Mid-Major Basketball

Guard play is DEEP for the Falcons this upcoming season. Led by the return of Josiah Shackelford, Bowling Green also adds Jayden Johnson, Juan Cranford Jr., and Tristan Beckford. Johnson is a South Carolina State transfer who led the Bulldogs in scoring last season, while adding 3 AST, 3 REB, and 1.5 STL a night. Cranford Jr. averaged 12.1 PPG for Eastern Kentucky while Beckford is a former 2025 3 star from South Florida with loads of upside. Can't forget about their D2 guys either with Zach Howell and Trey Simmons. Simmons averaged 24.2 PPG and 1.5 STL for Frostburg State last season! Big man depth could be deeper, but Seniors Aiden Goins and South Carolina transfer, Christ Essandoko are big time leaders in that starting frontcourt. I think this team has a lot of firepower to be a threat on both ends of the floor.

Austin Ball and Jackson Holt are two of the most underrated returners in the UAC and I think both those guys are gonna lead this team well. They are also surrounded by a lot of great pieces including two high level JUCO transfers, those being Justin McCarter and Drae Vasser. Vasser averaged 17, 6, and 5 for Vincennes last season! West Florida transfer Aric Demings and Amarr Knox join the team as well just adding to their fantastic guard play. Knox redshirted last season but in 2024-25 averaged 14.5 PPG and roughly 2 steals a night for Alabama State. Big man depth is there as well with the return of Yvens Paul, Louisville transfer Mouhamed Camara, and Long Island University transfer, Shadrak Lasu who I think has tons of breakout potential. Overall, I think a down season last year will give them a lot of strive this year and in a fresh new conference.

Idaho is ranks 2nd in the Big Sky in 4 categories heading into the season on Torvik. Those being Defensive Efficiency, Projected Effective Talent, Projected Production from Transfers, and Projected Effective Experience. Kristian Gonzales is back from injury after appearing in just one game last season, but we all know what he's capable of and he should lead this team well. Seth Joba is another returning piece who I think will be really important to this team. Two strong JUCO transfers join the mix as well in Brady Kennison and Mo Diao. Diao is a rim protecting machine despite being only 6'9" and Kennison is a great scorer and playmaker. Should be two of the best newcomers in the Big Sky along with breakout candidate, Kase Wynott.

On paper, Hofstra doesn't seem that intriguing to me, but there's actually a lot of potential here that could finish even higher in the CAA. For one, they're first in the conference by a landslide in defensive efficiency projected by Torvik to go along with what will be an elite rebounding team with the addition of guys like Spence Wewe and Riley Dunn. Two Loyola Chicago transfers in Justin Moore and Deywilk Tavares are the highlights of these team who were two of the Ramblers main guys last year and on an A 10 team, so that's really promising to add those guys. Tanner Thomas also joins the mix as well. Gotta remember, they're also coming off a conference championship and are returning their coach from that team.

I really like this group for Iona, much more than the past few seasons even with all that they've been active, these offseason additions intrigue me the most. Kevon Vanderhorst and Martin Kheil are two solid mid-major transfer guards surround a major returning senior Kosy Akametu. I want to talk about VCU transfer Keyshawn Mitchell though, who I think will immediately be a top big in the conference. The 6'11" product actually had 2 double doubles last season in 10.6 minutes a game for the Round of 32 Rams. He will be absolutely explosive for the Gaels. St. John's transfer senior, Sadiku Ibine Ayo also joins this team and he'll have a good chance to light the Metro up on both ends. Holy Cross transfer Aiden Disu and returners Luke Jungers and Alliou Fall make their front court depth elite as well.

The central part of Elon this year is the return of to double digit scorers in Randall Pettus II and Bryson Cokley. Going deeper than that though, I think the Phoenix have 3 really under the radar transfers, those being Isaiah Mbeng, Raul Villar,  and Josh Dalton. All 3 have tons upside in the CAA. Dalton had a 14 and 7 game for LMU vs Santa Clara last season. Their big man depth goes even deeper too with the addition of double double machine Marko Sarenac over from the D2 ranks, freshman Caleb Zhu and more. Pennsylvania transfer Cam Thrower is also a name to watch. Breakout candidate for sure. 

Detroit Mercy returns more minutes than anyone in the Horizon. This is particularly big I think because they are coming off a conference championship appearance. Overall, I think they could have done a little more in the portal in terms of helping their depth, but I like some of the additions they got such as Jordan Briggs and Elias Palsson from the D2 ranks. They have great size all round the team as well. It'd be great story to go from winning one game the whole season just a couple of years ago to being a top 70 mid-major in the country, so I'm going for it.

Stetson has an interesting team this year and I think they're being very overlooked. Despite the last 2 seasons being not what they had hoped for, the Hatters have had their highs. Do I think they'll be at the level of that 2024 March Madness team? Not exactly, but I do think it's possible and that they can win a lot of games in an ASUN that will be weaker than recent years. First off, they return Colin Kuhl was 5th in the whole nation in field goal % while averaging 13 PPG, 6 REB, and shooting 37% from 3. 2 other of their bigs are back too in Alex Doyle and Finley Sheridan as they arguably have the best front court depth in the conference. Their guard play is gonna be make or break for them, but they have a lot of versatility in that area with scoring from MARFO Alec Oglesby and playmaking from Daniel MacGregor and FIU transfer Thiago Sutcatzky. I also Mason Fuentes should be one ASUN's best freshmen.

Despite the Golden Flashes losing a lot, you can never bet against Rob Senderoff. Obviously the big addition for this team is Chansey Willis Jr. who was really solid at the Big 10 level. Just an explosive 2 way player that will immediately be in the running for MAC player of the year. Fordham transfer, Christian Henry is also a huge addition to this team as he's another good all around player coming putting up double figures and 5 AST in the 2-bid A-10. Another transfer guard to mention is former ranked recruit who redshirted at Rutgers his freshman year last year in Dorian Jones. That could be a scary 1, 2, and 3 in the starting unit if they decide to go that route. Their big man depth is also tremendous with multiple impactful mid-major transfers highlighted by the addition of Cameron Williams who averaged double figures for Portland out of another high level mid-major conference.

UC Irvine ranks 1st in Defensive Efficiency with a decent gap between 2nd place in Torvik and nearly top 50 in that category in the nation. 42% of their minutes returning helps a lot with that. UC Davis transfer Nils Cooper is a big addition to this team as he was a really good defender and bucket getter for the Aggies this past season, but a downside is he has just never been able figure out that 3 point shot in his career. I don't think this team is as good as the past few years because the offense declines a bit, but will still be a really strong Big West team with the amount of guys they have returning, the talent of their incoming freshmen, and the fact that you can never count out Russ Turner. Olivier Rioux is also on this team making them must watch and is expected to play a big role!

The main highlight of this Southern Miss team is the return of Isaac Taveras who was their second leading scorer last season and will be in the running for Sun Belt player of the year. They also get many huge transfer additions starting with Brandon Weston who didn't play in 2025-26, but the season prior averaged 16 PPG and about 5 REB for Tennessee State. Jalyke Gaines-Watts is another pickup from Hampton who averaged double figures and 3 AST in the CAA. I think out of all of their transfers 2 6'8" forwards stick out the most. Those being Cameron Wallace who averaged 12.7 PPG 7 REB for Little Rock and Mike Montano who averaged a whopping 29 PPG and 12 REB in limited games for Frostburg State. Oh, and add about 5 AST and 2 STL to those already crazy explosive numbers. Aside from their additions and returning talent their depth is very solid too. The Golden Eagles currently rank first in Projected Effective Experience in the Sun Belt!

Wright State finished 1st by two games for the regular season in the Horizon League and return 3 key contributors from that team 2 of them being starters. Kellen Pickett was the Horizon League freshman of the year and looks to be the cornerstone of this Raiders team as just a Sophomore. Very talented and versatile big. They also add Green Bay's leading scoring last season from out of the transfer portal in C.J. O'Hara. He was All-Conference third team. Experience could be a concern, but it's not a bad idea to trust those 3 returners along with your only 2 seniors being transfers from some of the best conferences. Tons of upside there. Chadlyn Traylor, freshman Terrance Hayes Jr. and Sam Johnson are amazing as bench pieces as well especially in league like the Horizon.

What a starting 5 and more for the Wildcats this upcoming season. This could be one of the best SWAC teams in years, but obviously there's always gonna be some questions if your whole team consists of new faces. In terms of the whole mid-major landscape on paper, this team is very talented with 4 transfer guards who have put up double figures a night for other mid-majors. Highlighting that group is Koron Davis and Karmello Branch, though Kevin Patton Jr. from New Mexico and Jaylen Jones from Jacksonville I think could be all-conference guys. They have such an underrated forecourt as well with Vuk Boskovic coming over from the WCC and an elite rim protector and 7 footer from Louisiana Tech in Melian Martinez. All these guys I've mentioned so far will be seniors too, so despite no continuity, there's still a lot of collegiate experience on this roster. They rank first in every category on Torvik too for the SWAC that isn't returning minutes!

 Another deep team for sure. Team is highlighted by 2 of the conference's best returners in Quinton Perkins II and Brady Shoulders. At first glance, their transfer class looks average, but listening more into it, there's a lot of promise! 2 high level D2 transfers, 2 transfers who were impactful pieces on the #2 JUCO in the nation last year, and a combination of Keelan Steele, Petras Padegimas, Dimitrije Kovacvic in the front court is absolutely threatening and could eat alive not just SoCon teams, but even other teams in the top 100 if played out to their fullest potential.

3 starters and over 50% of minutes coming back for Colgate actually isn't uncommon, but we all know what they're capable of. I think there is a clear gap after the top 3 in the Patriot and the Raiders is who I have at 3. Parker Jones, Sam Wright, and Andrew Alekseyenko are an elite big 3 and probably the most well known in the league. Size and versatility also run through this team matching up well with more than just the conference opponents. In what should be a much more competitive top of the league compared to other years, Colgate can finish 2nd or 3rd and still have a much improved season from a down year last year.

The Kats will be competitive in the CUSA once again. They have a really great mix of returning talent and big transfer portal additions. Impactful guards Justin Begg and Jacobe Coleman return and Begg is set to run the offense after starting all 22 games he played last season, but unfortunately his season getting cut short due to injury. Surrounding them is one of the best D2 transfers in country with guard Aidan McDowell who averaged north of 27 PPG and 5 REB for Western Colorado. Absolutely electric. JUCO transfer Zion Pipkin should be the team's best shooter and one of the best in the conference. As for their bigs, I believe Wisconsin transfer Riccardo Greppi will find his footing on this team and they also return 7 footer Matt Dann. Enel St. Benard and Yoda Oke are two other transfers to mention. They add even more rebounding and defense. Another year, another really deep and well rounded Chris Mudge team.

Portland State has a heck of a team this year. How about two D2 transfers that averaged double doubles for their respective teams last season? Jaquay Randolph being one of them put up 20 PPG and 15 REB!! Very few players across every level of D1 have been able to put up those individual numbers in one season. That is the front court a Mid-Major like PSU dreams for and they got it. They also fill out the rest of their lineup with mostly seniors with elite potential at the guard spot with Ole Miss transfer, Koren Johnson and Dallas Baptist transfer Trevor Frank who is a great defender and averaged double figures for one the top D2 teams last season. One concern is the lack of D1 experience and returning talent, but I like their odds to finish top 4 in the Big Sky with them being first in the conference in Projected Production from Transfers and riding off of their great year last season.

Austin Peay has gotta have one of the weirdest rosters in the country this season, but that doesn't take away from the fact that I think they're gonna be a pretty good team. Just 4 of their players played college basketball last season. Yup, you heard that right, NINE of their 13 are incoming freshman this year. But, get this, 2 of those 4 guys were their 2nd and 3rd leading scorers for the team last season and BOTH should be in the running for UAC POY. Loyola Chicago transfer Chuck Love III will also be elite for this team. Of course they wouldn't be on this list if a majority of their team is being made of freshmen weren't some of the best in the conference. Traymaine Belanger, Alexander Davis, and Bradley Floyd highlight that loaded class and helps the Governors be first by a good margin in Projected Effective Talent for the UAC in Torvik. Such an interesting team, but very intriguing. Just realized I have back to back schools with Austin in its name and it gave me t...

How can you not like the team that went 28-6 overall and 27-4 in the regular season last year that was able to maintain that same Head Coach? I do think this team is significantly weaker than that phenomenal team from last season, but I still think they're quite clearly a top 3 team in the Southland and potentially 20+ win bound once again. They are led by returning guard Narit Chotikavanic and star UL Monroe transfer MJ Russell. Both in the conversation for all-conference for sure. They also rank second in Offensive and Defensive efficiency only behind the expected McNeese. 

One of the more interesting teams in the top 100. Gotta start with a Big East transfer Deshawn Harris-Smith who only appeared in 6 games for Georgetown last season, but made decent contributions in those game. To really see who Delaware is getting, you gotta go back to 2023-24 where Harris-Smith was at Maryland and started 30/33 games averaging 7.3 PPG and 4.3 REB in the Big 10! He's consistently been able to be an impact player at the Power 5 level and that's why I think he will lead this team greatly and be an all conference guy. Devin Dinkins, Kachi Nzeh, and key Nevada rotational piece Chuck Bailey III also join this team. Dinkins averaged 12.1 PPG and just over a steal a night for Manhattan, Kachi Nzeh averaged double figures and shot 41% from 3 with about a block and a steal a game getting it done on both ends for Little Rock. Great balance of experience and young talent on this team with multiple key returners from last season to come off the bench from an already threat...