Note: this is a top 25 of mid-majors from only traditional one-bid leagues. (All MMs except for A10, AAC, MWC & WCC)
Why are they here?
1) North Florida: road wins AT SC and AT GT. Best week of almost any team in the country. The Ospreys can shoot it as good as anyone, and have many more high major tests left to build a compelling at-large resume.
2) UC Irvine: blowout road win vs UNI, road win at LMU. Top 100 team in the country in the preseason and they are showing why early on.
3) Grand Canyon: my preseason top team amongst those included here. Down a few starters but still 2-0 with a win over a solid Western Kentucky team. When their team is healthy, they can beat anyone on this list home or away.
4) Columbia: undefeated with the win at Villanova. Good guard play helped lead them to a win and rises its ceiling to contention in the Ivy League.
5) Austin Peay: undefeated with win at Butler. Another good ASUN team, that deserves a ton of credit for going into a great environment like Hinkle Fieldhouse and getting a win.
6) South Dakota State: defeated McNeese opening night, one of the better mid-majors talent wise nationally, and hung on for a gritty win over LBSU. Look better than expected, the current Summit favorite.
7) Arkansas State: won over Akron opening night, and battled Alabama very well, were right in the game until the end. Should be considered one of it not the favorite in the Sun Belt.
8) High Point: many are very high on this team. Should be elite offensively. Dropped a tad for its game vs Jackson State but otherwise a week that went as expected with little tests for the Panthers.
9) Lipscomb: opening week wins over Duquesne & Wofford. Battled Arkansas for most of the night in Fayetteville. Preseason favorite in the ASUN looked the part.
10) UC San Diego: took San Diego State to the brink on the road, and dominated Pepperdine. This is its first year of NCAA Tournament eligibility and UCSD looks poised to contend near the top of the Big West.
11) Princeton: three close games down to the wire for the Tigers this week, but all vs capable mid-majors in Iona, Duquesne & Northeastern. A few away from home as well. Picked as the favorite in a deep Ivy League, Princeton showed some early season rust/flaws, but finding a way to win three games in seven days is what counts.
12) McNeese: One of the more talented mid-major rosters. Did not look the part vs South Dakota State but still believe in the ceiling of this group. Of note, that may have been more to do with SDST being good than McNeese being much worse than expected.
13) Charleston: two solid wins. Neutral vs SIU and over USF. Chris Mack has a nice team with multiple shooters and one of the best mid-major bigs in the country in Ante Brzovic.
14) LA Tech: top 100 team in the preseason, and did nothing to change that week one. Looked the part away from home against UTA on Saturday.
15) Central Connecticut State: had Providence on the ropes until the final whistle at The Dunk on Monday night, and followed it up winning in Philly against Saint Joe's. The clear best team in the NEC, and it does not appear to be a fluke.
16) UIC: controlled the game from the tip in its win over Yale earlier in the week. Felt like the better team for 40 minutes, and Yale had decent expectations to start the year. Need to see them away from Chicago, but good start.
17) Akron: went to OT on the road vs Arkansas State, a top 10 team in this list. Should once again be a Top 4 team in the MAC.
18) Furman: won on the road at Belmont. Time will tell the true value of that win for the Paladins, but good start to the year.
19) Cornell: beat Samford, a top team from the SoCon and a NCAAT team a year ago, at the buzzer. One of the games of the week. Good shooting team who plays fast and aggressive (just like Samford).
20) Bradley: tough showing vs Wazzu dropped the Braves down a bit, but still feel positively about this group moving forward. Offensive talent remains a positive, but the defense showed a ton of holes Friday night.
21) Troy: good win over Toledo to open the season, and went 2-0 after defeating New Orleans. Looked solid in both, and appear to be a Sun Belt dark horse early on.
22) UC Davis: took Washington to the brink to open its season, and had a 1-1 week. One of the best players in mid-major hoops, TY, (pronounced T - Y), Johnson. If the role players make outside shots, watch out.
23) Liberty: they can still shoot it! 20 piece opening night against Valpo and defeated a normally formidable Seattle team on Saturday.
24) Northern Colorado: went to double OT at Colorado. Made many big shots in that one, many from the outside, and after one week look like one of the best teams in the Big Sky.
25) UC Santa Barbara: looked dominant vs Portland, and was a top 115 team in the preseason. Appear to still have an effective offense even after losing Ajay Mitchell to the NBA.
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