NCAA Basketball Rankings: Mid-Major Rankings for Week 13

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There was plenty of craziness in mid-major basketball last week. Although Gonzaga and Wichita, the top two mid-majors, continued to win, Creighton lost to Drake, Lehigh beat Bucknell but then lost to Lafayette, Northwestern State defeated Stephen F. Austin, and Murray State lost at Jacksonville State.

In all the mayhem, Belmont improved to No. 3 and Louisiana Tech and South Dakota State cracked the top 10.

Read on to see the complete mid-major rankings.

 

Note: For the purpose of this analysis, a mid-major is defined as any team that does not compete in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, SEC, Pac-12, Atlantic 10, Conference USA or Mountain West.

 

25. Stony Brook Seawolves

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Record: 15-5, 6-1 A-East

Last Week's Rank: Not Ranked

Notable Wins: None

Stony Brook is yet to grab a highlight victory (and will never get another chance this season in the America East), but the Seawolves have played close games on the road against Connecticut, Maryland and Seton Hall. In conference, their only loss is at second-place Vermont, 81-73.

Last week, fifth-year senior Tommy Brenton posted a triple-double against Maine with 15 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.

24. North Dakota State Bison

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Record: 16-5, 7-2 Summit

Last Week's Rank: 14

Notable Wins: South Dakota State (Home)

North Dakota State won its first game without Taylor Braun, who injured his foot against Oakland, but the Bison lost at Western Illinois and South Dakota State without their leading scorer.

The Bison are now tied for second place, but South Dakota State holds the tiebreaker.

Next up for the North Dakota State are a pair of home games against UMKC and South Dakota.

23. Western Illinois Leathernecks

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Record: 16-5, 8-2 Summit

Last Week's Rank: 16

Notable Wins: UIC (Home), North Dakota State (Home)

After just barely surviving at IPFW on Thursday, Western Illinois fell at Oakland on Saturday. It was the first time all season that the Leathernecks scored 60 or more points and lost.

With the loss, there is now a three-way tie in the loss column for first place in the Summit League. 

22. Davidson Wildcats

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Record: 13-7, 8-1 SoCon

Last Week's Rank: Not Ranked

Notable Wins: West Virginia (Neutral), Richmond (Road)

Davidson has won its last four games to take command of a two-game lead in the SoCon South.

Most recently, the Wildcats blew out Appalachian State, 79-56, in a game where four players scored in double figures.

21. New Mexico State Aggies

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Record: 13-8, 7-2 WAC

Last Week's Rank: Not Ranked

Notable Wins: Southern Miss (Home), Utah State (Home)

New Mexico State started 0-2 in the WAC but has since won its last seven games. Last week, the Aggies defeated Denver to move into second place in the conference.

This week, the Aggies will face Texas State and Texas-Arlington.

20. Eastern Kentucky Colonels

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Record: 16-5, 6-2 OVC

Last Week's Rank: 22

Notable Wins: Murray State (Road)

After losing by only seven points at Belmont on January 17, there was hope that Eastern Kentucky would pull off an upset at home against the Bruins on Saturday. But after trailing by 11 points at halftime, the Colonels rally fell short, and they lost 85-74.

On the brighter side, Eastern Kentucky is still in second place in the OVC East, and it has its two toughest games out of the way.

19. Montana Grizzlies

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Record: 14-4, 10-0 Big Sky

Last Week's Rank: Not Ranked

Notable Wins: Weber State (Home)

Since the return of Will Cherry, Montana holds a phenomenal, 10-1 record. The only loss came by a point in double-overtime against South Dakota State, and in the game, Cherry was still easing his way back with only 13 minutes of playing time.

On Thursday night, the Grizzlies will look to continue their hot play at Portland State, which is 3-6 in the Big Sky.

18. Santa Clara Broncos

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Record: 16-6, 4-3 WCC

Last Week's Rank: 19

Notable Wins: Saint Louis (Road)

Santa Clara won at San Diego on Saturday for its fourth straight win. Marc Trasolini led the team past the Toreros with 23 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

The Broncos play a must-win against Portland on Thursday before facing Brigham Young in Provo on Saturday.

17. Murray State Racers

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Record: 15-5, 6-2 OVC

Last Week's Rank: 8

Notable Wins: St. John's (Neutral)

Murray State lost a close game at Jacksonville State on Saturday, 65-64. The Racers are now 6-2 in the Ohio Valley, but they are still clearly the best team in the OVC West with a three-game lead over second-place SIU-Edwardsville.

After hosting 5-17 Austin Peay this week, the Racers play a pair of big games against Belmont and Tennessee State next week.

16. Indiana State Sycamores

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Record: 13-7, 6-3 MVC

Last Week's Rank: 15

Notable Wins: Mississippi (Neutral), Miami-FL (Neutral)

Indiana State lost a close game at Illinois State in its first game of the week but rebounded with a 59-58 win over Northern Iowa on Saturday. 

Next up for the Sycamores is a matchup at nationally ranked Wichita State on Tuesday.

15. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

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Record: 16-2, 7-1 Southland

Last Week's Rank: 10

Notable Wins: Oklahoma (Road)

Stephen F. Austin struggled with Northwestern State all of Saturday afternoon, but the Lumberjacks appeared to be on their way to another win after opening up a 57-50 lead in the final minute. But then, they failed to finish as Northwestern State went on an 11-0 run to win, 61-57.

The Lumberjacks will continue their road trip with games against McNeese State and Lamar this week.

14. Ohio Bobcats

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Record: 15-5, 6-0 MAC

Last Week's Rank: 20

Notable Wins: Richmond (Home)

Ohio has won its last seven games. On Saturday, the Bobcats outlasted Kent State, 69-68, as D.J. Cooper posted 23 points, five assists and three steals.

After hosting Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, the Bobcats will play a huge game at Akron on Saturday.

13. Akron Zips

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Record: 15-4, 6-0 MAC

Last Week's Rank: 21

Notable Wins: Mid. Tenn. (Home)

Akron came from behind to defeat Buffalo on Saturday, 68-64.

The Zips play at Bowling Green on Wednesday and then host Ohio on Saturday for first place in the MAC.

12. Valparaiso Crusaders

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Record: 16-5, 6-1 Horizon

Last Week's Rank: 13

Notable Wins: Murray State (Road), Detroit (Road)

Valparaiso has won six in a row since dropping its Horizon League opener to Loyola-Illinois.

After watching the Crusaders continually find ways to win, it would not be surprising to see them run the table and finish 17-1.

11. Lehigh Mountain Hawks

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Record: 15-5, 4-1 Patriot

Last Week's Rank: 17

Notable Wins: Bucknell (Road)

Lehigh's win over Bucknell last week was doubly important. First, it put the Mountain Hawks into first place in the Patriot League as the only unbeaten team. Second, it proved that they are still a dangerous mid-major, even without C.J. McCollum.

On Sunday, however, Lehigh struggled, falling at home to Lafayette by 21 points.

10. South Dakota State Jackrabbits

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Record: 16-6, 7-2 Summit

Last Week's Rank: 12

Notable Wins: Montana (Road), New Mexico (Road), Western Illinois (Road), North Dakota State (Home)

South Dakota State moved into second place in the Summit League with a 69-53 win over North Dakota State on Saturday afternoon. After beginning the game 2-of-9 from the field, Nate Wolters went 5-of-7 for the rest of the game as he posted 26 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

This week, the Jackrabbits return home for games against South Dakota and UMKC.

9. Brigham Young Cougars

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Record: 16-6, 6-2 WCC

Last Week's Rank: 9

Notable Wins: Virginia Tech (Home), Santa Clara (Road)

Brigham Young had another opportunity for a big-time win, but the Cougars failed to capitalize, falling at Gonzaga 83-63.

At this point, the Cougars will likely have to beat both St. Mary's and Gonzaga in February to have any chance at an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

8. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

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Record: 18-3, 9-0 WAC

Last Week's Rank: 11

Notable Wins: Southern Miss (Home), Utah State (Road)

Louisiana Tech survived a close game at Utah State on Saturday, 51-48. Brandon Gibson led the Bulldogs with 20 points off the bench.

In their next three games, the Bulldogs host Texas-Arlington, Texas-San Antonio and Texas State.

7. Bucknell Bison

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Record: 17-4, 4-1 Patriot

Last Week's Rank: 5

Notable Wins: Purdue (Road), La Salle (Home), Loyola-MD (Road)

Bucknell fell to second place in the Patriot League after losing to Lehigh on Wednesday, but the Bison rebounded with a 65-58 win at Holy Cross during the weekend.

Next up for the Bison is a game at American University on Wednesday night.

6. St. Mary's Gaels

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Record: 17-4, 6-1 WCC

Last Week's Rank: 7

Notable Wins: Utah State (Road), BYU (Road)

St. Mary's has won five consecutive games since losing a close game at Gonzaga on January 10. During this stretch, Matthew Dellavedova is averaging 8.2 assists per contest.

The Gaels should be able to get wins in both of their games this week against San Francisco and Portland.

5. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

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Record: 18-4, 10-1 Sun Belt

Last Week's Rank: 6

Notable Wins: UCF (Road), Mississippi (Home)

Middle Tennessee easily defeated Western Kentucky on Saturday to extend its winning streak to seven games. The Blue Raiders are yet to lose at home, and their only Sun Belt loss is at Arkansas State in overtime.

This week, the Blue Raiders will take a trip to Florida to face Florida International and Florida Atlantic.

4. Creighton Bluejays

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Record: 18-3, 7-2 MVC

Last Week's Rank: 2

Notable Wins: Wisconsin (Neutral), Arizona State (Neutral), Akron (Home), Indiana State (Home)

Creighton lost to Drake in a game where star forward Doug McDermott played sick, and the Bluejays then blew out Southern Illinois with a healthy McDermott.

They are now one game out of first place, but they should be able to win twice this week with home games against Missouri State and Bradley.

3. Belmont Bruins

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Record: 17-4, 8-0 OVC

Last Week's Rank: 4

Notable Wins: Stanford (Road), Mid. Tenn. (Home), South Dakota St. (Home), Eastern Kentucky (Home, Road)

Belmont survived in a pair of tough road games last week. The Bruins first defeated Morehead State, 64-63, and then beat Eastern Kentucky, which they beat by seven points at home a few weeks ago.

After a two-game homestand, Belmont will go on a tough, four-game road trip in February that includes games against Murray State and Tennessee State.

2. Wichita State Shockers

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Record: 19-2, 8-1 MVC

Last Week's Rank: 3

Notable Wins: VCU (Road), Iowa (Neutral), Southern Miss (Neutral), Creighton (Home)

Wichita State had no trouble with Bradley on Saturday, stretching its first-place lead over Creighton to a full game. With the dominating 73-39 victory, the Shockers moved into the top 20 of the KenPom rankings.

This week, the Shockers will face third-place Indiana State for the first time this season.

1. Gonzaga Bulldogs

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Record: 19-2, 6-0 WCC

Last Week's Rank: 1

Notable Wins: Oklahoma (Neutral), Davidson (Neutral), Kansas State (Neutral), Baylor (Home), Oklahoma State (Road), Santa Clara (Road), BYU (Home)

Gonzaga continues to rack up impressive victories. This past week, the Zags easily defeated Brigham Young, 83-63, and then defeated San Francisco to maintain a half-game lead over St. Mary's in the WCC.

This week, the Bulldogs hit the road to face Loyola Marymount and San Diego.

Other Mid-Majors to Keep an Eye on

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Denver (11-8, 7-2 Sun Belt)

Detroit (13-8, 5-3 Horizon)

Harvard (10-6, 2-0 Ivy)

Iona (14-7, 8-2 MAAC)

Long Beach State (11-8, 7-1 Big West)

Loyola-MD (15-7, 7-3 MAAC)

Utah State (14-5, 5-4 WAC)

Weber State (13-5, 8-2 Big Sky)

 

Jesse Kramer is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and the founder of The Catch and Shoot Basketball Blog.

Follow @Jesse_Kramer