Five Mid-Majors that Could Land in the Top-25 Rankings in 2023-24

This off-season, there has been a lot of talk about parity in college basketball. And rightfully so; if anything, Florida Atlantic and San Diego State last season showed a different path toward winning in the tournament. Good coaching mixed with a couple of players who could make shots, some tough defense, and a core of older, more experienced players. Using this recipe, both of those mid-major schools crashed the top 25 and made a run to the Final Four.

At this time last year, not many had Florida Atlantic or San Diego State in their national pre-season polls. This season, both programs, along with Saint Mary’s, are pretty universally accepted in the pre-season top-25 polls. Three mid-major programs will start among the top 25. Parity.

I wanted to lean into this and take a look at who could be next. Outside of the three previously mentioned, who are some other mid-major programs to watch this season? Here are five mid-majors that the stars could be aligning with their sights set on the top 25 at some point during the season.

College of Charleston, Coastal Athletic Association

Pat Kelsey’s group returns two of its top three scorers. Ante Brzovic will be a 6-foot-10 junior. He averaged 11.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in 19.1 minutes last season, earning third-team All-CAA honors. Reyne Smith was a first-team CAA-All Freshman two years ago, and the 6-foot-2 guard followed that up by averaging 10.8 points on 2.2 made threes last year. The Cougars also dipped into the transfer market, bringing in grad transfer Bryce Butler, a D2 All-American at West Liberty. Butler, a 6-foot-5 guard, averaged 22.4 points while shooting 43.3 percent from three last season. He is 107-16 in his four college seasons, playing in the D2 National Championship game last season. They also bring in grad transfer Frankie Policelli from Stony Brook. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 13.7 points and 9.4 rebounds last season while knocking down 36.8 percent of his threes on 5.3 attempts per game. 

Watch to see how quickly freshmen James Scott and Mayar Wol get acclimated; both are lengthy and move very well. Also, watch what steps junior forward Ben Burnham takes. 

Drake, Missouri Valley Conference

The centerpiece for this team will be the same as it has been for the previous two seasons, Tucker DeVries. DeVries, son of head coach Darian DeVries, is the reigning MVC Player of the Year after averaging 18.3 points for the conference champion. Drake also returns leading rebounder and shot blocker Darnell Brodie. Brodie is a  6-foot-10 center who started his college career at Seton Hall. The Bulldogs were also active in the transfer portal bringing double-digit scoring guards Kyron Gibson (UT-Arlington) and Atin Wright (Cal State Northridge) as well as 6-foot-7 forward Carlos Rosario from Washington State. 

While each of the transfers should play prominent roles this season, a fourth transfer could be the one to watch. Ethan Roberts is a 6-foot-5 wing from Army and was the Patriot League Rookie of the Year last season after averaging 12.4 points on 40.7 percent from three.

New Mexico, Mountain West Conference

Richard Pitino returns his two leading scorers, Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Jaelen House. Mashburn, the son of Jamal Mashburn – who played for Pitino’s father Rick at Kentucky, led the MWC in scoring last season, averaging 19.1 points on 38.2 percent shooting from three. Jaelen House, son of former NBA guard Eddie House, finished sixth in the MWC with 16.9 points but also made first-team MWC All-Defense. This is the core that will be featured by New Mexico this season; however, the Lobos added some additional firepower from the transfer portal. 

Jemarl Baker, a former Kentucky guard who averaged 12.5 points and 2.9 assists at Fresno State last season, will spend his final year of eligibility at New Mexico. They also added first-team All-Southland grad transfer Isaac Mushila. The 6-foot-5 forward averaged 14.5 points and 9.9 rebounds at Texas A&M Corpus Christi last season. Dayton transfer Mustapha Amzil brings a soft shooting touch with him at 6-foot-8. Two-time first-team All-MAAC performer Nelly Junior Joseph, who averaged 14.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks for Pitino’s dad at Iona last season, should man the middle for the Lobos this season. On paper, they have experience, guys who can create offense, and guys who can clean up the boards. 

San Francisco, West Coast Conference

The Dons will lose their top three scorers off last year’s team, but they do return five of their top eight scorers. And four of those five players are 6-foot-8 and above, with two being listed at 7-foot-1. Coach Chris Gerlufsen will return size. They also bring in a major haul from the transfer portal. This includes two former top-100 ranked players in guard Malik Thomas (USC) and wing Mike Sharavjamts (Dayton). At his core, Thomas is a 6-foot-2 bucket-getter, and Sharavjamts is a 6-foot-8, do-it-all guard/wing who can handle, shoot, and pass with a little bit of pop. The team’s leading returning assist man is Marcus Williams, a 6-foot-2 guard who shot 40.8 percent from three while playing 25.5 minutes last season. 

Two more transfers who look to figure into the plans this season are 6-foot-8 Stefan Todorovic, who has a reputation as a sniper from SMU, and Jonathan Mogbo. Mogbo is a 6-foot-8 forward who averaged eight and seven with 1.1 blocks at Missouri State last season. On paper, this team will have size, length, shooting, and depth. 

UC Santa Barbara, Big West

For starters, Joe Pasternak’s team returns three of its top five scorers. Included with that group is 6-foot-4 guard Ajay Mitchell, the reigning Big West Player of the Year. Mitchell averaged 16,3 points and 5.1 assists last season. The Gauchos also bring in former top-25 recruit Yohan Traore from Auburn. Traore is a 6-foot-10 post player who has some skill and moves very well for a player his size. Those two should be as good as a mid-major duo in the country. However, they are far from the only two players on the team. 

Josh Pierre-Louis, a 6-foot-4 guard, returns after finishing top three on the team in ports, steals, and assists last season. Cole Anderson, the Gouchos’ leading three-point shooter at 41.5 percent on 3.7 attempts per game will also be back. UCSB also brings in 7-foot-0 JUCO transfer Mezziah Oakman along with Creighton transfer Ben Shtolzberg. They return a nice core of players while adding some very intriguing pieces.