I see the Redbirds as a dark horse for second place, and all of that is dependent on three newcomers.
Returning front court consists of: Lynch, I'm a big fan; Jones, nice back-up, Samuel, borderline D-I player.
Returning backcourt has: Hunter/Lofton/Knight/Ziesloft, very good role players, but not guys you build around; Lee/Wills, nice young players that will eventually turn into Hunter/Lofton/Knight/Ziesloft; Keane, a nice back-up.
That means that the Redbirds are counting on an improved Lynch, Purcell making the leap from JUCO to D-I immediately, and one of Hawkins/McIntosh instantly becoming the go to player…Also needed is for one of the returning backcourt guys to become a starting PG.
To me the Redbirds are a dark horse for second place team. As of today, I would place them as tied for third with MSU.