Mid-Major Top 25: Murray State Still Undefeated; Gonzaga, Creighton Bounce Back

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

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. South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Record: 10-4, 2-0 Summit

RPI: 96

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

South Dakota State, led by Nate Wolters' season-high 34 points, upset Washington on Sunday, 92-73.

Key Wins: Washington (Road)

Key Losses: North Dakota (Road)

24. Missouri State Bears

Record: 6-3

RPI: 92

Previous Ranking: 24

Missouri State ended its three-game losing streak with wins over Arkansas-Little Rock and Kennesaw State. 

Key Wins: Nevada (Road)

Key Losses: Oral Roberts (Road)

23. Denver Pioneers

Record: 8-2

RPI: 22

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

Denver won its second straight game, defeating Boise State at home to start a five-game homestand.

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

Key Losses: None

22. UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

Record: 5-3

RPI: 113

Previous Ranking: 19

Santa Barbara's loss to Washington was its third loss in its last four games. The Gauchos have a chance to redeem themselves with games at California and BYU this week.

Key Wins: Santa Clara (Home)

Key Losses: None

21. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Record: 10-2

RPI: 128

Previous Ranking: 22

Middle Tennessee got revenge on Belmont this week with a 65-62 win in the rematch with the Bruins. 

Key Wins: UCLA (Road), Belmont (Home)

Key Losses: UAB (Road)

20. George Mason Patriots

Record: 7-3, 1-0 CAA

RPI: 189

Previous Ranking: 20

George Mason is back in action with games against Duquesne and Manhattan this week.

Key Wins: None

Key Losses: Florida International (Neutral)

19. Indiana State Sycamores

Record: 8-2

RPI: 16

Previous Ranking: 21

Indiana State has taken three of its last four, including a win over No. 25 Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Key Wins: Fairfield (Neutral), Vanderbilt (Road)

Key Losses: Boise State (Road)

18. Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers

Record: 9-3, 2-0 Horizon

RPI: 106

Previous Ranking: 18

Milwaukee rebounded from a close loss to Wisconsin with an easy win over Nebraska-Omaha. The Panthers play their next three games on the road, starting with undefeated Marquette on Thursday.

Key Wins: None

Key Losses: None

17. Weber State Wildcats

Record: 6-3

RPI: 102

Previous Ranking: 16

Weber State picked up its second double digit loss in its last three games, falling at California, 77-57.

Key Wins: None

Key Losses: None

16. Belmont Bruins

Record: 7-4, 2-0 A-Sun

RPI: 91

Previous Ranking: 7

After a hot 6-2 start, Belmont has lost two of its last three. The Bruins most recently lost at Miami-Ohio, 66-61.

Key Wins: Middle Tennessee (Road)

Key Losses: Miami-Ohio (Road)

15. Long Beach State 49ers

Record: 4-5

RPI: 27

Previous Ranking: 13

Long Beach State has had nine days off since losing to North Carolina on December 10. Tonight, the 49ers should be able to get an easy win over Eastern New Mexico before heading out to Hawaii for the Diamond Head Classic.

Key Wins: Pittsburgh (Road)

Key Losses: Montana (Road)

14. Ohio Bobcats

Record: 9-1

RPI: 17

Previous Ranking: 17

Ohio extended its winning streak to six games with a win over Wright State on Saturday. The Bobcats have another tough, road battle ahead of them against Northern Iowa on Tuesday.

Key Wins: Marshall (Road), Oakland (Road)

Key Losses: None

13. Charleston Cougars

Record: 9-1, 2-0 SoCon

RPI: 75

Previous Ranking: 15

Charleston outlasted Charleston Southern on Saturday to extend its winning streak to six games. The Cougars take on a top 25 team for the first time this season when they play at Louisville on Tuesday.

Key Wins: Massachusetts (Neutral)

Key Losses: None

12. BYU Cougars

Record: 8-3

RPI: 81

Previous Ranking: 12

BYU's four-game winning streak ended as the Cougars lost a close game to undefeated Baylor on Saturday, 86-83.

Key Wins: Weber State (Home), Oregon (Neutral)

Key Losses: Utah State (Road)

11. Virginia Commonwealth Rams

Record: 7-3, 1-0 CAA

RPI: 70

Previous Ranking: 14

VCU opened up CAA play with a 87-64 win over UNC-Wilmington on Saturday.

Key Wins: Richmond (Home)

Key Losses: Georgia Tech (Neutral)

10. Wichita State Shockers

Record: 8-2

RPI: 49

Previous Ranking: 10

Wichita State defeated Chicago State this week to improve its winning streak to six games.

Key Wins: UNLV (Home)

Key Losses: None

9. St. Mary's Gaels

Record: 8-1

RPI: 28

Previous Ranking: 11

St. Mary's has dominated its last three games, winning by an average of 29 points. The Gaels host Kennesaw State tonight and then take on undefeated Baylor on Thursday.

Key Wins: Northern Iowa (Home), Weber State (Home)

Key Losses: Denver (Road)

8. Kent State Golden Flashes

Record: 7-1

RPI: 67

Previous Ranking: 9

Kent State returns from its 10-day break with a game against St. Peter's in the Athletes in Action Classic on Tuesday night.

Key Wins: West Virginia (Road)

Key Losses: None

7. Cleveland State Vikings

Record: 10-1, 2-0 Horizon

RPI: 35

Previous Ranking: 8

Cleveland State has won its last four games by a combined 14 points, defeating Wright State, Detroit, Robert Morris, and Akron.

Key Wins: Vanderbilt (Road), Kent State (Road)

Key Losses: Hofsta (Neutral)

6. Iona Gaels

Record: 9-2, 2-0 MAAC

RPI: 15

Previous Ranking: 6

Iona picked up another pair of road wins this week, defeating Richmond and Vermont. The Gaels still have two more games left in their eight-game road trip (William & Mary and Hofstra).

Key Wins: St. Joseph's (Neutral), Denver (Road), Richmond (Road)

Key Losses: None

5. Gonzaga Bulldogs

Record: 7-2

RPI: 37

Previous Ranking: 5

Gonzaga defeated Oral Roberts and Arizona this week and looks to extend its winning streak to three games against Butler on Tuesday.

Key Wins: Arizona (Neutral)

Key Losses: None

4. Murray State Racers

Record: 12-0

RPI: 8

Previous Ranking: 4

Murray State remains undefeated after beating Lipscomb and Arkansas State this week. The Racers open up OVC play against Tennessee-Martin on Wednesday.

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

Key Losses: None

3. Northern Iowa Panthers

Record: 9-1

RPI: 3

Previous Ranking: 3

Northern Iowa's winning streak extended to eight games with a win over Milwaukee last Saturday. The Panthers will host D.J. Cooper and the Ohio Bobcats in a mid-major battle on Tuesday.

Key Wins: Iowa State (Road), Colorado State (Home), Milwaukee (Home)

Key Losses: None

2. Creighton Bluejays

Record: 8-1

RPI: 31

Previous Ranking: 2

Creighton rebounded from its loss to St. Joseph's with a win over Houston Baptist on Saturday.

Key Wins: San Diego State (Road), Nebraska (Home)

Key Losses: None

1. Harvard Crimson

Record: 9-1

RPI: 19

Previous Ranking: 1

Harvard returns from its 12-day break with a matchup against Florida Atlantic, which most recently lost to Miami (FL) in double overtime on Thursday.

Key Wins: Florida State (Neutral), UCF (Neutral)

Key Losses: None

Changes from Last Week

Added: Denver, South Dakota State

Dropped: American, Loyola (MD)

Just Missed the Cut

Santa Clara (7-3) outlasted Pacific in overtime on Saturday for its second straight win.

Fairfield (7-4, 2-0 MAAC) has won four straight games since a shaky start to the season.

Davidson (6-3, 2-0 SoCon) plays a pair of road games this week against Kansas and Massachusetts.

Oakland (8-4, 2-0 Summit) gets an opportunity for a big win at Arizona on Tuesday.

Coastal Carolina (9-1, 2-0 Big South) has won four straight games entering a game at Eastern Carolina on Monday.