30 In 30: America East

New head coach Joe Jones arrives at Boston University looking to return Terriers to NCAA Tournament. (Photo courtesy of Boston Herald)

With college basketball season about two months away from tipping off and one month away from conference media days, it's time to start previewing the nation's programs once again. With the exception of the Big East, which will be previewed one team at a time leading up to its media day, this space will feature a "30 In 30" feature where one conference will be previewed each day for the next month. We'll start off with the first conference in the alphabet and the former home to the 11am Saturday morning conference championship, the America East.

1) Boston University - The reigning tournament champions have underwent an extreme makeover of sorts following the departure of former coach Patrick Chambers to take the same position at Penn State. Fellow Jay Wright disciple Joe Jones comes to Beantown after a year on the Main Line that followed his stint at Columbia, and will rely on a senior-laden team that returns two of its top three scorers in Darryl Partin and sharpshooter Jake O'Brien, who only played in fourteen of the Terriers' games a year ago. Sophomore point guard D.J. Irving may not look imposing, but he could be one of the best players in the conference this season.

2) Albany - The team that was nearly the darling of the NCAA Tournament back in 2006 when the Great Danes took Jim Calhoun and Connecticut to the limit will have their eyes on crashing the field of 68 again this season despite the loss of leading scorer Tim Ambrose. However, coach Will Brown welcomes back his starting backcourt of Logan Aronhalt and Mike Black as both enter their junior campaigns in the capital of New York, not to mention the return of leading rebounder and Australian import Luke Devlin for his sophomore season.

3) Stony Brook - The team that nearly shocked the world by reaching the America East championship game with a sub-.500 record comes back a little stronger this season under head coach Steve Pikiell, who enjoys greater job security following his offseason contract extension. Leading scorer Bryan Dougher returns along with nearly everyone else from last year's squad, as former Christ The King standout Chris Martin is the only player the Seawolves will have to replace.

4) Vermont - Another America East team with a new head coach, as John Becker takes over for new George Washington boss Mike Lonergan. All of a sudden, the continuity the Catamounts enjoyed under Tom Brennan and their stunning first-round upset of Syracuse really does seem like a long time ago, even if it was only 2005. Junior guard Brendan Bald and senior forward Matt Glass are Vermont's returning players, and will help the team formerly led by Taylor Coppenrath contend in what should be a wide-open America East.

5) New Hampshire - Bill Herrion will be replacing three seniors from last year's lineup, but junior guard Chandler Rhoads is prime for a breakout year in the Granite State. Ferg Myrick is the Wildcats' top returning scorer as he prepares for his junior campaign. Watch out for senior forward Brian Benson, as New Hampshire's leading rebounder last season will most likely average a double-double a night this year.

6) UMBC - The second half of the America East is probably even harder to predict than the top half, but the Retrievers will look to make upward strides after reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2008. Leading scorer and backcourt anchor Chris De La Rosa returns to the inner harbor for his senior season, and coach Randy Monroe has a blend of youth and experience that can serve the team well down the stretch. A matchup at Carnesecca Arena in early November against St. John's will only help the team's confidence as the year progresses.

7) Maine - The Blackbears were a .500 team a season ago, but they won't have an easy time returning to the Mendoza line in 2011-12. Despite five seniors on the roster, the lone focal points are guards Gerald McLemore and Raheem Singleton on a team that only possesses two players taller than 6-7 on their roster; both of whom averaged a combined total of just 4.5 points per game, and will enter the upcoming season in the starting lineup for the first time.

8) Hartford - The Hawks come into this season with just two seniors and their top three scorers from last season having departed. However, the bright side to this is that one of the seniors is 6-9 Genesis Maciel, who is one of the rare true big men in this conference. Ryan Baker, a substitute last season, should be Hartford's primary option from beyond the arc.

9) Binghamton - The Bearcats look to improve from an eight-win season, and will attempt to do it with just one senior in 6-9 center Kyrie Sutton. Only four other players remain on the roster from the previous season, and just one (junior swingman Taylor Johnston) started more than twenty games last year.