It’s November and that means one thing: the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team is set to begin their 2020-21 campaign. After a solid 2019-20 season that saw the squad post an overall record of 15-15 and 10-10 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, head coach Baker Dunleavy is looking to lead his men to more promising places.

Unfortunately, the program lost two extremely valuable members to the transfer game this offseason. Rich Kelly, the team’s leading scorer, will play his 2020-21 season at Boston College, while Kevin Marfo will play his at Texas A&M. Kelly averaged 16.7 points per game last season for the Bobcats while shooting 39.6 percent from downtown. Marfo led the nation in rebounding last season with 13.3 per game while adding 10.2 points per game. The program will miss their contributions, but there is a lot of promise in this year’s squad.

In the MAAC preseason Coaches’ Poll, you can find Quinnipiac ranked at number seven. This doesn’t come as a surprise, having lost the squad’s two best players from the previous season. However, there is great optimism that their replacements will more than adequately fill the void. Replacing Marfo at center will be sophomore Seth Pinkney. Pinkney has significant length as he stands at 7’1”, and he finished last season third in the MAAC in total blocked shots with 43, while adding 3.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game over 11.2 minutes per game. Pinkney will see those minutes rise significantly this season, as he is going to play a critical role on the team.

Replacing Kelly does not appear to be a one-man job like the center position is. The Bobcats have some elite guards that shared the backcourt with Kelly last season, starting with junior guard Tyrese Williams, who played in all 30 games last season with 29 starts. Williams recorded 9.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, finishing third on the team in scoring. Williams can create his own shot and has the strength and quickness to finish at the rim.

Next up is the junior guard Tyree Pickron who started last season with an injury that limited him to 14 games. Pickron recorded 4.1 points and 1.6 rebounds per game off the bench last year and along with Williams, can create for himself and is very quick off the dribble. Additionally, the redshirt sophomore guard Matt Balanc who played in all 30 games last season, starting six times. Balanc averaged 7.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in his first year on the court for the Bobcats and has proven to be an athletic guard who can consistently hit three pointers.

Finally, redshirt sophomore guard Savion Lewis, who only played in eight games last season. Lewis averaged 6.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the floor for the Bobcats. Savion is very elusive and has an exceptional handle, which allows him to get around defenders. The success of the 2020-21 season relies heavily on these four guards to produce night in and night out for Dunleavy and his staff.

Other players to keep an eye on this season are senior forward Jacob Rigoni, sophomore forward Brendan McGuire and redshirt first year Jamal Riggins. Rigoni is a three-point specialist who started all 30 games for the Bobcats last season. Rigoni averaged 8.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting a team best 40.2 percent from three-point range during his junior campaign.

McGuire impressed many in his first season with Quinnipiac, where he played in 24 games with 9 starts. McGuire averaged 3.0 points, 2.7 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game during his first season with the Bobcats. Standing at 6’7”, he presents great size and is known for being a slasher who seems to always be in the right place at the right time on the court. McGuire looks to have a more significant role for the team in his second year.

Last but not least there is Riggins, who will appear in his first year on the court in 2020-21 due to being redshirted during his freshman year at Quinnipiac. Riggins stands at 6’6” and appears to be very versatile, as he won two defensive player of the year awards in high school at Imhotep in Pennsylvania.