This year was no different. What I love about this competition is, we get glimpses players who flew under-the-radar with their recruitment, ended up at a Mid-Major program, and now are starting to show the world what they can do. Over the last couple of years, we watched Roman Domon who is a budding star at Murray State, Dragos Lungu who was looking like a breakout candidate at UT Martin before an injury, and Gabriel Pozzato who starred as a freshman at Evansville before landing at Xavier last year.

Let’s take a look at four players that dominated in the 2026 FIBA U20 EuroBasket that are headed to a Mid-Major team this coming season.

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% off your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Mark Padjen (Murray State)

We have another Murray State Racer that dominated in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket this season, following in Roman Domon’s footsteps. Mark Padjen is a 6’5 guard out of Slovenia with a prolific ability to lead a team as a floor general. Through seven games, he averaged 15.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.7 steals while shooting 50.8% overall and 33.3% from three-point on 3.9 attempts per game.

Coming into the summer, he played for Ilirija in the ABA League where he was a vital player. Throughout 20 games, he averaged 11.3 points, five assists, 3.2 rebounds, and nearly one steal per game. He shot 42.5% overall, 50% from inside the arc, and 35.4% from three-point.

What truly stands out to me is the natural ability he has to be a floor general. While playing with Slovenia he averaged just 2.3 turnovers, and with Ilirija he averaged 2.3 as well. That’s over a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio at just 20 against some strong talent. Let’s compare to a player that put up some similar statistics last year in the same tournament: Omer Mayer of the Purdue Boilermakers.

Mayer went on to average 5.5 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game in 39 games with the Boilermakers last season as a freshman. He shot 41.2% overall and 35.5% from three-point, and he had some strong games against tough competition in the Big-10. He dropped 18 against IU, eleven against No. 11 Illinois, and nine against No. 11 Nebraska.

For Israel, he averaged 16.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists , and 1.1 steals across seven games while shooting 41.2% overall and 37.3% from three-point. He also averaged 3.7 turnovers per game. If we compare Mayer & Padjen’s metrics, here’s how they shape out:

Across the board, Mark Padjen outperformed Mayer in the majority of categories. This is a player who had a role on a top-ten team, and at one point the number one team in the AP Poll last year. Padjen is joining Murray State which is already loaded with talent, however, this is a player that you are going to have to watch this season.

Salih Altuntas (Saint Mary’s)

The Saint Mary’s pipeline with European players continues this season with a couple of players on this list. Salih Altuntas is a 6’10 center from Turkey with a strong natural ability to score and clear the glass. He spent last season with the Miami Hurricanes where he appeared in 32 games and averaged 7.8 minutes per game. He finished the season with a line of 1.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 65.7% overall. He scored just five points in the ACC, but he had a couple of strong performances in the non-conference slate of their schedule. he had a 13 point, eleven rebound, and four steal game against Delaware State in their 97-41 blowout win.

Altuntas averaged 13.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game throughout Turkey’s seven games in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket session. He finished with two double-doubles against Germany and Italy. Arguably his best game came against Croatia where he finished with 24 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals, but notably just two fouls. He fouled out in four of the seven games and averaged 4.1 per game…a clear area for improvement.

If he can work on cutting down the fouls, he’ll provide the Gaels with a huge presence down low this season in year one with Mickey McConnell at the helm.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Panagiotis Pagonis (Drexel)

The 6’9 forward played his first season in college basketball last year with the New Orleans Privateers which was a fun and scrappy team to watch. Panagiotis Pagonis averaged 4.1 points with 3.1 rebounds and one assist per game across 30 appearances. The freshman shot 34.3% overall and 24.5% from three-point. His best game of the season came against Pepperdine where he finished with 17 points, five rebounds, two assists, and drained three of his six attempts from beyond the arc.

For Greece, he averaged 14.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game across seven appearances. He shot 44.6% overall and 41.9% from three-points on 4.4 attempts per game. What impresses me the most is, at 6’9 he actually possesses quite the ability to distribute the ball. At New Orleans, he finished with a 10.6 assist rate and with Greece it jumped to 22.7%, but given his turnovers were a bit high.

Pagonis transferred to Drexel for the coming season, but if he can tap into more of his offensive capabilities from beyond the arc and continue to develop his playmaking abilities then the Dragons might have themselves a budding underrated star.

Mantas Juzenas (Saint Mary’s)

Death, taxes, and Saint Mary’s finding hidden gems in Europe. Mantas Juzenas is returning to the Gaels this season after taking his freshman season as a developmental year. He appeared in 26 games last season while averaging just 5.8 minutes. In those minutes, he took advantage as he finished the year averaging 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 45.9% overall and 48.4% from three-point. The 6’6 guard didn’t disappoint in big moments as he had 12 points with two rebounds against No. 9 Gonzaga in their huge 70-59 win as he drained four of his six attempts from three-point.

For Lithuania, he averaged 15.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and one steal per game while shooting 48.1% overall, but just 27.5% from three-point on 5.7 attempts. He was remarkable from inside with a 69.2% shooting percentage. On the glass, he was essentially a magnet. He hit double-digit rebounds in four of the seven games, including just an absurd 20 rebounds against Israel. On the offensive end, he also reached 46 points (yes, 46 points!!) against Poland along with 12 rebounds and five assists.

With Paulius Murauskas gone, there is a huge void for a player that can fill up a stat sheet both on the offensive end and on the glass. While Juzenas is smaller than Murauskas, there’s a great chance that he can step up and take a huge leap in his sophomore season. It’s worth noting that the majority of his offensive statistics in the tournament came from that game against Poland. He finished with less than ten points in three of the games, and he didn’t get higher than 13 outside of the 46 point game. There’s definitely room to grow offensively, but he could turn into a monster for the Saint Mary’s Gaels.

Coming into the 2026-2027 season, Raiders’ fans are going to have the same expectations of reaching the Big Dance once again. While they lost their top four scorers, they did return some important players with plenty of experience in college basketball and Coach Sargent’s system. With some exciting new additions from both power conference programs and mid-major rosters, can they follow up with another strong year?

Let’s take a look at how their roster is shaping up this season!

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% off your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Roster Turnover

• Sam Alamutu (Ineligible)

  • 2.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists

• Bryan Etumni (Ineligible)

  • 3.4 points, 2.4 rebounds

• Michael Imariagbe (Ineligible)

  • 12 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists

• Solomon Callaghan (Junior) ~ Utah State

  • 10.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists

• Logan Woods (Senior) ~ Niagara

  • 5.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists

• Alex Bruskotter (Junior) ~ Cleveland State

  • 4.5 points, 1.5 rebounds (15 games / 8.3 minutes)

• T.J. Burch (Junior) ~ Utah

  • 12.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.6 steals

• Michael Cooper (Sophomore) ~ California

  • 13.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists

• Ayden Davis (Sophomore) ~ Ferris State (DII)

  • 5 points, 1.3 rebounds (3 games / 8.7 minutes)

Michael Cooper and TJ Burch combined for one of the best combinations of guards not just across mid-majors, but all of college basketball. Now, they are both headed out west for the power conference ranks. While their senior leader Michael Imariagbe ran out of eligibility, fellow key player Solomon Callaghan is also migrating out west to join Ben Jacobsen at Utah State this season. That marks three players that are making large jumps to some of the strongest conferences in college basketball, which speaks volumes for the momentum this program has at the moment.

Returning Players

• Dominic Pangonis (Junior)

  • 8.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists

• Andrea Holden (Junior)

  • 6.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 blocks

• Kellen Pickett (Sophomore)

  • 8.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.3 blocks

• PJ Douglas (Redshirt Freshman)

  • DNP

• Isaiah Williams (Walk-on)

  • DNP

While Wright State did lose their top four scorers on the team, they did manage to keep three key players from their rotation, including two huge shot blockers in Andrea Holden and Kellen Pickett. Before we dive into those two, let’s take a look at Dominic Pangonis.

Dominic Pangonis (6’7)

Pangonis started his career off at Stephen F. Austin as a freshman where he saw plenty of playing time to jump start his development. He averaged 6.2 points with 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 45% overall in 31 games. After transferring to Wright State last year, he took a huge step forward as he averaged 8.9 points with 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 47.1% overall from the floor. He started in 28 of their 34 games, but most notably his three-point shooting jumped from 27% to 38.5% on 2.8 attempts vs two attempts per game.

Looking at his metrics, he finished with a 119.2 offensive rating which was 406th overall, a 60.6% true shooting percentage which was 216th best, and a 47.5 free throw rate which was 251st. To reiterate on his growth from three-point, he finished 232nd overall in the country with a 39.8% shooting clip against Division I opponents.

Andrea Holden (6’6)

The 6’6 forward is entering year three with the Raiders where he’s continued to develop into a steady player within their rotation. As a freshman, he averaged 4.1 points with 3.5 rebounds and nearly one steal per game in 17 games. Last year, he stepped up to a 6.1 point per game average with 3.9 rebounds and a whopping 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 56.6% from the floor. Yes, this is a 6’6 player that averaged over one block per game…pure athleticism. Before we look at his metrics, look at this stat line against Youngstown State: 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, five blocks, and four steals.

Holden finished with a 112.4 offensive rating, 60.2% true shooting percentage, 20.3% defensive rebounding percentage, 12.8% offensive rebounding percentage, and an 8.6% block percentage. If he continues to improve during his junior season, he’ll become a monster within the Horizon League.

Kellen Pickett (6’9)

Coming out of high school, Pickett was listed as a three-star recruit and he did not disappoint in his freshman season. The 6’9 budding star averaged 8.5 points with 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 55.6% overall and 26.9% from three-point. There is some room to grow from beyond the arc, but he showed that he has the ability, so if he can add that to his arsenal he’ll skyrocket.

The big man finished with a 119.4 offensive rating that jumped to 121.8 in conference play. He finished with a 61.1% true shooting percentage, 22.7% defensive rebounding percentage which was 72nd overall, 6.3% block percentage that was 106th overall in the country, and a strong 64.3% shooting percentage from inside the arc was 114th in the nation.

Pickett returning to Wright State is a huge breakthrough for Clint Sargent and his staff.

PJ Douglas (6’4)

The Indiana native was a large contributor to his team’s rise to the Class 4A State Championship at Jeffersonville High School. He redshirtted last year, but don’t be shocked if you see him on the court this season. It’ll be a developmental year, but in high school he flashed signs of being an impact offensive weapon with some strong playmaking as well.

Isaiah Williams (6’3)

Isaiah Williams is listed as a walk-on, so if he appears in some games this season it’ll be in a limited role.

Roster Additions

• Ilija Milijasevic (Senior) ~ DePaul

  • 2.1 points, 0.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists (16 games / 7.3 minutes)

• Nikola Djapa (Senior) ~ Colorado State

  • 2.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists

• C.J. O’Hara (Junior) ~ Green Bay

  • 14.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1 steal

• Sam Johnson (Sophomore) ~ Cedarville (DII)

  • 14.9 points, 5.9 rebounds

• Chadlyn Traylor (Sophomore) ~ Charleston

  • 3.8 points, 1 rebounds, 2 assists

• Tahj Martin (Freshman)

• Terrence Hayes, Jr. (Freshman)

• Landen Northrop (Freshman)

• Noah Lewis (Freshman)

Guards

Ilija Milijasevic (6’2)

Milijasevic is listed as a junior according to Wright State’s roster after transferring in from DePaul over the offseason. He spent a couple of seasons with Mega in the ABA league within Europe prior to coming to the United States to play collegiate basketball. In his final season, he averaged 4.5 points with 0.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 30 games while shooting 43.4% from beyond the arc.

At DePaul, he played in a minimal role across 16 games for the Blue Demons. He averaged 2.1 points with 0.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists while shooting 35.7% overall and 35.7% from beyond the arc…yes all 28 of his shots were from three-point. He finished with a 109.4 offensive rating, 55.2% true shooting percentage, and a 3.4% steal percentage.

He’s a huge three-point threat and will provide Wright State with some firepower. I’m excited to see him take advantage of an extended opportunity with the Raiders.

C.J. O’Hara (6’4)

After developing across 31 games with the Phoenix during his freshman year, C.J. O’Hara took off in year two. He started in 33 games while averaging 14.1 points with 4.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and one steal per game. The 6’4 guard shot 57% overall from the floor and 28% from three-point on 25 attempts from beyond the arc. He continued to get better throughout the season as well.

During conference play, he finished with a 126.4 offensive rating, 66.2% true shooting percentage, 7.6% offensive rebounding percentage, 2.1% steal percentage, and a 65.2 free throw rate. He racked towards the top of the conference in all of these metrics. In the Horizon League, he finished with less than ten points just three times.

O’Hara will slide into the starting lineup immediately for Wright State as he’ll look to replace the hole that Michael Cooper and T.J. Burch left.

Chadlyn Traylor (6’3)

Coming out of high school, Traylor committed to the College of Charleston over some strong programs like Wake Forest, DePaul, Miami Ohio, and more. During his freshman season, he averaged 3.8 points with one rebound and two assists per game while shooting 41% overall and 39.5% from three-point.

He had a handful of great performances against top-tier mid-major teams as well. Against Belmont and Hofstra he finished with eleven points, while he put up 12 points with four assists against FAU. Traylor finished with a 113.8 offensive rating, 52.1% true shooting percentage, 21.4 assist rate, and a 1.2% steal percentage.

Wright State finished 303rd in assists per field goal made, so Traylor will provide some much needed assistance at the point guard position.

Tahj Martin (6’2)

Martin isn’t a big-time recruit, but he’s someone that has flown under the radar. Last year, he averaged 11.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.8 steals per game as a senior. After leading his high school to its first state title in school history, he put up 14 with six rebounds in the championship game while being named MVP. He’s a quick guard and has no problem knocking down shots from deep.

Martin committed to Wright State over Grambling State and Alcorn State.

Terrence Hayes Jr. (6’2)

Wright State does a tremendous job of finding undervalued talent in high school, and Terrence Hayes Jr. is another example. Last year, he averaged 17.3 points with 6.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and a ridiculous 3.2 steals per game. He is incredibly athletic and a massive scorer. I firmly believe that he’ll be playing an important role this season.

Hayes Jr. committed to Wright State over programs like Oklahoma State, Saint Louis, Missouri State, and more.

Landen Northrop (6’5)

Tahj Martin wasn’t the only player to help lead their high school to its first title game as Northrop did the same for Richland. Last year, he averaged 25.3 points, 5.2 assists, and 2.8 steals per game. You can catch a few clips of him in his commitment video below in which you can clearly see how much of an offensive weapon he can be. He also has the potential to be an impact guard with playmaking as well.

Northrop had just one other offer from Cal State East Bay.

Forwards

Sam Johnson (6’7)

Sam Johnson followed up a solid freshman season at Cedarville with a stellar sophomore year performance. The 6’7 forward averaged 14.9 points with 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 62% overall from the floor and knocking down nine of his 23 attempts from beyond the arc. Over the final six games of the season he averaged 17.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and just a shade under one block per game. During that stretch he shot 64.7% overall.

If you take a look at his metrics, he put up some phenomenal numbers. He finished with a 125.0 offensive rating, 63.3% true shooting percentage, 8.2% offensive rebounding percentage, and 17.3% defensive rebounding percentage. He’ll be a huge asset on both the offensive end and the glass.

Noah Lewis (6’7)

Lewis is an incoming freshman out of West Virginia where he posted some stellar numbers as a senior last year. He averaged 17.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 56.9% overall and 37.7% from three-point. If you want this clip from a couple of months ago, you can see just how athletic he is. He moves quick for a 6’7 forward and can clearly slam it down. I don’t expect him to start as a freshman, but we’ll see plenty of him in what should be a developmental season.

@mntelevisionNoah Lewis Steal and Slam to give George Washington a 4 point lead in 2OT! #westvirginia #OT #championship #basketball

Tiktok failed to load.

Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser

Lewis committed to Wright State over Youngstown State, Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris, and others.

Centers

Nikola Djapa (6’11)

Djapa has had an interesting career trajectory over his three seasons within college basketball. The 6’11 center from Serbia started out at Long Island as a freshman where he averaged 6.1 points with 5.6 rebounds, while shooting 56.8% overall. Following what was a solid freshman year, he made the jump all the way to the Mountain West where he spent the last two seasons with Colorado State. Last year, he averaged 2.4 points with 1.8 rebounds while shooting 66.7% overall across 19 games.

A chunk of his metrics came against a non-division one opponent, but he still finished with a 14.5% defensive rebounding percentage and a 12.6% offensive rebounding percentage. When he was at Long Island, he finished 164th in the country with a 10.9% offensive rebounding percentage along with a 17.8 defensive rebounding percentage and a 2.8% block percentage. His 60.2% shooting from inside the arc was 188th overall in college basketball.

If he is able to tap into his performance at Long Island, he’ll provide the Raiders with some important height in the rotation.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Expectations

While there are four freshman joining this roster, there is a lot of potential among all of the additions while returning players like Kellen Pickett and Dominic Pangonis to help anchor their rotation. Here’s what a potential starting lineup could look like:

• Ilija Milijasevic / Chadlyn Traylor

• Dominic Pangonis

• C.J. O’Hara

• Kellen Pickett

• Nikola Djapa

Last year, Wright State was dominant on the offensive end. They were 114th in offensive adjusted efficiency, 43rd in three-point shooting percentage, and 81st in two-point shooting percentage. Looking at the lineup above, Chadlyn Traylor will be able to replace TJ Burch’s playmaking while C.J. O’Hara has the ability to light it up from all over the floor. Kellen Pickett put up a strong freshman campaign on a loaded roster, so now he’ll have the ability to take another step forward. This should be another borderline or even top-100 offensive team this season.

They do have a significant lack of height. Nikola Djapa is the only player over 6’9 and the next closest after Kellen Pickket who is 6’9 is Noah Lewis, Sam Johnson, and Pandonis at 6’7. This is going to hurt them in the non-conference slate, but once they reach the Horizon League their lack of ability to go up against strong big men will diminish. You don’t know fully what you are going to get out of Djapa because he didn’t post stellar numbers at Long Island and he’s been deep on the depth chart at Colorado State. However, if he’s able to bust out I’ll feel much better about the center position. Regardless, there will be times that the tallest player on the court will be 6’7.

What do you think? Can Wright State follow up with another 20+ win season and reach the NCAA Tournament?

During the non-conference, they had some close losses as they fell to Boise State by three, Saint Mary’s by five, Colorado State by six, Western Kentucky by five, and DePaul by three. They easily could have put together a 28 win season if some possessions swung their way.

There is no doubt that Mills is building something special with the Shockers and now, they are shaping up to be a force in college basketball next season. After ranking just 342nd in minutes continuity coming into last year, they are retaining nearly 50% of their minutes as they head into the 2026-2027 season. Let’s take a look at how their roster is shaping up.

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% off your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Roster Turnover

• Karon Boyd (Senior) ~ TBD

  • 10.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists

• Kenyon Giles (Senior) ~ TBD

  • 19.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.6 steals

• Emmanuel Okorafor (Senior) ~ TBD

  • 6.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1 block

• Brian Amuneke (Junior) ~ Fresno State

  • 2.4 points, 0.7 rebounds

• Dre Kindell (Senior) ~ Drake

  • 5.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists

The Shockers did lose their top two scorers from last season in Kenyon Giles & Karon Boyd due to eligibility, but they did a phenomenal job of reducing the turnover. Brian Amuneke played a minimal role in the rotation and Dre Kindell did contribute, but they’ve replaced them with some great additions in the portal.

Returning Players

• Will Berg (Redshirt Senior)

  • 8.8 points, 8.1 rebounds

• Michael Gray Jr. (Graduate Senior)

  • 8.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists

• Jaret Valencia (Redshirt Senior)

  • 2.8 points, 1.8 rebounds

• Henry Thengvall (Redshirt Senior)

  • 0.3 points, 0.3 assists (11 games / 2.4 minutes)

• Dillon Battie (Junior)

  • 7.6 points, 4.7 rebounds

• Joy Ighovodja (Redshirt Junior)

  • DNP

• TJ Williams (Redshirt Sophomore)

  • 8.7 points, 5 rebounds, 1.5 assists

• Noah Hill (Sophomore)

  • 1.4 points, 2.2 rebounds

• Pierre Couisnard (Redshirt Freshman)

  • DNP

• Tyrus Rathan-Mayes (Redshirt Freshman)

  • DNP

Guards

TJ Williams (6’5)

There was a lot of hype around TJ Williams coming into his freshman season, and he did not disappoint. The 6’5 guard posted an average of 8.7 points, five rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 46.6% overall. He’s not a three-point threat as he shot just 1-12 from beyond the arc, but he’s an absolute force around the rim.

During the non-conference slate, he showed some signs with a couple nice performances against Saint Mary’s with 15 points and then Northern Iowa with 18 points and nine rebounds. His contributions ebb-and-flowed, but he turned it on over the last ten games for the Shockers. He put up a 27 point, eight rebound, and two assist performance against East Carolina to make the American Conference aware of his presence. Over the final ten games, counting the NIT, he averaged 12.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 56.5%.

Looking at his metrics, you’ll see the trend as he finished with a 114.3 offensive rating in conference play vs a 108.2 rating overall. He ranked 350th overall with an 8.9% offensive rebounding percentage, which went alongside a 15.3% defensive rebounding percentage.

This is a player that is going to be looking to take a huge step forward this season.

Michael Gray Jr. (6’1)

Michael Gray Jr. transferred into Wichita State last year after a successful year at Nicholls where he averaged 11.1 points with 2.8 rebounds the year prior. For the Shockers, he turned himself into a starter in all 36 games while averaging 26.9 minutes per game. His total line per game finished with 8.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting 33.7% overall and 31.1% from three-point.

Unlike TJ Williams, Gray Jr. started off the year hot, but cooled off over time. In his first five games, he averaged 10.4 points vs just six points over the final five games of the regular season. However, his appeal is the ability to stuff the stat sheet. While he wasn’t scoring as much over those last five games, he put up six assists with six rebounds against Tulsa, four rebounds against South Florida, and six rebounds with two assists, one block, and two steals against UT San Antonio.

Gray Jr. finished with a 102.6 offensive rating, 46% true shooting percentage, 11.7% defensive rebounding percentage, 15.3 assist rate, and an 85.2% free throw shooting percentage. While none of these are outstanding, we’ll explain why we think he could put up his best season yet later.

Tyrus Rathan-Mayes (6’6)

The 6’6 Canadian guard redshirted last year after coming into Wichita State as a three-star recruit last season. He was a prolific scorer where he averaged 20 points per game during his senior season, so we’ll see what his role looks like this year, but you can expect that it’ll be minimal as he develops.

Joy Ighovodja (6’4)

Ighovodja will be entering year four with the Shockers after taking a medical redshirt last season. In his first two seasons, he appeared in a combined 27 games and averaged 1.5 points and 1.8 rebounds per game while shooting 41.2% overall and 26.7% from three-point. I don’t expect his role to change much this season.

Forwards

Dillon Battie (6’8)

After starting his collegiate career at Temple where he posted promising stats as a freshman, Battie transferred within the American to join Wichita State last year. He averaged 7.6 points with 4.7 rebounds while shooting 55.9% overall.

Through his first eleven games of the season, he didn’t see a ton of playing time, but he stepped up huge over the final two-thirds of the season. Against North Texas he finished with ten points, nine rebounds, one block, and two steals. Over his last 20 games, he averaged nearly ten points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Over his last eight games, he averaged 12.4 points and 6.3 rebounds.

His metrics tell a similar story to his growth as well. He finished with a 115.9 offensive rating, 58.1% true shooting percentage, 20.3% defensive and 8.9% offensive rebounding percentage, and a 2.2% block percentage. In conference play, he finished in the top-20 of several key categories including 8th in shooting percentage from inside the arc at 60.6%.

Jaret Valencia (6’8)

Valencia started out at Monmouth for his first two seasons in Division I where he was a valuable starter as a freshman. He averaged 8.9 points with 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, but that dropped to just 6.7 points with 4.1 rebounds in his sophomore season. Last year, after transferring to the Shockers his numbers dropped even more to 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds, albeit in just eleven games.

During a practice in December, he ruptured his Achilles thus eliminating his eligibility for the remainder of the season. If he’s able to return healthy and at 100% for the coming season, he’ll provide Wichita State with some valuable minutes in the rotation.

Noah Hill (6’7)

Coming out of high school, Noah Hill was listed as a top-250 recruit and a three-star prospect overall. In 23 games during his freshman season, he averaged 1.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 4.2 minutes per game while shooting 66.7% overall from the floor. One of his best games overall was against FAU where he didn’t score, but he racked up a whopping ten rebounds in just eleven minutes of action. His ridiculous 24.5% offensive and 28.4% defensive rebounding percentages represent just how much of an impact he can make on the glass.

Centers

Will Berg (7’2)

When Will Berg transferred in after spending two seasons at Purdue, there was a lot of hope that he’d break out in a big way. The 7’2 big man from Sweden appeared in 35 games last year while starting 10 and putting up career high numbers across the board. He finished averaging 8.8 points with 8.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 55.9% overall.

While he didn’t average double-digit points, he did achieve nine double-doubles on the season with three coming in his final five games of the regular season and American tournament. Looking at his metrics, he featured a 122.5 offensive rating, 59.9% true shooting percentage, 16.1% offensive rebounding percentage (15th overall), 23.1% defensive rebounding percentage (63rd overall), and a 6.2% block percentage (114th overall).

Berg had a strong season, and we really saw him blossom as it went on. I’m expecting a huge year from the big man.

Walk-ons

Both Henry Thengvall and Pierre Couisnard are walk-ons, so you can expect minimal playing time will be allocated for both players in the coming season.

Roster Additions

• Jahari Long (Senior) ~ George Mason

  • 12.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4 assists

• Jordan Frison (Senior) ~ Chattanooga

  • 16.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4 assists

• Cyr Malonga (Senior) ~ New Mexico State

  • 3.7 points, 2.5 rebounds

• Bryce Heard (Junior) ~ Dayton

  • 6.6 points, 2.4 rebounds

• Desmeon Jones (Sophomore) ~ Blinn College (JUCO)

  • 12.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.1 steals

Guards

Jahari Long (6’5)

Jahari Long is coming off a terrific season for the George Mason Patriots. Last year, he averaged 12.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and four assists per game while shooting 45.4% overall from the floor and 37.7% from beyond the arc. If we look at his metrics, you’ll get a deeper story:

• 115.9 offensive rating

• 57.7% true shooting percentage ~ 425th overall

• 23.0 assist rate (jumped to 25.0 in conference play) ~ 280th overall

• 2.3 fouls committed per game ~ 337th overall

• 84.8% free throw shooting percentage in conference ~ 378th overall

When he is on, he’s on. He racked up nine assists in two games, while putting up seven against St. Bonaventure with no turnovers. Offensively, his statistics were up-and-down, but that wasn’t based off bad shooting. In games where he scored less than ten points, he would often do it on reasonable shooting percentages. On the flip-side, he isn’t shy at putting up 15+ points per game as he had some strong performances including 27 points in the NIT against Liberty, 21 points with nine assists against No. 25 Saint Louis, 21 points against FAU, and 17 points against Dayton.

Long will slot right into the starting rotation for the Shockers this season as he’s a high-caliber player. He can play point guard, but also serve as an off-ball option while someone else leads on the floor.

The 6’5 guard first joined the collegiate basketball ranks in 2020, but due to a Covid-19 season and a redshirt season where he appeared in just five games, he’ll be playing in his sixth season. He spent two seasons with Seton Hall, two with Maryland, and one with George Mason.

Jordan Frison (6’0)

The Chattanooga Mocs might have had a down year last season coming off a run to the NIT Championship, but Jordan Frison was a bright spot for the team. The 6’0 guard averaged 16.4 points with 3.3 rebounds and four assists per game while shooting 55.7% overall and a strong 45.5% from three-point. His metrics were unreal:

• 122.5 offensive rating ~ 234th overall

• 25.2% possession usage ~ 344th overall

• 54.1% true shooting percentage ~ 71st overall

• 29.5 assist rate ~ 98th overall

• 82.8% free throw shooting ~ 242nd overall

• 59.7% shooting from inside ~ 311th overall

• 42% three point shooting against D-I teams ~ 81st overall

In conference play, all of his metrics improved further as he finished third in three categories and top ten in seven categories. Frison finished with 33 points against VMI and over his final five games of the regular season he averaged 24.2 points, three rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 52.2% from three-point and 69% from the floor. Needless to say, when he is hot offensively…you can’t stop him.

Desmeon Jones (5’11)

Desmeon Jones is another strong guard with both a knack for offense and the ability to contribute as a leading point guard on the floor. As a freshman at Blinn College last season, he averaged 12.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.1 steals while shooting 43.2% overall and 32.8% from three-point on 58 attempts.

Unlike Frison and Long, he isn’t as strong of a three-point shooter, but he’s a remarkable slasher and playmaker as he averaged a tad over a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio. He never put up dominant games where he would drop 30 points with ten assists, rather he was consistent game in and game out. Plus, he is strong defensively as he averaged over two steals per game and finished with four steals or more in six games, including a six steal performance.

Coming from JUCO as a freshman, I don’t expect him to start as a sophomore, but he’ll provide a key role in the rotation this season.

Bryce Heard (6’6)

Bryce Heard transferred to Dayton last season after spending his freshman year at NC State. For the Flyers, he appeared in 36 games while starting six and averaging 18.4 minutes per game. He finished with an average of 6.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while shooting 43.8% overall and 36.6% from three-point.

His contributions could be a bit sporadic, but his best game of the season came in a narrow loss to No. 9 BYU where he finished with 16 points and three rebounds on 6-7 shooting, 4-5 from deep. The metrics also show some strong potential:

• 111.1 offensive rating

• 58.2% true shooting percentage

• 11.7% defensive rebounding percentage

• 53.1 free throw rate

Centers

Cyr Malonga (6’11)

After two seasons at Eastern Carolina, Malonga transferred to New Mexico State last year. He appeared in 24 games while starting 16 and averaged 11.6 minutes. In total, he averaged 3.7 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 67.3% from the floor. Offensively, the majority of his contributions came against a non-Division I program, then 13 points against NIT Runner-up Tulsa, and ten points against Middle Tennessee State.

Given his minimal playing time, you can’t look too much into his metrics, but he did feature:

• 118.6 offensive rating

• 11.5% defensive rebounding percentage

• 9.7% offensive rebounding percentage

• 3.8% block percentage

Overall, while he only averaged 1.5 fouls per game, in games where he played ten minutes or more he averaged a 2.3 while fouling out against Tulsa. Against Sam Houston State, he had three fouls in 11 minutes and he then followed it up with three fouls in 14 minutes against a non-division I team in a 104-33 blowout win.

While there is potential there, he’ll most likely assume a depth role on the roster.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Expectations

While the Shockers did lose their top two scorers, they retained their next four. As we mentioned at the start of this article, they retained nearly 50% of their minutes from last season. However, the most important piece is they addressed two of their most needed areas: three-point shooting and playmaking.

Last year, the Shockers ranked just 195th in three-point shooting and 355th in assists per field goals made. With the addition of Jordan Frison, Jahari Long, and Desmeon Jones, they have added some much needed assistance with both areas of improvement. The highest average of assists last season on the team was 2.3 per game and now they have three players who averaged over four or more at their last respective colleges. From three-point, both Long and Frison are strong, and fellow incoming guard Bryce Heard is also a huge addition.

Their defense carried them to success last season as they ranked 46th overall in defensive adjusted efficiency, 44th in opponent three-point shooting percentage, and 33rd in opponent two-point shooting percentage. While they did lose Giles who averaged 1.6 steals and Okorafor who averaged one block per game, they still retained Berg who led the team with 1.3 blocks. While their guards are better offensively and at playmaking, they also bring some strong perimeter defense, which should make them a defensively efficient team once again.

They are a rare story in this day-and-age of college basketball with their retention of talent. Combine that with their significantly elevated guard play, and you have a recipe for a team that should be considered one of the better teams outside of the power conference ranks. What do you think? Can the Wichita State Shockers compete for the American conference title next season?

Head coach Mark Prosser is rolling and he’s looking to keep it that way in the 2026-2027 season. With an older team that had just three contributors that were younger than a senior, the Eagles are coming into the new season with nearly an entirely new roster. However, Prosser and his staff have put together an intriguing roster full of talent from all levels of basketball that are looking to compete against a program like High Point that features a NIL war chest.

Can the Eagles force their way to the top of the conference once again? Let’s dive into their roster.

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% off your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Roster Turnover

• Pharrell Boyogueno (Ineligible)

  • 3.2 points, 2.1 rebounds

• Joshua Meo (Ineligible)

  • 5.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1 assist

• Daylen Berry (Ineligible)

  • 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists

• Kody Clouet (Ineligible)

  • 13.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists

• Tommy Kamarad (Ineligible)

  • 7.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1 assist

• Edward Nnamoko (Ineligible)

  • 4 points, 3.1 rebounds

• Kareem Rozier (TBD)

  • 13.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals

• Isaiah Wilson (TBD)

  • 3.7 points, 1.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1 steal

• Braylhan Thomas (TBD)

  • 4.1 points, 1.4 rebounds

• Logan Duncomb (Notre Dame)

  • 18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists

As I mentioned in the introduction of this article, the Winthrop Eagles were a veteran team last year. They lost the majority of their key minutes with most running out of eligibility while star Logan Duncomb left to join the Fighting Irish in Notre Dame.

Returning Players

• Seifeldin Hendawy (Junior)

  • 5.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists

• Tai Hamilton (Senior)

  • 2.5 points, 3 rebounds

• Cam Christy (Graduate Senior)

  • 0.8 points, 0.4 rebounds (8 games / 2 minutes)

• Kaleb Evans (Redshirt Freshman)

  • DNP

• Henry Harrison (Walk-On)

  • 0.6 points (8 games / 2 minutes)

Looking at their returnees, they are bringing back Seifeldin Hendawy who appeared in all 34 games while averaging 16.4 minutes per game. He finished the year averaging 5.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while shooting 35.7% overall, but just 20% from three-point on 65 attempts. The 6’8 forward plays a solid depth role with height and he already knows the system and play style, so his experience will be crucial. While there is work to be done on the offensive end, he featured a 20.1% defensive rebounding percentage and a 7.2% offensive rebounding percentage with a 2.4% block percentage.

Tai Hamilton is a 6’10 incoming senior that has spent the last two seasons with the Eagles. Last year, he appeared in 21 games and averaged 7.7 minutes per contest. He finished averaging 2.5 points with three rebounds per game and a shade under one block per game. He shot 60.6% on his 33 attempts from the floor, but a chunk of his activity came in their non-division one games.

Cam Christy has spent the last two years with Winthrop while appearing in 15 games and averaging 0.7 points per game. Henry Harrison is another that plays in a walk-on role as he has appeared in 22 games with the Eagles over the last three seasons and he’s averaging 0.7 points per game.

Kaleb Evans committed to Winthrop over several other Mid-Major programs including Charlotte, Presbyterian, Jacksonville, and Nicholls. He redshirted last season, but you should expect to see him in the rotation as a back-up guard this coming season. He showed a lot of potential during his time in high school, so I’m excited to see him have an opportunity on the court.

Roster Additions

• Kyle Morgan (Senior) ~ UT Tyler (D-II)

  • 11.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists

• Tee Harris, Jr. (Senior) ~ Wheeling (D-II)

  • 14.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 blocks

• George Natsvlishvili (Senior) ~ North Dakota

  • 8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1 assist

• Micah Davis (Junior) ~ IU Indy

  • 9.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals

• Eesher Singh Sarai (Junior) ~ Ellsworth CC (JUCO)

  • 4.1 points, 2.3 rebounds

• Spence Sims (Redshirt Sophomore) ~ Gardner-Webb

  • 9.9 points, 1.9 rebounds

• Anthony Smith III (Sophomore) ~ North Dakota

  • 7.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists

• Tyler Parrish (Redshirt Sophomore) ~ U-Indy (D-II)

  • 13.9 points, 2.5 assists, 2.4 rebounds

• Keshawn Fisher (Sophomore) ~ Detroit Mercy

  • 5.5 points, 2.2 rebounds

• Joel Cwik (Freshman)

Guards

Tyler Parrish (6’3)

Parrish was a lights out scorer for U-Indy last season as he shot 47.5% overall and 39.9% from three-point on 138 attempts from beyond the arc. He appeared in 30 games while starting 22 as he averaged 13.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.

He put up some ridiculous lines including two 30 points performances and he continued to get better and better as the year went on. In his first nine games, he averaged just seven points, but over his last eight he averaged 18.8 points. Parrish is the type of player that you want at the two position that’s going to be able to provide you with lightning offensive capabilities.

Anthony Smith III (6’1)

Anthony Smith III finished his freshman season with a significant amount of experience. The 6’1 guard finished the year averaging 7.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting 47.1% overall in 17.7 minutes per game. As any freshman does, he had some up-and-down games and his impact was sporadic, but he flashed some strong signs of what could come. He had 19 points against St. Thomas, 16 points with five assists and four rebounds against South Dakota State, and 15 points with six assists and four rebounds against CSUN.

He finished the season with a 107.9 offensive rating which jumped to 117.6 in conference play, a 57.6% true shooting percentage, and a 25.1 assist rate. There is a lot of room to grow as a playmaker, and if he can tap into that he could become a prolific point guard.

Micah Davis (6’2)

IU Indy took a step forward last year and Micah Davis was a huge help after putting up solid numbers as a sophomore. He finished the season averaging 9.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 40.2% overall and 31.3% from three-point on 5.2 attempts per game. Keep in mind, IU Indy took a lot of three pointers last season, so in a system like Winthrop’s his three-point shooting will probably improve efficiency-wise.

He put up some huge games last year, and over his last five games he averaged 13.6 points with 3.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Consistency will be a huge contributor to his impact, but regardless he’ll have a huge opportunity in the Eagles’ rotation this coming year.

Kyle Morgan (6’4)

Morgan is another Division II offensive star that’s making the jump up to the Division I level this season. He appeared in 25 games last year for UT Tyler and started in 20. He averaged 11.2 points with 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 41.6% overall and 38.4% from beyond the arc. Prior to UT Tyler, he played at Angelina where he averaged 9.2 points with 2.3 rebounds and one assist per game in his sophomore season while shooting 46.4% overall and 39.3% from three-point.

Spence Sims (6’1)

Sims was another freshman last season that showed a lot of potential. Gardner-Webb had plenty of struggles as they finished just 4-29 overall, but Sims was one of the bright spots and he’s staying within the Big South. He averaged 9.9 points with 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 45.1% overall and 43% from beyond the arc on 5.2 attempts per game. He finished with 12 points against Minnesota, 11 points against Clemson, and a whopping 29 against Winthrop in an 88-77 loss.

Sims is a highly prolific scorer and his metrics speak for what could be with even more improvement. He had a 102.6 offensive rating, 7.8% defensive rebounding percentage, 59.6% true shooting percentage, and he finished 59th overall in the country in three-point shooting percentage. With the right pieces around him, he’s going to be able to take a huge step forward as a sophomore.

Forwards

Tee Harris Jr. (6’7)

At Wheeling last season, Harris Jr. averaged 14.4 points with 6.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game across 28 contests. He shot 50.6% overall and 30.1% from three-point on 133 attempts. He had some monster performances including 35 points against West Liberty on 16-23 shooting with nine rebounds. In fact, he finished with five double-doubles on the season and over his last five games of the season he averaged 22.6 points with 7.4 rebounds per game.

This is a high octane player that’s going to slide into the rotation with ease, even as he makes the jump to Division I.

Eesher Singh Sarai (6’9)

Singh Sarai played for Ellsworth last season in the JUCO ranks where he appeared in 36 games. He averaged 11 points with six rebounds per game while shooting 55.1% overall from the floor and 31.7% from three-point on 41 attempts. When he gets hot, he’s lights out. He had 29 points against Iowa Western, and three 20+ point games overall. Overall, he’s quick on his feet and a force in the paint while taking pride in cleaning up the glass.

He’s also making some history as the first Canadian turbaned Sikh to commit to a Division I program!

George Natsvlishvili (6’10)

The 6’10 forward out of Tbilisi, Georgia has spent the last two seasons with the Fighting Hawks in North Dakota. Last season, he took a huge step forward while averaging eight points, 4.9 rebounds, and one assist per game and shooting 52.1% overall from the floor. He had some strong games including 19 points and six rebounds against Oral Roberts and 19 points with nine rebounds against Montana. Against Creighton, he finished with ten points and seven rebounds.

Looking at his metrics, he finished with a 109.1 offensive rating, 53.4% true shooting percentage, 15.6% defensive rebounding percentage, and a strong 13.4% offensive rebounding percentage which was 69th overall in the country. In conference play he was first in offensive rebounding percentage, 5th in fouls drawn per game, and 15th in possession usage. He has some work to do at the free throw line as he shot just 56.9% overall against Division I teams, but he did improve to 60% in the Summit League.

Keshawn Fisher (6’7)

As a freshman, Fisher appeared in 20 games and started in one while averaging 11.4 minutes per game. He averaged 5.5 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 43.3% overall and 27.5% from three-point on two attempts per contest. He flashed some massive signs him he had an increased opportunity. In a stretch of four games where he played 20+ minutes in each, he averaged 12 points, eight rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.3 steals. That’s a small sample size, but it represents his potential.

His metrics should see some improvement this season, but he finished with a 92.3 offensive rating, 25.7% possession usage, 47.3% true shooting percentage, 13.7% defensive rebounding percentage, 12.8 assist rate, and a 3.5% block percentage.

Joel Cwik (6’5)

Cwik is an incoming freshman from Germany where he played for both Ulm in the Germany-BBL and Orange Academy in the Germany-ProB league over the last year. For Ulm, he appeared in eleven games and averaged 12.5 points with 3.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 53.2% inside and 34.1% from three-point on 44 attempts. For Orange Academy, he appeared in 30 games while averaging 13.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and one steal while shooting 58.5% from inside the arc and 35.4% from deep on 130 attempts.

Cwik fits into the mold of the team well, so while I don’t think he’ll be starting this season, I do believe that we’ll be seeing him on the court so he can work on developing for the future.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Expectations

The Winthrop Eagles have taken a lot of talent from the Division II level to fill out their roster this season, but this isn’t the only case of Mid-Major programs doing this and finding success. In fact, I believe this team with Prosser’s ability to coach will be competing at the top of the conference once again this season. Let’s look at what a starting lineup could look like.

• Anthony Smith III

• Tyler Parrish

• Kyle Morgan / Tee Harris Jr.

• Tee Harris Jr. / Seifeldin Hendawy

• George Natsvlishvili

At point guard, Anthony Smith III showed some potential with a strong assist rate if you are focused on his metrics, so I like putting him at the one spot. Keep in mind, there’s going to be a bit of a committee in terms of leading ball movement. Tyler Parrish makes the most sense to me to start off-ball with Smith III, but I can see an argument for Micah Davis going in as well. I lean Parrish because he does have Division I experience already. Tee Harris Jr. should be in the lineup somewhere, so at 6’7 he could either fit in the three or four spot while George Natsvlishvili starts at the traditional center position. That leaves one spot left which in my opinion could go to either Kyle Morgan or Seifeldin Hendawy. Keep in mind, Hendawy is returning with the program and Morgan is jumping from D-II, so I’d lean Hendawy.

Mark Prosser has always favored an aggressive tempo with his style of coaching, but three-point shooting hadn’t bee a priority over the last three years. In his first two seasons as head coach after coming over from Western Carolina, the Eagles finished 6th and 47th in three-point shooting percentage, but they haven't finished above 183rd since. They’ve now added multiple offensive guards and small forwards that have strong track records from beyond the arc, marking an emphasis on an area he wanted to address.

My major concern is their overall lack of height with extended experience. As we cover more teams and provide roster previews for the coming season, I’ve found myself writing about the diminishing average height of players on mid-major rosters several times now. Perhaps that’s a trend, but for Winthrop I still stand by that. They do have Tai Hamilton and George Natsvlishvili who are 6’10 each, but the next tallest is Eesher Singh Sarai who is 6’9 and jumping from JUCO up to Division I which can sometimes be an unpredictable transition. I’m not as concerned as I have been with other teams, but it’s something to keep an eye on as the season gets started. If you are concerned about their lack of point guard play, the Eagles have finished below 199 in KenPom in assist rate all five years underneath Prosser and nearly 300 or below in three seasons, so this fits his style.

If you couple together their lack of true dominance down low, but their increased emphasis on improving from beyond the arc, this is going to be another fast-paced team for Winthrop. The key to success will be to out run their opponents, and finding the most effective shots as the chances of having at least four shooters capable from anywhere on the court at any given time are going to be high.

What do you think about their roster? Is this a team that’s going to be able to give High Point a run for their money this season?

It went south quickly as they finished the regular season just 3-6, but they managed to demolish Saint Louis 86-57 in the last game of the season, showing how strong they could be at their peak. They went on to fall to St. Bonaventure in the A-10 tournament, then Liberty in the first round of the NIT.

After a disappointing end to what looked like it could have been a special season for the Atlantic-10, head coach Tony Skinn has his eyes set on the coming year. They’ve lost some key talent, but they retained a handful of key rotational players while bringing in some strong players to refill their loses and build what looks like a roster than can compete at the top of the conference once again. Let’s dive in!

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% of your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Roster Turnover

• Masai Troutman (Ineligible)

  • 8.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists

• Fatt Hill (Ineligible)

  • 10.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists

• Dola Adebayo (Ineligible)

  • 3.4 points, 2.3 rebounds

• Nick Ellington (Ineligible)

  • 4.7 points, 3.1 rebounds

• Kory Mincy (South Carolina)

  • 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals

• Riley Allenspach (Cincinnati)

  • 13.6 points, 6.1 rebounds

• Jahari Long (Wichita State)

  • 12.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4 assists

• Stas Sivka (William & Mary)

  • 2.3 points, 1.4 rebounds

• Devin Booker (La Salle)

  • 1.8 points, 0.7 rebounds

• Isaiah Skinn (Colgate)

  • DNP

As we aforementioned, it was a tough offseason for the Patriots. They lost four players due to ineligibility, then star Kory Mincy was picked up by South Carolina, Riley Allenspach was taken by Cincinnati, and Jahari Long ended up heading to Wichita State. In total, they lost their top six scorers from last season.

Returning Players

• Brayden O’Connor (Senior)

  • 4 points, 3 rebounds (1 game)

• Malik Presley (Senior)

  • 3.2 points, 1.5 rebounds

• Emmanuel Kanga (Sophomore)

  • 4.6 points, 5.3 rebounds

• Ryan-Preston Mendy (Sophomore)

  • DNP (Redshirt)

• Ben Woodward (Walk-on)

  • 0.2 rebounds

• T.J. Prosise (Walk-on)

  • 0.3 points, 0.2 rebounds, 0.2 assists

Brayden O’Connor (6’5)

O’Conner is entering year three with George Mason after suffering a foot injury last season, forcing him to appear in just one game. The year prior, he appeared in and started in all 36 games on a team that finished 27-9 overall and 15-3 in conference. He averaged 9.1 points, three assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 44.8% overall and 37.6% from beyond the arc.

Looking at his metrics from that season, he finished with a 103.5 offensive rating, 22.1 assist rate which was 331st overall, and a 56% true shooting percentage that jumped to 59.1% in the Atlantic-10 at 12th best in the conference. He also did a prolific job at getting to the line. He had a ridiculous 61.0 free throw rate in conference play, where he shot 81.9% from the line on 72 attempts.

If O’Connor is able to return to his prior capabilities, he’ll play a huge role for the Patriots this season once again.

Malik Presley (6’6)

Presley started his career out at Vanderbilt during the 2023-2024 season where he averaged 2.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 11.8 minutes across 26 games. He then transferred to Texas where he redshirt, in which he departed and landed at George Mason last season. He started 22 games out of his 33 appearances while averaging 3.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. He shot 49.4% overall and 21.8% from beyond the arc on 22 attempts.

Despite starting in 22 games, he averaged just 16.1 minutes and the majority of his production came against lesser talent in the non-conference. From December 31st and onward, he never scored more than four points and finished with zero points in 12 games counting postseason play. It’ll be interesting to see what type of role he will play because he showed signs in the non-conference, but he clearly fell backwards into a limited role on the roster.

Emmanuel Kanga (6’8)

George Mason fans have to be excited about Kanga returning to the patriots this season. Following a promising freshman campaign, he’ll be looking to take another step forward in an expanded role. The 6’8 forward appeared in 32 games last year while averaging 13.3 minutes per game. He averaged 4.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 58.1% overall.

He put up some solid lines, including 13 points and 11 rebounds against No. 25 Saint Louis in their huge 86-57 win to close out the season, in which he followed up with 12 points, ten rebounds, and two blocks against Liberty in the NIT. He finished the season with a 26% defensive rebounding percentage and a 22.9% offensive rebounding percentage with a 128.2 offensive rating. His blocking numbers look promising as well with a 6.1 blocking percentage.

He has some work to do on the line as he shot just 59.5%, but he has a massive opportunity to grow into a key piece for the Patriots this season.

Ryan-Preston Mendy (6’9)

Mendy redshirt last season as a freshman following a strong showing in the ProA league in France. He averaged 8.1 points and 4.3 rebounds. His playing was a bit sporadic, but regardless he finished with two double-doubles. He shot 31.7% overall and 25.9% from beyond the arc. I don’t expect him to make a huge jump in minutes this season, but he’ll provide some important depth with height. Look for him to start his development on the court with ten or so minutes per game.

Ben Woodward & T.J. Prosise are both walk-ons, so you can imagine they’ll play similar roles next season.

Roster Additions

• Baraka Okojie (Senior ~ Mercer)

  • 19.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.4 steals

• Elijah Jones (Senior ~ UTEP)

  • 13.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 blocks

• Makhai Valentine (Junior ~ Northern Illinois)

  • 13.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

• Michael Marcus, Jr. (Junior ~ App State)

  • 7.8 points, 6 rebounds

• Lilian Marville (Sophomore ~ UNC Greensboro)

  • 9.5 points, 2 rebounds, 2.3 assists

• Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor (Sophomore ~ Butler)

  • 5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2 assists

• Emmett Adair (Sophomore ~ Loyola Maryland)

  • 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1 assist

• Peyton Miller (Freshman)

• Shane Pendergrass (Freshman)

• Bryton Barrett (Freshman)

Guards

Baraka Okojie (6’3)

He’s back! Okojie started his Division I career at George Mason three years ago where he appeared in 32 games, started in ten, and averaged 8.1 points with 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He then transferred to Memphis where his playing time diminished to just 11.5 minutes per game, but he bounced back with a monster year at Mercer last season. The 6’3 guard averaged 197 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 42.9% overall and 32.5% from beyond the arc.

The Bears went 19-13 overall last year and finished 188th in KenPom, so he was the go-to player on a strong mid-major in the SoCon. He wrapped up the season with a 116.0 offensive rating, 29.6% possession usage which was 69th overall in the nation, 57% true shooting percentage, 28.5 assist rate, and he drew a remarkable 7.5 fouls per game which was 9th best in the country. As a result, his strong ability to draw fouls contributed to a 69.8 free throw rate as he converted 218 of his 268 attempts from the line.

Makhai Valentine (6’3)

After appearing in 12 games as a freshman at Missouri State, Valentine jumped to Northern Illinois where he immediately slid into a starting role. He averaged 13.3 points with 5.3 rebounds, one assist, and one steal per game while shooting 41.3% overall and 35.8% from three-point.

He turned it on as the season progressed and put up some huge numbers. Against Kent State and UMass, he put up 27 points, while finishing with 23 points, six rebounds, one assist, and one steal against George State in the Sun Belt <> MAC challenge.

Looking at his metrics, he finished with a 114.5 offensive rating, 57.5% true shooting percentage, 14.7% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 30.5 free throw rate. He’s essentially a three-point sharpshooter as against Division I opponents he took just 88 shots from inside the arc vs 181 from outside.

Lilian Marville (6’1)

Marville had a strong freshman season after dominating at Orleans U21 in France the year prior. With Orleans, he put up a stat line of 18.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. In his jump to college basketball, the French product started in all 31 games and averaged 9.5 points, two rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 45.4% from the floor and a very strong 52.2% from three-point on three attempts per game.

The Spartans had their fair share of problems last season, but Marvile was a highlight. He finished the season with a 58.9% true shooting percentage which was 321st overall, a 112.7 offensive rating, 16.4 assist rate, and his 50.6% shooting from three-point on 89 attempts against Division I talent was the best overall in the country.

Early in the season, he didn’t put up much in terms of playmaking, but in seven out of his last eight games of the season, he was averaging 4.9 assists per game. Even if you take in the last game where he had 20 points with one assist, he was still averaging 4.4 assists per game over his last eight.

Peyton Miller (6’3)

Miller played for Overtime Elite last season while ranking as a three-star recruit and top-300 overall in his class. The 6’3 guard is a shifty point guard who’s athleticism speaks for itself. He can do it all on the court through his outside game, slashing to the rim, dishing it out, and fighting through contact to secure boards. It’s a bit up in the air on whether he will develop as a true point guard or more of a combo-guard, but don’t be surprised to see him get some playing time this season to start his development especially with the NCAA’s recent eligibility ruling.

Miller committed to George Mason over Hofstra, New Mexico State, Towson, Rhode Island, and many more.

Forwards

Elijah Jones (6’8)

Jones has spent the past three seasons with the UTEP Miners where he turned himself into a valuable starter last season. He started in all 31 games and averaged 13.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, with 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 47.9% overall from the floor. He can also stretch outside and knock down a three-pointer as he shot 38.6% on 4.1 attempts per game. Against Division I opponents, that jumped to 40%.

While on the court, he took 26.7% of the team’s shots which was 272nd overall in college basketball. He featured a 55.4% effective field goal percentage, 15.9% defensive rebounding percentage, and notably a 4.1% block percentage which was 195th best.

He had some monster games, including 17 points with 12 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals against New Mexico State, and he scored 20+ points five times.

Michael Marcus, Jr. (6’9)

Marcus, Jr. took a huge leap in his sophomore season with App State last year. He appeared in 32 games while starting 25 and averaging 24 minutes per game. He finished the year averaging 7.8 points with six rebounds per game while shooting 47.1% overall from the floor and 33.3% from beyond the arc on 2.8 attempts per game. He also finished with four double-double’s on the season.

He finished the year with a 117.2 offensive rating, 55.5% true shooting percentage, 11.3% offensive rebounding percentage which was 166th best in the nation, 15.2% defensive rebounding percentage, and a strong 56.3% shooting rate from inside the arc. This is another player that takes a lot of shots from outside as he took 85 from beyond the arc and 87 from inside.

Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor (6’6)

Coming out of high school, Oliogu-Elabor was listed as a three-star recruit where he chose Butler over other strong programs like Gonzaga, Oklahoma State, Mizzou, Illinois, and many more. In his first season, he appeared in 25 games while starting in ten. He averaged five points with 2.2 rebounds and two assists per game while shooting 41% from the floor. He’s not a three-point threat as he made just two of his 19 attempts. However, he’s a massive body with insane athleticism at 6’6 and 220 pounds.

On the season, he finished with a 46.8% true shooting percentage, 22.1 assist rate which jumped to 24.5 in Big East play (9th best in the conference), and a 2.6% steal percentage which jumped to 3.0% in the conference. As you can see with his metrics jumping later in the season, he really took off over the back half.

Starting on January 31st against Georgetown, his minutes jumped from 11.3 minutes per game to 22.7 minutes over the last eleven games of the season. During that span, he averaged 6.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He had some strong stat lines including 15 points with seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals in DePaul.

Emmett Adair (6’9)

The Australian freshman had a dominant campaign for his first season in college basketball. He averaged 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and one assist across 27 games while shooting 46.6% overall and 31.5% from three-point on 5.3 attempts per game. From January 31st and on, he averaged 20 points and 6.4 rebounds with some monster games against some strong programs like 28 points, seven rebounds, and two assists against Navy.

Looking at his metrics, Adair finished with a 32.5% shot percentage which was 30th in the country, 10.1% offensive rebounding percentage which was 245th, and a 57.9% shooting percentage from inside the arc which was 431st. In the Patriot League, he was in the top in nearly every category including 6th in offensive rebounding percentage, 21st in block percentage, 19th in defensive rebounding percentage, 17th in effective field goal percentage, and 5th in possession usage.

While the Greyhounds were just 12-20 overall last season and 323rd in KenPom, you know there will be some regression in both metrics and stats as he jumps to the Atlantic 10. However, putting up these kinds of numbers with the data to back him as just a freshman speaks volumes that he’ll become a valuable basketball player for the Patriots.

Shane Pendergrass (6’8)

Pendergrass played high school at Hargrave Military Academy where he rose to top-150 rankings among his class while being listed as a four-star recruit overall. He’s had some truly dominant performances, including 18 points with five rebounds, three assists, and one block in the Capital Classic. For context, Anthony Brown Jr. who is listed as a top-100 recruit and is signed to Vanderbilt led the team in scoring with 32 points, so he was playing with some top-tier talent. This is the type of player that is going to immediately open people’s eyes as a freshman.

Pendergrass had offers from VCU, Seton Hall, California, Duquesne, and many more strong programs.

Bryton Barrett (6’8)

Let’s talk about an under-valued pickup here in Bryton Barrett. The 6’8 forward played at Archbishop Carroll where he averaged 11 points with eight rebounds and almost one block per game. He has a solid frame that will continue to develop as he puts on muscle as he’s listed at just 185 pounds on George Mason’s official roster. You probably aren’t going to see him a ton in his first season as he focuses on development, but he has some strong long-term potential over the next couple of seasons if he stays with the Patriots.

Barrett held offers from Saint Joseph’s, Howard, and Davis & Elkins.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Expectations

There is no doubt that Head Coach Skinn and his staff with George Mason fans are going to be hungry to finish towards the top of the conference this season and are hopeful to punch their ticket to the Big Dance following the disappointing end to last season. The Atlantic-10 is going to continue to be tougher though. St. Louis has developed a war chest of NIL and are returning some key players from their dominant team last season. VCU and others are right there as well. However, on paper, there is no reason that this Patriots squad should fall outside of the top five in the conference.

Looking up-and-down their lineup, it’s overflowing with talent. It’s also obvious that Tony Skinn wanted to address their three-point shooting woes from last season. As a team, they ranked 107th in offensive efficiency, but just a measly 214th in three-point shooting percentage at 33.3% overall. They’ve added plenty of guards and forwards that can all knock it down from deep, so their three-point shooting that ultimately hurt them in their lack-luster finish to the season has been addressed. For comparison, on the 2025 team that went 27-9 they finished 92nd in three-point shooting and 181st in two-point shooting, so I’m predicting we see a similar stat line this season.

My only concern is the lack of height. Their tallest players come in at just 6’9, so they don’t have a true “center”. It seems though that this is playing into what kind of style of basketball they are going to be looking to play. Last year, they had Riley Allenspach at 6’11 and obviously Kanga is returning who followed up at 6’9. However, they lost Allenspach so someone like Kanga is going to have to play the traditional five, which at times will definitely hurt them down low. Skinn traditionally plays with a slower tempo as the highest he’s finished in the three years on the job is just 316th overall in 2025.

As for a starting rotation, it’s hard to predict in the middle of summer as practices have just started for the majority of programs, but you could imagine something like this:

• Baraka Okojie

• Makhai Valentine/Brayden O’Connor

• Brayden O’Connor/Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor

• Elijah Jones/Michael Marcus Jr./Emmett Adair

• Emmanuel Kanga

I know there are a lot of options listed above, but that’s the truth of this team. There are a number of players that are going to be able to compete for a starting position and that’s not even counting someone like Shane Pendergrass who could very well end up starting some games this season as a freshman.

Looking at the guards, I feel like Baraka Okojie is a no-brainer at point guard, and you are going to start Brayden O’Connor whether that’s as a true shooting guard at the two or slotting him in alongside someone like Makhai Valentine and running with two or three guards since O’Connor does have some height at 6’5. Looking at the frontcourt, Kanga is going to be in the starting lineup. They also have a plethora of forwards to pick from to join him.

How do you think George Mason is looking this season?

In year one, Acuff led the team to an 18-14 overall record and 11-7 in the SoCon, putting them in second place in an ultra-competitive league. Now, they are looking to build on and return to a 20+ win record and the roster is shaping up to look like it has the potential to do just that.

In the era of the transfer portal, the Bulldogs have been able to retain some key players from their rotation last season while adding talent from all levels of college basketball including a budding star from Division II. Let’s take a look at what Samford’s roster is looking like for the 2026-2027 season!

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% of your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Roster Turnover

• Keaton Norris (Ineligible)

  • 10 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists

• Jadin Booth (Ineligible)

  • 21.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.1 steals

• Jaxon Pollard (Ineligible)

  • 3.2 points, 3.7 rebounds

• Daijion Humphrey (TBD)

  • DNP ~ Injury

• Kam Martin (Denver)

  • 5.7 points, 2.1 rebounds

• Dylan Faulkner (Clemson)

  • 17.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists

• Zion Wilburn (Georgia State)

  • 4.6 points, 1 assist

As you’ll see in the coming section on returning players, the Samford Bulldogs were able to return several players from their rotation last season. They did lose their top three scorers in Jadin Booth, Dylan Faulkner, and Keaton Norris. Booth & Norris closed out their collegiate careers on a high-note. I’d be shocked if we don’t see Booth land a professional contract overseas or even within the G-League after a prolific season where he averaged 21.6 points while shooting 45.4% overall and 43.6% from beyond the arc.

Dylan Faulkner followed head coach Lennie Acuff to Samford after Lipscomb and he had his best season yet. The 6’9 forward averaged nearly a double-double while shooting a career-high 61.7% from the floor. He’ll now head to Clemson where there is no doubt he earned a big payday following his consistent development over the last three seasons.

They did lose some additional rotation players in Pollard, Martin, and Wilburn, but they did a great job of replacing them in the transfer portal. Daijon Humphrey unfortunately missed the entire season after suffering an injury prior to their first game, but he did announce recently that he was granted a year of eligibility, so we’ll see where he ends up for his final season of college basketball.

Returning Players

• Cade Norris (Junior)

  • 8.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists

• Judson Bjornstad

  • 2.3 points, 1.4 rebounds

• Will Shaver

  • 2.7 points, 2.6 rebounds

• Isaiah Campbell-Finch (Sophomore)

  • 7.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists

• J.D. Gossett

  • DNP

• Caleb Harrison

  • 1.5 points, 1.4 rebounds

• Joshua Hughes (Walk-on)

  • DNP

• Corey Brown (Walk-on)

  • 0.8 points, 0.6 rebounds (6.4 minutes / 5 games)

• Zach Lamey (Walk-on)

  • 4.6 points, 1 rebound (8.2 minutes / 5 games)

• Cooper Davenport (Walk-on)

  • DNP

Guards

Isaiah Campbell-Finch (6’0)

Campbell-Finch had a phenomenal freshman season for the Bulldogs, so being able to retain him gives Lennie Acuff and his staff a large leg-up on the competition in the SoCon. He averaged 7.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 42.1% overall and 32.1% from beyond the arc. His output was a bit inconsistent, but you can expect that with a freshman knowing that with a full year of development under his belt he should be poised for a breakout in year two.

Looking at his metrics, he finished the season with a 103 offensive rating, 51.8% true shooting percentage, and 10.2 assist rate. He has some work to do at the free throw line, and I’d love to see him take another step forward with his passing game, but Keaton Norris was the go-to point guard last season. Look for a huge year out of Campbell-Finch.

Cade Norris (6’4)

Cade Norris saw a breakout year last season as a sophomore after transferring in from Illinois State. The 6’4 guard averaged 8.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 45.3% overall and 40.4% from beyond the arc. He really turned it on towards the end of the season, averaging 12.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game over his last seven on the season.

Norris’ efficiency showed through his metrics. He finished the season with a 121.4 offensive rating which was 296th overall and a 60% true shooting percentage which was 256th. He also featured a 12.0 assist rate, 12.5% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 39.4 free throw rate. Don’t be shocked if he emerges as one of the most important players on this roster entering year three.

J.D. Gossett (6’5)

Gossett did not play last season and is in fact listed as a sophomore according to Samford’s official roster, so he’s not technically a redshirt freshman. He was one of two incoming freshman last season out of Huntsville, which finished as the number two team in the state the year prior. It’s hard to say what his role will look like this season, but we may potentially see him in a depth position.

Forwards

Judson Bjornstad (6’8)

Bjornstad spent his freshman season at Union before transferring to the Division I level last year. He appeared in 24 games, starting one, while averaging 8.8 minutes per game. During that span, he averaged 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds per game while shooting 34.8% overall and 28.6% from beyond the arc on 21 attempts. The majority of his production came against their non-division one opponents where he put up 16 points with 6 rebounds against NAIA Reinhardt.

Will Shaver (6’10)

Shaver has had a bit of a wild journey. He started his career at North Carolina, before transferring to UAB for two seasons, then spent last season for Samford. He is technically a redshirt-senior at this point, but he’s appeared in 60 games throughout his career. Last year, he appeared in 30 games while averaging 9.7 minutes. The 6’10 forward/center averaged 2.7 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 47.6% overall and knocking down four of his 12 attempts from three-point.

Caleb Harrison (6’9)

Harrison appeared in 13 games as a freshman and averaged 1.5 points with 1.4 rebounds while shooting 60% from the floor. The Huntsville native saw the majority of his production come against their non-division one opponents, including six points with seven rebounds and two assists against Reinhardt. Look for him to see some more opportunities coming into his sophomore season.

Walk-ons

Joshua Hughes, Corey Brown, Zach Lamey, and Cooper Davenport are all walk-ons so you can expect a similar level of production this coming season. Although, shoutout to Lamey for his 14 points against the Reinhardt Eagles last season!

Roster Additions

• Brandon Fussell (Montevallo ~ DII)

  • 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.1 steals

• Win Miller (Belmont)

  • 2.9 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.6 assists

• Ty Davis (Creighton)

  • 1.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists

• Najimi George (New Haven)

  • 11.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists

• Braeden MacVicar (Coastal Carolina)

  • 2.6 points, 2 rebounds

• Lawson Lee (Freshman)

Guards

Brandon Fussell (6’1)

Fussell did nothing but absolutely dominate at the Division II level. As a freshman, he averaged 16.6 points with 3.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Fast forward to his junior year last season, he averaged 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.1 steals while shooting 44.8% overall and 38% from three-point on 171 attempts. If you take out his first six games of the season where it took him a bit to get going, his three-point shooting percentage jumps to 41.4% on the year.

Fussell should most likely slot into either the starting lineup or a role where he is the first player off the bench. He has the ability to be a leader on the court, in which there is a void with Keaton Norris gone. He’s obviously prolific on the offensive end, and when he’s hot from the floor there is little you can do to stop him. Look for him to become a fan favorite quickly.

Win Miller (6’3)

The Alabama native spent his first three seasons with the Belmont Bruins where he appeared in 75 games and started one. Last year, he averaged 2.9 points with 0.7 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 8.7 minutes per game while shooting 39.3% overall and 40.5% from three-point. Roughly 60% of his shot attempts came from beyond the arc, so he’s a bit of a three-point specialist which will give Acuff and his staff a great option off the bench to provide a spark when needed. Look for him to average 15+ minutes per game this season.

Ty Davis (6’4)

The former number one prospect coming out of Alabama was listed as a three-star and committed to Creighton over Oregon, Northwestern, Ole Miss, and many top-tier mid-major programs like Belmont, High Point, and more.

He appeared in 61 games and started in 13 over the last two seasons for the Bluejays including 12 starts coming last season. He averaged 1.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 11.2 minutes per game while shooting 29.7% overall and 20% from three-point on 20 attempts.

He’ll be looking for a larger opportunity with the Bulldogs this year to give himself a chance to breakout and put up large numbers. Don’t be shocked if you see him played 25 minutes or more per game this season.

Najimi Goerge (6’4)

The 6’4 guard spent his last two seasons with the New Haven Chargers, following the team as they transitioned to the Division I level last year while joining the NEC. He appeared in 30 games and averaged 11.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 40.8% overall and 27.8% from three-point. Against #4 UConn, he had 14 points with four rebounds in their first Division I game.

He’s a physical guard who isn’t afraid to fight for boards. In conference play, he finished with a 12.4% defensive rebounding percentage, and he drew on average 3.8 fouls per game which was 23rd best in the NEC. As a results, he had a 38.5 free throw rate which was 14th best. He developed into an offensive weapon as the year went on, finishing with a 22.3% possession usage in the NEC and a 22.7% shot percentage meaning he took nearly a fourth of their shots when he was on the court. From inside the arc in conference play he shot 50.4%.

Braeden Macvicar (6’11)

Macvicar spent his last two seasons with Coastal Carolina, but saw his playing time slashed in half last season. His freshman year, he appeared in 26 games while starting 16 and averaged 6.1 points with four rebounds per game. Last year, he appeared in 24 games while starting none and averaged just 7.2 minutes. He still averaged 2.6 points with two rebounds in that limited playing time while shooting 30% overall.

The Chanticleers made a huge jump from 10-22 and 329th overall in KenPom to 19-13 overall and 247th in KenPom last year. As a result, Macvicar was left out with a smaller role, so he’ll be looking for a higher impact at Samford this coming season. His metrics from his freshman season were very promising. He finished with a 108.4 offensive rating, 16.4% defensive rebounding percentage, and a remarkable 4.6 block percentage which was 208th in the nation. If he can tap back into that, Acuff might have found a diamond in the rough to help replace Dylan Faulkner.

Centers

Lawson Lee (6’11)

Listed as a three-star recruit, Lee spent his senior season of high school at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, Tennessee. This is exactly the kind of kid I could see ending up at Lipscomb when Acuff was the coach, so it’s no surprise that he ended up at Samford. I’m assuming there was a connection there already given that Franklin is less than 30 minutes away from Lipscomb.

Anyway, Lee has a ton of potential. He is a high-octane offensive weapon with size and he’s a strong rebounder already. Sometimes when you have a tall player coming out of high school they need to bulk-up, but Lee is already stout and is listed as 220 pounds. I think Lee is going to have a promising collegiate career and you’ll be seeing him plenty on the court this season for the Bulldogs.

Lee held offers from Georgia Southern, North Alabama, Middle Tennessee, UT Martin, and Jacksonville.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Expectations

This isn’t a veteran heavy team with just five seniors, two of which are walk-ons. While losing their stars Jadin Booth and Dylan Faulkner who combined for 55.4% of the team’s shots when on the court is difficult, they’ve done a great job finding replacements and retaining young talent that is ready to take another step forward in Isaiah Campbell-Finch and Cade Norris.

Looking at the guard play, Cade Norris will return in the starting lineup. My guess will be that his efficiency ratings will drop slightly because he’ll most likely end up taking more than just six shots per game like he did last season. Then you have Campbell-Finch, who is going to need to develop more on his playmaking. With a year under his belt, he didn’t have to step up with Keaton Norris last year, but now he can compliment with newcomers Ty Davis & Brandon Fussell. Combine Norris with Campbell-Finch and Fussell and you have the replacements scoring-wise for Jadin Booth.

The largest question for me is one that carries over from last season and it’s their lack of height. For example, Dylan Faulkner was just 6’9 and essentially played the center position with Will Shaver providing minutes as well. Shaver is back this season, so he is already familiar with Acuff’s system and he has an opportunity to step up in a larger role. He had a 23.1% defensive rebounding percentage and a 6% block percentage in 9.7 minutes. If he bumps up to 15-20 minutes and can see just a light regression in those metrics, he can provide a large impact. However, Acuff did bring in two additional options with Braeden Macvicar & Lawson Lee, but keep in mind that Macvicar saw minimal playing time last season for Coastal Carolina and Lee is an incoming freshman. Macvicar did provide some strong metrics as a freshman, so if he can tap into that more this season I’ll feel better about their depth.

Overall, I firmly believe that Samford is a team to keep an eye on this season. With Cade Norris & Isaiah Campbell-Finch looking to step up, Najimi George, Brandon Fussell, and other rotational players like Win Milley and Ty Davis coming in, this is a roster that can be dangerous in the SoCon. Don’t be shocked when they are towards the top of the conference.

The Owls started off hot at 14-6 overall and 6-1 in the American before dropping six games in a row, including some nailbiters. During that stretch, they fell to East Carolina by one, Tulsa by two, and South Florida by two in a thrilling overtime game. In total, they lost a whopping eight games by five points or less, highlighting that just a few of those tipping the right direction could have yielded strong results for the Owls last year.

Now, in year three Jakus was able to retain one of his key players, but is left rebuilding the remaining spots on his roster. They still have spots as of June 15th if they wish to fill the remaining open roster positions, but let’s go ahead and dive into how their roster is shaping up for the 2026-2027 season.

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% of your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Roster Turnover

• Isaiah Elohim (Virginia Tech)

  • 12.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1 assist

• Devin Vanterpool (Providence)

  • 15.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals

• Josiah Parker (Georgetown)

  • 9.6 points, 6 rebounds, 1.2 assists

• Devin Williams (Seton Hall)

  • 7.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists

• Jack Johnson (TBD)

  • DNP

• Xander Pintelon (Wake Forest)

  • 6.2 points, 3.7 rebounds

• Niccolo Moretti (Lamar)

  • 5.6 points, 2 rebounds, 3.3 assists

• Max Landenfeld (Evansville)

  • 3.5 points, 0.9 rebounds (16 games / 8.2 minutes)

• Vincent Neugebauer (Belmont)

  • 2.4 points, 1.5 rebounds (14 games / 7.6 minutes)

• Maxim Logue (Memphis)

  • 4.8 points, 3.1 rebounds

• Amar Amkou (North Texas)

  • 5.5 points, 2.2 rebounds

• Yohann Sissoko (Long Beach State)

  • 3.3 points, 1.7 rebounds

The FAU Owls are losing all but one player who played a key role in the rotation last season. What’s notable looking at this list is the level of talent that jumped to strong programs. There are five heading to power conferences, two heading to the Missouri Valley, and another two heading to rivals within the American for programs in the conference North Texas & Memphis.

Returning Players

• Kanaan Carlyle (Senior)

  • 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals

• Lachlan Smith (Sophomore)

  • 1 point (2 games / 1.5 minutes)

• Liam Dayco-Green (Sophomore)

  • 2 points, 0.4 rebounds (8 games / 3.1 minutes)

• Zion Sampaio (Freshman)

  • DNP

Unlike many teams, the FAU Owls are returning one of their key players from last season in Kanaan Carlyle. The former Hoosier had his best season in college basketball thus far, averaging 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 40.9% overall and 32.4% from beyond the arc. He had some huge games, making him one of the go-to players last year. He finished the season with a 105.0 offensive rating, 24% possession usage, 12.1% defensive rebounding percentage, 17.1 assist rate, and a strong 51% shooting percentage from inside the arc.

Liam Dayco-Green & Lachlan Smith are both walk-ons, so expect their output to be similar to the past season. Zion Sampaio did not play last season, but he had a strong career at St Andrews prior to joining FAU.

Roster Additions

• Braeden Speed (Sophomore ~ LMU-Maryland)

  • 15.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1 steal

• Josh Harris (Sophomore ~ Indiana)

  • DNP ~ Injury

• Mason Porter-Brown (Senior ~ LIU)

  • 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds

• Kieran Mullen (Sophomore ~ Pittsburgh)

  • 0.8 points, 1.1 rebounds

• Fawaz “Tacko” Ifaola (Sophomore ~ Colorado)

  • 0.7 points, 2.1 rebounds

• Matthew “Matas” Puodziukaitis (Junior ~ Lynn)

  • 6 points, 5.3 rebounds

• Felipe Quinones (Freshman)

• Franck Belibi, Jr. (Freshman)

Guards

Braeden Speed (6’3)

Speed spent his first two seasons in college basketball at Loyola Maryland where he turned himself into a force for the Greyhounds. Last season, he averaged 15.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and one steal per game while shooting 40.6% overall and 30.3% from beyond the arc. He had some monster games, including 24 points with six assists and three rebounds against George Mason, 24 points against Navy, and a strong 13 points, 11 rebound, and seven assist performance against Lafayette.

Looking at his metrics, he finished the season with a 116.4 offensive rating, 23.9% possession usage, 58.8% true shooting percentage which was 332nd overall, 22.9 assist rate at 282nd best, and a 43.7 free throw rate while converted 80.8% of the time.

Against Division I opponents, his three point shooting percentage jumped to 36.7% on 147 attempts while he shot 51.9% from inside the arc. He’s a versatile scorer who will help compliment Kanaan Carlyle well.

Felipe Quinones (6’4)

The Miami Native out of Miami Columbus was a highly sought after recruit. He was listed as a four-star and the 133^rd overall nationally per 247 Sports. Some had him right around 100 as well. He played with the IMG Academy and most recently the Puerto Rico national team in the FIBA U18 AmeriCup in 2026. He appeared in six games and averaged 9.7 points with 4.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 35.3% overall.

Quinones held offers from Florida State, Mississippi State, Michigan, Purdue, and many other power conference programs. He’ll slot straight into a key position in the rotation for the Owls next season, so I’m excited to see how he can develop in year one as a freshman.

Franck Belibi, Jr (6’4)

Coming out of Colorado Academy, Belibi was a three star recruit and ranked the top prospect in Colorado while coming in at 242 in the country per 247 spots. He was a dominant scorer in high school and that showed during his time with Cameroon during the FIBA U19 tournament in 2025. Through seven games, he averaged 14.4 points, four rebounds, and one assist while shooting 36.3% overall and 37.1% from beyond the arc.

Belibi Jr. held offers from Pacific and Long Island. I’d be shocked if we don’t see him on the court this season with the overall lack of depth at the guard position for the Owls. He’ll be slotted to make an immediate impact in year one in the rotation.

Forwards

Josh Harris (6’8)

Josh Harris had about as good of a freshman season as you could ask for at North Florida two years ago. He started in 30 games while averaging 13.4 points and 7.1 rebounds while shooting 55.7% overall from the floor. He finished the season with a 117.1 offensive rating, 13% offensive rebounding percentage which was 72nd in the nation, 19.1% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 57.7% shooting percentage from inside the arc.

After his successful campaign, he left for Bloomington as he made the jump from the Atlantic Sun to join the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten. Unfortunately, he was injured during a fall practice before the season could even start and he ended up missing the entire year.

To bounce back, he’ll look for a new opportunity with fellow former Hoosier Kanaan Carlyle with the FAU Owls. If he has fully recovered, he’ll be a force for the Owls this season and he’ll immediately slot into the starting rotation.

Mason Porter-Brown (6’6)

After two seasons in the JUCO ranks at Indian River, Porter-Brown made a jump to the Long Island Sharks last season. He finished the season averaging 7.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 47.1% overall and 40.4% from three-point. The 6’6 forward averaged 20.1 minutes per game across 35 appearances.

Don’t let his stats fool you because he had some strong games. Against Notre Dame, he finished with 12 points and four rebounds, and against Arizona in the NCAA Tournament he had 15 points with three rebounds, one block, and one steal in 28 minutes.

He finished the season with a 115.2 offensive rating, 60.1% true shooting percentage, and 174th overall in the country in three-point shooting. He’s the type of player that’s going to provide you with some much needed output from beyond the arc.

Matthew Puodziukaitis (6’7)

Either Head Coach John Jakus or someone on his staff must believe that they’ve found a bit of a diamond in the rough with Puodziukaitis. He spent last season with Lynn University, a Division II program where he averaged six points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 61.7% overall. He missed all four of his attempts from beyond the arc.

There truly isn’t a ton of information out there on him, but he did play high school at Palm Beach Central so perhaps he has a connection with the program. He provides some depth at the forward position, and there is no doubt that he has athleticism with strong rebounding potential.

Centers

Kieran Mullen (7’0)

Mullen is an incoming 7’0 sophomore who spent his freshman season with the Pittsburgh Panthers. He appeared in 20 games while averaging 5.4 minutes per game. He averaged a shade blow one point a game at 0.8 with 1.1 rebounds while shooting 41.7% overall on 12 attempts. He finished with 5 points and 1 rebound against No. 20 Louisville in a blow out loss.

Coming out of high school, he was listed as a three-star recruit and the number one prospect out of British Columbia in Canada. The Vancouver native held offers from Coastal Carolina, Seattle, James Madison, and Montana State.

It’s hard to gauge what his role will be, but you should see him earn roughly 15-20 minutes (or even more if he takes off early) because his height is going to provide him with strong opportunities)

Fawaz Ifaola (7’0)

Ifaola is another 7’0 project coming into his sophomore season with the Owls. He spent last year with the Colorado Buffaloes where he appeared in 20 games and averaged 7.8 minutes per game. He averaged 0.7 points, but a strong 2.1 rebounds during his opportunities. In their 87-61 win over TCU, he had six points with six rebounds.

There is no doubt he can be a prolific rebounder. He finished with a 23.9% defensive rebounding percentage and he shot 77.8% from the floor. However, he has to work on the fouling. He averaged 1.8 fouls per game in his limited time. He ever fouled out in a blow out loss to Baylor in just 14 minutes of mostly garbage time.

With his height and rebounding ability, he will have a chance to make his mark this season, but he won’t be able to do that if he is fouling at an incredibly high rate.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Expectations

The FAU Owls might not quite be done yet on the recruiting trail with a couple of additional roster spots available to fill in. However, it’s clear the areas that John Jakus wanted to focus on improving in this offseason to set themselves up for success heading into next year and get over the hump of finishing around .500.

The Owls were just 302nd in assist per field goals made last season, but they’ve done a great job of making improvement with playmaking a priority. Braeden Speed provides experience in leading a team in assists as he was the floor general for Loyola Maryland last season. Felipe Quinones is coming in as just a freshman, but he is a top-100 recruit for a reason. Last season, Niccolo Moretti led the Owls with 3.3 assists per game, but he wasn’t much of an offensive weapon at just 5.6 points per game. Now, you have Speed who is better offensively and someone like Quinones who is going to have a huge opportunity to develop this season.

Right now, there are a lot of question marks in my opinion on this roster. What are they going to get out of Ifaola & Mullen at the center position? Jakus loves to play up-tempo, can they keep up and make an impact on both ends of the court? Will Josh Harris bounce back to the budding star we saw his freshman season at North Florida prior to his injury? Can the two freshman come in and make an immediate impact? Lastly, this team lacks true experience.

I do love the potential of the team so far though. Returning Kanaan Carlyle provides you with veteran experience for someone that is already on the same page as the program and the coaching style of the staff. He’ll be the go-to player this season, while you added two additional players with strong experience at the lower levels in both Josh Harris and Braeden Speed. If they can come in and pick up where they left off, they’ll provide key support around Carlyle in the rotation.

The Ohio Valley is trending upward. After flailing a bit with the departures of Belmont and Murray State, the conference put together it’s best holistic year since 2022. The battle down the stretch for the top of the conference was a blast to watch and SEMO was right at the top the entire time. However, they ultimately fell to Morehead State in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament 66-61 after taking down Lindenwood the day prior.

Coming into last year, the Redhawks were a veteran team with the majority of their roster being upperclassmen. With that in mind, the coaching staff and fans knew that it was going to be an eventfully offseason, essentially building an entirely new roster from scratch. Let’s take a look at who the Redhawks have added for the 2026-2027 season.

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% of your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Roster Turnover

• Blaize Sagna (Ineligible)

  • 1.5 points, 1 rebound

• Elliot Lowndes (Ineligible)

  • 2.5 points, 1.3 rebounds

• BJ Ward (Senior) → East Tennessee State

  • 10.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists

• Troy Cole Jr. (Senior) → TBD

  • 4.2 points, 2.3 rebounds

• Luke Almodovar (Senior) → Memphis

  • 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1 steal

• Brendan Terry (Senior) → TBD

  • 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2 assists

• David Idada (Senior) → TBD

  • 1.8 points, 2.5 rebounds

• Saxton Hoepker (Senior) → TBD

  • DNP (Walk-On)

• Braxton Stacker (Senior) → TBD

  • 11.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists

It should have been no surprise for SEMO fans that they’d be facing nearly an entire new roster coming into the 2026-2027 season. Just two players technically transferred from SEMO to another program, with both making jumps to tougher conferences. Luke Almodovar has now gone from NAIA to Memphis just two two seasons, using his standout season at SEMO to jump him up to the AAC. On the other hand, BJ Ward who was in the top three of production for the Redhawks last season landed in the SoCon with East Tennessee State.

Several additional players that were seniors last season hit the transfer portal in search of additional eligibility, but none have broken through and landed on another roster thus far.

Returning Players

• Marqueas Bell (Senior)

  • 9.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists

• Landren Blocker (Junior)

  • 5.2 points, 3.8 rebounds

• P.J. Farmer (Sophomore)

  • 1.9 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1 assist

• Trace Sadler (Sophomore)

  • 0.9 points, 0.4 rebounds (13 games / 3.8 minutes)

• Jay Reynolds (Sophomore)

  • 1.2 points (10 games / 5.1 minutes)

SEMO was a very veteran heavy team last season, so the staff and fans knew that they’d be returning few players. However, they did bring back two rotational players in Marqueas Bell & Landren Blocker.

Bell averaged 9.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in just 22 minutes per game while shooting 52.5% overall and 30.8% from beyond the arc. The 6’3 guard finished with a 108.3 offensive rating, 12.1% defensive rebounding percentage which was 122nd overall, and a 15.0 assist rate. In conference player, his metrics skyrocketed as he finished 16th in offensive rating, third in defensive rebounding percentage, 19th in assist rate, 25th in two-point shooting percentage, and 7th in fouls drawn per game. He was streaky, with six out of 20 games in conference seeing him finish with just two points, but when he gets hot on offense he’s phenomenal. Against Lindenwood, he had 25 points with five rebounds, and he finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists against Tennessee State who would go on to win the OVC Tournament.

Blocker transferred in from Louisiana Tech last season and he jumped into SEMO’s lineup. He appeared in 33 games, started in 28, and averaged 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 60.8% overall and 41.7% from beyond the arc on 24 attempts. He’s a 6’5 guard that is incredible on the defensive end. During the regular season, he had a 4.3% block percentage which was 241st overall and a 3% steal percentage which was 214th with a 10.4% offensive rebounding percentage which was 223rd. In the OVC, he jumped to 9th in offensive rebounding percentage, 5th in block percentage, and 6th in steal percentage. He’s the type of player that when he takes on a larger role this season, he could breakout.

PJ Farmer saw a little bit of playing time as a freshman, appearing in 32 games and averaging 9.3 minutes per game. The 6’2 guard averaged 1.9 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 41.4% from the floor. He struggled from three-point, completing just two of his 19 attempts, but he shot 56.4% from inside the arc. Farmer has a lot of potential, so you should look for him to take another step forward this season as his role expands.

Trace Sadler & Jay Reynolds both saw minimal time on the floor during their freshman seasons last year. Sadler is a 7’0 center in which most of his production came against two non-division one opponents. He did however, convert his one attempt against Iowa. Reynolds similarly saw most of his production come against SEMO’s non-division one opponents. Both will provide depth roles for the Redhawks this coming season.

Roster Additions

• Fontaine Williams (West Texas A&M ~ DII)

  • 20.5 points, 2.5 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals

• Clayton Jewell (Colorado Mesa ~ DII)

  • 11.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 blocks, 1 steal

• Marcus Eaves (John A Lohan ~ JUCO)

  • 9.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists

• Kycen Pruett (College of Coastal Georgia ~ NAIA)

  • 8.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists

• Darrion Sutton (Missouri State)

  • 4.6 points, 4.3 rebounds

• Alonzo Clawson-Smith (IU - Kokomo ~ NAIA)

  • 18.8 points, 6 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2 steals

• Drew Cooper (Bossier Parish Community College ~ JUCO)

  • 15.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists

• Curtis (Champ) Simpson (Freshman)

• Axton Perry (Freshman)

Guards

Fontaine Williams (6’2)

Well will you look at that, another Barton CC product! I feel like I write about a player with some connection to Barton in nearly every review. Williams started his career at Seward County CC before jumping to Barton where he saw success, which led to him jumping to the Division II ranks at West Texas A&M last season. He took off in his junior season, averaging 20.5 points, 2.5 assists, two rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 45.7% overall and 41.5% from three-point.

He has a knack for getting to the free throw line as well. He attempted 200 shots from the line last season, with the next closest on the team being 99. Of those 200, he converted a whopping 173 for an 86.5% shooting clip.

We have seen plenty of talent from Division II, JUCO, and NAIA over the recent years take flight in the Ohio Valley Conference and I have no doubt that with his tremendous scoring abilities you’ll see the same from Williams this season.

Marcus Eaves (6’4)

John A Logan has produced a lot of strong basketball talent over the years and Eaves is looking to add his name to the list of successful alumni. He finished his freshman season while averaging 9.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and a shade over one steal per game while shooting 48.5% overall and 34.3% from beyond the arc.

What I love about his game is his toughness. He can stretch you outside as he took 70 shots from three-point, but he can fight through track while finishing strong around the rim. He isn’t going to be a leading point guard, but he offers the much needed skillset of a secondary guard to compliment someone like Alonzo Clawson-Smith. Look for Eaves to play a lot of minutes off the bench this season and even potentially jump into the lineup later in the year if his development is successful.

Alonzo Clawson-Smith (6’0)

Clawson-Smith proved that he had Division I talent immediately as a freshman at IU Kokomo this past season. We’re seeing a lot of NAIA stars making their way to Division I and now he’ll be yet another to make waves in the Ohio Valley Conference next season. The 6’0 guard averaged 18.8 points with six assists and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 56% overall and 36.1% from beyond the arc. He isn’t a volume three-point shooter as he took just 61 attempts, which came out to roughly 18.8% of his total shots. However, he also plays strong on-ball defense as he racked up a shade over two assists per game.

You probably haven’t heard of him before this post, but he’s a name that you need to put him on your radar. With his incredible offensive prowess and ability to serve as a floor general as he averaged 2.4 turnovers per game compared to his six assists, he’ll be making a name for himself at the Division I level. Look for him to potentially be on the All-OVC First Team in year one.

Kycen Pruett (6’4)

Pruett appeared in just 13 games before cutting his season short due to an injury at NAIA College of Coastal Georgia. He averaged 8.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game during that stretch while shooting 37.3% overall and 39.7% from beyond the arc. 71.5% of his shot attempts came from three-point, marking his as truly a three-point specialist. Against FAU, he finished with 13 points in 20 minutes, and in total he averaged 10 points in their three games against Division I opponents while shooting 53% from three-point.

The 6’4 guard actually started his career at Marshall where he spent two seasons and appeared in 17 games. He didn’t see a ton of playing time, but served as a depth shooter on the bench.

I don’t expect him to jump to the starting lineup, but he can provide a spark off the bench when the right lineup fits to favor the three-point shot.

Curtis (Champ) Simpson (6’2)

Head Coach Brad Korn called Champ Simpson a bit of a diamond in the rough type player, and it’s easy to see why. He provides a ton of energy, and he had an electric career at Chattahoochee County High School where he averaged 26.5 points and 8.7 assists per game his senior season. That was good enough to earn Tennessee Player of the Year in Class A D-II. With the strong guards they have, I believe he’ll take a developmental year, but he can easily develop into a strong guard for SEMO in the coming years.

Simpson had one other offer from UCF.

Forwards

Clayton Jewell (6’9)

Jewell spent his sophomore season at Colorado Mesa where he averaged 11.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 blocks, and one steal per game while shooting 49.8% overall from the floor. He isn’t a volume three-point shooter, but I do want to call out that he shot 30.4% on 23 attempts, so there’s some skill there. For a more traditional “big man”, he converts well at the free throw line as he shot 83.1% on his 89 attempts throughout the season.

With the Redhawks losing Brendan Terry from last season, Jewell is going to be able to slot right into his position as a replacement. While I don’t know if he’s a 1:1 replacement on the offensive end, he is a stronger rebounder and should present an improvement on the defensive end with a bit more height where he can fit well into the 5 spot.

Darrion Sutton (6’9)

The Redhawks have found themselves their defensive anchor for next season in Darrion Sutton. He spent his freshman season at Georgia Tech where he appeared in 18 games and started one while averaging 1.3 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. Coming out of high school, he held offers from Seton Hall, Providence, Florida State, Butler, and many other power conference programs.

After his freshman season, he transferred to Missouri State last year where he averaged 4.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 53.6% overall. He did knock down four of his 13 shot attempts from beyond the arc as well. He posted some strong stat lines, including 12 points with 5 rebounds against Xavier, seven points with 10 rebounds, four assists, and three steals against Arkansas State, and seven points with 11 rebounds against FIU in just 16 minutes.

Looking at his metrics, he finished with a 111.1 offensive rating, 23.5% defensive rebound percentage, 12.7% offensive rebound percentage, and a remarkable 5.6% block percentage. This is the type of player that with his inevitable expanded opportunity this season, he’ll be able to take off and become a crucial player in the starting lineup for SEMO.

Drew Cooper (6’8)

Cooper put up a strong season in the JUCO ranks at Bossier Parish Community College last season. The 6’8 forward averaged 15.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, ad 1.3 assists per game while shooting 41.2% overall and 34.8% from three-point on 227 attempts.

He is going to fit into the forward position well for the Redhawks because he compliments both Jewell and Sutton well. He’ll be able to provide them with an additional shooter from outside, while still not forfeiting defense inside the paint. He won’t rack up the offensive boards as he had just 32 in 31 games, but he’ll be able to stretch the floor with his height and assist in disrupting defenses to force opposing big men to cover him outside.

Axton Perry (6’8)

Perry is a developmental big man who poses a lot of upside on both the offensive and defensive ends. He features a 6’11 wingspan. He has fantastic athleticism that is going to translate easily to the Division I level. During the TSSAA Class 4A state championship game, Perry finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 4 steals for Bartlett who defeated Walker Valley 69-47. I don’t believe he’ll take on a massive role his freshman season, but I’d be shocked if you don’t see him on the court earning minutes while he develops for the coming years.

Perry held offers from Miami Ohio, Murray State, UT Martin, and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Expectations

The Ohio Valley Conference is going to continue to be a wide-open conference in this era of the transfer portal as most teams will see a plethora of players being one-and-done or staying just two seasons. This means that the head coaches of teams in this conference are going to have to get creative and they are doing just that. We’ve talked a lot about Jeremy Shulman’s international recruiting at UT Martin, while Brian Barone has done some tremendous recruiting in JUCO, and Brad Korn now has assembled a strong roster of talent from all levels outside of Division I (DII, JUCO, and NAIA).

Looking at the roster this far, I’d be stunned not to see Alonzo Clawson-Smith, Darius Sutton, and Fontaine Williams in the starting line up. Clawson-Smith put up prolific numbers as a point guard, then Williams can slot in as the two-guard and provide you with strong offense, and Sutton can hold down the paint with his defense and still pose a threat on offense. For the other two spots, I think it is more wide open, but look for Drew Cooper to slide in at the four given his outstanding offensive numbers in JUCO or Clayton Jewell if they want to go with more of a true “big man” given then he is a strong disrupter inside. For the final spot, it’ll probably be between Landren Blocker and Marqueas Bell. I’d lean Blocker because he provides a bit more height at 6’5 so he could slot into the three-spot. However, Bell is a strong rebounder at just 6’3, but neither are really strong three-point shooters so I could see that going either way. Don’t forget about Trace Sadler either. At 7’0, he is the tallest and only player with true “center height” on the roster, so you should be seeing plenty of him as a sophomore.

The beauty about this roster is, you really can mix-and-match the starting lineup and it’s reasonable to expect that there will be some changes during the non-conference as Brad Korn figures out exactly who he wants in the lineup every game.

The only concern I have on this roster is the overall lack of height. As I mentioned previously, Trace Sadler is the only true “center” on the roster at 7’0, but there are others like Jewell and Sutton that come in at 6’9. We didn’t see a ton of Sadler last season, so it’s hard to say on June 8th that he’s going to be the starting center, but regardless when he isn’t in the lineup you are going to have two 6’9 forwards to hold down the paint by themselves. While that won’t always be an issue at this level, it is something to watch out for once they get into Ohio Valley Conference play.

I’m going to continue to stay this until at the earliest August or September, but I’m not going to try and predict where this team might fall in their conference. When you are pulling in a ton of talent without Division I experience, it’s hard to predict. It becomes even more difficult when nearly every other team in the conference is doing the same thing. However, I will say that I would be thoroughly shocked if we don’t see a third consecutive 20+ win season from SEMO. The majority of these players dominated at their respective levels, and that will translate to this level. Keep at eye on the Redhawks next season!

The first team of the season we’re covering is the Bradley Braves. The Braves have been a consistent force in the Missouri Valley Conference since the 2017-2018 season where they finished 20-13 overall. Since, they’ve had seven 20+ win seasons, including a record of 114-58 overall and 68-30 in the MVC over the last five seasons. Despite this success, they haven’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2019.

Last season looked promising, with blossoming star Jaquan Johnson returning to Peoria, but they ultimately fell to Northern Iowa in Arch Madness. They appeared in the NIT, but were bounced in the first round to Dayton by a score of 80-66.

With nearly an entirely new roster coming in, there are going to be a lot of new faces for the Braves this season. Let’s take a look at who’s new on the roster.

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% of your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Roster Turnover

• Alex Huibregste (Ineligible)

  • 12.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists

• A.J. Smith (Ineligible)

  • 8.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals

• Ahmet Jonovic (Ineligible)

  • 8.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.3 blocks

• Corey Thomas (Ineligible)

  • 5.4 points, 3.6 rebounds

• Jaquan Johnson (Junior) → Iowa State

  • 16.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.5 steals

• Handy Toussaint III (Senior) → TBD

  • 0.8 rebounds (5 games / 2 minutes)

• Demarion Burch (Senior) → Illinois State

  • 8.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, one assist

• Kai Yu (Junior) → Valparaiso

  • 2.7 points, 1.9 rebounds

• Montana Wheeler (Sophomore) → Kansas State

  • 8.5 points, 1.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists

• Matthew Zobrist (Sophomore) → Belmont

  • 1.5 points, 0.4 rebounds (13 games / 5 minutes)

The Bradley Braves made waves last year, returning some yet players including Jaquan Johnson & Demarion Burch. Johnson was on breakout alert and he did just that, jumping from 6.6 points per game to 16.9 points per game while being an absolute force on the court. At just 5’11, you would think he’d be disadvantaged, but he is built like a rock and uses that to his advantage. Now, he cashed out and will be headed to Iowa State.

Burch has been catching heat on the internet as he committed to in-state rival Illinois State after spending the past three seasons at Bradley. He has consistently improved each season, developing into a key player in the rotation. Last year, he stepped up into a wider role as he started in 16 of his 26 games while shooting 40.4% overall and averaging a career high 8.8 points.

Promising freshman Montana Wheeler was looking like a guard that should be on star watch in the Missouri Valley, but Kansas State picked him up this offseason. All-in-all, the Braves lost three players to other Missouri Valley Conference programs while they lost nearly their entire roster, but tis the life of a mid-major.

Returning Players

• Timoty van der Knaap (Junior)

  • 6.5 points, 4.8 rebounds

• Dietrich Richardson (Sophomore)

  • 2.3 points, 0.8 rebounds

• Jackson Seastrunk (Freshman)

  • DNP ~ Redshirt

• Gustavo Guimaraes (Freshman)

  • DNP ~ Redshirt

• Gus Rugaard (Junior)

  • Walk-on

Timoty van der Knaap (6’8)

As I hinted in the prior section, the Bradley Braves are not returning a lot of talent from their prior season. However, Timoty van der Knaap was a solid return for Coach Wardle. The Italian forward jumped from a bench piece his freshman season to appearing in 34 games, starting 11, and averaging 22.8 minutes per game. He shot 42.9% overall from the floor, but just 23.1% from beyond the arc on nearly two attempts per game. From inside the arc, he shot 53.7% against Division I talent.

On the glass, he’s already shown what he can do. He finished with an 8.7% offensive rebounding percentage which was 375th overall and a 16.5% defensive rebounding percentage. Both jumped when he got into conference player to 9% & 17.7% respectively.

If he can work on his outside game, the talent is there on the boards and he can turn himself into an absolute force in the Missouri Valley.

Dietrich Richardson (6’7)

Coming out of high school, Richardson was well regarded. He held offers from Wyoming, DePaul, Xavier, Saint Louis, Virginia Tech, Illinois, and many more high-profile programs as he was listed as a both a 3-star and 4-star recruit on varying platforms.

He played sporadically as a freshman, appearing in 18 games and averaging 7.2 minutes per game. His best game of the year came against Illinois State where he finished with nine points and three rebounds in 20 minutes. He isn’t afraid to shoot as he finished with ten shots in that game, six shots in 12 minutes against Belmont & Murray State, and four shots against Northern Illinois in just five minutes.

There is no doubt that Richardson has some strong raw potential and he’ll have ample opportunities this coming season to tap into that and become a valuable player for the Braves.

Freshmen & Walk-Ons

Both Jackson Seastrunk and Gustavo Guimaraes redshirt last season as freshmen. Seastrunk is a 6’5 guard out of Xavier Academy that held just one offer from Bradley. Guimaraes hails from Brazil, and the 6’11 center choose Bradley over Jacksonville, UMass, U-Albany, and Drexel. In both cases, I envision these players will be taking a developmental season with depth roles on the bench in the 2026-2027 season.

Gus Rugaard is entering his three season as a walk-on for Bradley. Last year, he appeared in seven games and did not score on either of his two shot attempts.

Roster Additions

• Trevon Payton (Senior) - Arkansas-Pine Bluff

  • 10 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1 steal

• Kyle Grill (Senior) - Fort Hays State (D-II)

  • 13.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists

• Ben Thornbrue (Junior) - College of Southern Idaho (JUCO)

  • 12.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.4 blocks

• Josh Ibukunoluwa (Junior) - High Point

  • 2.8 points, 2 rebounds

• Noah Williams (Sophomore) - Barton CC (JUCO)

  • 15.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1 steal

• Xander Alarie (Sophomore) - Northeastern

  • 10.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 blocks

• Dimitrije Pavlovic (Freshman)

• Georgi Gerganov (Freshman)

• Race Kowalczyk (Freshman)

Guards

Trevon Payton (6’5)

Payton previously played at Limestone University, which has since shutdown thus making his deeper statistics difficult to find. Per his profile at Bradley, he appeared in 28 games his Sophomore season where he averaged 13.2 points, six rebounds, and two assists per game while shooting 47.5% overall and 39.2% from three-point. Following the disruption at Limestone, he transferred to Arkansas-Pine Bluff where he took no time adjusting to the Division I level. He averaged 10 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and one steal per game while shooting 51.9% from the floor and an incredible 47.1% from beyond the arc.

When playing in a conference like the SWAC, you might look at his statistics and expect more out of someone making the jump all the way to the Missouri Valley Conference, but let’s look at his games against tough talent in the non-conference. He finished with 22 points against Vanderbilt, 13 points with five rebounds and three assists against SMU, 11 points with three rebounds and two assists against Oklahoma, and 13 points with five rebounds and five assists against the Arch Madness Runner-up UIC.

When looking at his box scores, his story becomes clear. He focuses on efficiency over volume in all aspects of his game. His 65.1% effective field goal percentage was 26th in the country while his 66% true shooting percentage was 29th overall. Both jumped to 70.5% & 70.7% in conference play in which both were the best in the SWAC. He will stuff the stat sheet and provide the Braves with an important role in the rotation.

Kyle Grill (6’6)

Kyle Grill is going to help fill the offensive void that has been left for the Braves. At Fort Hays State last year, he averaged 13.3 points while shooting 44.7% overall and 33.8% from beyond the arc. As the year went on, he got better-and-better offensively. Over his last five games of the season, he averaged 15 points per game. After his strong season, he was an Honorable Mention on the All-MIAA team in both of the prior two seasons.

At 6’6, he fits into the 3-and-D wing role well. He finished with double-digit rebounds twice and he isn’t going to be a passing threat. However, he can be a menace on-ball as well as he finished with three steals against Southwest Minnesota State. He’s the type of player that when he’s hot, he can change the game for his team.

Dimitrije Pavlovic (6’5)

Pavlovic is an incoming freshman from Serbia. He attended the International Sports Academy at Hoosac School in New York last year, but prior to that he played for KK FMP SOCCERBET BEOGRAD in the SRB-3 League in Serbia. He averaged 10.2 points, 5.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game during the 2024-2025 season. He’s shown the potential of becoming a floor general with strong playmaking abilities at a young age. The Braves lack a true point guard this season, so I will not be shocked if you see Pavlovic earning minutes early in the season.

Race Kowalczyk (6’6)

Kowalczyk had offers from Wyoming, Green Bay, UC Irvine, and Toledo coming out of St. John’s Jesuit in Toledo, Ohio. He finished his high school career in the top 10 scorers all right while averaging nearly 20 points per game and shot roughly 42% from beyond the arc. Bradley has shown a tendency to redshirt freshman, so given the other additions on the roster I could see Kowalczyk going either way, one taking a redshirt year and the other playing a depth role to develop and provide some offense off the bench.

Georgi Gerganov (6’5)

Gerganov is currently 22 years old, but will be 23 by the time his freshman season begins. He absolutely dominated in the NBL last season for BC Botev 2012, averaging 21.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. He shot 47.7% overall and 35.2% from beyond the arc. He’s played professionally since 2019, bouncing between Tundja Yambol, Balkan, and then BC Botev last year were he put up his best season to date.

He is physical, a playmaker, and a sharpshooter. There is no doubt that he’ll be playing from day-one for the Braves and should be on fans of other Missouri Valley Conference teams’ radar.

Forwards

Noah Williams (6’8)

Barton College continues to produce Division I talent as they are a true pipeline from JUCO to the highest level of college basketball. Williams originally committed to CSUN where he redshirt his freshman season before transferring to Barton College. He went on to average 15.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game while shooting 43.8% overall and 32.8% from beyond the arc.

Williams took flight as the year went on and posted some incredible stat lines. He finished the season averaged 19.8 points & 7.8 rebounds. He’s a magnet on the glass as he even finished with 17 rebounds in a game, and double-digit rebounds in seven games. At 6’8 he is a bit undersized to serve as a “true-center”, however, his abilities are going to allow him to move quickly down low and carve his way through defenders which being a menace on rebounds.

Xander Alarie (6’8)

Northeastern had a wild season as they started off 4-5 with some nice wins over Harvard & Duquesne, while dropping close games to Boston U, Vermont, Rhode Island, and even keeping up with Wake Forest and Syracuse. They proceeded to finish the regular season just 6-23 overall, but they lost a huge piece to their early success in Xander Alarie.

In just eleven games before going down with an injury that ended his season, he had three double-doubles including some incredible stat lines like 23 points and 11 rebounds against Harvard, 13 points and 13 rebounds against Colgate, and 19 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists against Syracuse. In their win against Duquesne, he had just five points, but finished with six rebounds, three assists, and five blocks.

Looking at his metrics, he finished with a 101.8 offensive rating, 23.4% defensive rebounding percentage, and a ridiculous 5% block percentage. This leaves the question, what could he have done if he had stayed healthy. Regardless, he is going to play a large role for the Braves this season as long as he has fully recovered from his shoulder injury.

Ben Thornbrue (6’8)

Thornbrue is another JUCO transfer coming into Bradley after a successful year at the College of Southern Idaho. He averaged 12.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% overall. He isn’t a three-point threat, but he did knock down 19 last season on 66 attempts. In the National Championship game, he finished with 21 points against Howard College.

Similar to Williams, he can be a magnet on the glass which has clearly been an emphasis that Coach Wardle wanted to address this offseason. Thornbrue finished the season averaging eight rebounds per game over his last five, while posting three games on the season with double-digit rebounds.

His ability to block shots is what really stands out. He had 4+ blocks twice and 3+ blocks five times. You can imagine that if you pair him in the lineup with Williams that you are going to have two defensive magnets while Thornbrue can cover more of the “true-center” role even at just 6’8.

Josh Ibukunoluwa (6’10)

Ibukunoluwa spent his last two seasons at High Point where he appeared in 41 games total, averaging three points and 2.4 rebounds per game while shooting 59.5% overall. His best game of the season came against a non-division I program, but he did finish with a solid line against Winthrop with four points, five assists, one assist, and two blocks.

With the minimal playing time, his metrics are skewed, but show promising upside. He finished with a 144.5 offensive rating, 61.9% true shooting percentage, 13.4% offensive rebounding percentage, 13.8% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 3.1% block percentage.

He is a bit of a raw talent, but he will provide the Braves with some much needed height so he shouldn’t be left without a lot of opportunities to see the court.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Expectations

Brian Wardle and his staff had a tall task to replace some of their top players that departed from last season, but they’ve pieced together a very intriguing roster.

There is a ton of developmental talent. All of the freshman and redshirt freshman from last season have high upside, while admittedly I don’t know if you can call Georgia Gerganov a “true freshman” at 23 years old. What I like though is the fact that they pieced together some players with experience from different levels that are going to be able to compliment the overall lack of experience.

For example, as I highlighted with Trevon Payton, he isn’t going to light it up on scoring, but he has a tremendous basketball IQ and will stuff the box score with assists and rebounds while still giving you 8-10 points a game. Xander Alarie had what was looking like a stellar freshman season cut short at Northweastern. Then Kyle Grill, Noah Williams, & Ben Thornbrue both have valuable experience and put up strong metrics at their respective non-division one.

I’m not going to attempt to predict a starting lineup on June 1st, but I imagine that one could see Timoty van der Knaap, Xander Alarie, Kyle Grill, Georgi Gerganov in the lineup. My largest concern is their point guard play and lack of height. Josh Ibukunoluwa is the only player 6’10 or taller on the roster and he’s appeared in just 41 division one games within minimal minutes in his career thus far. They don’t have a true “standard” point guard either, a role that Jaquan Johnson formed into with Montana Wheeler as a secondary option.

While they do lack height, rebounding was a clear focus point for Wardle’s staff this offseason. Noah Williams has the potential to make a huge impact in year one for the Braves, while Thornbrue, Alarie, and Grill can follow it up up and down the lineup at the guard and forward positions. I’m a huge believer in Xander Alarie, and in my opinion, he will be the glue piece to the potential of this roster.

Overall, I think there are some questions with this roster, however, Brian Wardle has proved time-and-time again that he can form strong rosters that can compete and win within the Missouri Valley Conference. With the raw talent and ceilings on some of these players, you can most likely expect that this team will be competing in the MVC, but I’m not sold that they’ll be at the top of the conference quite yet. If everything clicks, which it’s still far too early to truly “call our shot” on the expectations of this roster, then you can imagine a top-five finish.

As we mentioned last week, offseason reviews will be firing up starting in June, so I figured what better way to get us in the swing of looking ahead for next season than a little look back at last year?

The transfer portal, NIL, and the current climate of college basketball has changed how programs rebuild. It’s no longer a rarity to see a team jump 100+ spots in KenPom from one season to another now with the ability to rebuild your team every season. The question now is, can the teams that see this growth sustain it? Can they retain their key players?

Let’s take a look at who were the top five teams that improved from 2025 to 2026 and what metrics drove them to see those results.

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% of your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Tulsa (267th → 56th)

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane made the largest jump of the season after finishing just 13-20 overall and 267th in KenPom during the 2024-2025 season. They jumped to an incredible 30-8 record this past season, which was good enough for 56th in KenPom and a trip to the NIT Finals where they fell to Auburn in overtime 92-86.

Looking at their metrics, two areas really stand out:

• AdjOE jumped from 101.6 to 120.1 (270th to 43rd)

• AdjDE jumped from 110.2 to 106.4 (224th to 116th)

These metrics made massive jumps while having a generally neutral strength of schedule adjustment between the two seasons. Their offensive schedule adjustment increased from -0.7 to 0.0, meaning they played statistically stronger offenses. Their defensive schedule adjustment did drop a bit from +1.7 to just +0.3, but that’s not enough to really skew the massive jump they made overall.

The four-headed monster in David Green, Tylen Riley, Miles Barnstable, and Ade Popoola was lethal for Tulsa. Green averaged 15.9 points with 4.6 rebounds, while Riley averaged 15 points, Barnstable had 14.6, and Popoola had 10.8 points with 1.3 steals as well. As a team, they were ranked in the top 50 of several key metrics including 29th in effective field goal percentage, 10th in three-point shooting percentage, and 13th in free throw shooting percentage.

It’s been a rollercoaster for Eric Konkol in his first four years on the job, finishing 316th, 184th, 267th, and then 56th in KenPom, but he has all of the momentum rolling. They’ve lost some key pieces, but they’ve built right back in up the portal and are setting themselves up for a successful season coming up. Stay tuned for our offseason review of the 2026-2027 Golden Hurricane later this offseason.

Central Arkansas (349th → 151st)

John Shulman put together one of the best stories across Mid-Major college basketball this season as the Central Arkansas Bears jumped from a 9-24 record which equated to just a 349th KenPom record to 22-12 overall and a 151st finishing position per KenPom.

The Bears ultimately lost to Queens in overtime in the Atlantic Sun Championship, but that shouldn’t overcast just how much they improved in one season. Here are their key offensive and defensive improvements:

• AdjOE jumped from 97.5 to 110.2 (332nd to 152nd)

• AdjDE jumped from 116.2 to 109 (340th to 166th)

Camren Hunter was a beast this season, finishing averaging 21 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 50.6% overall. Ty Robinson was right behind him with 14.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, two assists, and 1.9 steals per game.

Diving into some of the deeper metrics, their offensive schedule adjustment did drop from -1.7 to -3.2, meaning that overall they played statistically weaker offenses throughout the season. Couple that with their standout defensive improvements, and you have the recipe for what contributed to such a sharp increase within just one offseason.

While it’s the life of a growing Mid-Major, the Bears did lose several key players including Hunter, but Ty Robinson stayed committed and will be returning to the Bears for his sophomore season. He’ll be positioned as their go-to player.

Cal St. Fullerton (351th → 170th)

Cal State Fullerton was not talked about enough this past season. In 2025, they finished just 6-26 overall and 351st in KenPom, but they jumped to 18-16 overall and 170th in KenPom during the 2025-2026 season. It’s been a wild ride for head Coach Dedrique Taylor who’s been at the helm since 2014, but there is a lot of reason to believe that they will be able to build off this strong improvement.

Before I dive into the overall metrics, I have to shout out how fun they were to watch. This team was FOURTH overall in tempo and third overall in average possession length at a remarkable 14.7 seconds. If you like offense, this was the team to watch last season. Breaking down their offensive and defensive metrics, here is where they landed:

• AdjOE jumped from 93.8 to 109.3 (356th to 169th)

• AdjDE jumped from 112.6 to 109.3 (294th to 176th)

As I highlighted with their tempo, it was night and day compared to 2025. They were just 129th in tempo last season, marking a massive jump. Interestingly enough as well, their defensive adjusted schedule actually took a large jump from -1.3 to +0.3 between the two seasons, so despite facing off against tougher defenses, the increased tempo translated into success.

They’ve lost some key pieces, but they’ve also brought in six transfers with another four freshman coming in. The Big West is in a lot of limbo right now as well, so the question is, will Taylor focus on quick and effective offense next season?

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Stephen F. Austin (271st → 91st)

The Lumberjacks had a bit of an uncharacteristic year during the 2024-2025 season, finishing just 14-17 overall and 271st in KenPom. They bounced back with a massive jump to 28-6 overall and 91st finishing position in KenPom. The Southland conference as a whole is rolling with both McNeese and Stephen F. Austin on the rise among other programs as well.

While they fell to McNeese in the Southland Conference Tournament, they received an invite to the NIT where they had the unfortunate first round pairing against Tulsa. They fell 89-84 in a thrilling overtime game, so while the season ended in disappointment don’t let that overshadow their improvement. Here’s how their offensive and defensive metrics grew:

• AdjOE jumped from 94.8 to 112.8 (353rd to 90th)

• AdjDE jumped from 101.8 to 100.4 (67th to 28th)

When you expand to look at their scheduling metrics, the picture gets more clearer. Their offensive adjusted scheduling decreased from +0.7 to -0.1, but their defensive adjusted scheduling dramatically jumped from +2.7 to +3.8. the 0.8 drop on the offensive side wasn’t enough to make up the massive jump in offensive metrics overall, but it definitely helped. On the defensive end though, it’s remarkable that it jumped nearly an entire point just they still increased to a top-30 overall defense.

It doesn’t look like they are going to be slowing down any time soon either. They’ve retained some players and added several intriguing players out of the portal, setting them up to see success next season as well.

Pacific (284th → 112th)

Remember when Pacific finished just 6-26 and got blown out by Pepperdine 102-43 in the WCC Conference Tournament? Crazy that it was only two seasons ago, but they are really starting to get things rolling. After that disastrous finish, Dave Smart took over as head coach and the Tigers finished 9=24 and 28th in KenPom during the 2024-2025 season. They made a massive jump in year two underneath Smart, finishing 18-15th overall and 112th in KenPom. Here’s how their offensive and defensive metrics shaped up:

• AdjOE jumped from 99.5 to 107.9 (314th to 186th)

• AdjDE jumped from 113.0 to 105.7 (331st to 101st)

The key thing here is, both their offensive and defensive adjusted schedule increased. Their offensive jumped from +2.0 to +2.8 while their defensive jumped from -1.1 to -0.3, in which both really emphasize the size of growth they had in just one season.

They are going to be restarting with a nearly entire new roster, but Dave Smart should have Tigers’ fans feeling confident about his ability to lead this team into what will be a much more feasible WCC without Gonzaga at the top of the conference.

Offseason Reviews

It’s about that time! Starting in June, we’ll be sending out weekly (sometimes twice a week) offseason reviews all the way up till the start of the season. With that in mind, if you have a specific team that you’d like to see covered, send us a message below. We’ll do our best to cover all teams submitted once their roster has been finalized!

In the meantime, there are plenty of teams that are assembling rosters that are looking like they can make a splash in their conferences next season. We’ve been seeing a ton of positive news around scheduling agreements among mid-major programs, so this season is truly making out to be a special one…even if the tournament is expanded.

Today, we’re going to be looking at who the Kennesaw State Owls have added via the transfer portal. They have a strong set of freshman coming in as well that we’ll save for a full offseason review, but the five players that are coming in via the portal are all showing signs of being able to make positive impacts in their first season with the Owls.

After coming off a no doubt odd season given the gambling probe that impacted the team, the Owls still finished the season 21-14 and even went on a run in the Conference USA Tournament to head to the NCAA Tournament fir the first time since 2023. Antoine Pettway is continuing to build up this program that was restored by the late Amir Abdur-Rahim.

Let’s take a look at who the Owls have added thus far!

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% of your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

C.J. Beaumont

C.J. Beaumont is a 6’8 junior that is going to be looking to bust out in a big way this coming season. He’s spent the last few seasons with Sam Houston, initially joining the team in 2023 where he appeared in 15 games as a freshman. He ultimately redshirt his sophomore season, but as this past year winded down, he started to show us what he could be made of.

His playing time was sporadic and sparse up until the final few weeks of the season, and he took advantage. On the season, he averaged 3.3 points with 2.4 rebounds, however, over his last six games he averaged 8.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and nearly one steal per game in a shade over 20 minutes per game of action. His best game of his career so far came in the NIT against New Mexico when he finished with 22 points, five rebounds, and one block while shooting 8-14 from the floor overall and 4-6 from beyond the arc.

Looking at his underlying metrics, they show signs of what could be in an expanded role. He finished with a 110.5 offensive rating, 13.8% possession usage, 55% effective field goal percentage, 18.1% defensive rebounding percentage, and a strong 44.4% shooting percentage from three-point against Division I opponents.

While there are still unknowns with what he’ll fully be able to do, if he can take a step forward and grow on what he did over the final weeks of this past season then I believe the Owls might have found themselves a hidden gem.

Anthony Enoh

Enoh is a 6’7 forward from Nigeria that spent his first two seasons in college basketball at Jessup University which was previously NAIA until it transitioned to Division II last season. In his sophomore season for the Warriors, he averaged 11 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 46.6% overall and 38.3% from beyond the arc on 60 attempts.

As he started to garner Division I interest, he landed at Georgia State last season. He finished the year appearing in 30 games, starting 17, and averaging five points and five rebounds per game while shooting 33.8% overall. While there was definitely an adjustment in level of competition that he was playing against this year, he showed some strong glimpses of what could be.

Against Jacksonville State, he finished with 7 points and 12 rebounds. Against App State, he finished with 10 points and 9 rebounds. There’s no doubt that he’s a prolific rebounded and a strong force down low, but there’s plenty of room to grow on the offensive end. He finished the season with a 43.6% true shooting percentage and 37.5% effective field goal percentage.

They Owls will value his defensive capabilities as he featured a 17.1% defensive rebounding percentage which was 437th overall in the nation and a 7.9% offensive rebounding percentage which was 462nd. He also had a 3.1% block percentage which was 403rd in the country, which jumped to 4% in the Sun Belt or 14th best among his peers.

Similar to the others on this list, Enoh is a bit of a raw talent still, however, his defensive abilities are going to continue to get him in the lineup with opportunities. If he can grow on the offensive end, he could turn himself into a consistent double-double player.

Kris Parker

Coming out of high school, Parker was listed as a 3-star recruit, the 41st overall Small Forward and the 20th best overall out of Florida. He’s had a bit of a journey already as he initially committed and enrolled at Alabama his freshman season where he ultimately redshirt. He chose the Tide over DePaul, NC State, Villanova, Georgia, St. Johns, and many other strong power conference programs. Following his freshman season, he transferred to Villanova where he appeared in 27 games, averaged 10 minutes per game along with 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds.

Following his season at Villanova, Parker hit the transfer portal again and landed closer to home with the UCF Knights. His playing time was slashed in half as he appeared in 22 games at 5.8 minutes per game while averaging 1.7 points and 0.7 rebounds per game. His best two games of the season came back-to-back against Texas A&M with 9 points and Oakland with eight points, two rebounds, and one assist which were crucial in the tight 87-83 finish.

With the minimal playing time, it’s difficult to look deep at his metrics, but he did finish with a 59.2% true shooting percentage, 9% defensive rebounding percentage, and a strong 64.7% shooting percentage from inside the arc. This is consistent with his season at Villanova where he featured a 12.6% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 63.3% shooting percentage from inside.

Parker is a raw talent still, but at 6’9 he has a strong body that’s going to be able to provide Kennesaw State with a force down low. This is the type of player that’s looking for an opportunity to see the court and he has a golden chance to take advantage and break out this season.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Avery Thomas II

There’s something about inter-conference transfers that just really fuel the fire for rivalries. Avery Thomas II spent his first season in Division I with the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs last season where he put up solid numbers for a team that won 20 games. He averaged 9.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 40.3% overall and 30% from beyond the arc as a 6’8 sophomore.

He’s a monster on the glass. He had two 15-rebound games, eight 10+ rebound games, and five double-doubles. When he gets hot from beyond the arc, he can become a problem as well. Over the final month of the season, he shot 48% from three-point on 33 attempts in ten games.

In the year prior to Louisiana Tech, he spent the season with a JUCO at Jones College where he dominated. He averaged 14.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He shot 50% overall and 45% from beyond the arc, all of which clearly translated to the next level as he got more comfortable.

Looking at his metrics, he finished the season with a 108.6 offensive rating, 47.9% true shooting percentage, 11.6% offensive rebounding percentage which was 150th overall, a 19.4% defensive rebounding percentage which was 233rd best in the country, a 2.7% block percentage, and a 2.7% steal percentage in which both were ranked nationally as well.

This is a player who is still young and is going to continue to develop into a strong Division I basketball player. He’ll immediately slot into the Owl’s starting lineup this season and I’m excited to see how he grows.

Jacoby Hill

We have another inter-conference transfer! Jacoby Hill spent his freshman season with Jacksonville State who he chose over UAB, North Alabama, Alabama, and Mississippi State. It’s no coincidence either that he was receiving interest from the SEC. The Alabama native finished his freshman season with the Gamecocks averaging ten points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and one steal per game while shooting 51.4% overall and 35.5% from beyond the arc.

As the season went on, he kept getting better and better. Over his last five games, he finished averaging 15.8 points, six rebounds, 2.6 assists, all while shooting 66.7% from the floor. His metrics speak highly of his skills as well. He finished with a 113.9 offensive rating which grew to 116.2 in conference play and his shooting metrics were strong with a 54.2% effective field goal percentage and 58% true shooting percentage which both stepped up to 56.5% and 60% each respectively in the Conference USA.

At 6’4, he’s not our traditional shooting guard or combo guard, rather he is a highly impactful strong IQ guard that can slash to the paint and finish strong inside. His 59.1% shooting percentage from inside the arc during conference play was 11th best in the conference. While he isn’t a three point volume threat, he still shot 32.5% on 40 attempts inside the CUSA which is respectable.

Hill is going to blossom into a strong player and he already has one solid season under his belt in the same conference that he’ll be playing in with Kennesaw State. Similar to Thomas II, I believe that Hill will slot immediately into the starting lineup and provide a huge spark for the Owls at the two-spot.

P.S. If you haven’t, check out some of his dunks online…he has some incredible athleticism.

Offseason Reviews

It’s about that time! Starting in June, we’ll be sending out weekly (sometimes twice a week) offseason reviews all the way up till the start of the season. With that in mind, if you have a specific team that you’d like to see covered, send us a message below. We’ll do our best to cover all teams submitted once their roster has been finalized!

While picking up strong talent from the lower ranks, they’ve also tapped into the power conference ranks to find strong players that are looking for an expanded opportunity to prove their capabilities.

Let’s dive in and see who George Washington has added to their roster this season and why they could be a force in the Atlantic-10 next season.

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% of your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Terrance Arceneaux (NC State)

The 6’6 incoming senior has spent four seasons at the power conference level, three with the Houston Cougars and last year with the NC State Wolfpack. At Houston, he appeared in 40 games the year prior while starting six and averaging 6.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. For NC State, he averaged 3.8 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 41% overall and 32.6% from beyond the arc.

Looking at his metrics, he finished with a 110 offensive rating, 14.4% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 51.6% true shooting percentage. During that strong season for Houston in 2025, he finished with a 2.9% steal percentage which was 305th in the country, a 114.3 offensive rating, and a 53.1% true shooting percentage.

He’ll be looking to make a huge splash in an expanded role to close out his collegiate career, and he has the potential to be special for the Revolutionaries.

Andrew Phillips

Phillips has spent the last three years with Lafayette and he’s developed into a strong versatile player. The 6’4 incoming junior averaged 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game last season while shooting 39.8% overall and 31.1% from beyond the arc. The year prior, he shot 46.6% on 7.5 attempts and 43.1% on 3.3 attempts from three-point, so his percentages dipped a bit as he nearly doubled his attempts per game in both categories last season.

Coming out of high school, he had just one other off from a non-division I program in Jefferson. Now, he’s made the jump to the Atlantic-10 in just a couple of seasons. Last year, he finished with a 103.4 offensive rating, 50% true shooting percentage, 10.9% defensive rebounding percentage, and just an 8.6 turnover percentage which was 77th best in the country. He also rarely fouls as he averaged just 1.8 fouls per game which was 102nd best in the nation.

Dylan James

Dylan James is another incoming transfer for George Washington that has plenty of experience at the highest level. He’s spent the last three years with the Georgia Bulldogs where he’s appeared in 87 games and started in 18. Last year, he averaged 4.5 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 46.4% overall. At 6’9, he’s not a three point threat, but in his first two seasons he shot 22-56 at a 39% clip before completing just one of his 17 attempts last year.

He finished the season with a 105.5 offensive rating, 50.9% true shooting percentage, 10.9% offensive rebounding percentage, 16% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 4% block percentage. A lot of his damage came in the non-conference, but he had a couple strong games against strong SEC opponents.

gainst Florida, he finished with 16 points and six rebounds on 6-10 shooting in 20 minutes. Against Texas A&M, he finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks in 25 minutes. He’s a strong player that is going to thrive with an increase opportunity at a slightly lower level of competition.

Felix Kossaras

Felix Kossaras has spent his first two seasons in college basketball with the Colorado Buffaloes where he is starting to show signs of a budding star. Last year, he stepped up while starting in 17 of the 28 games he appeared in. He averaged 4.6 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting 50% overall and 38% from beyond the arc.

Kossaras finished the year with a 119 offensive rating, 63.2% true shooting percentage, and a 31.8 free throw rate while converting 21 of his 28 attempts from the line. While he haven’t seen what he can look like in an expanded role, his metrics and growth in year two represent what could be a massive step forward this coming season at George Washington.

In the non-conference, he finished with 17 points against UC Davis, 11 against Washington, and consistent 6-8 points per game. His playing time diminished in conference play, so he’ll be looking to take full advantage of his new opportunities.

Malachi Arrington

Arrington is an intriguing pickup, in which at 6’11 he’ll provide some important depth with height. He played at NJIT the least two seasons where he appeared in 51 games and started 18 while averaging 11.9 minutes per game. Last year, he averaged 3.9 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 59.7% overall. He had a couple of huge games including an 11 points and 11 rebound double-double against Eastern Michigan in the non-conference slate of their schedule.

He finished with a 106.8 offensive rating, 60.3% effective field goal percentage, 9% offensive rebounding percentage, 19.6% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 4.7 block percentage. He is going to be the type of player that when you need some help on defense, you can send him out their to clean up the boards and be a force down low.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Andrija Vukovic

The 6’11 forward/center from Serbia took a step forward last year in his second season at Oklahoma State. He appeared in 27 games, starting in three, while averaging 15.3 minutes per game. Vukovic averaged 5.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 62.2% overall and knocking down one of his three attempts from outside.

His metrics show some exceptionally strong upside is his averages correlate to an expanded role with more minutes. He finished the year with a 124.7 offensive rating, 64.6% true shooting percentage, 11.2 offensive rebounding percentage, 12.8% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 63.2% shooting percentage from inside the arc.

He played very well to close out the season. Over his last five games, he averaged eight points and 5.8 rebounds, while shooting 57% overall. This is one of my favorite additions for the Revolutionaries because he is poised to go off this season.

Omari Witherspoon

George Washington fans should be thrilled to have picked up Witherspoon and he’ll quickly become an enemy for fans of other Atlantic-10 teams. The 6’4 freshman had a fantastic debut to his career, averaging 7.5 points, three rebounds, and 2.5 assist per game while shooting 38% overall. He shot just 28.7% from beyond the arc, but he showed signs that this is an area he’ll be able to grow in.

Looking at his metrics, his offensive rating was 87.6 which will grow with a different team surrounding him, a 16.9 assist rate, 11% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 2.7% block percentage. He’s a strong defender in the making and couple that with his athleticism and he’ll be a problem for opposing guards.

Witherspoon has a ton of upside that he’ll be looking to unlock in the coming season.

Ryder Frost

The 6’7 forward appeared in 26 games as a freshman last season and averaged 6.2 minutes per game. He finished the year averaging 2.7 points and 0.8 rebounds while shooting 40.4% overall and 38.5% from three-point on 52 attempts. In case you are wondering, yes, 91.2% of his shots last season were from beyond the arc. He’s a three-point specialist.

Coming out of high school, he was a three-star recruit with offers from a lot of power conference programs including Michigan, Villanova, BYU, Miami, Wisconsin, and many more. While the majority of his statistics game in the non-conference, he had a couple of strong games against North Carolina & Pittsburgh where he drained 7-9 three pointers combined in those games.

While he didn’t have a ton of playing time, he finished the season with a 120.2 offensive rating, 58.4% true shooting percentage, 10.9 defensive rebounding percentage, 8.9 assist rate, and of course his strong three-point shooting percentage. I’m excited to see him get more opportunities to showcase his raw shooting potential.

Just last season, we saw players like Collin Parker transfer to Austin Peay and dominate with 17.6 points per game along with 6.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Ben Humrichous went from Huntington University in Indiana to the Final Four with Illinois, while there are other stories like Riley Minix who has been playing in the G-League and even signed a two-way contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

While the portal was made the world of college basketball more chaotic, it’s also opened up the opportunity for players who normally would be overlooked at the Division I level the chance to prove themselves and set up even potential long-term careers.

This season is looking to be no different with this trend, so let’s take a look at five players that are transferring in from the NAIA level to Division I that has a great chance of making a huge splash in year one.

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% of your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Jesse Van Kalsbeek (South Dakota State)

How Jesse Van Kalsbeek wasn’t already playing at the Division I level is mind-blowing, but as just a sophomore (incoming junior) we’ll get to see at least two more seasons if not three with the NCAA potentially moving to a five-year eligibility rule.

Van Kalsbeek was named the NAIA Player of the Year after what was about as dominating of a campaign that a single player could put together at Northwestern. He led the Raiders with 27.8 points, 4.7 assists, 12.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 61.2% overall and 41.2% from deep on just 34 attempts.

He had three 40+ point games, which ironically all came within the first six games of the season. In one of those games, he finished with 47 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists with just two turnovers against William Penn. He poses a unique skill set that allows him to not just be a monster scorer, but a prolific rebounder as well. At 6’7, he is not afraid of slashing to the paint and he does so with ease. He’s lightning quick on his feet, allowing him to function almost at the same speed as a guard.

He does have some work to do on cutting down on his turnovers. He averaged nearly three per game, and it became a bit more of an issue as the season went on. However, it’s very important to remember that on a team like South Dakota State, he’s not going to have to function as a “do-it-all” kind of player. He’ll be able to slot in to his natural positioning as a slashing forward with the ability to play outside of his position and lock down the paint.

Zach Lee (Cal State Bakersfield)

Zach Lee is a 6’4 guard that has spent his entire career so far at Loyola New Orleans. He redshirt his freshman season after appearing in five games, but he started to take off in his official freshman season. He earned a spot on his conference’s All-Freshman team while averaging nine points with 6.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He battled injuries in his sophomore season, but he bounced back last year with his strongest year to date. He averaged 14.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 51.5% overall and 38.3% from beyond the arc on 60 attempts.

Cal State Bakersfield is in full rebuild mode at the moment, and this is going to give someone like Zach Lee an opportunity to shine. The Roadrunners named Todd Lee their head coach after spending the last couple of seasons at USC as an assistant. He has plenty of coaching experience, with a record of 154-81 at Kentucky Wesleyan & 66-52 at South Dakota.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Devin Davenport (Eastern Illinois)

Devin Davenport spent last season at Missouri Valley College where he emerged as a dominant offensive weapon. The 6’2 guard averaged 20.3 points, four rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 44.1% overall and 36% from three-point. He’s not going to be a floor general, but he can be one of your go-to players for scoring on the floor.

The Panthers have a couple of point guards coming in, Jaden Miller & Jalen Calloway” while Markus Blackwell is returning following a solid debut last year. Davenport will immediately slide in as one of their top offensive weapons as Marty Simmons looks to continue building Eastern Illinois up following an extension after the season.

For Davenport, he’ll be a two-way scorer as he can knock it down from deep, but he’s also a strong finisher from inside. He took 31.4% of his attempts last season from outside, and he shot 47.8% from inside the arc on his remaining attempts. He becomes lethal at the free throw line as well, shooing 89.7% on 175 attempts last year.

Look for Davenport to make a huge impact in his first season at the Division I level.

Jackson Cooper (Indiana State)

Indiana State has already saw some success in bringing over players from the NAIA level. Last season, Ian Scott transferred in from the NAIA and averaged 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists for the Sycamores last year while shooting 63.2% overall.

Jackson Cooper had a tremendous season last year for Oregon Tech. The 6’7 forward averaged 17.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 56.6% from the floor. He’s not a three point threat as he’s attempted just two shots from beyond the arc over his last three seasons. His performance last year was good enough to name him as a second-team All-American in the NAIA as well as his conference’s Player of the Year.

Cooper had some ridiculous stat lines last year, including a 28 points, 15 rebound, and 10 assist tripe-double against a strong College of Idaho team. He in general fits the mold of head coach Matthew Graves’ coaching style very well. The Sycamores struggled mightily offensively in nearly every category, but they dominated from inside the arc where they were 25th in the country and took 50.6% of their shots. Cooper, someone who is prolific from inside the arc, is going to fit in perfectly for the Sycamores in year one.

Izaiah Day (Morehead State)

Coming from Taylor University, Izaiah Day put together a massive stat line this past season. In 30 games, the 6’3 guard averaged 16.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 48.7% overall and 42.2% from beyond the arc.

Last year, Morehead State put together a strong season in year two underneath Jonathan Mattox at the helm. The Eagles finished 20-13 overall and 15-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Overall, they lacked consistent offense as they ranked just 285th in effective field goal percentage, 281st in three-point shooting percentage, and 267th in two-point shooting percentage.

Day is going to immediately slot in as one of the key offensive players for the Eagles next season and they are going to be able to rely on his efficient shooting capabilities. His 42.2% three-point shooting was based on a shade over seven attempts per game and his overall 48.7% shooting percentage was based off 11.7 attempts per game. While he lines up as a three-point specialist, he can get it done inside as well and he can finish well at the free throw line were he shot 74%.

While Will Wade left, Bill Armstrong is doing just as good of a job as they finished 28-6 overall and 19-3 last season while the Southland as a whole continues to up their standards. In 2023, the Southland was ranked 30th overall per KenPom ahead of just the SWAC, NEC, and the two independent teams that year (Chicago State and Hartford). In 2026, the conference finished 18th overall and with the growth from Stephen F. Austin and others like Lamar who I think will be solid next year, the conference is going to continue to improve.

As a result, Coach Armstrong had to make some splashes in the transfer portal and he has done just that. While retaining Larry Johnson who came off a stellar freshman campaign, Armstrong has added six transfers from power conference programs that are looking for an opportunity to break out. Let’s dive into these additions!

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% of your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Dellquan Warren

Coming out of Keystone Athletic Academy in Erie, Pennsylvania, the 6’2 guard was listed as a three-star recruit. He chose Mississippi State other many other power conference schools like Penn State, Florida State, St. John’s, Alabama, and many more.

Over his last two seasons with the Bulldogs, he didn’t see the floor a ton. He appeared in 45 games, averaging 6.7 minutes per game and a shade under one point per game. His best game of his career so far came against LSU his freshman season when he played 15 minutes, scored five points with four assists, one rebound, one steal, and just one turnover.

He’s a raw point guard that is going to have an opportunity to find his footing alongside standout Larry Johnson who will enter his sophomore season.

Elijah Moore

Moore spend last season at Utah where he appeared in just one game, but he had a strong freshman showing at Syracuse the year prior. The former four-star recruit averaged 5.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, and one assist per game while shooting 39.1% overall and 31.5% from beyond the arc.

Looking at his metrics, he feature a 9.1% defensive rebounding percentage, 11.5 assist rate, and a 98.2 offensive rating. He shot well from inside the arc at 48.3% on 60 attempts. He did nearly wash-out his assist rate with 0.8 turnovers per game, but that can definitely be adjusted when given a higher role with opportunity.

McNeese is become a home for power conference players looking for their big break and I have no doubt that Moore will become another example of this for the Cowboys next season.

Christian Nitu

Nitu spent last season with the Washington Huskies, but he didn’t appear on the court. The original three-star recruit played his freshman season at Florida State where he averaged 1.9 points and 1.3 rebounds while shooting 40.9% from the floor.

The 6’11 big man had is best game of the season in their final game against Virginia that season when he played 18 minutes, finishing 4-4 with 8 points, three rebounds, and one steal. His metrics are raw because of minimal playing time, but regardless he finished with an 8.5 offensive rebounding percentage and a 12.6% defensive rebounding percentage with a 3.9% block percentage.

One area that the Cowboys lacked a bit last season was height in the paint and Nitu is one of three incoming big men to address that gap.

Alier Maluk

We have another big man coming into McNeese with Florida State ties. Maluk has spent his first two seasons with the Seminoles where he appeared in 53 games, starting five, while averaging 2.2 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. His playing time decreased a bit last season as he went from eleven minutes per game to just 6.2, but similar to others here, he has raw potential.

Coming out of Long Island Lutheran, he was listed as a three-star recruit and committed to Florida State over Maryland, Vanderbilt, Oregon, and many other power conference programs.

Despite the decrease in playing time, his metrics rose in his sophomore season and several positive areas. He finished with a 13% offensive rebounding percentage and a 15.8% defensive rebounding percentage. On defense, he featured a 6.8% blocking percentage and a 2% steal percentage.

Like the rest of the players on this list, Maluk has experience at the highest level and is looking for a change to earn playing time for a highly respected McNeese squad this coming season.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Corey Chest

Chest is a 6’8 forward that was listed as a top-100 recruit and four-star recruit entering his freshman season out of the Link Academy. He started off at LSU where he averaged 6.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game while starting in 19 of the 26 games he appeared in. He was efficient on the court as well offensively, shooting 60.7% overall.

He transferred to Ole Miss last season and saw he minutes drop from 20 per game to just 13 per game. He appeared in 34 games, starting in four, while averaging 2.6 points and 3.8 rebounds.

Looking at his metrics, his freshman season was outstanding. He was 40th in the country in offensive rebounding percentage at 14%, 133rd in defensive rebounding percentage at 21.8%, and 110th in blocking percentage at 6.2%. His 60.7% shooting percentage from inside the arc was 207th in the nation as well that season. At Ole Miss, even with the minute drops, his metrics still shined in the same categories.

Chest is looking for his true breakout moment and showing signs of that his freshman year at LSU. I firmly believe that he’ll be one of the most important cogs for the Cowboys’ success next season and you need to have him on your radar for a potential star.

Jaylon Dean-Vines

Dean-Vines spent his freshman year with Vanderbilt this past season where he saw sparse playing time. Coming out of high school, he was a three-star recruit from Dallas who chose Vandy over Oklahoma, Washington, Tulsa, and UT Arlington.

He appeared in ten games this season, averaging 0.9 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.2 assists while shooting 4-5 overall and 1-2 from three-point. I actually caught his best game against Lipscomb in the four minutes he was on the court. He shot 2-2 to finish with four points, two rebounds, and one steal. He has some true potential, but he’s going to need development and opportunities, which McNeese is going to be able to give him.

At 6’4, he should have the chance to earn solid minutes as a potential combo guard for the Cowboys next year.

Just last month, the Panthers made a huge splash as they not just made their second NCAA Tournament appearance in a row and in school history, they took down Wisconsin 83-82 in the Round of 64 to pick up their first NCAA Tournament win. They ultimately fell to Arkansas in the Round of 32, but they didn’t go down without a fight as they lost 84-88.

Now with the current transfer portal the question was going to be, how will their fare? Usually, if a team that’s outside the traditional power conference ranks and they have this amount of success, they are left with nearly zero players. However, among their big three players from last year, Rob Martin has been the only one to hit the portal. Martin averaged 16 points, two rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.5 steals. They lost Terry Anderson due to eligibility. However, they have retained Cam’Ron Fletcher who averaged 13.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 54.4% overall and 36.2% from beyond the arc.

With Martin and others returning, the Panthers have made a huge splash in the transfer portal. Let’s see who they’ve secured so far for the 2026-2027 season.

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% of your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Portal Additions

CJ Brown (South Florida)

The 6’2 guard, CJ Brown, spent his last two seasons with the South Florida Bulls where he has emerged as a true leader on the court. Last season, he averaged 10.9 points with 3.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and one steal per game on average. He shot just 38.1% overall, down from 45.5% his freshman season. He’s not a legitimate three-point shooting threat either as he’s just a 24.7% career shooting on 1.5 attempts per game. However, he does a tremendous job at getting to the free throw line. He drew on average 5.1 fouls per game and featured a 54.9 free throw rate which was 128th in the nation.

He shines as a playmaker. He finished the season with a 29.7 assist rate which was the 95th best in the country. He turned the ball over just two times per game on average, and he had some strong stat lines. Against Oklahoma State, he finished with 24 points and ten assists, and he had seven assists or more in eight games.

Brown is a true floor general, and I anticipate that he will thrive in the Big South.

Jason Rivera-Torres (Monmouth)

Jason Rivera-Torres as had a wild ride in college basketball. He started his career off at Vanderbilt where he averaged 6.4 points and 3.1 rebounds as a freshman. He then transferred to San Francisco where he averaged just 7.9 minutes per game. Last season, he transferred to Monmouth where he was able to take off.

The 6’7 junior averaged 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 40.2% overall and 31.5% from beyond the arc. He featured a 24.6% possession usage, 8.3% offensive rebounding percentage, 17.9% defensive rebounding percentage, 3.5% block percentage, and a 3.3% steal per game. He’s also strong at getting to the free throw line as he draws 4.5 fouls per game, giving him 162 opportunities at the line where he shot 80.2%.

Having Fletcher and Rivera-Torres together, with CJ Brown leading the way…this team is going to be tough.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Isaac Garrett (Oakland)

Isaac Garrett transferred into Oakland after playing at Snow College (JUCO) and he took no time adjusting to playing in division one. The 6’8 junior averaged 13.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, one block, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 53.7% overall from the floor.

Looking at his metrics, he was electric. He featured a 54.3% effective field goal percentage, 59.1% true shooting percentage which was 299th overall, a 9.4% offensive rebounding percentage, an 18.1% defensive rebounding percentage, a 3.6% block percentage, and an 80.2% free throw shooting percentage on 106 attempts per game.

Wondering what he can do against top schools? Against No. 1 Houston, he had 20 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Against No. 1 Michigan, he had 20 points as well. In the Horizon League, he went on to dominate on the glass. His metrics jumped to a 118.3 offensive rating, and he finished in the top 10 of several categories.

The Panthers are going to be a force at the 4 & 5 next season.

Frankquon Sherman (Kennesaw State)

Frankquon Sherman is another 6’7 forward, bringing up the total so far to two 6’7 forwards and another at 6’8. The junior has spent his last three seasons with the Kennesaw State Owls where he has turned himself into a reliable player. Last season, he averaged 10.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and one assist, while shooting 46.8% overall. In particular, he is a monster on the offensive glass as he averaged 3.3 per game.

He finished the season with a 120.2 offensive rating, which was 346th overall, a 13.7% offensive rebounding percentage which was 61st, a 22.2% defensive rebounding percentage at 80th, and a 3.2% block percentage. Similar to High Point’s other additions, he does a solid job at getting to the free throw line as he finished with a 57.2 free throw rate, converting 74.1% of his attempts.

It is very clear that Flynn Clayman’s plan in the portal was to add players that are strong on the glass as all three of Sherman, Garrett, and Rivera-Torres are forces. CJ Brown will help replace Rob Martin at the point guard position, and keep in mind…it’s just April 20th, so there is time for more work to be done. The Panthers made a splash last season and yes, they are operating with funds that most traditional teams in Mid-Major conferences have to play with. There’s no doubt that they’ll be rolling again next season.

Rumors around what players are asking in the portal in terms of payment is shocking a lot of people, including myself. Allegedly, there are players who averaged 6-7 points per game as a freshman on a power conference roster that are asking for upwards of $5m. You can imagine when I first read that, my jaw was on the floor. However, without truly being connected into the sources myself, maybe don’t read too much into that. Regardless, players expectations are skyrocketing.

This makes it tougher to compete as a mid-major in college basketball as you are not just fighting to gather resources to be able to fund your program, you are now dealing with agents and other third-parties that are overstating the value of players monetarily so they can get a larger slice of the pie. That doesn’t even factor in if you are a mid-major with football because you are then fighting for just a slice of the resources your university and alumni are willing to give.

Despite all of these factors going against mid-major programs, we’ve had some incredible stories developing over the last couple of weeks. Some players, key players to be exact, are sticking to their oaths and staying with their coaches to build something at their programs. We aren’t just talking about programs like Utah State who have significantly more resources than the average team. Programs like UIC, Vermont, Valparaiso, Evansville, Austin Peay, Illinois State, and many more have been able to retain at least one of their key players for next season despite the fact there is no doubt they would have made more money else where.

Let’s dive into who’s sticking with their team for next season.

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% of your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

McNeese

There might not be another mid-major program that’s rolling quite like McNeese. With three NCAA Tournament appearances in a row, despite a new head coach, the Cowboys are also rolling in the NIL resources. The word on the street is, they doubled what they already had, which if true…is incredible.

The star of the show last season was Larry Johnson. The 6’4 freshman guard is a prolific slasher and offensive weapon. He averaged 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 49.2% overall. He’s not a three-point threat at just 23.8%, but he showed some glimpses of what could be an area for him to grow into.

Johnson finished the season with a 30.5% possession usage which was 43rd overall and a 33.3% shot percentage which was 16th in the nation. He also featured an 18% defensive rebounding percentage, a 8.6% turnover rate which was 82nd best, and he drew 5.9 fouls per game which was 97th overall.

Initially, Johnson entered the transfer portal where he surely would’ve made millions from a power conference program. However, it was announced that he ultimately withdrew and will be returning to the Cowboys next season. Coupled with additional transfers coming in, McNeese is going to be looking like a dangerous team once again next season.

Austin Peay

Austin Peay put together a strong season, finishing 22-9 and 15-3 in the Atlantic Sun before falling to Queens in the conference tournament. The Governors are now returning two of their key players in Zyree Collins & Rashaud Marshall as they aim to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament next season.

Collins put up incredible metrics in his freshmen season. He finished with a 26.4 assist rate which was 164th best in the country and a 4.1 steal percentage which was 30th overall. He averaged 13.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.1 steals per game while shooting 43.1% overall from the floor and 31.3% from beyond the arc. He put up some incredible games like 16 points with 14 assists against Bellarmine and racking up seven steals against North Florida.

Rashaud Marshall finished the season in the top percentile of offensive players with a 130.2 offensive rating which was 55th overall. He was 24th in effective field goal percentage, 21st in true shooting percentage, and 87th in two-point shooting percentage. He averaged 16.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and one steal per game while shooting 65.5% overall from the floor.

With two of their most talented players coming back, the Governors are already positioning themselves for success in the 2026-2027 season after putting together a strong campaign this year.

Vermont

The Vermont Catamounts started the season just 5-5 with some close losses to Buffalo, Liberty, and Yale, but they rebounded to finish the season 22-12 overall and 12-4 in the America East. They ultimately fell to UMBC in the conference tournament, so there is no doubt that John Becker is going to be looking to build up the Catamounts to make a run next season.

A large piece of their success this season was led by Gus Yalden. Yalden is a 6’9 incoming junior that averaged 16.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 50.7% overall from the floor and 34.7% from beyond the arc on 3.8 attempts per game. He started his career at Seton Hall where he appeared in 26 games and averaged 8.4 minutes.

Yalden finished the season 11th in possession usage while taking 34.5% of the team’s shots which was the 8th best in the nation. His 56.1% effective field goal percentage was 297th overall and he featured a 10.1% offensive rebounding percentage, a 17.7% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 21 assist rate. Needless to say, Yalden was phenomenal for Vermont.

Entering the offseason, mid-major fans have come to expect that players like this will ultimately leave to go to a high-major or a power conference program where they’ll be paid handsomely. However, Yalden shocked the college basketball world while posting a thoughtful video. In it, he mentioned that “the grass isn’t always greener” while stating…”he’s back”. Could he have made significant money elsewhere? Absolutely. However, he’s sticking with Coach Becker and the Catamounts as they’ll look to return to glory in the 2026-2027 season.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Missouri Valley

The Missouri Valley as a whole is doing a great job of retaining talent. I’ll state the fact that if you are a Bradley fan reading this…I’m sorry.

Illinois State announced that both Johnny Kinziger and Chase Walker would both be returning to the Redbirds next season. Walker averaged 13.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 54.5% overall and 29% from three-point. Kinziger averaged 11.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 40% overall and 33% from three-point.

The Redbirds went on a run to the NIT Semifinals and while they ultimately lost Ty’Reek Coleman to the portal, retaining their top two players in both Walker and Kinziger is going to position them well to be one of the top favorites in the Missouri Valley entering next season.

The UIC Flames fired off a series of posts announcing that players would be returning including the following: Mekhi Lowery, Rashund Washington Jr., Jayce Nathaniel, Andy Johnson, and Ahmad Henderson II. While they lost their leading scorer Elijah Crawford, they returning their next four top offensive pieces. Just as a friendly reminder, the Flames went on a run in Arch Madness to reach the Championship where they fell to Northern Iowa.

Lowery averaged 8.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.4 steals. Washington Jr. averaged 8.7 points and five rebounds. Johnson averaged 11.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Henderson II averaged 12 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Nathaniel averaged 6.2 points and 4.5 rebounds.

Similar to UIC, Valparaiso also released several “I’m Back” graphics to announce the return of some key players. The full list includes: Justus McNair, JT Pettigrew, Rakim Chaney, Sader Servilus, and Carter Hopoi. The Beacons showed a lot of improvement this season and Roger Powell has now been able to retain some of their key players to build up for next sesaon where they are most likely going to be a threat in the Missouri Valley.

McNair averaged 7.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, and one assist. Chaney averaged 10.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.4 steals. Pettigrew averaged 12.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. Servilus averaged 2.6 points and 2.6 rebounds. Hopoi averaged 3.8 points and 1.8 assists.

Evansville had a rough season, but one of their bright spots came from AJ Casey. Casey previously played on the Miami Hurricanes squad that went to the Final Four and he’s battled injuries throughout his career. He had his first full opportunity last year and he took advantage. He averaged 13.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, two assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 51.1% overall and 33.9% from beyond the arc. He continuously improved throughout the season and was a large reason why the Aces were able to compete in conference more strongly over the last month or so of the season. Many assumed that he’d hit the portal, but instead he announced that he’ll be returning.

Freshman Bryce Quinet was another bright spot for the Aces as he averaged 8.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and one steal per game while shooting 40.9% overall and 30.3% from three-point. He showed a lot of promise as a freshman, including some strong performances in conference play against Bradley, SIU, and Valpo. Similarly, I figured he’d hit the portal, but he elected to return with Casey.

The Aces also retained redshirt freshman Aaron Gutman and freshman James Dyson-Merwe. They still have a long way to go to build a roster that can compete in the Missouri Valley, but being able to retain two strong players in both Casey and Quinet should at least spark some hope for Evansville fans.

Some moves have been wild to say the least. Will Wade landed back at LSU, Randy Bennett left Saint Mary’s for Arizona State, Ben Jacobsen left Northern Iowa after 20 years for Utah State, Chris Mack is now at South Florida, John Groce moved to Charleston, and all of that is just scratching the surface.

Let’s recap which Mid-Majors have made the best moves and take a look at some interesting trends.

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% of your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Top Moves

Kahil Fennell ~ Western Michigan

The Western Michigan Broncos last reached the NCAA Tournament in 2014 when they finished 23-10, but they haven’t finished above .500 since the 2018-2019 season. After four straight seasons of less than ten wins, the Broncos moved on from Dwayne Stephens, while naming Kahil Fennell as their next head coach.

Fennell has spent the last two seasons at UT Rio Grande Valley where he finished 16-15 in the first season and 19-14 this year, while going 14-8 in the Southland. For reference, they have finished with 20 wins just twice since 2000 and above .500 just three times prior to Fennell taking over. Their 116th KenPom rating this season was the highest since joining the Division I ranks. This is not an easy job.

This season, they were even across the board as they sat at 136th in Offensive Adjusted Efficiency and 117th in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency. They were 76th in two-point shooting percentage and 35th in three-point shooting percentage. On the defensive end, they finished 38th overall in defensive effective field goal percentage, 68th in opponent two-point shooting percentage, and 15th in opponent three-point shooting percentage.

With Fennell’s ability to build a strong program at UT Rio Grande Valley, there is no doubt that he’s going to have a great opportunity to do the same thing in the MAC with plenty of other coaching changes in the conference.

Matt Majkrzak ~ Northern Illinois

The Northern Illinois Huskies have finished with an above .500 record just four times since it last reached the NCAA Tournament in 1996. Since, they’ve been through six head coaches before now adding their seventh in Matt Majkrzak. However, they’ve now added a proven winner to lead them into their new era as a part of the Horizon League starting next season.

Majkrzak has been the head coach of Division II Northern Michigan since 2019. During that span, he went 13-17, 8-8 (COVID Shortened season), and 18-12 before really kicking it into high gear. Over the last four seasons, he’s led the Wildcats to an NCAA Tournament birth each year as well as winning games in the tournament in two of those four seasons. He’s amassed a 136-78 record during his time at Northern Michigan.

We’ve seen several coaches come from the non-division one ranks and make an immediate impact, most notably Ben McCollum and Josh Schertz over the last couple of years. I personally love this hire for Northern Illinois because the Huskies have made it clear that football is more of a priority than basketball is. If they want to try to stay competitive and win at this level, they needed to hire someone that can simply win and Majkrzak is a great fit.

Jordan Fee ~ Lamar

While Jordan Fee might not have a lengthy run as a head coach in other collegiate levels like Majkrzak, his resume speaks for itself. He’s been a part of the staff at West Liberty, Detroit Mercy, and Nova Southeastern which is one of the top Division II programs in the country between 2015-2023. Following 2023, he took over as head coach of Gannon where he went 32-3 and advanced to the Elite Eight in just one season. He joined FAU’s staff for the last two years, including as the associate head coach last season before taking over as Lamar’s head coach for the 2026-2027 season.

With McNeese and Stephen F. Austin both still on the rise, the Southland as a whole is a growing conference. Lamar, unlike other schools on this list, isn’t unfamiliar with success. They haven’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2012, however, they’ve had two 20 win seasons and have finished below .500 seven times during that stretch. It’s been wildly up-and-down as they have three seasons with four or less wins and one with just nine wins. A bit of a rollercoaster for the Cardinals.

I am happily overlooking the lack of experience of being a head coach because Fee is clearly a proven winner. What he did in one season at Gannon and what he has clearly learned at some of the other programs will absolutely translate at the Division I position. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do in year one.

Tobin Anderson ~ Tennessee Tech

Tobin Anderson is back in the head coaching seat! After a wild journey, Tennessee Tech will be his new home starting next season. Anderson led St. Thomas Aquinas to a 209-62 record over nine seasons at the helm, including four Sweet 16 appearances and a run to the elite eight in 2017.

After his successful experience at the Division II ranks, Fairleigh Dickinson picked him up ahead of the 2022-2023 season as he led the Knights to a 21-16 record in his first year on the job. After falling to Merrimack in the NEC Championship, FDU picked up the bid to the NCAA Tournament due to Merrimack’s ineligibility. Ultimately, the rest is history as they became just the second 16-seed in NCAA history to upset a #1 seed as they defeated Purdue in the first round.

Following the season, he landed at Iona, where he finished 16-17 & 16-16. After the second season, he was let go with plenty of controversy around the college basketball world, calling out Iona for this move. However, he didn’t have to wait long for another opportunity. He joined South Florida last season on the bench, and now he’ll have a tall task in trying to right the ship of Tennessee Tech. The Golden Eagles haven’t finished with more than 19 wins since the 2001-2002 season when they ended at 27-7, but missed the NCAA Tournament.

It won’t be an easy task, but I love seeing Anderson getting the opportunity to build another small program upward.

Eric Haut ~ Tarleton State

Eric Haut is a bit of an underrated hire in my opinion. He’s worked at Western Kentucky, Kent State, TCU, Northern Kentucky, and most recently he’s been the associate head coach under Jerrod Calhoun at Utah State for the last two years.

Billy Gillispie seemed to have things going the right way for Tarleton State after finishing 25-10 in their fourth year since transitioning to Division I in 2020, but things fell off. They went just 12-20 and 14-18 over the last two seasons as members of the WAC. With the new partnership with the Atlantic Sun to form the United Athletic Conference, Eric Haut will now have the opportunity to take what he’s learned at Utah State as one of the top programs outside the power conference ranks and build something special at Tarleton State.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

The State of Coaching

While there have been plenty of jumps to better jobs as higher levels, and there is no doubt that the leash has gotten shorter with the power on NIL, there is another trend that we are seeing emerge.

We’ve seen coaches on occasion leave their mid-major job to join a power conference staff as an associate head coach, but usually there are strings attached. For example, Alan Huss has taken over for Greg McDermott after leaving High Point to join Creighton as an associate head coach. However, that was the plan from the beginning and they never hid that fact.

Now, we’ve seen Rick Croy leave Cal Baptist after taking over as the head coach in 2013, leading them to a Division II Sweet 16 and Elite Eight appearance, while also taking them to the NCAA Tournament for the first time this season after transitioning to Division I in 2018. He’ll be joining former Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett at Arizona State as the associate head coach.

Just in the last few days, Campbell’s former head coach John Andrzejek resigned to take the associate head coaching position at Louisville. In a public statement, he essentially called out the administration saying that their commitments had changed as they would not be able to fund a competitive team on the court. Rather than try to fight through with a lack of resources, he decided to step away and join Pat Kelsey.

This isn’t just happening in Men’s Basketball either, as Evansville’s Women’s Head Coach Robyn Scherr stepped away from coaching all together due to the changing landscape.

It begs the question, will we see coaches that become long-term figure heads for their programs for 10, 15, 20+ years? If the transfer portal doesn’t change, it’ll be harder and harder for coaches to not burn themselves out. Especially for the smaller programs that view college basketball as more of an additional revenue stream, rather than the university’s main focus in athletics.

What do you think? How will the coaching landscape continue to change?

Let’s dive in!

Miami Ohio & the 2-Bid MAC

It wouldn’t be feasible to make a list of the best stories to come out of the non-power conferences without addressing Miami Ohio’s perfect regular season and the fact that we had a two-bid MAC for the first time since 1999.

The RedHawks finished the regular season a perfect 31-0 after truthfully cruising through the first half of the season. Until January 17th, they had just one overtime game and won by less than 10 points just five times. As the season went on, you could tell that the pressure of remaining perfect was starting to catch up with them. They had back to back narrow overtime wins against Buffalo and Kent State on January 17th and 20th. Then they won by just two to UMass at home in the next game. They won by a combined six points over their last three regular season games, teeing up a first round exit in the MAC Tournament to UMass 87-83.

After the loss, there was shockingly (or maybe not shockingly) controversy around whether or not Miami’s strength of schedule was going to be good enough to reach the Big Dance without winning the MAC. They faced just two top-200 KenPom teams in the non-conference and played Akron just once on the season, so their schedule was weaker than most. However, the committee did the right thing and rewarded them with a bid, but they were going to have to win in Dayton against SMU to reach the Round of 64.

With all eyes on them, they did exactly what they needed to do against the Mustangs, show off that they can compete with better conferences. They won that game 89-79 as they shot an insane 41 three-pointers, knocking down 16 of them as Elan Elmer was the star of the show with 23 points. While their magic ran out against Tennessee who went on to the elite eight, it was still a magical journey. Peter Suder had 27 points against the Volunteers, but they shot just 7-29 from deep as they fell 78-56.

One thing that I think people forget is, they lost their point guard Evan Ipsaro after just 12 games. He was averaging 13.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 57.1% overall and 39.4% from beyond the arc. When he went down, I thought it would be impossible that they would finish perfect, but it showed how deep that team was. It also leaves us with a bit of a what if…if Ipsaro had been healthy, would that have changed any results?

While the RedHawks were the talk of college basketball, the Akron Zips were quietly right behind them as they were one of the best teams outside of the power conference ranks. The Zips finished 71st in KenPom after falling to Texas Tech 91-71 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in a game that was honestly much closer than the final score represented. The Zips started off the year 10-4 with losses to Purdue on the road, Yale and Murray State on neutral courts, and then Miami 76-73 on the road. They fired on all cylinders for the rest of the season, finishing 26-5 and 17-1 in conference, dropping just one game to Troy on the road in the Sun Belt vs MAC challenge in February. They then cruised through the MAC Tournament, taking down Buffalo, Kent State, and Toledo.

In a season that was phenomenal for the MAC, there are now questions around what the conference could look like next season. Will Travis Steele stay at Miami? Will John Groce take the College of Charleston job after Chris Mack left for South Florida? Only time will tell, but don’t let whatever happens put a damper on what an incredible season if was for this conference.

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% of your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Navy, Tennessee State, and Idaho finish with their best seasons in decades

As a mid-major publication, there is nothing better than teams that haven’t competed in a long time getting themselves back into the spot light.

Navy hadn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1998 and while unfortunately, they will continue that drought, that doesn’t mean their season wasn’t incredible. The Midshipmen finished 26-8, which was their best season since 1987 when they went 26-6, reached 9th in the AP Poll, and were led by the legendary David Robinson. Unfortunately, they fell to Boston University by one point in the Patriot League Tournament, then lost to Wake Forest 82-72 in the first round of the NIT. While it was a disappointing end to an incredible season, it was a fun journey to follow.

Tennessee State hadn’t been the NCAA Tournament since 1994, but they broke that drought this season. The Tigers finished 23-10 overall and 15-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference while punching their ticket to the Big Dance as a 15-seed. During that drought, the Tigers had just two 20 win seasons, but Nolan Smith took them to 23 wins in just one year on the job. While they were unfortunately demolished by Iowa State in the first round of the the NCAA Tournament, Coach Smith has said that he has no intention of leaving yet. He now has the opportunity to help elevate Tennessee State to a consistently competitive status while also helping the Ohio Valley continue to increase it’s stock.

Idaho is another team that snapped a long dancing drought as the Vandals hadn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1990. It was a rollercoaster year as the Vandals finished 17-14 overall and 9-9 in the Big Sky during the regular season, but they ripped off four games in a row to win the Big Sky Conference Tournament and punch their ticket to the Big Dance. Ultimately, they were tasked to go up against Houston in the first round where they were rolled over 78-47, but it was exciting to see Idaho be able to make a run late in the season to get themselves back into the Tournament field.

McNeese Wins the Southland Conference Tournament Three Years in a Row

Before Will Wade took over as head coach of the McNeese Cowboys in 2023, the Cowboys hadn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2002. During that span of time, they finished above .500 just three times. Now, they’ve turned into one of the premier teams outside of the non-power conferences as the Southland continues to grow in strength. McNeese went 30-4 in year one, then 28-7 with an NCAA Tournament win to head to the Round of 32 in year two.

After Will Wade left for NC State (erm…this is awkward) and now LSU, Bill Armstrong took over as head coach. They didn’t miss a step in year one as they finished the season 28-6, winning the Southland Conference Tournament for the third year in a row and three-peating a trip to the NCAA Tournament. They had a tough job against a strong Vanderbilt team, ultimately falling by ten points after going toe-to-toe for the majority of the game.

What’s been fascinating has been their ability to maintain players that are easily power conference level talent. Look at Larry Johnson for example. He finished the season averaging 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 49.2% overall. His 30.5% possession usage was 42nd overall in the country as just a freshman.

With the resources that the Cowboys have in NIL, they’ll continue to compete at the top of the conference and towards the top of the non-power conference programs for a while to come. With Stephen F. Austin on the rise again, the Southland is going to be a blast to watch next season.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Penn Upsets Yale in the Ivy League Championship

Penn made headlines during the offseason last year after bringing in former Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery to take over the program. They started off well, going 5-2 with wins over Saint Joseph’s and Merrimack, but they skidded to just a 9-10 record and 2-4 in the Ivy League. They rebounded strongly, finishing 7-1 over the last eight games of the regular season.

The Quakers were led by a two headed monster in Ethan Roberts and TJ Power. Roberts averaged 16.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and one steal per game while shooting 40.1% overall and 40.4% from beyond the arc. Unfortunately, he battled injuries this season, appearing in just 23 games. The Quakers record in those games that he missed was just 2-3. during the regular season.

TJ Power was the hero of the Ivy League tournament. On the season, he averaged 16.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 45.1% from the floor and 43.2% from three-point. Roberts was forced to miss the conference tournament, but Power stepped up. In their overtime win against Harvard, he finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, four steals, and on block. Against Yale in the Championship, he put on a show that sent ripples throughout college basketball. He finished with a whopping 44 points on 7-14 shooting from deep with 14 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block He scored half of the team’s points as they went on to upset the Bulldogs 88-84.

While they ultimately fell to Illinois 105-70 in the NCAA Tournament, it marked Fran McCaffery’s fifth team that he’s brought to the Big Dance. With two players bursting out to increase their brand recognition, it’ll be exciting to see how the Ivy League shapes up next season.

Detroit Mercy’s Rebound

This was an underrated story that wasn’t talked about nearly as much as it should have. Two seasons ago, Detroit Mercy finished the season just 1-31 after picking up their lone win over IUPUI (now IU Indy) 81-66 at home. I can still remember watching that game because it became a phenomenon across college basketball social media given that both teams were two of the worst five teams in college basketball.

Following that disastrous season, Mark Montgomery took over as head coach. In year one, he finished 8-24 with some signs of the potential to turn things around. They had seven wins against Division I teams, took some close losses to Wake Forest and Rhode Island in the non-conference, and for the most part were far more competitive in the Horizon League.

In year two, things really turned around. The Titans finished 17-15 on the season and took down Milwaukee and Robert Morris in the Horizon League tournament to reach the Championship game for the first time since 2012 when they took down Valparaiso. They finished the season as winners of nine of their last twelve games to build some real momentum heading into next season.

Unfortunately, they’ve lost their best player in Orlando Lovejoy (15.8 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.6 rebounds) due to lack of eligibility, and rising Sophomore TJ Nadeau has announced his intent to enter the transfer portal. Nadeau averaged 13.8 points and 3.2 rebounds. Junior Ayden Carter who averaged 12.2 points and 4.3 rebounds has yet to announce whether he’ll be staying or leaving, but he did originally cite that he committed to Detroit Mercy to be closer to home, so maybe there is hope that he stays.

Regardless, Mark Montgomery has shown already in just two-years of what he’s capable of building. This season was a huge step in the right direction and this is someone that should be on your radar on the coaching carousel over the next few years.

Thursday gave us some real hope. Miami won the night prior against SMU in an incredible offensive showing, then Siena was up by 11 on Duke at halftime, Howard was within four of Michigan at the half, McNeese gave Vanderbilt a run, Kennesaw State kept up with Gonzaga, High Point took down Wisconsin, South Florida had a real shot at Louisville but opened up too sluggish, VCU beat North Carolina in an epic overtime game, and Saint Louis destroyed Georgia. It got bleak on Friday as no upsets were produced, though technically Utah State was as a nine seed over an eight seed as they beat Villanova, but the Aggies were favored coming into that one. In what could have been no doubt proof that mid-majors could still win in March turned into a repeat of last season.

With the Round of 32 ending, High Point went toe-to-toe with Arkansas, but fell just short at the end. VCU was dominated by Illinois. Saint Louis played great for the first 30 minutes before Michigan decided to remind us why they are a National Championship contender. Utah State gave Arizona a run for their money, but couldn’t dig themselves out of the hole they dug early in the second half.

One thing to look at too is, among the teams that did advance to the Round of 32 here’s their estimated NIL:

• Utah State: Over $2.4m

• Saint Louis: Over $3m based on conversations I’ve had. For comparison, I’m come to learn that the estimated NIL Package for next season to keep Schertz is over $7m.

• High Point: Well over $2m

• VCU: Between $3m-$5m

Trilly Donovan, known reliable college basketball insider, shared on Twitter that all four teams from the non-power conference ranks had around or over $3m, so all of this data ties out to be roughly around correct marks.

What this means is, even for traditional non-power conference teams, you are going to have to shell out some significant cash to get even close to being able to maintain competitiveness. Now the reality is, yes, there is always going to be a sneaky upset…I mean look at what Siena nearly did. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the traditional mid-majors that aren’t funded by a massive alumni base to compete at the same level as those above them.

Now, with a second lackluster NCAA Tournament in a row from the mid-major perspective, we are seeing a lot of discourse online regarding whether or not “Cinderella is dead”. Can we ever see a Loyola Chicago go to the Final Four again? Can we see Saint Peter’s make a run to the Elite Eight? Before I dive in, I’ll just give my opinion now in case you want to stop reading: while I believe this Cinderella is not fully dead, I believe it’s on life support. Let’s talk about why.

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% of your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Has NIL Killed Cinderella?

I actually do not blame NIL. College sports have been at a crossroads for a long-time leading up to the ability to make money as a collegiate athlete. Yes, the players would receive free tuition, free travel, benefits on intangibles compared to the average collegiate student, etc. However, their coaches were making hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars, while players at programs like Kentucky were really taken advantage of given the program was raking in insane amounts of money thanks to 15 kids not seeing a dime of that (now yes, many go on to the NBA or overseas, but you get my point).

The issue is the transfer portal. If you are more than a casual college basketball fan, you are probably tired of hearing this same thing over-and-over again, but the portal is a disaster. It’s a disaster for programs, for players, for coaches, for fans, for everyone in reality. There are no rules, and there are a TON of bad influences on these young, easily misguided players. You can have self-proclaimed agents with no legal or previous agent experience convincing kids to sign over 20-30% or more in commissions in hope of securing the largest contract physically possible, regardless of whether or not that’s in the best interest of the player. Look, it’s nothing for Kentucky to shell out a million to the 10th best player on a roster, but if you could have taken $500,000 from an A-10 school and truly developed, you would increase your potential earnings and potential future professional stock more by going down and making strong money while seeing the floor compared to playing eight minutes in garbage time. However, if you’ve signed to an agent…why on earth would that agent not want you to go to Kentucky so they can cut that larger check?

The reality here is, college athletics open up even more opportunities for these agents. Every year, there is going to be a new pool of hundreds and thousands of athletes that all want the same thing so they could care less if you never go pro because they have another pool of potential players lined up once you’ve run out of eligibility.

I want to flip this script for a second here, having agents is not a bad thing. In many cases, it’s good to have one because otherwise you could be left hung out to dry if you don’t fully understand the contract you are signing. In cases of the top players, you should absolutely have one because if you have a chance of going pro, you need to build a trustworthy relationship as soon as possible. The issue I have is with the fake agents, or in some cases bad inner circles of influences around these players.

With all of these factors combined, we are left with a continuous cycle of players jumping to different teams every year, no continuity, and yet the fans are expected to pay their alma maters or just favorite programs money to build a new roster every season. For what? There is no return on investment other than pleasure for people that are investing in NIL from a fan perspective. If you happened to hit it big and have a plethora of cash to spend? Sure, do what you want. I’d do the same thing for my alma mater if I were in that position.

Until the transfer portal is corrected, the idea of having mid-major Cinderella teams make a return to the big dance is going to diminish with the exception of those handful of programs out there that happen to have some wealthy donors that are satisfied with donation cash with no real ROI.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

What should we do?

The sad truth is, that really there’s nothing that we can do. The answer, in my opinion at least, relies on the idea of contracts for players. I’m by no means against players making money as coaches make millions and programs rake in millions for the top programs. However, if we are going to treat the NCAA as the professional league it is, there needs to be contractual rules in place. Let’s break down an example:

• Player: Freshman 3-star recruit that played at Furman

• The player signs a two-year contract for $150,000, with a buy-out clause at 50% the value of the total contract.

• During his freshman season, he averaged 14 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds

• Following his freshman season, his agent receives a call from New Mexico offering 2-years $300,000.

In this example, the player has to make the decision on whether or not to bet on himself. After a successful season at Furman, do you want to risk going to New Mexico for $300,000, but forfeiting $75,000 immediately? Are you going to get minutes, or are you going to ride the bench as the 10th or 11th man? Do you want to play or do you want to get paid?

Now, this example works in two different scenarios. You can imagine that if it’s not the player paying a fee, it’s New Mexico paying the buyout fee. This happens all the time across independent leagues. In many cases, if an MLB team finds a hidden gem out of the Frontier league, they have to pay an additional fee to buy out that players contract. In fact, that’s how the tiny independent teams stay afloat for some teams.

This won’t fix everything, but this would certainly make it a more fair fight for the underdogs in college basketball. If you lose a player, you will at the very least not lose them for free. You’ll gain some value that you can turnaround and spend on their replacement. You are then investing in the development of those players because either you keep them and they turn into seasoned, star players or they transfer and you collect revenue that you can spend on other players.

I’ll end this by saying, this was a very disappointing NCAA Tournament. For what opened with so much promise, we are left with nothing except for the top of the top all fighting. Will that be good for ratings? Sure. Is that good for the overall health of the NCAA? I’d argue no. Look at other leagues that had the same teams over-and-over again in the Championships or Conference Finals/Championships. The ratings and/or super fan support eventually fall off because the some fans gets tired of seeing the same teams every year.

We can only hope that some force comes together to save the sport that we love because right now, it’s hard to stay optimistic about what it’s going to look like in five years.

Let’s dive into all of the mid-major matchups you need to know about in the Midwest region!

ATTENTION: BRACKET BUSTERS BRACKET CHALLENGE!

Want a chance to win a $50 Homefield Gift Card? Enter our Bracket Challenge below, if you are subscribed to our newsletter, you’ll be able to view the password. If you are not yet subscribed, once you’ve signed up (it’s free!) you’ll be able to access the password to join the challenge!

Join here using the password: BBHoops

ESPN Bracket Challenge

Georgia (8) vs Saint Louis (9)

Saint Louis was one of the best teams outside of the traditional power conferences this season. The Billikens started off 24-1 on the season and 12-0 in the A-10 while taking just a one point loss on a late shot to Stanford. They took a handful of losses late in the season to Rhode Island, Dayton, George Mason, and Dayton again in the conference tournament. However, finishing 28-5 is still a remarkable feat.

The Billikens are 41st in KenPom, 51st in offensive adjusted efficiency, and 43rd in defensive adjusted efficiency. Led by players like Robbie Avila, Trey Green, Amari McCottry, and more…this is a team that could go deep. Head coach Josh Schertz will be hungry as well for his first NCAA Tournament win, especially after inking a lucrative deal to stay as the head coach with significant additional resources coming his way.

We covered this matchup in depth earlier this week in our Top 5 potential upsets post, which you can view here (or below)!

Texas Tech (5) vs Akron (12)

We have another 5-12 matchup that you should really be keeping an eye on. The Akron Zips were overshadowed by Miami this season in the MAC, but the Zips went 29-5 on the season and they sit at 64th in KenPom. their non-conference losses were to Purdue, Yale, and Murray State who was on fire in the first half of the season.

The Zips are 54th in offensive adjusted efficiency and 114th in defensive adjusted efficiency. John Groce runs a quick offense at 32nd in tempo and 31st in average possession length, so it’s not uncommon they score 90+. In fact, they’ve done that 17 times this season. They are 8th in effective field goal percentage, 14th in three-point shooting percentage, and 12th in two-point shooting percentage. Akron is about as good of a shooting team as you are going to find.

Tavari Johnson is the star of the show as he averages 20.1 points, three rebounds, five assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 51.2% overall and 37.3% from three-point. Johnson is 188th in offensive rating, 134th in possession usage, and 119th in true-shooting percentage. Amani Lyles is another name to know as he is averaging 14.6 points, eight rebounds, 2.2 assists, and one steal while shooting 55.7% overall and 37.5% from three-point. Lyles is 60th in effective field goal percentage and 55th in defensive rebounding percentage.

Texas Tech is 22-10 on the season and 20th overall in KenPom. They are a bit cold as of late, going just 3-4 over their last seven games. They are also without star JT Toppin who was averaging 21.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game. They run a slower tempo at 245th overall, so quite different from the Zips.

For Texas Tech, they have to slow down Akron, however, they haven’t done a great job of bringing opponents to their speed. They are 119th in opponent average possession length. Without JT Toppin, they are going to be exposed more for a team that is just 357th in bench minutes on the season.

For Akron, they have an opportunity to become a true Bracket Buster. One that could not only take down Texas Tech, but potentially even make a run to the Sweet 16 if the stars align. They are one of the best offensive teams in the country with a plethora of scoring options, elite ball movement, and high basketball IQ.

Consider taking the Akron Zips as a fun upset.

Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% of your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!

Alabama (4) vs Hofstra (13)

Death. Taxes. Alabama basketball playing with some wild controversy. It was announced that Aden Holloway had been arrested earlier this week and barring any insane juking of the legal system, he’ll be absent from Bama’s game against Hofstra. Holloway averages 16.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists for the Crimson Tide, so this is a massive loss.

Hofstra is in position to take advantage. The Pride are 24-10 on the season coming into this game and they are about as well balanced as you can get. They rank 88th in offensive adjusted efficiency and 95th in defensive adjusted efficiency. Here’s how some of their key metrics shape up:

• 10th in opponent effective field goal percentage

• 51st in offensive rebounding percentage

• 29th in three-point shooting percentage

• 76th in opponent three-point shooting percentage

• 3rd in opponent two-point shooting percentage

• 27th in steal percentage

They run a slow scheme as they are 317th in tempo and just 334th in average possession length at over 19 seconds per possession. Over their last ten games, they are 32nd in defensive adjusted efficiency per BartTorvik as well. This is a slow, defensive minded team which is exactly the type that could pull off an upset in the NCAA Tournament.

Cruz Davis is a star for Hofstra. The 6’3 junior averages 20.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 44.3% overall and 39.9% from three-point. He’s dropped 30+ points four times this season, and less than ten points just three times.

Bama is a night-and-day difference in how they play. They are 3rd in offensive adjusted efficiency, 67th in defensive adjusted efficiency, 4th in tempo, and 8th in average possession length. They rank 29th in three-point shooting percentage, but Holloway was their leading shooter at 43.8% from beyond the arc. Philon Jr. is the only other shooting over 40% at 40.2%. The next closes is Amari Allen at 36.5%.

The Pride are an elite defensive team from inside the paint, so couple that with Alabama losing their best three-point shooter…something could be brewing there. However, if Alabama can keep the game sped up, they’ll be able to handle Hofstra with ease. The key for the Pride is going to be to slow the pace of the game and make the Crimson Tide play to their style. Hofstra scores 37.4% of their points from outside, which is 41st in the nation, and Bama is just 156th in opponent three-point shooting. In fact, their opponents score 29.1% of their points from three-point which is 270th overall.

There are a lot of factors that are trending the right way for Hofstra, and it’s still very much an up-hull climb, but things are going to be VERY interesting in this game.

We recently posted a video breakdown the Hofstra Pride in depth, check it out below!

Miami Ohio (11) vs SMU (11)

They did it! The Miami RedHawks earned the at-large bid with a chance to make the field of 64 by playing SMU in Dayton as a part of the First Four. The two teams will matchup tonight as there’s no doubt this is one of the most talked about First Four games in a long time.

The RedHawks finished the perfect regular season, going 31-0, but fell to UMass in the MAC Conference Tournament, forcing the Selection Committee to do the right thing and give the MAC two-bids in the Big Dance. They rank 70th in offensive adjusted efficiency, 6th in effective field goal percentage, 40th in turnover percentage, 58th in free throw attempt vs field goal attempt, 22nd in three-point shooting percentage, 2nd in two-point shooting percentage, 51st in block percentage, 89th in steal percentage, and 30th in non-steal turnover percentage.

Essentially, this is an elite offensive team. Their defensive metrics aren’t nearly as good, but they aren’t terrible as they sit at 157th in defensive adjusted efficiency.

SMU is entering Dayton ice cold. They’ve won just one of their last six games and just five games since January 24th. They are 42nd in KenPom and built a little similarly to Miami. They are 26th in offensive adjusted efficiency, but just 92st in defensive adjusted efficiency. Tempo-wise they are 115th compared to Miami at 44th.

The RedHawks have six players averaging 10+ points per game, with Peter Suder leading the charge. He’s averaging 14.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, four assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 55.4% overall and 42.9% from beyond the arc. He is 119th in effective field goal percentage, 242nd in offensive rating, and 301st in assist rate.

The winner of this game will take on Tennessee in the Round of 64. The Volunteers are 22-11 and 16th in KenPom. They’ve had an up-and-down year with some strong wins over Houston, Louisville, Alabama, and Vanerbilt, but they also lost to Syracuse and pulled out some very close wins over borderline teams. They are 34th in offensive adjusted efficiency and 15th in defensive adjusted efficiency. They ended the season just 2-4 in their last six games, so whoever wins between Miami and SMU will have some momentum going their way.

Virginia (3) vs Wright State (14)

The Wright State Raiders cruised through the traditionally unpredictable Horizon League this season, going 23-11 overall and 15-5 in conference. They rank 118th in offensive adjusted efficiency and 193rd in defensive adjusted efficiency.

Michael Cooper has been one of the most underrated freshman in the country for Wright State. The 6’3 guard is averaging 13.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 44.9% overall and 36.4% from three-point. He can be streaky, as any freshman can, but when he’s on he’s nearly impossible to stop.

As a team, they are 59th in effective field goal percentage, 88th in offensive rebounding percentage, 50th in three-point shooting percentage, 74th in two-point shooting percentage, and 90th in non-steal turnover percentage. They score a ton of points, but shockingly don’t run a super fast offense. The Raiders are just 192nd in tempo and 228th in average possession length at nearly 18 seconds per possession.

Virginia is 29-5 and 13th in KenPom. They sit at 27th in offensive adjusted efficiency and 16th in defensive adjusted efficiency. This isn’t the old Cavaliers that are scoring 50 points per game, but they still run a slower tempo under Ryan Odom as they are 270th in tempo and 149th in average possession length.

Wright State is going to have to shoot their way out of this matchup and with as good of a defense as Virginia has, it’s going to be very difficult.

Want to support my writing, but don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription? Consider “buying me a coffee” via the link below!

Buy Me A Coffee

Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!

Kentucky (7) vs Santa Clara (10)

The WCC was viewed as a three-bid league potentially coming into the season with Gonzaga & Saint Mary’s leading the charge, however, it was San Francisco that had a lot of eyes on them. Santa Clara started off hot at 6-0 with wins over McNeese, Xavier, Nevada, and Minnesota with a one point loss to Saint Louis within the month of November. Things got quiet as they started off December just 1-3, but they rebounded well to lose just three more games the rest of the entire season. They are 26-8 on the season and 35th in KenPom.

They rank 23rd in offensive adjusted efficiency and 82nd in defensive adjusted efficiency. Their offense is the true driver, led by Christian Hammond who is averaging 15.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game as just a sophomore.

Kentucky on the other hand as been far too inconsistent through out the season for a team that came in with a lot of expectations. The Wildcats are 21-13 and 28th in KenPom. Over their final seven games of the season, they went just 2-5, scrapped by LSU in the SEC Tournament, and beat Missouri who snuck into the tournament just 78-72.

We covered this matchup in depth earlier this week in our Top 5 potential upsets post, which you can view here (or below)!

Iowa State (2) vs Tennessee State (15)

Tennessee State has been an incredible story to follow throughout the season. Nolan Smith took over as head coach and has led the Tigers to a 23-9 record in year one. In the non-conference, they kept up with Belmont, Western Kentucky, and Tennessee in the first half before being blown out in the second half.

They rank 173rd in offensive adjusted efficiency and 211th in defensive adjusted efficiency. They won’t blow you away, but they are 24th in opponent turnover percentage, 33rd in block percentage, 50th in offensive rebound percentage, and 12th in opponent steal percentage. They take great care of the ball.

Aaron Nkrumah & Travis Harper II are both phenomenal players. Nkrumah is averaging 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, three assists, and 2.8 steals while shooting 43.7% overall and 35.2% from three-point. He is 5th in the country in steal percentage and 163rd in possession usage. Harper II is averaging 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and one steal while shooting 47.6% overall and 40.1% from three-point. He is 164th in offensive rating, 103rd in true-shooting percentage, and 110th in three-point shooting.

Iowa State is a wagon. They rank 6th in KenPom and come into the game at 27-7 on the season. They are 21st in offensive adjusted efficiency and 4th in defensive adjusted efficiency. They’ve been a little bit up-and-down recently as they ended the season just 2-3 in their last five games, however…they are good enough to go to a Final Four or more.

Michigan (1) vs Howard (16)

The Howard Bison picked up their first NCAA Tournament win in program history over UMBC last night in the opening game of the 2026 tournament in Dayton as part of the First Four. They took down UMBC 86-83 as Ose Okojie poured in 23 points, while Bryce Harris had 19 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists.

The Bison are an incredibly defensive-minded team. They are 129th in defensive adjusted efficiency, 37th in opponent effective field goal percentage, 14th in opponent turnover percentage, 30th in opponent three-point shooting percentage, 56th in opponent two-point shooting percentage, 21st in opponent steal percentage, and 25th in opponent non-steal turnover percentage.

They finished the season at 23-10 and are coming into this game at 24-10. However, Michigan is a National Championship contender, so unfortunately, Howard has a nearly impossible task.