounds per game and 7 assists. Now, transfer Derrick Gordon from Western Kentucky is eligible to play along side the flashy 5-9 guard. As a Freshman at Western Kentucky, Gordon average nearly 12 points per game with nearly 7 rebounds a game for the 2012 NCAA Tournament Hilltopper team. The former rivals top 150 recruit and 4 star product along with leading scored Chaz Williams, should have the best back court in the A-10 this upcoming season. With a favorable 2013-2014 schedule that entails playing A-10 title contenders St. Louis, La Salle, and VCU only once AND most importantly only at home...UMASS has a very realistic shot of contending this season. I am not sure if they can remain as consistent as VCU on the road, therefore I pick them to finish second in conference this season. If former Minutemen guard Jesse Morgan had not transferred to Temple, this current UMASS team could have had infinite depth and I might have even picked them to win the conference this year. Coach Kellogg who has racked up 46 wins the past two seasons has done a fabulous job improving the once mediocre basketball program. I fully expect him to get another 20 win season out of his team this year. All in all, finishing outside the top three would be somewhat disappointing for this squad. This is the year the Minutemen should finally end their NCAA Tournament draught and make the field for the first time since the 1998 season.

My 3rd and 4th team will be the next blog post. Thanks everyone!