While so much of the college basketball season focuses on Power 6 schools and who will win each of those regular season and conference titles, mid-majors often get overlooked despite providing some of the biggest upsets when March Madness rolls around.
Even in the early phases of this season, upsets and big storylines coming from mid-majors continue to produce the craziness that is college basketball. Mid-majors deserve to be placed on a higher level knowing they can compete with the bigger schools.
Five mid-majors are going to be analyzed below as they have a chance to go into the conference tournament winning the strong majority of their games, if not every single game, between now and March.
Mid-Major #1: Memphis
Memphis has taken the college basketball world by storm this season with four wins against ranked opponents: Arkansas, Texas A&M, Clemson and Virginia. The Aggies, Tigers and Cavaliers have been the last three opponents on Memphis’ schedule as this group is one of the strongest mid-majors in the country right now. Its only two losses have been to Villanova and Ole Miss (just one of three undefeated teams remaining), and the team shows very little weaknesses.
David Jones and Jahvon Quinerly are a lethal 1-2 punch for the Tigers as the pair averages 20.8 and 13.3 points per game, respectively. Both players are shooting 45% from the floor, over 30% from three-point range and over 80% from the foul line showing they are not just a one-trick pony. Memphis relies on them to pace the offense and create balance as the tandem covers ground in the post and around the perimeter.
The AAC currently has nine teams at .500 or above, but Tigers fans should not be too concerned by that. Three of the teams have won just a game more than they’ve lost, and the only other school that has a resume close to Memphis is FAU who is 1-1 against AP ranked opponents. Tulane and Wichita State will hang around for a while, but the Tigers should have no problems from now until March if they keep playing the way they are and get some consistent supplemental scoring from guys besides Jones and Quinerly.
Mid-Major #2: James Madison
James Madison has been catching national attention from day one with a 79-76 overtime win on the road against Michigan State. The Dukes have since ripped off 10 more wins to be one of three perfect teams left. The schedule hasn’t been the most difficult outside of Michigan State and Kent State, but it takes more than luck to win 11 consecutive games.
For the Dukes, the offense is spearheaded by the duo of TJ Bickerstaff, Terrence Edwards Jr. Bickerstaff and Edwards both average over 16 points per game as James Madison’s offense leads the country to this point with an average of just under 93 points per game. Bickerstaff has been lights out from the field shooting 68.5% and also leads the Dukes with 8.3 rebounds per game. This group is also tied with Tulane with the 10th most steals per game at 10.4.
The Sun Belt Conference is already proving to a two-horse race this season between James Madison and Appalachian State. One difference maker to this point is that the Mountaineers are just 1-2 away from home while the Dukes are 4-0. Appalachian State does have a win over Auburn on its resume, but James Madison has shown this season to be the much stronger team. The scheduling gods have blessed us fans as these teams meet just two weeks apart in January, and then their fates are in their own hands through the last six weeks of the season.
Mid-Major #3: Colgate
It hasn’t been the prettiest non-conference schedule to this point for Colgate with losses to ranked opponents in Arizona and Illinois as well as blowing a 24-point lead in the second half against Syracuse. Even with those losses though, the Red Raiders are testing themselves early as they gear up for another March Madness run this year.
One thing that is a bit of a surprise for Colgate is that its leading scorer averages just 12.9 points per game in Braeden Smith; Keegan Records is the only other player on the team whose average is in double digits. Records also averages 7.4 rebounds per game. For a team that aspires to make the tournament every year, I would have expected the scoring numbers to be slightly higher. Yet, Colgate has still found a way to score points consistently as it has rallied around the “win as a team” mentality.
The Red Raiders are fortunate this year that the Patriot League is a very weak conference. Colgate is the only team right now with a winning record, and only American and Boston within striking distance of first place. It is college basketball and truly anything can happen, but it does seem like the Red Raiders have the inside track to cruise to first place and secure the top seed in the Patriot League conference tournament. Boston University is the team that could give the Red Raiders the biggest run for their money, according to the latest version of the KenPom Rankings, but it’s still safe to say Colgate should have a pretty easy time getting back into the big dance.
Mid-Major #4: Marist
Marist has gotten off to a very strong start with seven wins in its first nine games of the season. The Red Foxes fought to the end against New Hampshire in of their two losses, but came up just short. In its seven wins this year, Marist’s scoring differential averaged 12.5 per game. This group isn’t just winning, it’s finding ways to win big.
Max Allen II and Josh Pascarelli pace the offense for the Red Foxes that scores 68.4 points per game. Just like Colgate, Marist is a group that doesn’t have the flashiest scorers but finds a way to get the job done in both halves of the court. Allen and Pascarelli both are capable of scoring in high volumes as the pair have both gone over 25 points on at least one occasion this season and are still getting settled in to playing at Marist, especially Pascarelli who is a true freshman.
The Red Foxes have started MAAC play on a positive note with wins over Iona and Manhattan before having a few more games in non-conference play to iron out any mistakes. Just like Colgate, Marist benefits from a weak conference this season and is the only team currently over .500. Seeing as this team has found ways to win each of its first two conference games shows this group is already running on all cylinders and will have a chance to add to its resume with a matchup against Notre Dame on Dec. 22 in South Bend. The MAAC will give Marist a challenge, but I expect the Red Foxes to pull through.
Mid-Major #5: Purdue Fort Wayne
Many would be very quick to dismiss Purdue Fort Wayne as a result of being in just its third season in the Horizon League, but this team has gotten off to a strong start with an 11-2 record. While the schedule for the Mastodons hasn’t been the most difficult, they have pulled out wins against well-known schools such as DePaul and Bethune-Cookman. Purdue Fort Wayne’s defense found a way to limit Pittsburgh to its lowest-scoring game of the season with just 62 points.
The Mastodons have a three-headed monster leading their offense with Rasheed Bello, Anthony Roberts and Jalen Jackson as the trio all score over 14 points per game. However, the offense does not revolve around them entirely as Purdue Fort Wayne is scoring just under 84 points per game. Rebounding has been an issue to this point as the team only brings in an average of 33 boards, but boxing out and finding ways to control the glass will be sorted out the rest of the way in conference games.
Wins over Green Bay and Oakland have started Purdue Fort Wayne off strong at the top of the Horizon League. Youngstown State and Northern Kentucky have also won their first two games of conference play, but the Mastodons and Norse square off on Dec. 29 with the first matchup against Youngstown State not until Jan. 10. The Horizon League is shaping up to be a competitive conference this year, but Jon Coffman’s group is deep. Purdue Fort Wayne could very easily be the top seed heading into the conference tournament in just its third season in the conference. The Mastodons are looking to get into March Madness for the first time in history.