The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 213 is Merrimack basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Merrimack basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 0
- NCAA wins: 0
- Bids: 0
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 17.6
- Bids per season: 0
- AP Polls: 0
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 0
- NBA players drafted & played: 0
- Conference Players of the Year: 3
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 4
- Conference tournament titles: 1
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on Merrimack basketball
For a program that has only been in Division I for seven seasons, Merrimack basketball BELONGS.
The Warriors have won four regular season conference titles, which is more than half of the time. In fact, in their first-ever DI season, they went 20-11 overall and 14-4 in the NEC, for first place. In 2022-23, they would win the NEC regular season title again, and the NEC Tournament, but it was their last year that they couldn’t make the NCAA Tournament due to the transition process. That has sparked a debate over the fairness of the rule.
The Warriors won the NEC regular season crown again in 2024, moving to the MAAC the next season. And this past year, in year two of their new conference, a 17-3 record in league play won them another. For mid-major programs making the adjustment to Division I, Merrimack basketball has been the gold standard.
Head coach Joe Gallo has been there for it all, and it’s amazing he hasn’t left for greener pastures just yet. And along the way, he’s coached some outstanding players – three conference POYs in the last four seasons. Jordan Minor in 2023, Jordan Derkack in 2024, and Kevair Kennedy in 2026. They could have easily had four in four years because Budd Clark went for 19.8 points per game, 6.0 assists per game, and 2.7 steals per game in 2024-25.
All of this instant success makes you wonder why Merrimack basketball didn’t go Division I a long time ago!