Mid-Major Top 25: Murray State Remains No. 1 as Only Undefeated in the Nation

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Here are the top 25 mid-majors in the nation based on my evaluation.

This week, Belmont, Kent State and Charleston fell out of the top 25 after losing on the road to conference opponents. In their places are New Mexico State, Drexel and Loyola (Md.).

I consider a mid-major team to be any team that is not from the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, Pac-12, Mountain West, Atlantic 10 or Conference USA.

 

*Follow Jesse Kramer on Twitter @Jesse_Kramer for more college basketball news and information.

25. New Mexico State Aggies

(AP Photo)

Record: 14-6, 4-1 WAC

RPI: 88

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

New Mexico State's six-game winning streak ended with a loss at Hawaii on Saturday. The Aggies host Nevada on Thursday with the hope of getting back into first place in the conference.

Notable Wins: New Mexico (Road)

Notable Losses: Hawaii (Road)

24. Loyola (Md.) Greyhounds

Record: 14-5, 7-2 MAAC

RPI: 85

Previous Ranking: 19

Loyola rebounded with a loss to Iona with wins at home over Siena and St. Peter's this week. 

Notable Wins: None

Notable Losses: Niagara (Home)

23. Drexel Dragons

Record: 14-5, 6-2 CAA

RPI: 87

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

Drexel won its fifth straight game on Saturday, defeating Northeastern. The Dragons are currently one game out of first place in the CAA.

Notable Wins: VCU (Home), George Mason (Home)

Notable Losses: Delaware (Road)

22. Denver Pioneers

Record: 15-5, 5-2 Sun Belt

RPI: 70

Previous Ranking: 22

Denver's two-game winning streak ended with a loss at North Texas in overtime.

Notable Wins: Southern Miss (Home), St. Mary's (Home)

Notable Losses: Arkansas-Little Rock (Home)

21. Nevada Wolfpack

(Photo from nevadawolfpack.com)

Record: 16-3, 5-0 WAC

RPI: 74

Previous Ranking: 23

Nevada has its first 5-0 start in the WAC since the 2006-07 team, which finished with an appearance in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Wolfpack plays at New Mexico State on Thursday.

Notable Wins: Washington (Home), Montana (Road)

Notable Losses: Missouri State (Home)

20. Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

(Photo from thesummitleague.org)

Record: 18-4, 10-0 Summit

RPI: 45

Previous Ranking: 21

Oral Roberts stretched its winning streak to 11 games with wins over Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne and Oakland this week. The Golden Eagles look to stay undefeated against South Dakota on Thursday.

Notable Wins: Xavier (Road), South Dakota State (Home)

Notable Losses: Texas-San Antonio (Neutral)

19. South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Record: 16-5, 8-1 Summit

RPI: 62

Previous Ranking: 18

South Dakota State remained in second place in the Summit League with a 91-88, overtime win at North Dakota State on Saturday.

Notable Wins: Washington (Road)

Notable Losses: North Dakota (Road)

18. Northern Iowa Panthers

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Record: 14-7, 4-5 MVC

RPI: 47

Previous Ranking: 14

Northern Iowa ended its two-game losing streak with a win over Drake on Sunday night. 

Notable Wins: Iowa State (Road), Colorado State (Home)

Notable Losses: Evansville (Home), Bradley (Road)

17. Ohio Bobcats

Elsa/Getty Images

Record: 15-4, 3-2 MAC

RPI: 75

Previous Ranking: 17

Ohio defeated Kent State and Miami (Ohio) in the first half of its four-game homestand. The Bobcats finish up the stretch with games against Western Michigan and Ball State this week.

Notable Wins: Marshall (Road), Northern Iowa (Road), Kent State (Home)

Notable Losses: Robert Morris (Home), Bowling Green (Road)

16. Wagner Seahawks

(Dave Saffran/Wagner)

Record: 15-4, 6-2 NEC

RPI: 90

Previous Ranking: 15

Wagner fell to 6-2 in conference play after falling to Long Island for the second time this season. The Seahawks go back on the road on Thursday when they play at Sacred Heart.

Notable Wins: Pitt (Road)

Notable Losses: Lehigh (Home), LIU (Home)

15. George Mason Patriots

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Record: 15-5, 7-1 CAA

RPI: 119

Previous Ranking: 16

George Mason survived a second-half comeback from Towson on Saturday to remain in first place in the CAA. The Patriots will finish their three-game home stand Monday against UNC Wilmington.

Notable Wins: Charleston (Road), Old Dominion (Road)

Notable Losses: Florida International (Neutral), Florida Atlantic (Road)

14. Davidson Wildcats

(Tim Cowie/Icon SMI)

Record: 14-4, 8-0 SoCon

RPI: 50

Previous Ranking: 20

Davidson defeated Citadel, 80-51, behind junior Jake Cohen's 20 points on Saturday. The Wildcats continue their conference campaign at Chattanooga on Thursday.

Notable Wins: Kansas (Road), Charleston (Home)

Notable Losses: Charlotte (Road)

13. Iona Gaels

Chris Chambers/Getty Images

Record: 15-4, 7-1 MAAC

RPI: 43

Previous Ranking: 13

Iona has won its last two games by double digits, most recently defeating Rider, 91-71. The Gaels begin a three-game road trip Monday at Siena.

Notable Wins: St. Joe's (Home), LIU (Home), Denver (Road)

Notable Losses: Hofstra (Road), Manhattan (Home)

12. Cleveland State Vikings

Record: 17-4, 7-2 Horizon

RPI: 67

Previous Ranking: 12

Cleveland State remained tied with Valparaiso for first place in the Horizon League with a win over Milwaukee on Sunday.

Notable Wins: Vanderbilt (Road), Kent State (Road)

Notable Losses: Hofstra (Neutral), Youngstown State (Home)

11. Brigham Young Cougars

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Record: 17-5, 6-2 WCC

RPI: 58

Previous Ranking: 9

BYU rebounded from a setback to Loyola Marymount with a win at Pepperdine on Saturday. The Cougars play their final nonconference game at Virginia Tech on Wednesday.

Notable Wins: Nevada (Neutral), Oregon (Home), Weber State (Home)

Notable Losses: Utah State (Road), Loyola Marymount (Home)

10. Weber State Wildcats

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Record: 15-3, 7-0 Big Sky

RPI: 80

Previous Ranking: 11

Weber State defeated Northern Arizona on Thursday to keep its one game lead over Montana in the Big Sky.

Notable Wins: Montana (Home)

Notable Losses: None

9. Virginia Commonwealth Rams

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Record: 15-5, 6-2 CAA

RPI: 86

Previous Ranking: 8

Virginia Commonwealth has won its last four games and is currently in a three-way tie for second place in the CAA.

Notable Wins: South Florida (Home), Akron (Road)

Notable Losses: Georgia Tech (Neutral)

8. Long Beach State 49ers

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Record: 14-6, 7-0 Big West

RPI: 42

Previous Ranking: 10

Long Beach State defeated UC Santa Barbara on Saturday to gain some separation from the second-place Gauchos. 

Notable Wins: Pitt (Road), Xavier (Neutral)

Notable Losses: Montana (Road)

7. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Record: 19-2, 8-0 Sun Belt

RPI: 54

Previous Ranking: 7

Middle Tennessee defeated South Alabama on Saturday for its 11th consecutive win. The Blue Raiders will host Troy on Thursday.

Notable Wins: UCLA (Road), Mississippi (Neutral)

Notable Losses: Belmont (Home), UAB (Road)

6. Wichita State Shockers

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Record: 17-3, 8-1 MVC

RPI: 26

Previous Ranking: 6

Wichita State defeated Southern Illinois on Saturday to remain tied with Creighton for first place in the MVC.

Notable Wins: Colorado (Neutral), UNLV (Home), Northern Iowa (Road)

Notable Losses: None

5. Gonzaga Bulldogs

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Record: 16-3, 6-1 WCC

RPI: 16

Previous Ranking: 5

Gonzaga defeated San Diego on Saturday to remain in second place in the WCC. The Zags start a three-game road trip at Portland on Thursday.

Notable Wins: Notre Dame (Home), Oral Roberts (Home), Xavier (Road)

Notable Losses: None

4. Creighton Bluejays

(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Record: 18-2, 8-1 MVC

RPI: 17

Previous Ranking: 4

Creighton has won eight straight games and is tied with Wichita State for first place in the MVC. The Bluejays' next game is at Drake on Wednesday.

Notable Wins: San Diego State (Road), Northwestern (Home), Wichita State (Road)

Notable Losses: Missouri State (Home)

3. Harvard Crimson

(Photo from gocrimson.com).

Record: 16-2, 2-0 Ivy

RPI: 49

Previous Ranking: 3

Harvard defeated Dartmouth on Saturday for its second Ivy League win. The Crimson play at Yale and Brown next weekend.

Notable Wins: Florida State (Neutral), UCF (Neutral), St. Joseph's (Home)

Notable Losses: Fordham (Road)

2. Saint Mary's Gaels

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Record: 19-2, 8-0 WCC

RPI: 32

Previous Ranking: 2

Saint Mary's extended its winning streak to nine games with a win at Santa Clara on Saturday.

Notable Wins: Northern Iowa (Home), Weber State (Home), BYU (Home), Gonzaga (Home)

Notable Losses: None

1. Murray State Racers

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Record: 20-0, 8-0 OVC

RPI: 33

Previous Ranking: 1

Murray State remained undefeated with wins over Morehead State and SIU-Edwardsville this week. The Racers play their next two games at home against Eastern Illinois and Southeast Missouri State.

Notable Wins: Southern Miss (Neutral), Dayton (Home), Memphis (Road)

Notable Losses: None

Just Missed the Cut

Harry How/Getty Images

Kent State (12-6, 2-3 MAC) got swept in its two-game road trip, falling to Ohio and Akron this past week.

Charleston (12-7, 4-4 SoCon) lost to Georgia Southern on Saturday for its third loss in its last three games.

Missouri State (12-9, 5-4 MVC) outlasted Bradley, 51-48, on Saturday night.

Georgia State (13-6, 5-3 CAA) remains on the outside of the top 25 after losing at Delaware on Saturday, 77-74.

Belmont (13-7, 6-2 A-Sun) fell out of the top 25 after losing at USC Upstate, 79-78, on Saturday.

Coastal Carolina (14-5, 7-2 Big South) has won four of its last five games with the only loss coming to first-place UNC-Asheville.

Long Island (14-6, 8-0 NEC) has stormed through NEC play so far this season.

Norfolk State (15-5, 6-0 MEAC) defeated Hampton on the road on Saturday to remain undefeated in conference play.

Valparaiso (14-7, 7-2 Horizon) is currently in a tie for first place in the Horizon League.

Akron (12-7, 4-1 MAC) defeated Kent State for its fifth win in its last six games.

Montana (13-6, 6-1 Big Sky) defeated Sacramento State on Saturday to remain one game behind Weber State in the Big Sky.