NCAA Mid-Major Preview

We’ve gone through each “Power Conference”, but we shouldn’t forget about the others, commonly called the “Mid-Majors.” After all, Wichita State made the Final Four last year, and teams like Butler, Memphis, Creighton, and VCU have made a lot of noise recently also. Of course, Butler and Creighton are now in the Big East, and Memphis is now in the AAC, so they won’t be included in this category anymore. As for the others, here you go:

Top Ten Mid-Majors

1. VCU Rams – Shaka Smart brings back three starters and adds a nice recruiting class. Juvonte Reddic and Treveon Graham are stars, and Briante Weber and Rob Brandenberg are very good as well. JeQuan Lewis is a freshman that will be perfect in this system. I see an A-10 Championship for sure, and a potential Sweet 16 run.

2. Wichita State Shockers – A Final Four team a year ago that won’t be doing any “shocking” now for they are the hunted. They lost some key players, but they thrived on depth and will be just fine. I love Cleanthony Early inside for them, and he’ll be joined by a JC All-American. Three other starters return as well. Look out!

3. Harvard Crimson – Harvard pulled off one of the best upsets of the tourney last year by defeating New Mexico in the first round (second round technically now). They only lose one starter, but return their two best players from 2011-2012 (suspended last year). This makes them extremely dangerous once again.

4. New Mexico Lobos – They have two big losses to overcome: Tony Snell (now playing on the Bulls) and Steve Alford (now coaching at UCLA). The good news is that four starters return and Snell will be replaced by a JUCO All-American. Kendall Williams is the reigning Mountain West POY so that helps too.

5. Gonzaga Bulldogs – Mark Few runs a consistent program out west that reloads, builds, and develops players year after year. Olynyk and Harris were breakout stars last year before moving on, now it’s time for others. The backcourt is loaded with Pangos, Bell Jr., Stockton, and Providence transfer Coleman. Inside, more will be expected of Sam Dower and Karnowski. They’ll win their conference again and be a threat in the first few rounds.

6. Boise State Broncos – The Broncos were one of the surprise teams in the country a year ago, but they won’t surprise many this time around. This was a tournament caliber team, and they return all five starters and add some nice talent that gives them depth. Anthony Drmic and Derrick Marks could be the best scoring tandem in the country.

7. La Salle Explorers – We all know how dangerous this team was a year ago and it could be the same this season. They lost leading scorer Ramon Galloway, but everyone else is back and that means they have a ton of talent. Jerrell Wright was killer in the NCAA Tourney last year.

8. BYU Cougars – Remember the name Tyler Haws, because he’s about to bust out like Jimmer did. This is a guy that can score at will, and has three other returning starters around him (one of those is from 2011 and is back from a mission).

9. St. Louis Billikens – They lost some key guys including Kwamain Mitchell and Cody Ellis, but they had great depth last year and guys are ready to step in. Dwayne Evans is their big time player they can ride into the NCAA’s.

10. UNLV Rebels – It will be an interesting year for UNLV because they turned over a lot of their roster. Anthony Bennett went #1 overall in the NBA Draft, Mike Moser transferred to Oregon, and Reinhardt/Marshall both graduated after averaging in double figures. Khem Birch and Bryce Dejean-Jones return and are joined by transfers and freshmen with great talent. One such transfer (Roscoe Smith) started for UCONN when they won the national championship.

Mid-Major Awards (Just from these teams)

Player of the Year – Tyler Haws (BYU)

Defensive Player of the Year – Alex Kirk (New Mexico)

Newcomer of the Year – Darius Carter (Wichita State)

Most Improved Player – Sam Dower (Gonzaga)

Coach of the Year – Shaka Smart (VCU)

All “Mid-Major” Teams (Just from these teams)

First Team:

G Tyler Haws, BYU

G Kendall Williams, New Mexico

G/F Anthony Drmic, Boise State

F Cleanthony Early, Wichita State

F Juvonte Reddic, VCU

Second Team:

G Kevin Pangos, Gonzaga

G Derrick Marks, Boise State

G Treveon Graham, VCU

F Jerrell Wright, La Salle

C Alex Kirk, New Mexico

Third Team:

G Bryce Dejean-Jones, UNLV

G Dwayne Evans, St. Louis

F Kyle Casey, Harvard

F Cameron Bairstow, New Mexico

C Khem Birch, UNLV

By: The Sports Guys