Mid-Major Top 25: Murray State Continues Reign as No. 1 with Perfect Record

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

New Mexico State and Northern Iowa dropped out of the rankings, and Belmont and Texas-Arlington snagged their places.

Please note: 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. Belmont Bruins

Record: 15-7, 8-2 A-Sun

RPI: 96

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

Belmont is back on a winning track after defeating East Tennessee State and Jacksonville this week. The Bruins look to stay hot tonight against North Florida.

Notable Wins: Middle Tennessee (Road), Marshall (Home)

Notable Losses: Miami-Ohio (Road), Lipscomb (Home), USC Upstate (Road)

24. Loyola (MD) Greyhounds

Record: 16-5, 9-2 MAAC

RPI: 74

Previous Ranking: 24

Loyola defeated Niagara and Canisius this week to stay tied with Manhattan and Iona for first place in the MAAC. The Greyhounds will host Rider on Friday.

Notable Wins: Bucknell (Road)

Notable Losses: Niagara (Home)

23. South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Record: 17-6, 9-2 Summit

RPI: 64

Previous Ranking: 19

South Dakota State fought back after a tough loss at Oakland to defeat IPFW on Saturday night. The Jackrabbits host undefeated Oral Roberts on Thursday with a chance to get within one game of first place.

Notable Wins: Washington (Road)

Notable Losses: North Dakota (Road), Oakland (Road)

22. Denver Pioneers

Record: 16-6, 6-3 Sun Belt

RPI: 87

Previous Ranking: 22

Denver has lost two of its last three games. However, the two losses have come on the road to two of the better teams in the conference, North Texas and UALR.

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

Notable Losses: UALR (Home, Road), North Texas (Road)

21. Texas-Arlington Mavericks

Record: 15-5, 7-0 Southland

RPI: 135

Previous Ranking: 18

Texas-Arlington struggled in non-conference play, but the Mavericks have won all of their conference games to make an appearance in this week's top 25. They will put their undefeated record on the line against second place Texas-San Antonio on Wednesday.

Notable Wins: Kent State (Neutral)

Notable Losses: Samford (Home)

20. Wagner Seahawks

Record: 17-4, 8-2 NEC

RPI: 79

Previous Ranking: 16

Wagner remained in second place in the NEC with a 51-50 win at Quinnipiac on Saturday. The Seahawks' only two losses in conference play are both to first place Long Island.

Notable Wins: Pitt (Road)

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

19. Nevada Wolfpack

Record: 18-3, 7-0 WAC

RPI: 62

Previous Ranking: 21

Nevada survived an upset bid from Louisiana Tech on Saturday to sweep its two-game road trip. The Wolfpack returns home to play Utah State on Thursday.

Notable Wins: Washington (Home), Montana (Road), New Mexico State (Road)

Notable Losses: None

18. Drexel Dragons

Record: 17-5, 9-2 CAA

RPI: 87

Previous Ranking: 23

Drexel defeated Delaware on Saturday for its ninth straight win. The Dragons start a three-game road trip at Northeastern on Wednesday.

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

Notable Losses: Delaware (Road)

17. Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

Record: 20-4, 12-0 Summit

RPI: 50

Previous Ranking: 20

Oral Roberts defeated South Dakota State and UMKC this week, stretching its winning streak to 13 games. The Golden Eagles play on the road against the second and third place teams in the conference, South Dakota State and North Dakota State.

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

Notable Losses: UTSA (Neutral)

16. Ohio Bobcats

Record: 17-4, 5-2 MAC

RPI: 71

Previous Ranking: 17

After a rough start to conference play, Ohio has won four straight games to stay in the running for a MAC title.

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

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

15. Iona Gaels

Record: 17-5, 9-2 MAAC

RPI: 50

Previous Ranking: 13

Iona picked up a pair of road wins this weekend over Fairfield and St. Peter's. The Gaels host Canisius on Friday and then play two important games at Manhattan and Loyola.

Notable Wins: St. Joseph's (Home), Denver (Road), Richmond (Road)

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

14. Davidson Wildcats

Record: 15-5, 9-1 SoCon

RPI: 66

Previous Ranking: 14

Davidson's undefeated run in conference play ended with a 77-74 loss at Samford on Saturday. The Wildcats wrap up their three-game road trip at Furman on Wednesday night.

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

Notable Losses: Charlotte (Road), Samford (Road)

13. George Mason Patriots

Record: 18-5, 10-1 CAA

RPI: 102

Previous Ranking: 15

George Mason extended its winning streak to six games with wins over Hofstra and James Madison this week. The Patriots currently hold a one-game over Drexel, VCU and Old Dominion for first place in the CAA.

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

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

12. Weber State Wildcats

Record: 16-4, 8-1 Big Sky

RPI: 89

Previous Ranking: 10

Weber State's undefeated Big Sky season came to an end on a Idaho State buzzer beater. The Wildcats are still in first place, and they play at home against Portland State on Thursday.

Notable Wins: Montana (Home)

Notable Losses: Idaho State (Road)

11. Brigham Young Cougars

Record: 18-6, 6-3 WCC

RPI: 46

Previous Ranking: 11

Brigham Young picked up a quality non-conference win at Virginia Tech during the week, but the Cougars then fell at home to St. Mary's on Saturday.

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

Notable Losses: Loyola Marymount (Home)

10. Cleveland State Vikings

Record: 18-4, 8-2 Horizon

RPI: 56

Previous Ranking: 12

Cleveland State remains in first place in the Horizon League after winning at Youngstown State, 67-47, this weekend.

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

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

9. Virginia Commonwealth Rams

Record: 18-5, 9-2 CAA

RPI: 86

Previous Ranking: 9

VCU remains deadlocked in a three-way tie with Drexel and Old Dominion for second place in the CAA.

Notable Wins: Akron (Road), ODU (Home)

Notable Losses: Georgia Tech (Neutral)

8. Wichita State Shockers

Record: 18-4, 9-2 MVC

RPI: 30

Previous Ranking: 6

Wichita State fell to second place in the MVC with a double overtime loss at Drake this weekend.

Notable Wins: Colorado (Neutral), UNLV (Home)

Notable Losses: Drake (Road)

7. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Record: 20-3, 9-0 Sun Belt

RPI: 49

Previous Ranking: 7

Middle Tennessee's winning streak ended with an 84-77 loss at Vanderbit, but the Blue Raiders are still undefeated in conference play. They continue their road trip at North Texas on Thursday.

Notable Wins: UCLA (Road), Akron (Home), Belmont (Home), Ole Miss (Neutral)

Notable Losses: UAB (Road)

6. Long Beach State 49ers

Record: 16-6, 9-0 Big West

RPI: 33

Previous Ranking: 8

Long Beach State continued its undefeated Big West season with wins over UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton this week. 

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

Notable Losses: None

5. Gonzaga Bulldogs

Record: 17-3, 7-1 WCC

RPI: 21

Previous Ranking: 5

Gonzaga gets a week off after beating Portland during the week. The Zags next game is Thursday at Brigham Young.

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

Notable Losses: None

4. Creighton Bluejays

Record: 20-2, 10-1 MVC

RPI: 14

Previous Ranking: 4

Creighton remained in first place in the MVC with wins over Drake and Bradley this week. The Bluejays finish their homestand against Illinois State on Wednesday.

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

Notable Losses: Missouri State (Home)

3. Harvard Crimson

Record: 18-2, 4-0 Ivy

RPI: 41

Previous Ranking: 3

Harvard remains undefeated in Ivy League play after beating Yale and Brown this weekend. The Crimson will host Cornel and Columbia this coming week.

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

Notable Losses: Fordham (Road)

2. St. Mary's Gaels

Record: 21-2, 10-0 WCC

RPI: 19

Previous Ranking: 2

St. Mary's remained undefeated in conference play with an 80-66 win at BYU on Saturday, sweeping the season series with the Cougars. The Gaels host San Diego on Thursday.

Notable Wins: Weber State (Home), BYU (Home, Road), Gonzaga (Home)

Notable Losses: None

1. Murray State Racers

Record: 21-0, 9-0 OVC

RPI: 32

Previous Ranking: 1

Murray State remained undefeated with a win over Eastern Illinois on Saturday. The Racers continue their perfect campaign against Southeast Missouri State on Thursday.

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

Notable Losses: None

Just Missed the Cut

Kent State (14-6, 4-3 MAC) pulled back above .500 in the MAC by beating Toledo this weekend.

Long Island (15-7, 9-1 NEC) had a 21-game conference win streak snapped at Robert Morris this week.

Valparaiso (15-8, 8-3 Horizon) defeated Milwaukee on Saturday for its fifth win in six games.

Norfolk State (16-6, 8-0 MEAC) rebounded from a non-conference loss to Morehead State with a win over Morgan State on Sautrday.

Akron (14-7, 6-1 MAC) maintained control of first place with a win at Central Michigan on Saturday.

Montana (15-6, 8-1 Big Sky) plays at third place Montana State on Saturday.

Old Dominion (14-9, 9-2 CAA) has won three straight games to stay tied for second place in the CAA.

UNC-Asheville (16-7, 11-1 Big South) rebounded from the loss to Charleston Southern with three consecutive wins.

Illinois State (14-8, 6-5 MVC) defeated Missouri State and Southern Illinois this week to stay in third place in the MVC.

Missouri State (13-10, 6-5 MVC) is back in top 25 talk after beating Northern Iowa this weekend.

Bucknell (17-6, 7-0 Patriot) has won five of its seven conference games by double digits.

Manhattan (16-7, 9-2 MAAC) has won its last seven games and is tied with Iona and Loyola for first place in the MAAC.