What's left to say about one of the most prolific scorers in all of college basketball? What is the best Mid-Major program of all time? - Reddit His record in the NCAA Tournament was 9-4. Vladislav Goldin and Florida Atlantic have a tough draw in Memphis in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Rick Stansbury knows how to get that talent to play up against high-caliber competition, too. NCAA Basketball: Preseason top-25 mid-major power rankings for 2021-22 It is a powerhouse program operating in a mid-major conference. Action Network makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event. Numerous mentions in last year's Column of Ultra-Brilliance helped alert the Golden State Warriors to the talents of Ryan Rollins, whom the Dubs drafted in the second round. Kevin Connors' 2022-23 Mid-Major Preseason Top 10 - ESPN Arguably the greatest coach in mid-major history, Bob McKillop claimed his 10th Coach of the Year award (eight in the Southern Conference, two in the Atlantic 10) following a 25-5 season which included an A-10 regular season title. Also, Mullins reached into the transfer portal and reeled in two productive guards in Xavier Johnson (George Mason) and Jawaun Newton (Evansville). Circle an opening-round date with Wisconsin at the Battle 4 Atlantis -- as well as a possible second-round tilt with Kansas -- not to mention a mid-major steel-cage match against Wyoming in mid-December, as major rsum-building opportunities. Coach Jeff Linder also lassoed three Power 5 transfers in Max Agbonkpolo (USC), Ethan Anderson (USC) and Jake Kyman (UCLA) to give even more depth to an already deep Cowboys team. But the biggest returnee is fifth-year senior Trevon Faulkner, who was not only the teams second-leading bucket-getter last year, but the leader of the roster. They are an otherworldly 42-21 ATS (.667) over that span, so fade them at your own wallets risk. Hunter Dickinson (18.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg) is the most valuable player on this team, but Llewellyn is the latest in line at Michigan in this regard: productive mid-major guard who is tasked with . Khalil Shabazz is back for a 5th year, while power conference transfers, Tyrell Roberts and Marcus Williams reload the backcourt. Coach Bob Richey's team led Division I in 3-pointers last season (401) and finished 13th in 3-point percentage (38%) -- and returns another roster of sharpshooters this season, led by fifth-years Mike Bothwell and Jalen Slawson. Most of the focus is on the teams among the power conferences and who is most likely to make the Final Four. The Mountain West Conference Player of the Year powered the Rams to a 24-4 regular season -- including an 11-0 start -- and a 14-4 mark in conference play second only to Boise State, which CSU swept. Coach Darian DeVries & Co. are the preseason favorites to win the restructured Missouri Valley Conference, thanks in part to what's expected from Tucker DeVries. After winning Defensive Player of the Year a season ago, he could very well repeat or find himself in the running for CAA Player of the Year. The Lopes return three starters and 56.1% of their minutes from a season ago. David Lowder. Tell me you can't get behind Griff Aldrich, the former Division III player, turned Division III assistant, turned law student, turned practicing lawyer, turned oil and gas company executive, turned assistant again (at UMBC for the Retrievers' historic 2018 NCAA tournament upset of Virginia, no less) turned head coach at Longwood University. His impact was tremendous for Creighton as the university transitioned from the Missouri Valley to the Big East between his junior and senior seasons, putting a national spotlight on the small Jesuit school from Omaha when it desperately needed it most. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & resort (KS). But the feting of Boise State hardly ended there. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. I wouldn't have believed it without photographic evidence, but yes, Bob Huggins did once wear a jacket and tie on the . Coach Brian Dutcher's squad was 12-6 on February 5th and holding a first class ticket to Nowheresville. The spark to the Blazers' mid-February rise to No. will lead his team into the Dance thanks to the Ramblers' run through the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. Longwood is the favorite to win the Big South, and for good reason. Conference realignment headlines for 2023, Need a pen and paper to keep track of whos in which conference? Regular Season Conference Standing: 6th Place, Conference Tournament Finish: Lost to Georgia State in the quarterfinals, Best Wins:Texas State (67-60), at Coastal Carolina (73-66), and Air Force (68-46), Notable Defeats:At Illinois (53-92), Morehead State in theEracism Invitational (51-75), at Texas Tech (62-75), at Texas State (67-84), and at Appalachian State (54-61), College Basketball Power Index Ranking:213, Regular Season Conference Standing: 2nd Place, Conference Tournament Finish:Lost to Colgate in the championship game, Best Wins:At Virginia (66-58) and at Furman (77-66), Notable Defeats:Virginia Tech (57-77), at Louisville (60-77), at George Mason (65-71), and Towson (52-69), College Basketball Power Index Ranking:165, Regular Season Conference Standing: 1st Place, Conference Tournament Finish: Defeated Northern Colorado in the championship game, Best Wins:Portland in theIncarnate Word Thanksgiving Invitational (69-66), SE Missouri in the Incarnate Word Thanksgiving Invitational, and, at Southern Utah (76-71), North Dakota State (68-49), Notable Defeats:At Colorado (90-94), at South Dakota State (74-91), and at New Mexico (78-81), College Basketball Power Index Ranking:160, Regular Season Conference Standing: 1st Place (West Division), Conference Tournament Finish: Lost to Jacksonville in the semifinals, NCAA Tournament Automatic qualifier:Yes based on the champion of the conference tournament not being eligible, Best Wins:Drexel in the Nassau Championship (72-64), Jacksonville (64-58), and at Liberty (77-67), Notable Defeats:at Wichita State (57-60), at South Alabama (64-74), at Alabama (58-69), and atVCU (52-66), College Basketball Power Index Ranking:126, Regular Season Conference Standing: 3rd Place, Conference Tournament Finish: Lost to Montana State in the semifinals, Best Wins:At Duquesne (63-59), UMass in the Jersey Mikes Classic (88-73), and at Montana State (85-75), Notable Defeats:At Washington State (60-94), Utah State (80-95), BYU (71-89), and Fresno State (43-69), College Basketball Power Index Ranking:185, Regular Season Conference Standing: 5th Place, Conference Tournament Finish: Lost to Arkansas Little Rock in the first round, Best Wins:Hawaii in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic (72-69), at Jacksonville State (74-64), at Coastal Carolina (71-68), and San Diego in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic (68-67), Notable Defeats:At Wichita State (58-64), at Alabama (68-73), Texas State (52-55), and at Troy (68-77), College Basketball Power Index Ranking:136, Regular Season Conference Standing: 1st Place (North Division), Conference Tournament Finish: Defeated Winthrop in the championship game, Best Wins:Winthrop (92-88) and Gardner Webb (66-60), Notable Defeats:At Iowa (73-106), at Georgetown (83-91), and at Old Dominion (61-62), College Basketball Power Index Ranking:131, Conference Tournament Finish: Lost in the quarterfinals to Wright State, Best Wins:At Oklahoma State (56-55), Toledo (80-59), Vermont in theGulf Coast Showcase (63-61), Delaware in theGulf Coast Showcase (81-73), and at Cleveland State (70-65), Notable Defeats:At West Virginia (53-60), at Alabama (59-86), and Michigan State (78-90), College Basketball Power Index Ranking:140, NCAA Basketball: 10 best National Championship finishes of all time. That inside-out duo could vault WKU into title contention. Small programs' upset wins are always unexpected and completely transcend . The pair have drastically different pedigrees: Freeman is a former walk-on, while Castaneda was a lauded recruit from Chicago who began his career at South Florida. Despite the uptick in competition, dont expect this plucky group to fade into the night. Most importantly, Walkup was just cool as hell. Tell me there's no joy in watching a young man make the shot of his life -- a group live out its wildest dreams. An at-large invite to the NCAA tournament should be an absolute given. This annual piece is about the best programs outside of the power conferences. And what better way to remember Jimmer Mania than to indulge in some highlights: Gordon Hayward owns what is perhaps the biggest what-if moment in college basketball history. 1 question, grading new coaches and Rutgers? Five of their top six performers return from last season, as does the electric Javonte Perkins, who missed 2021-22 with an ACL tear after many thought he would capture Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors. Best of the Rest: Mid-major 2022-23 preview, picks, predictions for He joins the incendiary Jelly Walker in one of mid-majordoms best backcourts. Record: 398-128 (.757), 10 conference titles, 14 NCAA bids, 1992 Final Four. Almost every media outlet picked UVM to finish first because Becker has that much respect in the college basketball landscape. D-I proposal would shrink portal window by half, New Mexico State to pay $8M in hazing lawsuit, Men's, women's ACC/SEC matchups announced, NCAA updates gambling punishment for athletes, Men's basketball recruiting: The battle for No. Six-foot, six-inch wing JaShon Henry will look to bounce back after an injury held him out for the majority of last year. Former Michigan State-transfer Foster Loyer looks to improve upon his 16.1 points per game average from last season. The team is certainly less talented than last season and should take a step back, but Leon Rice should have the Broncos competing for a tournament bid. The Mean Green were 2-3 before winning 22 of the next 23 games, including a program record 15 in a row. None of them are stars in their own right, and Marcus Shaver Jr. is back to be a more ball dominant guard again. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Upgraded to four-diamond status in the Ritz-Carlton of mid-major polls in mid-February, coach Eric Henderson's club has more than held up its end of the bargain. Hell, you could put together a pretty strong All-Decade team from Gonzaga players alone. As a 5th-year graduate student he may or may not be older than his head coach, Todd Golden, but Bouyea will go down next to Bill Russell, Bill Cartwright and Quintin Dailey among the greats in program history. Over 1,100 points in two seasons warrants a serious tip of the KC mid-major snap-back trucker cap. Indeed, KC's Mid-Major Top 10 returns for another season of extreme excellence, highlighting the brightest stars and programs in men's college basketball beyond the purview of the narrow-scoped. How about the rest of the landscape of college basketball, including power conferences, too? The story for the Catamounts this season will be about Dylan Penn. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (CO/IL/IN/LA/MD/MI/NJ/OH/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500(VA).