2022-23 Delaware men's basketball season preview

Overview: The Blue Hens had a mediocre season in 2021-22, especially within their own conference. But a run in the conference tournament in which Delaware knocked out both the No. 1- and No. 2-seeds in the CAA meant that it had an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. In an unfortunate turn of events for the Blue Hens, they drew a first-round matchup with Final Four-bound Villanova, which easily dispatched Delaware in an 80-60 blowout. The Blue Hens are looking to have a stronger regular season on the backs of graduate transfers like guard LJ Owens and younger talents like Jyáre Davis, who was named CAA Rookie of the Year and conference tournament Most Outstanding Player last season. 

Delaware is a team with a lot of veteran experience, and few freshmen can expect to see much time on the floor. Expectations are high for this team after making it to the NCAA tournament last year; it remains to be seen if the Blue Hens will be able to live up to them.

Team ceiling: If the Blue Hens manage to run it back and win another conference championship, there is a non-zero chance that they make it through a round of the Big Dance, especially now that they have played in it before. Ultimately, this is not a squad equipped for any significant Cinderella run into the NCAA tournament and in an absolute best-case scenario, they lose in the round of 32.

Team floor: It came as a significant surprise when Delaware made its run through the CAA tournament last year. If the Blue Hens cannot bring that dominance into the regular season, then they will be looking at a loss sometime in the middle of the conference tournament, a performance that will almost certainly not be enough for an NCAA berth.