2021-22 The Citadel men's basketball preview

Overview: There is not much for the Bulldogs to look forward to this season. While they bumped their conference record up to 5-11 last season compared to their previous year’s 0-18 mark, the departure of guards Kaiden Rice and Fletcher Abee to the transfer portal will most likely drastically halt this improvement. Rice was one of their best shooters from three, bagging an All-Southern Conference selection. Abee, named to the conference's All-Freshman team in 2019, led the team in numerous scoring categories his first year and continued to be a significant contributor last season.

Even with their presence, the team was mediocre at best. The Citadel started last season 8-0, but mostly against non-conference teams. That momentum vanished once conference play began, leading to its removal from the Southern Conference tournament in the second round by UNC-Greensboro. While the two guards' departure leaves confusion about who will fill their spots in the starting lineup, it also puts pressure on existing starters to up their respective games. Other team members, like forward Hayden Brown and forward/center Stephen Clark, have been significant contributors in past seasons, but need to become more productive for The Citadel to stand a chance. 

Team ceiling: Returning team members fill in the gaps in the lineup, turn up the offensive pressure and the Bulldogs maintain a .500 record for the season.

Team floor: The offense cannot put it together, the new starters are too inexperienced and The Citadel falls to the bottom of the Southern Conference.