A year ago, FAU became the latest true mid-major to make a run all the way to the Final Four. We saw George Mason (2006) and VCU (2010) do it from the CAA, and Brad Stevens and Butler from the Horizon league in 2010.
No, I’m not counting San Diego State as a mid-major, since they have resources and hail from the Mountain West. Same goes for Saint Mary’s out of the WCC.
Here are 10 legit mid-majors that have a chance to make some noise this season, especially if they can get to the NCAA tourney.
FAU
This is the no-brainer of the group, since Dusty May and the Owls return just about everyone from a team that didn’t just get to the Final Four, it also dominated throughout the regular season. FAU has two of the best guards in the country, Johnell Davis and Alijah Martin, and will test itself with a brutal non-conference slate in addition to making the move from C-USA to the AAC. The non-league schedule includes games against Illinois in the Jimmy V Classic and Arizona in Las Vegas.
College of Charleston
Pat Kelsey’s Cougars lost a ton from last year’s team that went 31-4, won the CAA title and was ranked in the Top 25 for much of the season, but they also return starters Reyne Smith and Ante Brzovic, as well as key reserve Ben Burnham. Kelsey will try to re-create the chemistry that the team had a year ago with a bunch of non-D1 transfers and under-the-radar guys, but replacing Dalton Bolon, Ryan Larson, Pat Robinson III and Raekwon Horton won’t be easy. The key may be whether transfer CJ Fulton (Lafayette) can step in and replace Larson at the point.
UCSB
The Gauchos lost to Baylor in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season, but Joe Pasternack is one of the few mid-major coaches who brings back the conference player of the year (Ajay Mitchell). UCSB also added Auburn transfer Yohan Traore, a former Top 100 player who didn’t play much for Bruce Pearl a year ago as a freshman but should be an immediate impact player in the Big West.
Akron
After going 22-11 last season, John Groce and the Zips bring back senior forward Enrique Freeman, who averaged 16.8 points and 11.2 rebounds last season. Sure, they will have to find a way to replace Xavier Castaneda’s production (21.7 ppg), but bringing wing Ali Ali back after he left for a brief stop at Butler while also getting Mikal Dawson back from injury should make Akron the MAC favorites and a team that high-majors won’t want to see come March.
South Dakota State
It was a down year in Brookings last season, and the Jackrabbits still won 19 games and finished second in the Summit league with a 13-5 conference record. Eric Henderson will build around all-everything junior point guard Zeke Mayo (18.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.4 apg), and will get veteran forward Luke Appel back from injury. Appel (14.0 ppg) played just five games a year ago. South Dakota also returns a couple more veteran guards in Matt Mims and Charlie Easley.
Drake
The Bulldogs bring back the Missouri Valley player of the year, Tucker DeVries, who also happens to be the son of coach Darian DeVries. They also return veteran big man Darnell Brodie, who is in his sixth year of college. Look for transfers Ethan Roberts (Army) and Kyron Gibson (UT Arlington) to provide spacing that will alleviate some of the pressure put on DeVries.
Yale
The Bulldogs won 21 games last season and bring back Ivy player of the year candidate Matt Knowling and elite defender Bez Mbeng. James Jones has everything he needs: experience, balance, depth, skill and athleticism. Look for sophomore forward Nick Townsend to make a major impact this year with the departure of EJ Jarvis.
Weber State
The Wildcats return all five starters, including the Big Sky preseason player of the year Dillon Jones. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound junior led the team in points (16.7), rebounds (10.9) and assists (3.4) last season and is one of the most versatile players in the country. He’ll get help from senior guards Steven Verplancken (13.2 ppg) and KJ Cunningham, as well as juniors Dyson Koehler and Alex Tew.
Wright State
Most people will have Northern Kentucky as the pick out of the Horizon, but with Tanner Holden receiving a waiver on his return to Wright State, I’m going with the Raiders. They have veteran guard Trey Colvin, who averaged 20.3 points per game last season, to pair with Holden, who averaged 20.1 points at Wright State two years ago. Brandon Noel should take a jump after putting up 13.0 points and 8.7 boards in his first season playing D-1 basketball. And considering the fact that Scott Nagy is coaching this group, they will be dangerous.
Furman
Sure, Mike Bothwell and Jalen Slawson are gone. But Bob Richey’s Paladins are still going to be the team to beat in the SoCon — especially with JP Pegues back in the fold. Pegues averaged 11.9 points and led a team in assists that won 28 games and also won an NCAA tourney game. Marcus Foster is also back, and keep an eye on talented freshman big man Cooper Bowser.