Even before the season begins, the odds are stacked against the Maine Black Bears. After going 8-22 in 2015-16, the Black Bears were picked to finish last in the 2016-17 America East (AE) preseason poll.

“It bothers me and it bothers us,” said Maine head coach Bob Walsh. “We’ve been through a lot as a program, on the court and off the court that has hopefully put a chip on our shoulder.”

Maine plans to turn the negative press into fuel for a positive season.

“Our league is tough night in and night out and when things get difficult, we’ve got to get over that hump where we feel like we can come through and be successful,” Walsh said.

Walsh intends to reach this level of play with a combination of team-oriented offense and resilient defense. Last season, Maine featured a productive offense that averaged 76 points per game and ranked among the top third of NCAA Division I teams in scoring.

Continued success in regard to scoring is no guarantee for a squad that has seen the transfer of its two leading scorers from last season. Freshman forward Issac Vann and sophomore guard Kevin Little jumped ship during the offseason, leaving Orono for Virginia Commonwealth and Colorado State, respectively. Vann and Little were instrumental for the Black Bears last year, combining for an average of 31.1 points per game. To fill the void, Maine will look to a group of returners.

“I liked the way some of our young kids played, the experience they got,” Walsh said. “[Junior guard] Aaron Calixte really developed into a guy who can run our team.”

During the 2015-16 season, Calixte averaged 10.8 points per game, shot 43.8 percent from the field and led the team with 2.7 assists per game. Now a junior, Calixte is expected to take the reins of the Maine offense. He won’t be alone in this endeavor, though. Maine’s offense looks to be a group effort that plans to capitalize on untapped potential among returning players.

“We have two kids who sat out last year, [redshirt freshman forward] Vincent Eze and [junior guard] Wes Myers, who I think will have a chance to contribute right away,” Walsh said.

On the court, the returners will have to gel with a dynamic set of newcomers.

“We have to do a better job of sharing the ball,” Walsh said.

Maine anticipates transfer junior guard Austin Howard to be a dynamic scorer. Last season, he averaged 14.2 points per game at Division II Parkland College.

“We [also] have mature, tough-minded freshmen,” Walsh said.

One of Maine’s rookies that can have an immediate impact for the Black Bears is 6-foot-7-forward Andrew Fleming. In his senior year of high school, Fleming tallied an impressive 27.8 points, 14.4 rebounds and four blocks per contest. Fleming dominated opponents in high school with a combination of finesse and power.

Fleming is expected to add depth to the Black Bears’ offense and his imposing presence will also benefit Maine on the defensive side of the ball.

“We need to be better on the glass,” Walsh said.

Maine ranked 226th out of 346 teams in rebounds last season, averaging just 35.1 per game. Walsh trusts that fresh faces will pump new blood into a defensive unit that still has plenty of room for improvement.

“We’ve got a group of kids that have been in our program and our culture; hopefully that translates to a tougher half-court defense,” Walsh said. “We need to be much better defensively to compete in the league.”

Whether Maine can become a competitive team in conference this season depends on the Black Bears’ ability to incorporate a system of unselfish offense and gritty defense. Walsh welcomes skepticism and hopes his Black Bears exceed all outside expectations.

“The great thing about [basketball] is that none of this matters, ultimately,” Walsh said. “If we don’t like it, we get to do something about it.”