NCAAB · 2 years ago

Mid-Major College Basketball: One-Bid League Power Rankings

David Connelly

Host · Writer

10. UC Irvine (21-8)
The depth of this UC Irvine squad continues to amaze us. In the Anteaters' 89-64 thrashing of Cal State Northridge on Thursday, 12 players found the scoresheet while only Bent Leuchten ended up with more than 11 points. There is no overreliance on this team, which can make them a terrifying matchup in a one-off game where it's difficult to know where the production will come from. Head coach Russell Turner has a balanced attack, a veteran team, and a top-35 defense in the nation, per KenPom. UC Irvine is one to watch in the coming weeks.
1. Indiana State (25-5)
The Sycamores have responded perfectly to their back-to-back losses in the middle of February, winning three straight and looking back in form ahead of Arch Madness in St. Louis. Robbie Avila is beginning to pick up traction as a national icon in the sport after being dubbed "Cream Abdul Jabbar" by X after hanging 35 points on Evansville on Wednesday night. The Sycamores will close out the season with Murray State, where a win or a Drake loss would clinch their first Missouri Valley regular-season title since 2000.
2. Princeton (21-3)
After a slower 3-2 start to Ivy League play for Princeton, they have ripped off six straight victories and now sit in a three-way tie with Cornell and Yale atop the conference. It makes this weekend's Friday/Saturday doubleheaders across the league more important, where any team could take a stranglehold on the conference's top spot in just 24 hours. The Tigers get Columbia and Cornell before closing the regular season next weekend with Penn. Don't be surprised if they dominate all three en route to first place.
3. McNeese (25-3)
Boy, oh boy, did McNeese survive a scare on Monday night. In danger of suffering their second loss in over three months at Lamar, forward Antavion Collum knocked down a go-ahead three-pointer with just four seconds left to lift the Cowboys past the Cardinals 58-56. Given that it was just the third one-possession game McNeese has played in 2024, it may have been the wake-up call the team needed to remind them how one poor performance could spell the end of their season with a loss. A win against Nicholls at home on Saturday, and McNeese is your 2023-24 Southland Regular-Season Champion.
4. Grand Canyon (25-4)
The Antelopes have fallen from their perch atop these rankings after taking back-to-back losses last weekend, falling to Tarleton State and Abilene Christian during a mini road trip and ruining any chance at an at-large bid. They rebounded in a big way with a 29-point blowout win over Texas Rio Grande Valley on Thursday night. Despite how dominant Grand Canyon has felt nearly all season over the WAC, Tarleton State sits just half a game back of first place, meaning there could be some drama out west to close out the regular season.
5. Drake (24-6)
It didn't just take 40, 45, or even 50 minutes to settle the score between lowly UIC and Drake on Thursday night. Fifty-five minutes on the hardwood was required for the Bulldogs to push past the Flames, where they took a 107-105 triple-overtime victory in a total thriller. Tucker DeVries was on one all night, pouring in 39 points while grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing out seven assists. He is a borderline unfair advantage in any game, as DeVries has proven to be potentially the best player in the Missouri Valley. Our fingers are crossed for a Sunday afternoon Missouri Valley Championship matchup between Indiana State and Drake for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
6. James Madison (27-3)
After Indiana State, James Madison may have the best case for an at-large bid among our teams ranked here. The season-opening win over Michigan State in East Lansing has a ton of weight to it, and the predictive metrics average of 52, along with a strength of record of 39th, make for a compelling resumé. In our latest bracketology projections, we've got the Dukes safely on the 12-seed line, but they'll have to get through Appalachian State first. The Mountaineers convincingly swept the Dukes in the regular season, consisting of two of their three losses.
7. Louisiana Tech (21-8)
Unsurprisingly, having a sharpshooting senior wing and a former high-major big man spearhead your mid-major offense is a solid path to success! That's precisely what Louisiana Tech has in Isaiah Crawford and Daniel Batcho, who combine for over 30 points per game. The Bulldogs possess a half-game lead over Sam Houston State in the Conference USA standings, and they'll be seeking revenge against the Bearkats next Thursday in a game that could decide the regular-season conference crown.
8. Yale (18-8)
The Bulldogs walked away from their recent four-game road trip with just two wins and now sit in that three-team deadlock atop the Ivy heading into the final trio of games. The bright side for Yale is that they have the most manageable remaining schedule among the three teams, with matchups against the bottom half of the league all taking place in the friendly confines of the John J. Lee Amphitheater. Seven-footer Danny Wolf is an absolute stud and could quickly become a household name if Yale can make it into the Big Dance.
9. Bradley (21-9)
A bumpy patch in the middle of February had us remove Bradley from our rankings after a short appearance, but three straight wins to close out the month have reeled us right back in. The predictive metrics love head coach Brian Wardle's squad, likely because they have lost by double-digits just twice all season despite their nine losses. The Braves have solid coaching, a veteran roster, and incredibly balanced scoring among its core four of Duke Deen, Malevy Leons, Darius Hannah, and Connor Hickman. This team is the one that could crash the Indiana State/Drake party at Arch Madness next week.
10. UC Irvine (21-8)
The depth of this UC Irvine squad continues to amaze us. In the Anteaters' 89-64 thrashing of Cal State Northridge on Thursday, 12 players found the scoresheet while only Bent Leuchten ended up with more than 11 points. There is no overreliance on this team, which can make them a terrifying matchup in a one-off game where it's difficult to know where the production will come from. Head coach Russell Turner has a balanced attack, a veteran team, and a top-35 defense in the nation, per KenPom. UC Irvine is one to watch in the coming weeks.
1. Indiana State (25-5)
The Sycamores have responded perfectly to their back-to-back losses in the middle of February, winning three straight and looking back in form ahead of Arch Madness in St. Louis. Robbie Avila is beginning to pick up traction as a national icon in the sport after being dubbed "Cream Abdul Jabbar" by X after hanging 35 points on Evansville on Wednesday night. The Sycamores will close out the season with Murray State, where a win or a Drake loss would clinch their first Missouri Valley regular-season title since 2000.

Mid-Major College Basketball: One-Bid League Power Rankings

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