NCAA Basketball Rankings 2012: Mid-Major Rankings for Week 15

Just like with the power conferences in college basketball, there has been a lot of parity among the mid-majors. Although a few teams have breezed by their mid-major competition, a bunch have also struggled to solidify spots at the top of the standings.

This past week, Belmont fell back to earth with a loss to Murray State. Creighton and Wichita State also lost, falling into a three-way tie with Indiana State in the Missouri Valley. South Dakota State and North Dakota State, two of the leaders in the Summit League, each lost at Oakland.

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

Record: 17-6, 8-2 A-East

Last Week's Rank: 24

Notable Wins: None

Stony Brook's four-game winning streak ended with a 60-55 loss at Hartford on Sunday afternoon. The Seawolves now sit a half-game behind Vermont in the America East standings, but they are still the best team in the conference on kenpom.com.

After hosting last-place Binghamton on Tuesday, Stony Brook will face Vermont on Friday.

24. Eastern Kentucky Colonels

Record: 19-6, 8-3 OVC

Last Week's Rank: Not Ranked

Notable Wins: Murray State (Road)

Eastern Kentucky lost back-to-back games to end January, but the Colonels have won three in a row since then and sit 2.5 games behind Belmont in the OVC East.

This week, the Colonels will host Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State.

23. Bryant Bulldogs

Record: 16-6, 9-2 NEC

Last Week's Rank: Not Ranked

Notable Wins: Boston College (Road), Lehigh (Road)

Bryant has won its last three games and holds a half-game lead over Robert Morris in the NEC.

The Bulldogs have already defeated Robert Morris on the road, and they play the Colonials again on February 28.

22. Detroit Titans

Record: 16-9, 8-4 Horizon

Last Week's Rank: Not Ranked

Notable Wins: Akron (Home)

Despite losing to Green Bay last week, Detroit is back in the mid-major rankings. The Titans have won four of their last five games, and they sit in a tie for second place in the Horizon League.

On Saturday, the Titans will play at first-place Valparaiso.

21. Western Illinois Leathernecks

Record: 18-5, 10-2 Summit

Last Week's Rank: 22

Notable Wins: North Dakota State (Home)

Western Illinois moved back into sole possession of first place in the Summit League after South Dakota State lost at Oakland on Saturday.

The Leathernecks hold a half-game lead over North Dakota State and South Dakota State, and they will face both teams on the road this week. Wins in both of those games would guarantee them the No. 1 seed in the Summit League tournament.

20. Davidson Wildcats

Record: 17-7, 12-1 SoCon

Last Week's Rank: 21

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

Davidson has been breezing through SoCon competition, minus the lone loss at Georgia Southern on January 14.

The Wildcats hold a two-game lead over Charleston in the conference, and they face the Cougars on Thursday.

19. Ohio Bobcats

Record: 17-6, 8-1 MAC

Last Week's Rank: 16

Notable Wins: Richmond (Home)

Ohio remained within one game of first-place Akron by defeating Ball State and Bowling Green last week.

On Wednesday, the Bobcats will travel to Central Michigan, which nearly upset Akron last week.

18. Brigham Young Cougars

Record: 18-8, 8-4 WCC

Last Week's Rank: 9

Notable Wins: Weber State (Road), Santa Clara (Road)

Brigham Young had a rough week, losing to San Diego and San Francisco. Statistically, the Cougars are still looking good at No. 59 in KenPom and No. 66 in RPI.

On Saturday, Brigham Young will host Portland, and next week they will face Utah State in a game that was postponed from December 5.

17. New Mexico State Aggies

Record: 17-8, 10-2 WAC

Last Week's Rank: 19

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

New Mexico State has won 10 straight games and is in third place in the WAC. The Aggies are only a half-game out of second place and two games out of first.

The Aggies' opponents this week are San Jose State and Utah State.

16. Montana Grizzlies

Record: 18-4, 14-0 Big Sky

Last Week's Rank: 18

Notable Wins: Weber State (Home)

Montana defeated Northern Colorado and North Dakota last week to remain unbeaten in Big Sky play. Kareem Jamar flirted with a triple-double in both games, posting 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists against Northern Colorado and 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists against North Dakota.

The Grizzlies' next five games are all on the road, starting with Weber State on Thursday night.

15. Valparaiso Crusaders

Record: 19-6, 9-2 Horizon

Last Week's Rank: 15

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

Valparaiso holds a 1.5-game lead in the Horizon League.

This week, the Crusaders will face Wright State and Detroit, which are the two teams tied for second place in the conference.

14. Murray State Racers

Record: 18-5, 9-2 OVC

Last Week's Rank: 17

Notable Wins: St. John's (Neutral), Belmont (Home)

Murray State picked up a high-quality win for the first time since November by beating Belmont, 79-74. With five games remaining, the Racers hold a 4.5-game lead over second-place Southeast Missouri State in the OVC West.

The Racers' only other chance for a high-quality win will be when they host South Dakota State in their BracketBuster on February 23.

13. Lehigh Mountain Hawks

Record: 17-5, 7-1 Patriot

Last Week's Rank: 12

Notable Wins: Bucknell (Road)

Lehigh swept its three-game road trip, defeating Navy, Army and Holy Cross.

This week, the Mountain Hawks will face American and Colgate, leading up to a huge game against Bucknell next Monday.

12. South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Record: 19-7, 10-3 Summit

Last Week's Rank: 10

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

South Dakota State fell out of first place in the Summit League by losing at Oakland on Saturday, 88-83.

During the Jackrabbits' two games last week, Nate Wolters averaged 44.5 points per game, five rebounds and five assists and shot 29-of-48 from the field (60.4 percent) and 19-of-20 from the foul line (95 percent).

This Saturday, South Dakota State will host Western Illinois with first place in the conference on the line.

11. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

Record: 20-2, 11-1 Southland

Last Week's Rank: 13

Notable Wins: Oklahoma (Road)

Stephen F. Austin has won each of its last four games by 10 points or more. 

The upcoming stretch will be tough for the Lumberjacks with their next four games all being on the road.

10. Indiana State Sycamores

Record: 16-8, 9-4 MVC

Last Week's Rank: 14

Notable Wins: Ole Miss (Neutral), Miami-FL (Neutral), Wichita State (Road), Creighton (Home)

Indiana State upset Creighton by 19 points on Wednesday, but the Sycamores nearly lost to Southern Illinois during the weekend. Southern Illinois beat the Sycamores in January, and another loss to the last-place team in the Missouri Valley would have been devastating for their at-large resume.

If the season ended today, Indiana State would be the No. 1 seed in the Missouri Valley tournament.

9. Akron Zips

Record: 19-4, 10-0 MAC

Last Week's Rank: 11

Notable Wins: Mid. Tenn. (Home), Ohio (Home)

Akron struggled in both of its road games last week against Central Michigan and Miami (OH), but the Zips managed to execute down the stretch and get a pair of victories.

The Zips hold a one-game lead over Ohio in the MAC East standings, and they will play Eastern Michigan and Bowling Green this week.

8. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Record: 21-3, 12-0 WAC

Last Week's Rank: 8

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

Louisiana Tech improved to 12-0 in the WAC after easily defeating Texas-San Antonio and Texas State last week.

This week, the Bulldogs are on the road to face Seattle and Idaho.

7. Bucknell Bison

Record: 20-4, 7-1 Patriot

Last Week's Rank: 7

Notable Wins: Purdue (Road), New Mexico State (Neutral), La Salle (Home)

Since losing to Lehigh on January 23, Bucknell has won its last four games to stay tied for first place in the Patriot League. Mike Muscala remains an All-America candidate with 18.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.8 blocks per game.

This week, the Bison will play Colgate and Lafayette.

6. Wichita State Shockers

Record:  20-5, 9-4, MVC

Last Week's Rank: 4

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

Wichita State ended its three-game losing streak with a 29-point win over Missouri State on Saturday.

The Shockers are tied for first place in the Missouri Valley with Indiana State and Creighton, and they play the Sycamores on February 19 and the Bluejays on March 2.

5. Creighton Bluejays

Record: 20-5, 9-4 MVC

Last Week's Rank: 3

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

For the second time this season, Creighton has lost back-to-back games. Last week, the Bluejays lost to Indiana State and Illinois State, and in January there was a week where they lost to Wichita State and Drake.

The road does not get much easier for Creighton, with four of its next five games being on the road.

4. St. Mary's Gaels

Record: 21-4, 10-1 WCC

Last Week's Rank: 6

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

Since losing at Gonzaga in early January, St. Mary's has reeled off nine consecutive wins to stay within a half-game of the Zags in the WCC.

On Thursday night, the Gaels will get a shot at taking first place when they host Gonzaga on ESPN2.

3. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Record: 22-4, 14-1 Sun Belt

Last Week's Rank: 5

Notable Wins: UCF (Road), Ole Miss (Neutral)

Middle Tennessee continued its Sun Belt domination with double-digit wins over Arkansas State and Troy last week. The Blue Raiders are undefeated at home with an average margin of victory of 22.8 points.

This week, the Blue Raiders' only opponent is Arkansas-Little Rock, which is in first place in the Sun Belt West.

2. Belmont Bruins

Record: 20-5, 11-1 OVC

Last Week's Rank: 2

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

Despite losing to Murray State last week, Belmont remains No. 2 thanks to losses by Wichita State and Creighton.

The Bruins' only game this week is against Tennessee State.

1. Gonzaga Bulldogs

Record: 23-2, 10-0 WCC

Last Week's Rank: 1

Notable Wins: Oklahoma (Neutral), Davidson (Neutral), K-State (Neutral), Baylor (Home), OK State (Road), St. Mary's (Home), BYU (Home)

Gonzaga easily defeated Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount at home last week to remain undefeated in conference play.

On Thursday, the Bulldogs will travel to St. Mary's, which is a half-game behind the Zags at 10-1 in the WCC.

Other Mid-Majors to Keep an Eye on

Charleston (18-7, 10-3 SoCon)

Florida Gulf Coast (18-8, 10-3 A-Sun)

North Dakota State (19-6, 10-3 Summit)

Northeastern (16-8, 11-1 CAA)

Northwestern State (16-6, 10-2 Southland)

Robert Morris (17-8, 9-3 NEC)

Santa Clara (17-8, 5-5 WCC)

Utah State (17-5, 8-4 WAC)

Vermont (16-7, 9-2 A-East)

Weber State (16-5, 11-2 Big Sky)

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