Murray State won the Ohio Valley Conference Championship and advanced to the first round of the Men's NCAA tournament. 1:45. Tell me you did not react. Tell me you did not spring off your lounger. There is no joy in watching a young man make the shot of his life, a group live out its wildest dreams. The mid-major madness is not real. It was confirmed for the thousandth time that March is the best month of the year when David Jean-Baptiste hit the shot on Monday. ABSOLUTE MADNESS‼️ Chattanooga wins the SoCon and a trip to the NCAA tourney AT THE BUZZER! pic.twitter.com/mQ77OIjOWM
Tell me you can't support a man who turned into a lawyer, oil and gas company executive and assistant to the president of the University of Maryland. The 47-year-old followed his hoop dream, galvanized a program and a fan base, and led the Lancers to the school's first ever Big South Conference championship on Sunday and a trip to The Big Dance.
The landscape is filled with incredible stories from Newark, Delaware to Murray, Kentucky to Atlanta, Georgia to Hamilton, New York, Dayton, Ohio to Smithfield, Rhode Island and assorted colleges and universities in between. There are 12 tickets left for the NCAA tournament, with the lion's share still to come.
The end of the road for more than 250 programs that won't be participating in the playoffs is the flip side of that reality. In the first-ever edition of KC's mid-major All-American team, we celebrated the game's top players from the Power 25 conferences.
The Wyoming Cowboys are led by Graham Ike.
The Cowboys had one of the best regular seasons in program history, and it was due to the work of both Hunter and Ike. The sophomore made a huge leap from his freshman season, as he averaged 19.9PPG and 9.6RPG, both among the top 25 nationally. In nine games in February, Jeff Linder averaged 25 points and 10rebounds, and in 39 minutes he had 33 points and 10rebounds. I like the fact that the Pokes star gives one of the most dangerous mid-major teams in America.
McGhee is a member of the Liberty Flames.
What is left to say about one of the most prolific scorers in college basketball? McGhee missed out on leading Division I in scoring by a small margin, but he still won his second straight ASUN Player of the Year trophy. His 765 total points were the most in the country. McGhee scored 48 points in a win over FGCU in January, which was the most in a single game this season, and 47 points in a win over Kennesaw State six weeks later, which was the second-most. McGhee will be in the inaugural class of the Mid-Major Hall of Fame when it opens.
Isiaih is a Missouri State Bears.
An All-Missouri Valley Conference first-team pick for the second year in a row, Mosley is a first-teamer here in the brightest galaxy in hoops thanks to another stellar campaign. The Bears bucket-getter finished the season with 20.1 points per game, second in the Missouri Valley Conference, after finishing last season with 19.8. He was fifth in the league in rebound (6.2RPG) and fourth in 3-point range with a 43.4% mark, which was the highest in Division I. The KC mid-major snap-back trucker cap has over 1,100 points in two seasons.
The Colorado State Rams are led by David Roddy.
No team has enjoyed the posh lifestyle inside the most exclusive zip code in sports quite like Colorado State, and no one is more responsible for it than Roddy. The Rams finished the regular season with a 24-4 record, including an 11-0 start, and a 14-4 mark in conference play, second only to the Broncos. He was third in the MW in scoring, sixth in rebound, 13th in assists, and fifth in FG%. He shot a sizzling 46% from 3-point range, 15th in Division I among qualified players, and an improvement of 20% from his freshman season.
The Murray State Racers have a player named KJ Williams.
Williams was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year after leading the OVC in scoring (18.2 points per game) and finishing second in rebound (8.6 per game) to Morehead State. Murray State became just the sixth OVC team to finish the regular season without a loss, just the second to also win the conference championship game, and the first to do it all in the spotlight of a season-long Top 10 ranking.
The San Francisco Dons have a female player.
The driving on-court force behind San Francisco's winningest season in 40 years, Bouyea led the Dons in scoring, assists, and steals, all of which rank inside the top 10 in the West Coast Conference. The star shot a career best 38% from 3-point range, an improvement of more than 15% from his freshman season. The Dons are in a position to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in over a decade. As a fifth-year graduate student, he may or may not be older than his head coach, Todd Golden, but he will be next to some greats in the program's history.
The man is from Hofstra Pride.
One of the transfer portal stars of the year, Estrada elevated the Pride to a top 3 finish in the conference in his first season. The first player to average 15-5-5 since 2003 was Estrada. Claxton! After spending one season at Saint Peter's, the next at Oregon, and finally on Long Island, he was named the CAA Player of the Year. His 22-point, 10-rebound, 8-assist effort against Arkansas in Little Rock in December highlighted one of the most impressive wins in program history and one of the most memorable mid-major coups of the year.
Ryan Rollins is a player for the Toledo Rockets.
Marreon Jackson was the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year in the year of 2021, and he was replaced by the man who piloted Toledo to new heights this year. The team finished the regular season with a 25-6) record and earned the top seed in the tournament. UT would set a school record with 28 wins if it ran that gauntlet. His 19.2 points per game was third-best in the MAC and he was a pick-and-roll maestro with great size at 6-3. Toledo hasn't been dancing since 1980, but it has had a future NBA guard like Rollins.
Malachi Smith is a player for the Mocs.
Smith does it by naming a way to score. Threes, drives, post-ups, floaters are all part of the lineup of possibly the most versatile headliners on the cast of mid-major megastars. Smith is one of two players in Division I who average 20 points per game on 50% FG and 40% 3-point FG. The only Division I player with 100 baskets at the rim, 50 from mid-range, and 50 from 3-point land is the Southern Conference Player of the Year. Don't be surprised if Malachi and the Mocs are in the first round of The Dance after their win in the SoCon Championship.
Jordan Walker is a member of the UAB.
A superstar, pure and simple,Jelly tied a program record with nine made 3-pointers against Louisiana Tech on January 22nd, then two weeks later, on February 5th, established a program record with 42 points against Middle Tennessee. The Conference USA Player of the Year finished third in the league in both scoring (19.3 PPG) and assists (5.1), while finishing first in made 3-pointers (101). Jelly's on a roll and the spark goes to No. 3 in The Poll of Record.
Fardaws Aimaq, Utah Valley Wolverines
Tevin Brown, Murray State Racers
Ryan Davis, Vermont Catamounts
Hunter Maldonado, Wyoming CowboysBaylor Scheierman, South Dakota State Jackrabbits
The Honorable Mentions are: Max Abmas, Oral Roberts; Justin Bean, Utah State; Matt Bradley, San Diego State; Johni Broome, Morehead State;AJ Green, Northern Iowa; and Kenneth Lofton Jr., Louisiana Tech.
The Mid-Major Top 10 for this week.
The last week was tie-2nd.
"No team in college basketball won more games this season and no team lost fewer", said coach Matt McMahon after his team won the OVC championship. Since the release of the Poll of Peak Brilliance, The Committee has preached that it is hard to argue with. Only the second program in OVC history to win both the regular season and the tournament championship was MSU. The Racers have not lost since Christmas and have only lost once since Thanksgiving. The OVC's Player of the Year, Tevin Brown and McMahon, the league's Coach of the Year, and the mid-major Team of the Year will be a single-digit. The NCAA tournament is next.
Last week was 1
Having already registered the biggest win in college basketball this season, Coach Randy Bennett's bunch fell short of a repeat performance in the title game. The wine and cheese crowd knew in June that this team could beat anyone, but the February win over the Zags proved that. Joe Lunardi is a friend of the mid-majors and has Saint Mary's as a 6-seed in the NCAA tournament.
The NCAA tournament is next.
Last week: 5
The Rams have as many Quadrant 1 wins as Arizona and Duke. The most competitive race in any conference was highlighted by the fact that CSU swept the season series from Mountain West regular season champion Boise State, lost just one home game all year and celebrated David Roddy as the MW Player of the Year. Colorado State stands as good a chance as anyone to cut down the nets in Vegas this season, because of their smoothness and snifter of Courvoisier.
Next up: against Utah State in the Mountain West tournament.
The last week was 4.
The Broncos won the Mountain West regular season title for the first time in 27 years, and the program's first since 1987. There was much more to the feting of Boise State. Leon Rice was the MW Coach of the Year, Abu Kigab and Marcus Shaver Jr. were second-team All-MW selections, and Tyson Degenhart was the MW Freshman of the Year. A season sweep of San Diego State highlights a lot. BSU is outside the top 3 because of a season sweep by Colorado State.
Next up: against Nevada in the Mountain West tournament.
Last week: 7
The 30-year-old Drew Valentine is the youngest coach in Division I college basketball and next week he will lead his team into the Dance thanks to the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. Loyola avenged a pair of regular season losses to Drake by defeating them in the finals of Arch Madness. Sister Jean and the rest of the group await a trip to the NCAA tournament and a date with a dance partner that wants nothing to do with the Ramblers.
The NCAA tournament is next.
Last week: 6
A first class ticket to Nowheresville was held by Brian Dutcher's squad. San Diego State had won nine of 10 to finish the regular season after victories over Nevada and San Jose State. The Aztecs will be uploading a PDF file of their wins over Saint Mary's, Colorado State and Wyoming to the powers that be. The Committee to the NCAA tournament needs to include second-team All-MW selection Matt Bradley, MW Defensive Player of the Year Nathan Mensah, and South Dakota State.
In the Mountain West tournament, next up: vs. Fresno State.
Last week: 8
The Dons were the 24th team in a row to end their run in the West Coast Conference tournament. Despite pulling within eight late in the game, the Bulls failed to dig out. In addition to the double-digit wins in the WCC, a 24 ranking in the NET, 21 in KenPom and three Quadrant 1 Ws, the team has also won at a neutral site against Davidson. The group has exclusive access to the plush velvet sectionals and faux chinchilla fur rugs of the swankiest speakeasy in sports all season. An at-large invite to the NCAA tournament should be a given.
The NCAA tournament is next.
The last week was tie-2nd.
It is easy for the good people in Denton to be upset with the outcome of the regular season finale. Grant McCasland's men have done a lot this season, but don't forget about Stone Cold, Mean Joe, and Meat Loaf. The Mean Green won 22 of the next 23 games, setting a program record. The Conference USA regular season champ may head into the tournament on a sour note, but The Committee is not going to change its preferred tee times at the most exclusive club in mid-major hoops.
Next up: against Rice in the Conference USA tournament.
The last week was 10.
The club was upgraded to four-diamond status in the Ritz-Carlton of mid-major polls in February and has held up its end of the bargain. The Jackrabbits defeated North Dakota State 75-69 on Tuesday to win their sixth championship in 11 seasons. Already the first Summit League team to run the table in-conference during the regular season, South Dakota State became the first team in conference history to reach 30 wins. The Jacks will enter the NCAA tournament next week with a 21-game winning streak, which will be music to the ears of the entire community.
The NCAA tournament is next.
Last week: 9
Bob McKillop, arguably the greatest coach in mid-major history, won his 10th Coach of the Year award after a 25-5 season which included an A 10 regular season title. Luka Brajkovic was named the A-10 Player of the Year after he averaged 14.6 points with 58.7% FG shooting, while Foster Loyer and Hyunjung Lee were also named to the all-conference team. You have to think that the NCAA selection committee has the Cats in the field, no matter what. A long weekend in D.C. would make the people in Mecklenburg County feel better about their chances.
The Atlantic 10 tournament is Friday.
Others are receiving votes.
None was dropped out.
Jared Berson is a researcher for the sports network.
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