Top 25 Mid-Majors: Saint Mary's & Boise State Lead the Way
In week three Saint Mary’s defeated Nebraska, Boise State throttled Clemson, North Texas showed the country their defensive prowess.
Week three of the college basketball season gave us some incredible match ups. Saint Mary’s defeated Nebraska, Boise State throttled Clemson, North Texas showed the country their defensive prowess, and much more caught eyes around the country. Let’s dive into our Top 25 Mid-Major rankings as of week three.
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We have a new #1 team this week, the Saint Mary’s Gaels. The Gaels moved to 4-0 on the season after defeated Nebraska 77-74 in an electric game on Sunday afternoon. The Gaels take on Stanislaus State and Cal Poly, so they look poised to move to 6-0 on the season. Mikey Lewis has been excellent so far as he posted a 23 points, four rebound, three assist, and four steal performance in the Gaels win over Nebraska. This Gaels team has the potential to cause Gonzaga some headaches come conference play in the WCC.
Grand Canyon fell a bit after the Lopes 87-76 loss. Tyon Grant-Foster returned and led the way in that game with a 19 point, seven rebound, three assist, and four steal performance. The Lopes shot 44.1% from the floor and 41.2% from 3pt, however, they couldn’t keep up with Arizona State who shot 53.7% overall. The Lopes will look to bonce back this week against a tough UC Davis team and Norfolk State this week.
Boise State moved back up to top the Mountain West schools after their 84-71 win over Clemson. Tyson Degenhart did his usual with a 20 point, 11 rebound, two assist, and one steal performance to lead the Broncos. They shot an incredible 90% from free throw on 30 attempts in the game and out-rebounded the Tigers 42-34. They held Clemson to just 36.8% from the floor and 24% from beyond the arc. They’ll look to move to 4-0 this week against Hampton.
The largest mover of the week was North Texas after their dominant win over Minnesota, 54-51. The Mean Green held the Gophers to just 14 points in the first half and at one point, Minnesota was shooting just 6% from the field. Rondel Walker led the way for North Texas with 14 points, four rebounds, one assist, and three steals. They ran #20 in the country in Defensive Shooting Percentage and #68 in KenPom. This might be one of the best defensive mid-major teams in the country.
We brought Wichita State into the Top 25 at #20 as well despite not having been ranked previously. This early into the season, we are still figuring out what teams are capable of and the Shockers have not disappointed. They are 3-0 with wins over Western Kentucky, Montana State, and Northern Iowa. They’ll take on Monmouth and Saint Louis this week in must-see matchups. Justin Hill is averaging 19.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2.3 steals in his first three games, while shooting 50% from the floor and 42.9% from 3pt. This is a dangerous Shockers team which has started to open college basketball fans’ eyes.
Charleston had an up-and-down week, defeating FAU in double-overtime behind a Ante Brzovic game winning three. Then turning around and scoring just 18 points in the second half in an 68-47 loss to Liberty. For Liberty, the Flames move to 4-1 on the season with their impressive win over Charleston and a narrow loss 77-74 to FAU. As a result, the Flames have entered at #23. UAB continues to fall as they lost to High Point in a close 68-65 game. The Blazers are now 2-2 with two losses by five or less points.
McNeese fell out this week after their 72-64 loss to #2 Alabama. You couldn’t have asked for a more competitive game, but unfortunately the Cowboys are 1-2 with their only win being against the College of Biblical Studies. They have a chance to bounce back against North Texas and Illinois State this week. If so, they’ll be right back in the Top 25.
Columbia continued their momentum with two more wins over Lehigh and Mercyhurst. The Lions are now 5-0 and have a chance to go 7-0 after this week with two games against Long Island and Stony Brook. Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa continues to dominate and is someone to keep a close eye on as the season develops.
As week four begins, we are starting to shift away from the amount of non-division one matchups, so there will be some key games to watch this week. As mentioned McNeese will take on both North Texas and Illinois State this week. San Diego State has an excellent opportunity against #4 Gonzaga tonight. San Francisco and Memphis go to battle on Thursday. Purdue Fort Wayne plays Penn State, while Utah State takes on Montana and Iowa. Make sure to keep tabs on this week’s games!
Notable Movement
North Texas - NR → #15
Wichita State - NR → #20
Dropped Out
McNeese
On the Bubble
McNeese
Murray State
East Carolina
UC Santa Barbara
Hofstra
Purdue Fort Wayne
Furman
Is Gonzaga not considered a mid-major? Also check out Braden Huff from GU - definitely a break-out star!