Storylines for the metro college basketball teams as the season kicks off:

NEC champions reload 

LIU cruised to the NEC regular-season crown and reached the NCAA Tournament in March for the first time since 2018. Coach Rod Strickland may have even more talent this winter with three former high-major players joining his program: guards Daquan Davis (Providence) and Vasean Allette (TCU), along with forward Jahki Howard (Utah). The Bewley twins, Matt and Ryan, are an intriguing duo. They are 6-foot-9 former five-star recruits who were initially ruled ineligible because they received money for signing with Overtime Elite in high school. They won a court order and are eligible. They attended junior college Daytona State last season. 

Can Hofstra repeat?

The Pride were picked to finish third in the CAA despite losing their top four scorers from last year’s conference champions. Hofstra added some key pieces in the transfer portal, most notably guards Justin Moore (Loyola Chicago), Deywilk Tavarez (Loyola Chicago) and Tanner Thomas (Sacred Heart). Keep an eye on junior forward Joshua DeCady taking a big step forward. Hofstra is on a run of eight winning seasons in the last nine years, a streak that should continue based on coach Speedy Claxton’s history of developing newcomers. 

Optimism in Piscataway 

Rutgers opened eyes in the preseason in a pair of close losses to St. John’s and Villanova. The Scarlet Knights return six of their top seven scorers from a year ago, highlighted by senior guard Tariq Francis, an honorable mention All-Big Ten performer a year ago. Virginia Tech transfer Christian Gurdak gives Rutgers offensive punch at center. Prediction: This group will finish closer to the middle of the Big Ten than the bottom. Continuity is underrated in this free agency era of college basketball, and the Scarlet Knights have a ton of that.