NCAA Basketball Rankings 2012: Mid-Major Rankings for Week 7

Going into the seventh week of the college basketball season, no undefeated mid-majors remain. Wichita State fell at Tennessee early in the week, and then Eastern Kentucky was defeated by Illinois on Sunday.

Gonzaga, Creighton and Murray State continued to solidify themselves as the top mid-majors with quality wins over the weekend, and Illinois-Chicago kept climbing for its eighth straight win.

Read on to see the complete Mid-Major Top 25.

(I consider a mid-major to be 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. Loyola (MD) Greyhounds

Record: 9-3, 1-1 MAAC

Last Week's Rank: Not Ranked

Notable Wins: Albany (Neutral)

Loyola (MD) is back on a winning track with victories over St. Peter's and Mount St. Mary's in its last two games.

The Greyhounds' next two games are the toughest of their entire nonconference slate: at home against Bucknell and at Memphis.

24. North Dakota State Bison

Record: 9-3, 1-0 Summit

Last Week's Rank: Not Ranked

Notable Wins: Duquesne (Road)

North Dakota State defeated Towson on Saturday for its fourth win in its last five games.

The Bison return home for a rematch with Morehead State on Friday.

23. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Record: 8-3, 2-0 Sun Belt

Last Week's Rank: 21

Notable Wins: DePaul (Neutral)

Western Kentucky lost at Murray State in a close game on Sunday afternoon.

The Hilltoppers continue to look like the favorite in the Sun Belt, and they will be challenged once again this week with games against Virginia Commonwealth and Louisville.

22. George Mason Patriots

Record: 6-4

Last Week's Rank: 23

Notable Wins: Virginia (Home)

George Mason did not play last week and will not be in action again until Saturday. The Patriots have two more nonconference games against Richmond and South Florida before entering CAA competition.

21. Albany Great Danes

Record: 9-2

Last Week's Rank: Not Ranked

Notable Wins: Washington (Road)

Albany has been red hot over the last month, winning its last six games. The Great Danes already have a strong win at Washington under their belt, and their only losses are to Ohio State and Loyola (MD) in a close game.

Albany will finish its nonconference slate over the next couple of weeks with games against Quinnipiac, Navy and Brown.

20. Eastern Kentucky Colonels

Record: 9-1

Last Week's Rank: 19

Notable Wins: None

Eastern Kentucky's undefeated record ended with a loss at No. 10 Illinois on Sunday, but the Colonels' performance was still impressive, as they stuck within single digits of the undefeated Illini late in the second half.

The Colonels will continue their road trip this week with games against North Carolina A&T and High Point.

19. Valparaiso Crusaders

Record: 7-3

Last Week's Rank: 22

Notable Wins: Kent State (Road)

Valparaiso split the first two games of its three-game road trip, falling to New Mexico but beating Missouri State. The Crusaders will finish this stretch at Oakland on Monday.

South Florida transfer LaVonte Dority led the team in his debut against the Bears with 20 points and two steals off the bench.

18. Santa Clara Broncos

Record: 8-2

Last Week's Rank: 18

Notable Wins: Saint Louis (Road)

Santa Clara picked up a pair of road wins over San Jose State and Pacific last week. The Broncos are now 3-0 in road games.

In the win over Pacific, senior Kevin Foster posted 31 points, with 28 of them coming in the second half.

This week, the Broncos will host Cal Poly and Alcorn State.

17. Utah State Aggies

Record: 6-1

Last Week's Rank: 17

Notable Wins: Santa Clara (Road)

Utah State defeated Utah Valley on Saturday for its fourth-consecutive win.

The Aggies will play three games in three days this week, facing Nicholls State on Thursday, UC Davis on Friday and Southern Illinois on Saturday.

16. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Record: 7-3, 1-0 Sun Belt

Last Week's Rank: 16

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

Middle Tennessee fell at Belmont last Thursday, falling to 3-3 in road contests. The Blue Raiders return home on Tuesday to face Tennessee State before playing at Vanderbilt on Friday night.

15. Ohio Bobcats

Record: 7-3

Last Week's Rank: 6

Notable Wins: Richmond (Home), St. Bonaventure (Home)

After a 6-0 start to the season, Ohio has lost two of its last three games. On Saturday, the Bobcats suffered a disappointing loss to Winthrop, their first home loss of the year.

14. South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Record: 9-3, 1-0 Summit

Last Week's Rank: 15

Notable Wins: Marshall (Neutral)

South Dakota State survived in double overtime at Montana for its third-straight win. The Jackrabbits erased a four-point deficit in the second overtime and won on a pair of free throws from Tony Fiegen.

The Jacks will continue their road trip this week with games at Belmont and nationally ranked, undefeated New Mexico.

13. St. Mary's Gaels

Record: 7-2

Last Week's Rank: 14

Notable Wins: Utah State (Road)

St. Mary's has won three-straight games since its disappointing fourth-place finish at the DIRECTV Classic. Over the weekend, Matthew Dellavedova posted 31 points, six rebounds and eight assists in a resounding 120-67 win over Jackson State.

The Gaels will play Pacific, whom they lost to in Anaheim on Wednesday. 

12. Brigham Young Cougars

Record: 7-3

Last Week's Rank: 13

Notable Wins: Utah (Home)

Brigham Young won at Weber State on Saturday for its fifth win in its last six games. The Cougars received a career-high 33 points from senior Brandon Davies and 23 points from sophomore Tyler Haws, who shot a perfect 10-of-10 from the charity stripe.

On Friday, the Cougars will play at Baylor with a chance for their best win of the season so far.

11. Northern Iowa Panthers

Record: 6-4

Last Week's Rank: 8

Notable Wins: George Mason (Road)

After falling to Iowa on Saturday, Northern Iowa is now 0-4 in games played at neutral sites and 1-4 in games played away from home.

The Panthers will get two more chances at high-quality nonconference wins this week when they play UNLV and St. Mary's.

10. Illinois State Redbirds

Record: 7-3

Last Week's Rank: 11

Notable Wins: UAB (Neutral)

Illinois State defeated Morgan State on Sunday for its second straight win.

The Redbirds' three losses this year are to Northwestern, Louisville and Wyoming, all of whom are high-quality teams.

9. Davidson Wildcats

Record: 6-4, 2-0 SoCon

Last Week's Rank: 12

Notable Wins: Vanderbilt (Neutral), West Virginia (Neutral)

Davidson defeated UNC-Wilmington over the weekend for its third win in its last four games. Wildcats forward De'Mon Brooks posted a double-double in the win with 14 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks, and senior Jake Cohen notched a season-high 21 points.

The Wildcats will go on the road for their next three games against Drexel, Richmond and Duke.

8. Belmont Bruins

Record: 7-3

Last Week's Rank: 7

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

Belmont had a chance for a huge win at Kansas over the weekend, but the Bruins were simply overmatched, resulting in a blowout. In the loss, senior Trevor Noack posted a career-high 19 points.

The Bruins will return home for another tough game on Wednesday against defending Summit League champion South Dakota State.

7. Illinois-Chicago Flames

Record: 9-1

Last Week's Rank: 10

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

Illinois-Chicago extended its winning streak to eight games with a win over Eastern Michigan on Saturday. The Flames' only loss is to New Mexico by seven points.

The Flames, who have already played five games away from home this season, start a three-game road trip at Western Illinois on Tuesday.

6. Lehigh Mountain Hawks

Record: 8-2

Last Week's Rank: 9

Notable Wins: Robert Morris (Neutral)

With a win at St. Francis (PA) last week, Lehigh now has a seven-game winning streak since losing to Pittsburgh on November 13. 

The Mountain Hawks will face fellow mid-major North Texas in their next game on Thursday.

5. Bucknell Bison

Record: 9-1

Last Week's Rank: 5

Notable Wins: Purdue (Road), George Mason (Home), La Salle (Home)

Bucknell defeated La Salle on Saturday for its fourth win in a row. Senior forward Mike Muscala showed some versatility in the victory with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Joe Willman added 18 points and 12 boards for his first double-double of the season.

The Bison will play five of their next six games on the road as part of a stretch that includes games against Princeton and Loyola (MD), who were picked to win the Ivy League and MAAC, respectively, and nationally ranked Missouri.

4. Wichita State Shockers

Record: 9-1

Last Week's Rank: 3

Notable Wins: VCU (Road), Iowa (Neutral)

Wichita State's undefeated record came to an end last week with a loss at Tennessee. The Shockers were whistled for 28 fouls in the loss, and Tennessee converted on 29-of-36 free throws.

The Shockers return home this week for games against Southern Miss and Northern Iowa.

3. Murray State Racers

Record: 8-1

Last Week's Rank: 4

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

Murray State defeated Western Kentucky on Sunday for its fifth-straight win. Isaiah Canaan led the way for the Racers with 21 points and five assists.

The Racers will play a pair of road games this week against Arkansas State and Dayton.

2. Creighton Bluejays

Record: 10-1

Last Week's Rank: 2

Notable Wins: Wisconsin (Neutral), Arizona State (Neutral), St. Joe's (Home), California (Road)

Creighton continued to build its NCAA tournament resume over the weekend with a win at California. The Bluejays have now beaten four teams from major conferences away from home.

1. Gonzaga Bulldogs

Record: 10-1

Last Week's Rank: 1

Notable Wins: Clemson (Neutral), Oklahoma (Neutral), Kansas State (Neutral)

Gonzaga responded to a loss to Illinois with an important win over Kansas State. Kelly Olynyk led the Bulldogs with 20 points on 10-of-13 shooting.

The Zags' only game this week is against Campbell at home.

Other Mid-Majors to Keep an Eye on

Canisius (6-2, 2-0 MAAC) stuck with No. 4 Syracuse into the second half on Saturday, but the Orange proved to be too talented and athletic for the Golden Griffins.

Arkansas-Little Rock (8-4, 2-0 Sun Belt) defeated Tulsa on Saturday and has now won four of its last five games. All the Trojans' losses have come away from home. 

Robert Morris (7-4) began the season at 1-3, but the Colonials have since won six of seven games.

Florida Gulf Coast (7-4) has won three of its last four games. The one loss during that stretch came at Iowa State.

Loyola-Illinois (7-3) defeated Mississippi State over the weekend for its fifth win in its last six games.