One heavyweight exits the South Atlantic Conference, but another stands ready to assume the top spot. 

Queens won 30 games in its final season as a Div. II program, advancing to the Third Round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The Royals' absence leaves a power vacuum that Lincoln Memorial looks primed to fill. 

The Railsplitters went 26-5 a season ago, and after smashing Georgia College in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, gave Queens all it could handle before an 81-76 final. 

Featuring three preseason 1st Team All-SAC honorees, Lincoln Memorial embarks on the 2022-23 campaign a clear team to beat. But don't be surprised to see surprises emerge from the South Atlantic; the unexpected has already surfaced in the preseason. 

Lenoir-Rhyne's win over Louisville in an exhibition game shocked the nation, and sent a potential warning up to the rest of the SAC that the Bears will be contenders despite a preseason No. 6 pick. 

Anderson 

Head Coach: Jimmie Williams

Last Season: 11-17, 8-16 South Atlantic Conference 

If Anderson's new look under its first-year head coach is anything like Jimmie Williams' last stop, expect a lot of high-scoring, entertaining basketball out of the Trojans. Williams was hired in April to head up Anderson, coming from a Furman program that has been at the forefront of an offensive revolution in the Div. I Southern Conference. 

The Paladins have consistently ranked in the top 100 of KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency metrics for the last half-decade, and a season ago peaked with a No. 20-ranked unit. Furman was No. 74 in overall KenPom ratings, and rained 3-pointers at a 37.5-percent pace. Anderson loses its top scorers from a team that averaged almost 75 points per game a season ago, but the system should allow for some new faces to emerge as high-volume scorers. 

Carson-Newman

Head Coach: Chuck Benson

Last Season: 20-11, 15-9 SAC

Carson-Newman alum Chuck Benson has coached his alma mater to four NCAA Tournaments, including the 2021 edition, and had the Eagles a win away from advancing last season. Looking to build off last year's run to the SAC Championship Game, Carson-Newman heads into 2022-23 with solid cornerstones on which to build. 

Preseason 2nd Team All-SAC selections Luke Brenegan and Bryant Thomas were both double-figure point-per-game scorers a season ago. Brenegan's a quality 3-point shooter, and Thomas is a workhorse on the glass who grabbed almost eight boards a contest. 

C-N also returns production from Ren Dyer on the perimeter, a freshman who averaged better than nine points per game and was second on the team with 6.1 rebounds per game. 

Catawba

Head Coach: Rob Perron 

Last Season: 11-16, 10-14 SAC 

Catawba finished right in the middle of the SAC pack in 2021-22, and come into '22-'23 tabbed for similar standing. The outstanding play of freshmen a year ago pointed to potential in the immediate future, but roster turnover set in, most notably Caleb Robinson's transfer to Div. I Gardner-Webb. 

Kris Robinson returns after averaging 9.8 points per game in his debut season, however. He's a preseason 3rd Team All-SAC honoree and the likely leader, emerging as Catawba's remaining frosh phenom from '21-'22. Ray Kowalski, a transfer previously on the roster at Div. I Denver, should see more touches in the coming season. 

Coker 

Head Coach: Jarred Merrill

Last Season: 5-22, 5-19 SAC 

Jarred Merrill enters his fourth season at Coker seeking a breakthrough. The Cobras have consistently finished near the bottom of the SAC, but last year scored some of its five conference wins against quality competition. Coker's victories against Lenoir-Rhyne, Limestone and Newberry were against teams that have at least a 2nd Team All-SAC performer on the roster. 

The Cobras will look to outperform both their recent marks, as well as their preseason slotting in a tie for 10th. Coker must also do so while replacing all three of their double-digit-point per game scorers of a year ago. The top returning performer, Zavier averaged 9.4 points a contest and shot the 3-pointer at a torrid 43.5-percent pace. He and fellow second-year guard Demar Anderson could take big strides as the Cobras' primary scoring duo. 

Emory & Henry 

Head Coach: Ben Thompson

Last Season: 16-10

South Atlantic newcomer Emory & Henry put together a solid, 16-10 mark playing an independent schedule a season ago. As the Wasps make the leap into a complete SAC schedule, they have the roster make-up to be immediately competitive. 

Gabe Brown made a splash as freshman, scoring north of 15 points per game with a 3-point shooting percentage of 41.3. He's a 3rd Team All-SAC nominee in the preseason, and catalyst for a roster also welcoming back 12.3-point per game scorer Jordan Leftwich and big man Cade Looney, who posted 14.3 points and 6.8 rebounds a contest. 

Lenoir-Rhyne 

Head Coach: Everick Sullivan 

Last Season: 10-18, 9-15 SAC

Lenoir-Rhyne has already sent shockwaves through the college basketball world this season with its exhibition-game win over Louisville. 

The Bears look to parlay that high-profile victory into a surprise run at the SAC championship. Coach Everick Sullivan returns a veteran corps, led by three of the four Bears who averaged in double-figures scoring a season ago:  post player and preseason 1st Team All-SAC selection TJ Nesmith (14.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.3 blocked shots per game); point guard Jalen Johnson (12.4 points, 4.1 assists per game); and wing Nas Tyson (10.7 points, 3.6 rebounds per game). 

The 3-point shooting of LJ McCoy and Cooper Fowler buoyed Lenoir-Rhyne's defeat of Louisville, and suggests the Bears will have multiple weapons going into the campaign. Keep an eye on this team. 

Limestone 

Head Coach: Kyle Perry 

Last Season: 10-17, 8-16 SAC 

With preseason 1st Team All-SAC nominee Ben Gahlert back from a 15.8 point, 6.1-rebound per game 2021-22, Limestone has the centerpiece to emerge as a dark-horse challenger in this year's SAC race. The Saints also return Isayah Owens, who knocked down 45 3-pointers and produced 12.7 points per game as a freshman. 

Limestone adds upperclass transfers with Zeb Graham of Presbyterian and Jordan Preaster of North Florida. All told, the Saints are not lacking for potential; the key to breaking through in a crowded South Atlantic this season will be shoring up the defense. Limestone surrendered almost 75 points per game in 2021-22. 

Lincoln Memorial 

Head Coach: Jeremiah Samarrippas

Last Season: 26-5, 21-3 SAC 

The odds-on favorite to lead the SAC in 2022-23 features three preseason 1st Team All-Conference selections and a second-year head coach who guided the Railsplitters to an unexpected, conference title-contending campaign in his debut. 

After being in the mix for the South Atlantic a season ago, look for Lincoln Memorial to contend for the NCAA championship in 2023. 

The three foundational pillars of Jordan Guest, Chase Rankin and Me'Kell Burries combined to average more than 43 points and almost 16 rebounds per game. Two more Railsplitters who averaged in double-figures scoring, Jordan Walters and Matthew Sells, round out a starting five as balanced and versatile as any in the nation. 

Mars Hill 

Head Coach: Larry Davis 

Last Season: 6-21, 6-18 SAC 

First-year Lions head coach Larry Davis has been around the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic, including a previous assistant-coaching tenure in the SAC at Newberry. He faces a considerable undertaking turning around Mars Hill, but the Lions roster isn't without potential to exceed its preseason No. 10 status. 

Kadyn Dawkins provided scoring pop in his freshman season at almost 14 points per game, and was the Lions' primary distributor at 2.5 assists per game. Dawkins is joined by Trey Belin, who averaged 8.6 points per game and attempted a team-high for 3-pointers. 

Newberry 

Head Coach: Jason Taylor 

Last Season: 15-13, 15-11 SAC 

With a pair of preseason All-Conference nominees in Quandaveon McCollum and TJ Brown, Newberry is a potential breakthrough team to watch in 2022-23. The Wolves were picked fifth in the preseason SAC poll, so Jason Taylor's squad isn't exactly off the radar. However, with the bevy of experience on the roster, they're built to outpace those expectations. 

Center Malakhi Stremlow was Newberry's second-leading rebounder behind McCollum, and a capable 3-point shooter who can stretch opposing defenses. Devario Sheppard is back after contributing off the bench, including adding an additional perimeter defensive presence. 

Tusculum 

Head Coach: J.T. Burton 

Last Season: 19-8, 19-5 SAC 

Despite replacing its prolific top scorer of a season ago, Trenton Gibson, Tusculum has plenty of reason to be optimistic about a potential NCAA Tournament run. J.T. Burton, who has made the Pioneers consistent competitors in the SAC since his arrival, builds from a solid frontcourt with a variety of proven playmakers. 

Chief among them, Inady Legiste, is a preseason All-SAC selection after his 9.9 points and 1.4 blocked shots per game a season ago. Tusculum also features Justin Mitchell, a steady rebounder and consistent 3-point shooter. 

UVA Wise 

Head Coach: Blake Mellinger 

Last Season: 4-24, 3-21

UVA Wise endured growing pains as a relative newcomer to the SAC, winning just three conference games last season. The Cavs are tabbed for a next-to-last place finish in the league this year, designation that alum Blake Mellinger will look guide his team well past. 

UVA Wise isn't lacking for experience. Third Team All-SAC preseason choice Joel Pettiford and Bradley Dean both averaged more than 11 points per game in 2021-22, and Dean functioned as the Cavs' primary playmaker with more than three assists per game. The primary challenge for UVA Wise in 2022-23, however, will be defensive: The Cavs surrendered almost 90 points per game last year. 

Wingate

Head Coach: Brian Good 

Last Season: 21-8, 17-7 

Wingate basketball has enjoyed plenty of success in the long tenure of head coach Brian Good. In 2022-23, the Bulldogs pursue a South Atlantic Conference championship and their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance under Good's direction — and they have the ingredients to make it happen. 

High-scoring Wingate pushed the pace to produce more than 79 points per game, led by the versatile Jarren Cottingham. A contender for the 2023 SAC Player of the Year, Cottingham averaged more than 16 points per game and doubled as one of the Bulldogs top rebounders and assist distributors. 

Guard Donnell Nixon is an outstanding 3-point shooter and one of the best passers in Div. II, and backcourt mates Sean Elmore and Andreas Wilson capitalized on abundant opportunities to fire away beyond the arc.