NCAAB · 1 year ago

College Basketball Mid-Major Power Rankings: A New No. 1

David Connelly

Host · Writer

10. Louisiana Tech
Tech crawled into conference play, losing three straight to Division I foes and dropping their conference opener to Sam Houston State. Since then, the Bulldogs have ripped off five straight and now remain the class of Conference USA as the lone program within KenPom's top 100. Isaiah Crawford and Daniel Batcho are one of the most elite duos in the country and could lead the Bulldogs to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in over three decades.
1. Indiana State
We finally have a new No. 1, and it's well deserved for the Sycamores, as their metrics keep improving. Robbie Avila and Isaiah Swope are establishing themselves as one of the best inside-outside combos in the entire country. With a KenPom ranking now up to 38th and up to 24th in the NET, it's not ridiculous to think that Indiana State has a path to an at-large bid.
2. Princeton
The Tigers gave up their throne atop these rankings with a road loss to Cornell over the weekend. While we aren't necessarily concerned, the gap continues to shrink within the Ivy League, with some teams behind them gaining steam. Friday's road matchup against Yale in a packed Lee Amphitheater will show how this team responds to adversity.
3. Drake
We clung to Drake's head-to-head victory as their leverage over Indiana State in the rankings for weeks, but the buck stops here. They won't be punished too much for a tough double-overtime road defeat to Missouri State, but they do slide accordingly. With their return matchup against Indiana State this weekend, they'll have a chance to get right back into the race for the MVC's regular-season title and back in the mix for the top spot on our rankings.
4. Grand Canyon
The Antelopes bounced back nicely with back-to-back tricky road wins over Stephen F. Austin and UT Arlington this past week after dropping a roadie to Seattle. They remain well ahead of the pack in the WAC with a 9-1 record and still have a potential path to an at-large bid if they run the table. It's a quick turnaround for revenge as Seattle visits Phoenix, where Grand Canyon can make it 18 of 19 wins dating back to late November.
5. McNeese
Welcome to the longest winning streak in college basketball. The Cowboys haven't lost since before Thanksgiving and have already tackled their toughest matchup of the season, a road win over Texas A&M Corpus Christi in dramatic fashion with a put-back from Christian Shumate as time expired. The more we watch the Pokes wreck their league and pull off stunning comebacks like that, the more we believe something special may be brewing for McNeese in 2024.
6. Appalachian State
Nobody is storming up this list faster than Appalachian State. Completing a season sweep of James Madison will help you do that, and now it's the Mountaineers' conference to lose, with an 8-1 conference record and sole possession of first place in the Sun Belt. When you've got eight guys averaging at least 6.3 points per game on your roster, you can be a nightmare to stop with such a balanced attack. Mix in a stifling defense, and App State could be a trendy upset pick come March Madness.
7. Samford
Samford's 17-game win streak was finally snapped by Furman last week, but they responded well with a road win over East Tennessee State over the weekend. The Bulldogs are still the class of the Southern Conference, and they control their own destiny with a 7-1 conference record. A three-game road trip follows Wednesday night's home game against Wofford, so we'll see if they can survive a tricky start to February.
8. James Madison
Once among the elites of our rankings, the Dukes continue to slide after dropping both regular-season matchups to Appalachian State in a matter of two weeks. It's severely hindered their chance at a regular-season title and number one seed in the Sun Belt Tournament, but they remain ten spots higher than the Mountaineers in KenPom. We're not totally out on James Madison yet, but their stretch of conference play has been a bit troubling after such a hot start to the season in non-conference play.
9. UC Irvine
The Anteaters are a rare case where six losses can still make our rankings. It's because they don't have too many bad losses as a mid-major, with none coming outside KenPom's top 200. Wins over USC, Toledo, and UC San Diego all stand out, and this team's ceiling is highest within the Big West. Head coach Russell Turner has his guys defending at an absurd level, the only mid-major in the country ranked within the top 20 nationally in KenPom's defensive efficiency metric.
10. Louisiana Tech
Tech crawled into conference play, losing three straight to Division I foes and dropping their conference opener to Sam Houston State. Since then, the Bulldogs have ripped off five straight and now remain the class of Conference USA as the lone program within KenPom's top 100. Isaiah Crawford and Daniel Batcho are one of the most elite duos in the country and could lead the Bulldogs to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in over three decades.
1. Indiana State
We finally have a new No. 1, and it's well deserved for the Sycamores, as their metrics keep improving. Robbie Avila and Isaiah Swope are establishing themselves as one of the best inside-outside combos in the entire country. With a KenPom ranking now up to 38th and up to 24th in the NET, it's not ridiculous to think that Indiana State has a path to an at-large bid.

College Basketball Mid-Major Power Rankings: A New No. 1

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