NCAA Basketball Rankings: The Mid-Major Rankings for Week 12

Jesse KramerJan 20, 2013

In Week 11 of the college basketball season, each of the top two mid-majors were defeated; No. 1 Gonzaga fell to Butler on a Roosevelt Jones buzzer-beater, and No. 2 Creighton lost a nail-biter to Wichita State, 67-64.

Still, the overall bodies of work for these two teams, Gonzaga and Creighton, show that they are still the two best mid-majors in college basketball at this point in the season.

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. Weber State Wildcats

1 of 26

Record: 13-3, 8-0 Big Sky

Last Week's Rank: Not Ranked

Notable Wins: Dayton (Road)

Weber State was one of the top mid-majors in college basketball last season, and even after losing leading scorer Damian Lillard to the NBA, the Wildcats are still dominating the Big Sky. They have won their first eight Big Sky games with an average margin of victory of 15.9 points.

This week, Weber State faces a tough stretch with road games against Montana State and Montana, which is also 8-0 in the Big Sky.

24. Bryant Bulldogs

2 of 26

Record: 13-4, 6-0 NEC

Last Week's Rank: 25

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

Bryant defeated Mount St. Mary's and Wagner last week to extend its winning streak eight games.

The Bulldogs hold a two-game lead in the NEC and play at second-place Sacred Heart on Thursday.

23. Evansville Aces

3 of 26

Record: 11-8, 4-3 MVC

Last Week's Rank: 17

Notable Wins: Western Illinois (Home), Wichita State (Home)

Following a huge win over nationally-ranked Wichita State, Evansville lost a pair of road games to Drake and Indiana State.

In order to stay in the mid-major rankings, the Aces will most likely need to beat both Bradley and Illinois State this week.

22. Eastern Kentucky Colonels

4 of 26

Record: 15-4, 5-1 OVC

Last Week's Rank: 24

Notable Wins: Murray State (Road)

Eastern Kentucky lost at Belmont in its first game of the week, but then won at Jacksonville State to remain a game out of first place in the OVC East. Corey Walden combined for 52 points on 16-of-25 field-goal shooting and 16-of-16 shooting from the foul line.

The coming week is huge for the Colonels, as they host Belmont and Tennessee State, which have a combined 12-1 record against OVC competition.

21. Akron Zips

5 of 26

Record: 13-4, 4-0 MAC

Last Week's Rank: 23

Notable Wins: Middle Tennessee (Home)

Akron outlasted its rival, Kent State, on Saturday to remain undefeated in MAC play. The Zips' frontcourt dominated, with Zeke Marshall, Demetrius Treadwell and Chauncey Gilliam combining for 42 points and 29 rebounds.

On Wednesday, the Zips finish their road trip at Toledo, which is currently in first place in the MAC West.

20. Ohio Bobcats

6 of 26

Record: 13-5, 4-0 MAC

Last Week's Rank: 22

Notable Wins: Richmond (Home), Marshall (Home)

Ohio remained undefeated in the MAC by defeating Northern Illinois and Toledo last week. Reggie Keely was the star of the week, averaging 18 points per game.

The Bobcats will play a pair of road games this week against Miami (OH) and Kent State.

19. Santa Clara Broncos

7 of 26

Record: 14-6, 3-3 WCC

Last Week's Rank: 21

Notable Wins: Saint Louis (Road)

Santa Clara kept its spot among the top mid-majors by winning a pair of WCC games over San Francisco and Pepperdine. Over the two games, senior Kevin Foster averaged 28 points, six rebounds and 2.5 steals.

On Wednesday, the Broncos will take a break from conference play to host Cal State Bakersfield.

18. Utah State Aggies

8 of 26

Record: 14-3, 5-2 WAC

Last Week's Rank: 8

Notable Wins: Santa Clara (Road)

Utah State lost to New Mexico State and Denver last week in its first two road games of 2013. Both losses came by double figures.

On Thursday, the Aggies return home to face the Texas-Arlington Mavericks.

17. Lehigh Mountain Hawks

9 of 26

Record: 13-4, 3-0 Patriot

Last Week's Rank: 20

Notable Wins: None

Lehigh improved to 3-0 in the Patriot League without C.J. McCollum, defeating American and Colgate.

On Wednesday, the Mountain Hawks will play Bucknell with first place in the conference on the line.

16. Western Illinois Leathernecks

10 of 26

Record: 15-4, 7-1 Summit

Last Week's Rank: 19

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

Western Illinois defeated North Dakota State in a defensive battle, 50-42, to move into a tie for first place in the Summit League. With the win over the Bison, the Leathernecks hold the tiebreaker.

The Leathernecks' next three games are on the road against IPFW, Oakland and IUPUI, all of which are below .500 in the Summit League.

15. Indiana State Sycamores

11 of 26

Record: 12-6, 5-2 MVC

Last Week's Rank: 14

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

Indiana State rebounded from a poor loss to Southern Illinois with home wins over Missouri State and Evansville. In those two games, Jake Odum averaged 12.5 points and 5.5 assists.

In their next game, the Sycamores will play at Illinois State, which has been the biggest disappointment in the Missouri Valley so far.

14. North Dakota State Bison

12 of 26

Record: 16-4, 7-1 Summit

Last Week's Rank: 11

Notable Wins: South Dakota State (Home)

North Dakota State's perfect season in the Summit League ended with a 50-42 loss at Western Illinois on Saturday night. With leading scorer Taylor Braun injured, the Bison easily got past IUPUI, but they clearly missed their go-to scorer against the Leathernecks.

Next Saturday, North Dakota State will play at South Dakota State, which it beat by three points on December 29.

13. Valparaiso Crusaders

13 of 26

Record: 15-5, 5-1 Horizon

Last Week's Rank: 16

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

Valparaiso moved into first place in the Horizon League this weekend by defeating previously unbeaten Wright State. Earlier in the week, the Crusaders erased a 20-point deficit to win at Detroit, 89-88, as Nick Minnerath posted 36 points.

On Wednesday, Valpo will host Green Bay.

12. South Dakota State Jackrabbits

14 of 26

Record: 15-6, 6-2 Summit

Last Week's Rank: 15

Notable Wins: Montana (Road), New Mexico (Road), Western Illinois (Road)

Before blowing out IUPUI on Saturday, South Dakota State picked up a huge win at Western Illinois. The Leathernecks had been undefeated against Summit League competition. Nate Wolters led the way with 22 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals.

The Jackrabbits will play five of their next seven games at home, starting with first-place North Dakota State on Saturday, January 26.

11. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

15 of 26

Record: 16-3, 7-0 WAC

Last Week's Rank: 13

Notable Wins: Southern Miss (Home)

Louisiana Tech defeated Idaho and Seattle last week to remain undefeated in the WAC. With those wins, the Bulldogs have also now won eight games in a row.

This week, the Bulldogs will face San Jose State and Utah State.

10. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

16 of 26

Record: 16-1, 7-0 Southland

Last Week's Rank: 12

Notable Wins: Oklahoma (Road)

Stephen F. Austin beat Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls State last week by a combined 35 points. The Lumberjacks have now won 11 straight games with an average victory margin of 17.3 points.

Stephen F. Austin will play its next three games on the road against Northwestern State, McNeese State and Lamar.

9. Brigham Young Cougars

17 of 26

Record: 15-5, 5-1 WCC

Last Week's Rank: 9

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

Brigham Young handed San Diego its first loss of the conference season on Saturday night, defeating the Toreros, 74-57. In the process, the Cougars moved into a tie for second place in the WCC.

This week, they will have a chance to contend for first place when they start a three-game road trip at Gonzaga.

8. Murray State Racers

18 of 26

Record: 14-4, 5-1 OVC

Last Week's Rank: 7

Notable Wins: St. John's (Neutral), Evansville (Road)

Murray State defeated SIU-Edwardsville for its third straight win since falling to Eastern Kentucky. With the victory, the Racers now hold a two-game lead in the OVC West.

Next up on their schedule are games at Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State.

7. St. Mary's Gaels

19 of 26

Record: 15-4, 4-1 WCC

Last Week's Rank: 10

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

St. Mary's defeated Portland on Saturday, following a thrilling, buzzer-beater win at Brigham Young on Wednesday. In the two games last week, senior point guard Matthew Dellavedova averaged 14.5 points and seven assists.

This week, the Gaels are at home against San Diego and Pepperdine.

6. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

20 of 26

Record: 16-4, 8-1 Sun Belt

Last Week's Rank: 6

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

Middle Tennessee has cemented itself as the best team in the Sun Belt. The Blue Raiders' only conference loss is at Arkansas State in overtime, and they are the only team with fewer than three losses.

On Thursday, the Blue Raiders will look to extend their winning streak to six games against North Texas.

5. Bucknell Bison

21 of 26

Record: 16-3, 3-0 Patriot

Last Week's Rank: 5

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

Bucknell defeated Lafayette on Saturday to improve to 2-0 in the Patriot League.

On Wednesday, the Bison host Lehigh in a game for first place in the conference.

4. Belmont Bruins

22 of 26

Record: 15-4, 6-0 OVC

Last Week's Rank: 3

Notable Wins: Stanford (Road), Middle Tennessee (Home), South Dakota State (Home), Eastern Kentucky (Home)

Belmont handed both Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee State their first OVC losses of the season. Now, the Bruins are the only unbeaten team in the conference. Through six OVC games, they have an average victory margin of 21.2 points.

On Thursday, Belmont will face Morehead State before rematching Eastern Kentucky over the weekend.

3. Wichita State Shockers

23 of 26

Record: 17-2, 6-1 MVC

Last Week's Rank: 4

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

Wichita State moves back into the top three with a 67-64 win over Creighton. This was the Shockers' first Top 25 win of the season, and with it they are now tied with the Bluejays for first place in the MVC.

Next up for the Shockers is Missouri State, which is 3-4 in conference play.

2. Creighton Bluejays

24 of 26

Record: 17-2, 6-1 MVC

Last Week's Rank: 2

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

Creighton's undefeated MVC season and 11-game winning streak ended with the loss at Wichita State on Saturday afternoon. The Bluejays had two good looks at a game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds but could not capitalize.

Despite the loss, Creighton remains No. 2 among mid-majors, ahead of the Shockers, because of its overall body of work. It's not fair to penalize the Bluejays for losing a conference game on the road to a borderline Top 25 team by one possession.

This week, they will continue their road trip with games at Drake, which they beat by 30 at home, and Southern Illinois.

1. Gonzaga Bulldogs

25 of 26

Record: 17-2, 4-0 WCC

Last Week's Rank: 1

Notable Wins: Oklahoma (Neutral), Kansas State (Neutral), Baylor (Home), Oklahoma State (Road), Santa Clara (Road), St. Mary's (Home)

Gonzaga lost a heartbreaker at Butler on Saturday night, falling 64-63 on a buzzer-beater by Roosevelt Jones that resulted from a David Stockton turnover.

The Zags will return to conference play on Thursday night when they host Brigham Young with first place in the WCC on the line.