If you are like me, you have watched every minute of every game in every mid-major conference in Division I college basketball. The wife missed the first half of the Idaho-Cal Poly game in November for her birthday.
Now is not the time to be lazy. With conference tournament play less than a week away, we brethren of the BarcelonaLounger need all bloodshot eyeballs on the remaining regular-season games that will determine seeding, conference championships and, in the most important instances, standing in KC's Top 10. Make sure you catch each of the pivotal pre-tournament games by adding the extra terabyte of space on the DVR.
South Dakota State wrapped up the Summit League regular-season title a long time ago, but at 16-0 in conference play the Jackrabbits are just two wins shy of the first perfect season in league history. The only Division I player leading his conference in assists and assists per game is sophomore sensation Baylor Scheierman. The margin for error is thin for Oral Roberts, which will finish as the 2-seed in the Summit League tournament. The Golden Eagles have a chance to hand the Jacks their first conference loss, as well as send a message to the other teams in the battle for the conference title. At this time last year, Max Abmas was a mid-major god. You can stream this on the ORU Sports Network.
The road to an OVC regular-season title runs through Murray, Kentucky. We are in Murray, Kentucky, with an opportunity for coach Matt McMahon's men to take a giant step closer to a perfect OVC regular season. The Bruins have won 10 in a row and have a chance to ruin Murray State's perfect season if they avenge their previous loss. Tevin Brown and Juice Hill are friends of KJ Williams. Nick Muszynski, Ben Sheppard, and Grayson Murphy are related. The star power is off the charts. I would trade my dog for a ticket to the Mabee Center.
The three seasons since Coach Johnson took over at Texas State have been brilliant and he has done a great job. The coach of the year wrapped up the Sun Belt title with a win at South Alabama, their eighth in a row. Troy has a chance to sweep the season series after taking the first meeting between the teams in San Marcos. The team has bought into the system of coach Scott Cross. Troy can put the Sun Belt on notice before the tournament by not sharing the title since the league elected not to reschedule certain games. Dad barricaded himself inside the basement to catch this one, and he will teach the kids a harsh life lesson Friday night. You will be reading by yourself.
One of the best stories in mid-major basketball is the one about Wagner. In mid-November, the Seahawks lost three games in a row, then lost two of three on the court in December. The team is 14-1 since then, including a dramatic OT win against Bryant on Staten Island. The Hawks get more than 42 points per game from Alex, Will, and Elijah Ford, an elite power trio. The top scorer in all of Division I, Peter Kiss, and his teammate, Charles Pride, have helped the bulldogs win 13 of 15 since they were 4-7 in Northeast Conference play. The NEC regular-season title will be shared if both teams handle their business in tuneups Thursday night. Hagler-Hearns will be inside the Athletic Center.
You don't need to know anything about Drew Valentine, he's back after missing nearly a month of games due to COVID-19, and his team will play a neutral site game against San Francisco in January. Any team, anywhere. The past month has included a season sweep by Drake and Loyola winning that game en route to a 14-2 start. The season has been salvaged for the electric AJ Green and Northern Iowa. The lone defeat was a 27 point loss to Loyola. Do you need more motivation than a regular-season title? The A-10 will be the new home of the Ramblers after the season. It might be a topic of conversation in the UNI locker room.
The Mountain West meeting will still have a huge say in who rules the wild, wild Mountain West despite the fact that Tuesday night's win over San Diego State took some steam out of it. Wyoming has been named after a man. Consistent, tenacious, fearless. The sheriff of San Diego State is Pat Garrett. It was steady, relentless, and steadfast. The Cowboys score. The Aztecs are defending. The Pokes are led by two marshals. Matt Bradley has a cast of dependable deputies. This is a must if Wyoming is to catch up to the Broncos. Two quick draws are ready to take their 10 paces. The women and children should not be seen.
The proper officials have not yet been notified, but KC has begun parade planning for the Buffalo Bills. It is not unreasonable to think that Jim Whitesell's team could win a group of MAC titles. The Bulls won 11 of their last 13 after starting the league play with a 0-2 record. Toledo has been a picture of consistency all season, riding the remarkable Ryan Rollins to a 14-3 conference mark, tied with Ohio for first place and one up in the loss column on Kent State and Buffalo. The first meeting between the two teams was in The Glass City, but the return to Alumni Arena could be for the MAC marbles. The necessities will be covered on March 1st with Wings, bleu cheese dressing, an ample supply of cream beer and a subscription to the sports network.
With two to play, Yale is in first place, a half-game up on Princeton. This March 5th, the Palestra will host a crucial home and home game with arch-rival Harvard. Yale would finish tied atop the Ivy League at 12-2 if it ran the table and won its final two games. Thanks to a season sweep of third-place Penn, Princeton won the tiebreak. Yale and Penn split the season series. If Penn wins this game, all Ivy League ties would be broken by Bernoulli's principle.
Davidson has been ranked in the top 2 in Grandpa's favorite mid-major poll. The Cats beat Alabama on a neutral floor and went on to win their league games. Dayton is nearly as strong as the team coached by Bob McKillop. Over a four day period in late November, the Flyers beat Miami, Kansas and Belmont. The group of Anthony Grant has won eight of nine. With a regular-season trophy potentially hanging in the balance, missing this game will be an embarrassment to your family for generations to come.
New Orleans was 4-7 after a double-overtime loss to McNeese State. The Privateers have won 12 of 13 since then, taking a one-game lead atop the Southland. The non-conference schedule was akin to brushing the teeth of a starving panther. The Colonels dropped two of their first three games in league play. Austin Claunch's team hasn't lost since January 22nd, setting up a winner-take-all finale. New Orleans has the tie-breaker thanks to a season sweep of third-place finisher Southeastern Louisiana. The boudin and catfish in Thibodaux will be spicy.
Other mid-major mastery.
Kendal Coleman has 13 double-doubles in his last 18 games and seven in 11 conference games.
The 11th player in the history of the Colonial Athletic Association to collect 1,000 career rebound is James Butler of Drexel.
Evan Gilyard II equaled his career-high with 33 points in the win over North Dakota State. Gilyard has scored 30 points in five games this season.
Kent State junior Sincere Carry scored 42 points in a win over Ball State. The triple-double by Jacobs was the first in program history. Carry and Jacobs are the 3rd set of teammates in the last 25 seasons to go for 40+ points and a triple-double in the same game.
Toledo led Western Michigan at the half, but then went on a 28-0 run in the second half. It's the second-longest run in Division I this season, behind only Purdue's 29-0 run against Omaha.
Pick the winner for each game of the NCAA tournament in 2022. Play a tournament.
King Rice has won more games at the Division I level than any other coach in school history.
The Ohio Valley Conference invited Lindenwood University to become an official member on July 1, 2022. The Division II level is where the Lions are currently competing.
The Mid-Major Top 10 for this week.
Last week was 1
The trumpeters. The doves should be released. The finest meats and cheeses should be prepared. The kingdom of Midmajoria bows before Murray State. The men pulled off another perfect week thanks to a manhandling of Austin Peay on Thursday and a narrow escape against UT Martin on Saturday. The Skyhawks had a one-point lead with 0:10 to go, but a 3-point play by Williams snatched the win for the Spartans. The Racers finished the regular season perfect in conference play. The Racers are two wins away from six.
The next game is vs. Belmont.
Last week: 2
The stingiest defense in college basketball defeated Florida Atlantic on Thursday. The Mean Green have held their opponents under 60 points 15 times this season. Grant McCasland's men sent a huge shock through the poll of record on Saturday when they came back from behind to win at Alabama. UNT won the game on a pair of 3-pointers by Tylor Perry in the final 0:23, the first to cut the lead to 56-55, and the second to give the team a dramatic 58-57 victory. North Texas has won 12 in a row and 18 of 19 and is one of just two teams in Division I that has yet to lose on the road this season. The Mean Green is not at the top of the Augusta National mid-major polls because of a thousandth of a percentage point in the KC mid-major.
Next up: Southern Miss.
Last week: 5
The list of achievements by the Gaels team is more impressive than those of Marty and Wendy. On Thursday, Randy Bennett's bunch finished off a season sweep of an excellent San Francisco team behind a season-high 22 points from Tommy Kuhse. Kuhse exploded for 25 in a win over BYU. Both victories were identical 69-64 scores. Saint Mary's is the only mid-major in the top 25 of NET and KenPom ratings.
At San Diego on Thursday.
Last week was 8.
The Broncos went the distance and won it on the scorecards against a pair of giants. On Saturday, coach Leon Rice's squad finished off a season sweep of Utah State behind a game-high 20 points from Marcus Shaver Jr. National observers will point out that in the other poll, the Broncos have never been ranked higher than 25th. The real headline is the second trip back inside the top five of the Treasure Valley.
Next stop: at UNLV on Saturday.
Last week: 3
The Committee could use a little reassurance, as the club remains comfortable in the Corinthian leather seats of the mid-major polls. Saturday's loss to Drake was the third in seven games and the second this season for the Ramblers. Loyola rebounded with a nine-point win over Illinois State on Monday, and then completely and totally destroyed Evansville on Wednesday. The stage is set for the Missouri Valley Conference showcase game.
Next stop: at Northern Iowa on Saturday.
Last week: 7
The Michael Corleone of La Cosa Nostra was pulled back into the Top 10 after taking care of Wyoming and New Mexico, with an off night in Vegas sandwiched in. David Roddy scored 31 points last Thursday to help shake down the Lobos. But four days later, the Pokes got a strong performance from Roddy, who had 26 points and 11 rebound, as they clipped Wyoming 61-55. Four Quad 1 wins and six Quad 2 wins are what CSU has. The Rams are not made for the Mountain West tournament.
Next stop: Utah State.
Last week: 4
You're bound to have an off night in conference play and that's especially true on the road, it's just coach Jeff Linder didn't expect it to happen to his two biggest stars on the same night. The two All-Mountain West first-teamers combined for 12 points on 5-of-21 shooting in a 61-55 loss at Colorado State Wednesday night. The Wyoming duo had 51 in their January win over the Rams. Is there good news in Laramie? The Cowboys haven't lost a game all year and will play three of their final four games in The Dome of Doom.
Next up: Nevada.
Last week: 6
The Dons missed out on a chance to get a view of the land of milk and honey because they are still in a high-rise. On Thursday in Moraga, California, the top scorer in the country was held to a season-low two points in a 69-64 loss to Saint Mary's. Coach Todd Golden's gang did pick itself up off the canvas with a 104-71 flattening of Pacific in Stockton, California. The home game against AP No. 1 Gonzaga could be the biggest event inside War Memorial since 1998.
The next game is vs. Gonzaga.
Unranked last week.
The Bruins extended their win streak to 10 with victories over Eastern Illinois and SIU-Edwardsville. The team is ranked among the top five nationally in wins and road wins, and is the only one in Division I that gives out more assists. The second run in Murray, Kentucky, could be a trilogy. The auditorium is named after the man. The cafe is called the Bluebird. The house is called the Grand Ole Opry House. The side stages are not as bright as the Top 10. Let's see your chops.
Next stop: Murray State.
The last week was 10.
The good people in eastern South Dakota have not had a good week since Mean Gene Okerlund was born. Western Illinois and St. Thomas-Minnesota were the first two places the Jackrabbits were tattooed. The previous Summit League record for consecutive conference wins to start a season was held by the 1992-93 Cleveland State Vikings. The best mascot in the game is welcome on the faux fur rugs of ClubKC.
At Oral Roberts on Thursday.
Davidson, San Diego State, and Dayton are receiving votes.
Dropped out: UAB.
Jared Berson is a researcher for the sports network.
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