What to watch in men’s college basketball: New faces at Boston College, a physical UMass, and more

College basketball season has arrived. Here are five local men’s story lines to follow as the action gets underway.

⋅ Boston College has retooled.

Fresh off its first 20-win season since 2011, Boston College will lean on a blend of promising returners and intriguing newcomers in year four of the Earl Grant era.

“We have a team where half of our players are back from last year, then there’s another half that’s new guys,” Grant said. “But the good thing is that it’s new guys who produce.”

Last year’s top five scorers are all playing elsewhere. Quinten Post is on the Golden State Warriors, and Claudell Harris Jr. (Mississippi State), Jaeden Zackery (Clemson), Devin McGlockton (Vanderbilt), and Mason Madsen (Utah) all transferred.

Shooting guard Donald Hand Jr. (5 points per game) and point guard Chas Kelley III (3.7) are the returning leading scorers and are poised for expanded roles. Returning forward Elijah Strong can stretch the floor, guard Fred Payne is back after suffering a season-ending injury in December, and redshirt freshman big man Jayden Hastings is ready to contribute.

“I definitely see it as a clean slate,” Hand Jr. said. “It’s a new opportunity.”

BC also welcomes seven newcomers — four transfers and three freshmen. All could contribute right away.

Great Barrington native Dion Brown — a 6-foot-3-inch junior guard who averaged 19 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and shot 50.6 percent from the floor for UMBC last year — can be a catalyst. Chad Venning, a 6-foot-9, 270-pound graduate student, averaged 13.4 points and 4.6 rebounds for St. Bonaventure a season ago. Joshua Beadle (Clemson) and Roger McFarlane (Southeastern Louisiana) provide depth and versatility.

The freshman class includes springy wing Kany Tchanda (Democratic Republic of the Congo), cerebral point guard Luka Toews (Tokyo, Japan/The Newman School), and sharpshooter Nick Petronio (Needham, Milton Academy).

It’s clear already depth could be an asset for this defensive-minded group. Don’t be surprised if the Eagles sometimes turn to a four-guard lineup and consistently play fast.

Expectations are low on the outside, but on the inside, they believe they can earn their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2009.

“A lot of polls say that we’re at the bottom of the rankings,” Strong said. “We don’t really care about it. In our locker room, we know what we’ve got.”

⋅ Expect physicality from UMass.

Coach Frank Martin said this is as physical a team as he’s had in a long time.

“We’ve had physicality from a guy or two, maybe three,” Martin said. “We’ve got a team full of physicality right now. I’m really, really excited about it. We’re really athletic and long.”

The Minutemen finished second-to-last in the Atlantic 10 in blocked shots last year, and Martin believes their interior defense could improve dramatically this season.

They’ll miss Josh Cohen (Southern Cal), Matt Cross (SMU), and Keon Thompson (Stephen F. Austin), but they have plenty of players eager to fill the void.

Daniel Hankins-Sanford, Jayden Ndjigue, Shahid Muhammad (Southern Idaho), and Daniel Rivera (Bryant) all are skilled rim protectors. Guards Rahsool Diggins and Jaylen Curry also bring a daily intensity that meshes well with Martin’s style.

“They guard each other for two and a half hours every day,” Martin said. “It’s unbelievable watching those two guys go at each other.”

⋅ UMass Lowell is trying to get over the hump.

The River Hawks are perennial contenders in the America East and have made the conference championship game three of the last four seasons.

The next step is one-upping Vermont and advancing to March Madness for the first time.

“The only thing we can do differently is win the regular season and host the championship,” coach Pat Duquette said. “We’ve done pretty much everything else. To do that, you have to be perfect.”

Duquette brings back a veteran team, with Max Brooks, Quinton Mincey, Yuri Covington, Cam Morris III, Anthony Blunt, and Xzavier Lino all in the mix as returning graduate students, fifth-years, or seniors.

Transfers Quincy Clark (Jacksonville State), Caleb Murphy (DePaul) when eligible, and Mekhi Gray (NJIT) will add depth, and freshman Martin Somverville has “the complete package.”

“You’ll never know he’s a freshman,” Duquette said.

⋅ Merri-MAAC is underway.

It’s a new era as Merrimack starts fresh in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

“It’s exciting for the program,” coach Joe Gallo said. “Over the last five years, what we’ve done in the [Northeast Conference], I think we just continue to show growth. It’s just the next step that made sense.”

Gallo said the move doesn’t change much of the Warriors’ day-to-day operation. They simply have new teams to scout, and those teams have to also scout them and prepare for their zone.

Adam “Budd” Clark, Devon Savage, and Bryan Etumnu are back for more, and transfers Matt Becht (SNHU), Sean Trumper (Franklin Pierce), David Murray (Connecticut College), and Malik Edmead (Albany) will contribute as well. Becht, who shot 44.8 percent from 3-point range last year, should complement Savage.

Freshman Tye Dorset has a chance to be the next elite Merrimack guard.

⋅ Northeastern welcomes back Matt Janning.

As the Huskies start fresh, they’ll have a new yet familiar face on the sideline as an assistant coach.

Matt Janning, a 2010 Northeastern graduate who will be inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame in November, is back after a strong professional career.

“He still has a very youthful look about him,” head coach Bill Coen said. “I was hoping we could sneak him into a couple games if I gave him a jersey.”

Janning, who finished his career fourth in program history with 1,836 points, often jumps in drills and competes.

“He can show them exactly how things should be done,” Coen said. “He brings a perspective that’s going to be invaluable in our journey.”