THE MID-MAJOR PROGRAMS

The 2009-2010 college basketball season, perhaps like no other, highlighted the strong programs that have emerged as powerhouses at the so-called “mid-major” level. These programs have developed rosters with experienced program players that fit their respective systems, but also are increasingly are pulling in some highly-touted, if under the radar, recruits.

TOP TEN CLASSES

1. Memphis Tigers – Conference USA

Will Barton, 6’-6”, SG, Brewster Academy (NH)
Joe Jackson, 6’-0”, PG, White Station (TN)
Jelan Kendrick, 6’-5”, SG, Wheeler (GA)
Tarik Black, 6’-8”, PF, Ridgeway (TN)
Hippolyte Tsafack, 6’-8”, PF/C, The Miller School (VA)
Chris Crawford, 6’-4”, SG, Sheffield (TN)
Antonio Barton, 6’-2”, PG, Notre Dame Prep (MA)
Charles Carmouche, 6’-2”, SG, New Orleans-Transfer

2. Central Michigan Chippewas – Mid-American

Andre Coimbra, 6’-9”, PF, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M
Jevon Harden, 6’-8”, C, Loyola (MI)
Derek Jackson, 6’-0”, PG, Benedictine (OH)
Nate VanArendonk, 6’-9”, C, Grand Haven (MI)
Paris Paramore, 6’-0”, PG, Triton JC
Colin Voss, 6’-7”, PF, East Grand Rapids (MI)
Trey Zeigler, 6’-5”, SG, Mount Pleasant (MI)
Brook Turson, 6’-4”, SG, Plymouth (OH)

3. Detroit Mercy Titans – Horizon

Ray McCallum, 6’-1”, PG, Detroit Country Day (MI)
Evan Bruinsma, 6’-7”, SF, Western Michigan Christian (MI)
Chris Blake, 6’-4”, SG, Trinity Valley JC
Frank Williams, 6’-5”, SG, Raytown (MO)
Jordan Manuel, 6’-7”, PF, Howe (IN)
Nick Minnerath, 6’-8”, PF, Jackson JC

4. St. Joseph’s Hawks – Atlantic 10

Ronald Roberts, 6’-7”, PF, St. Peter’s (NJ)
CJ Aiken, 6’-10”, C, Plymouth-Whitemarsh (PA)
Patrick Swilling, 6’-3”, SG, Brother Martin (LA)
Langston Galloway, 6’-3”, SG, Christian Life (LA)
Daryus Quarles, 6’-6”, SF, Paulsboro (NJ)

5. Virginia Commonwealth Rams – Colonial Athletic

Toby Veal, 6’-8”, SF, NW Florida JC
DJ Haley, 6’-11”, C, Palmdale (CA)
Juvonte Reddic, 6’-9”, PF, Quality Education Academy (NC)
Reco McCarter, 6’-7”, SF, Wayne Country Day (NC)
Rob Brandenburg, 6’-2”, SG, Lincoln (OH)

6. Xavier Musketeers – Atlantic 10

Jay Canty, 6’-5”, SG, Oak Ridge Military (NC)
Jordan Latham, 6’-8”, PF, City (MD)
Justin Martin, 6’-7”, SF, Mountain State Academy (WV)
Griffin McKenzie, 6’-9”, PF, Moeller (OH)

7. Florida International Golden Panthers – Sun Belt

Dominique Ferguson, 6’-9”, PF, Hargrave Military (VA)
Eric Frederick, 6’-7”, PF, Highland JC
Phillip Taylor, 5’-9”, PG, Wheeler (GA)
Dejuan Wright, 6’-4”, SG, Gillette JC
Richaud Pack, 6’-3”, SG, Seaholm (MI)

8. Georgia Southern Eagles – Southern Conference

Jelani Hewitt, 6’-2”, SG, Northeast (FL)
Eric Ferguson, 6’-7”, WF, Winchendon School (MA)
Trey Bussey, 6’-3”, SG, Lithia Springs (GA)
Sam Mike, 6’-8”, PF, Columbia (GA)
Marvin Baynham, 6’-7”, PF, Norland (FL)

9. New Mexico Lobos – Mountain West

Alex Kirk, 6’-11”, C, Los Alamos (NM)
Tony Snell, 6’-7”, SF, Westwind Prep (AZ)
Cameron Bairstow, 6’-9”, PF, AIS (Australia)
Kendall Williams, 6’-3”, PG, Los Osos (CA)

10. Long Beach State 49ers – Big West

Edis Dervisevic, 6’-8”, SF/PF, Western Texas JC
Khalid Gerard, 6’-4”, SG, Technical Career JC
Corey Jackson, 6’-0”, PG/SG, FIT JC
Shelton Boykin, 6’-5”, SG, Poly (CA)
Nick Shepherd, 6’-9”, PF, Westbury Christian (TX)
Jacob Thomas, 6’-4”, SG, Columbia Heights (MN)

The rest:
http://prephoopsassist.com/2010/06/10/mid-majornon-big-6-conference-top-25-recruiting-classes/

 

From:http://www.midmajority.com/

We're starting our seventh year on November 1 (with the traditional Essay Season), and one of our summer projects is ranking all the 263 teams of the Other 25 conferences*, based on their performance over the course of the six-year Mid-Majority era. Where to start?

Back in May, we asked our hundreds of mailing list subscribers to rank the legacy importance of 11 different factors, ranging from NCAA Tournament victories to NBA Draft picks. Here was their consensus on each factor (5 being most important, 1 being least important).

* NCAA Tournament victories - 5
* NCAA Tournament appearances - 5
* Conference regular season titles - 4
* Red Line Upsets - 4
* NIT victories - 3
* Leading conference in offensive or defensive efficiency - 3
* 20-win seasons - 3
* NIT appearances - 2
* Individual statistical leaders in conference (PPG or RPG) - 2
* NBA Draft picks - 2
* Other postseason appearances (CBI, CIT) - 1

Then it was time to roll all of this into a big equation -- nerd alert! -- and inflict it on our giant Basketball State database! We also added the average RPI for each school over the past six years (more specifically, 347-(sum of RPI/6)) for a dash of spice.

They ranked all the teams based on the following formula, which is in turn based on the above results of our reader poll. .

The thing was to determine a stack order for conferences. Readers voted on that too, and said that pretty much the same things were important for conferences' legacies as for individual teams -- NCAA victories and appearances were rated as 5's, CBI's as 1's. So we ended up with these aggregate numbers:

1. Atlantic 10 - 161;
2. Conference USA - 128;
3. Missouri Valley - 126;
4. Horizon League - 89;
5. West Coast - 84;
6. Colonial - 73;
7. Mid-American - 61;
8. Southern - 56;
9. MAAC - 55;
10. Sun Belt - 49;
11. WAC - 40;
12. Big West - 34;
13. Patriot League - 34;
14. Ivy League - 31;
15. Ohio Valley - 31;
16. Atlantic Sun - 29;
17. MEAC - 28;
18. Summit League - 28;
19. Big Sky - 26;
20. Southland - 25;
21. Big South - 22;
22. NEC - 22;
23. America East - 19;
24. SWAC - 17;
25. Great West - 0.

Ties between schools were broken based on a school's position in the conference stack order, and ties between conferences were broken based on NCAA performance.

 

SAN BRUNO, Calif. - The West Coast Conference announced today that Brigham Young University has formally accepted an invitation to join the WCC with competition to begin in the 2011-12 academic year.

"The West Coast Conference is excited to welcome Brigham Young University as our ninth member institution," University of Portland President and WCC Presidents' Council Chair Rev. E. William Beauchamp said. "In BYU, we are adding a private, faith-based institution with a strong academic reputation and tradition of excellence in athletics. We feel they will be a good athletic fit with our programs that are annually challenging for post-season appearances and national championships. We are looking forward to working with BYU in the months and years ahead."

"We're grateful and honored to accept this invitation from the West Coast Conference," said BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson. "We are pleased to be associating with a group of fellow private, faith-based institutions with whom we also share strong academics. We admire the collegiality and stability this conference enjoys and look forward to competing with them."

Brigham Young University brings to the West Coast Conference a track record of success in academics and athletics. BYU has been consistently recognized as one of the top-rated academic institutions in the nation and is home to an athletic program that has enjoyed success at both the conference and national levels. BYU, which will become an independent in FBS football, will compete in the West Coast Conference in baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, women's soccer, men's and women's tennis and women's volleyball.

"This is an historic day for the West Coast Conference," WCC Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich said. "The addition of Brigham Young University adds to our membership another private, faith-based institution, which shares the common bond of an aligned emphasis on combining excellence in academics with excellence in athletics. We look forward to welcoming the Cougars to the WCC for the 2011-12 academic year."

http://www.wccsports.com/genrel/090110aac.html

 

ESPN's Five mid-major conference races to watch: CAA, Missouri Valley, WAC, Summit, MAAC

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebask...sts-best-five-small-conference-races-to-watch

 

Six former CAA players in NBA training camps according to ESPN

Ricardo Marsh, F 29 6-8 240 Old Dominion Hawks
Jose Juan Barea PG 26 6-0 175 Northeastern Mavs
Larry Sanders PF 21 6-11 235 VCU Bucks
Eric Maynor PG 23 6-3 175 VCU Thunder
Matt Janning SG 22 6-4 175 Northeastern Suns
Gary Neal PG 25 6-4 210 Towson Spurs

 

The TMM100 Legacy Countdown

http://www.midmajority.com/tmm100

 

UPDATED: Nov. 1, 2010

1. Butler (16) 0-0 752 1
2. Gonzaga (15) 0-0 723 7
3. Wichita State 0-0 651 13
4. Old Dominion 0-0 636 5
5. Murray State 0-0 527 6
6. Wofford 0-0 477 10
7. Northern Iowa 0-0 418 2
8. Oakland 0-0 396 9
9. Missouri State 0-0 390 24
10. Fairfield 0-0 360 NR
11. St. Mary's 0-0 333 3
12. UC Santa Barbara 0-0 300 25
13. Ohio 0-0 298 NR
14. VCU 0-0 294 21
15. North Texas 0-0 273 17
16. George Mason 0-0 266 NR
17. Western Kentucky 0-0 236 NR
18. Creighton 0-0 212 NR
19. Weber State 0-0 209 16
20. Siena 0-0 190 8
21. Loyola Marymount 0-0 189 NR
22. Coastal Carolina 0-0 170 14
23. Detroit 0-0 153 NR
24. Appalachian State 0-0 145 23
25. Cleveland State 0-0 127 NR


OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Long Beach State 106, Iona 104, Akron 61, Pacific 57, Princeton 55, Sam Houston State 53, Kent State 51, Morgan State 50, Stephen F. Austin 49, College of Charleston 48, Belmont 47, Morehead State 47, Ball State 42, East Tennessee State 40, Portland 35, Montana 33, Stony Brook 31, Milwaukee 29, Wright State 28, Quinnipiac 27, Boston University 26, Cornell 26, Illinois State 24, Davidson 23, Central Michigan 22, Harvard 21, Bradley 20, Lipscomb 17, Denver 16, IUPUI 15, Jackson State 13, Northeastern 13, Valparaiso 13, William & Mary 12, Green Bay 12, James Madison 10, Texas-San Antonio 10, South Alabama 9, Lafayette 8, Miami 7, American 6, Middle Tennessee 5, Western Carolina 5, Florida Atlantic 4, Lehigh 4, Eastern Michigan 3, Arkansas-Little Rock 2, Arkansas State 2, Montana State 2, Northern Colorado 2, Robert Morris 2, Cal State Fullerton 1, Holy Cross 1, South Dakota 1.


http://www.collegeinsider.com/mmpoll/

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...all-mid-major-top-25-november-8-first-edition

ere is my preseason mid-major Top 25. It will include teams from all conferences except ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, Pac-10, MWC, A-10, and C-USA. The previous ranks will be taken from the final edition of last year's mid-major Top 25.

Rank. Team (Previous Rank)

1. Butler Bulldogs (1)

Butler lost last year's star player Gordon Hayward, but the Bulldogs are returning three starters. Once more, Butler will be a threat to other teams this season.

2. Gonzaga Bulldogs (7)

Gonzaga has a very good starting lineup compared to other mid-majors with Steven Gray, Robert Sacre, Elias Harris and Demetri Goodson.

3. Old Dominion Monarchs (5)

Old Dominion lost its leading scorer from last season with the departure of Gerald Lee, but the Monarchs still have a very good team that could do lots of damage on the mid-major level.

4. Murray State Racers (6)

Murray State just missed out on the Sweet 16 last year. The Racers return four players that averaged more than nine points per game last season.

5. Wichita State Shockers (15)

Wichita State lost its leading scorer Clevin Hannah, but Hannah is the only Shockers player that played more than 10 minutes per game last year that is not returning. Except for a few of last year's scrubs, the rest of Wichita State's team is returning for 2010-11.

6. Missouri State Bears (20)

Missouri State struggled in conference play after a 10-0 start to last year's season. The Bears went on to win the CIT. Most of that Missouri State team is returning, with all six leading scorers on the roster for the upcoming season.

7. Wofford Terriers (8)

The Wofford Terriers may have lost Junior Salters, but Salters is the only main player of last year's team that is not returning. Wofford, who was outstanding in the SoCon last year and was only points away from upsetting Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, could be on its way to another great season.

8. Oakland Golden Grizzlies (13)

Oakland is returning two of its four main players from last season. From a weak Summit conference, the Golden Grizzlies could have a chance to run the tables in conference play.

9. St. Mary's Gaels (3)

St. Mary's will have to adjust to the losses of Omar Samhan and Ben Allen, but the Gaels still have the talent to have a very good year out of the WCC.

10. Ohio Bobcats (Not Ranked)

Ohio's star player Armon Bassett is no longer at Ohio University after declaring for the NBA draft. However, Ohio is returning four players that scored more than 10 points per game last season, plus the Bobcats also have a very good incoming recruiting class.

11. UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (Not Ranked)

UC Santa Barbara is returning its main players from last season. The Gauchos are returning most of their scoring from last season, plus they will have a lot of experience with three seniors and six juniors.

12. Fairfield Stags (Not Ranked)

Fairfield guard Derek Needham led the Stags to the MAAC conference championship game last season—as a freshmen. Now, Needham returns to the Stags as a sophomore and could be the key to bringing Fairfield a MAAC championship.

13. Virginia Commonwealth Rams (12)

VCU will suffer from the loss of Larry Sanders, but a solid recruiting class should keep the Rams near the top of the CAA.

14. Lipscomb Bisons (Not Ranked)

Lipscomb is returning 96.6 percent of its scoring from last year. The Bisons only lost one player who had played in more than four games last season. Lipscomb had a solid season out of the Atlantic Sun conference, but it was upset in the first round of the conference tournament. This team, led by a strong senior class of Adnan Hodzic, Josh Slater, Brandon Brown and Michael Teller, will be back and better in 2010-11.

15. North Texas Mean Green (24)

North Texas, a participant in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, is returning 75 percent of its scoring from last season. In addition, the Mean Green have a very good incoming freshman in shooting guard Ronald McGhee.

16. Weber State Wildcats (Not Ranked)

Weber State is returning Damian Lillard, its leading scorer from last season. However, the Wildcats lost a lot of other key players. It will be tough for Weber State, but it still has the chance to have a solid season out of the Big Sky.

17. Northern Iowa Panthers (2)

Northern Iowa is taking a big hit with the loss of some its key seniors from last season, but the Panthers still have the talent to do some damage at the mid-major level.

18. Siena Saints (9)

Siena is no longer the No. 1 team in the MAAC like it has been the past few years. The Saints graduated the three players that essentially created one of the top mid-major programs of the last few seasons. The Saints still have a good amount of talent this year but not as much as they have had in the past.


19. George Mason Patriots (Not Ranked)

George Mason is returning most of its scoring from last year. The addition of two solid recruits in Byron Allen and Jonathan Arledge will help support the experienced upperclassmen.

20. Long Beach State 49ers (Not Ranked)

Long Beach State had some struggles last season, finishing 17-16. Due to returning their stars from last year and Dan Monson bringing in a great recruiting class, the 49ers could be seeing themselves at the top of the Big West.

21. Iona Gaels (Not Ranked)

Iona is returning more than three-quarters of its scoring from last season. The Gaels will also have a solid amount of experience with seven upperclassmen on the roster.

22. Pacific Tigers (21)

Pacific had a good season last year, which unfortunately ended with a loss in the CIT championship game. The Tigers are returning enough of their players from last year to be set up with the chance at another solid season.

23. Princeton Tigers (Not Ranked)

Princeton is returning most of the main parts of last year's team. The Tigers also have a few freshmen that are good relative to the rest of the Ivy League.

24. Morgan State Bears (22)

Morgan State will suffer from the loss of leading scorer Reggie Holmes, but the Bears will still get the opportunity to win many games out of the MEAC.

25. Charleston Cougars (23)

Charleston has been very solid the last two seasons, and the Cougars could be on their way to another good season in 2010-11. The Cougars return last year's leading scorer Andrew Goudelock.

 

UPDATED: Jan. 24, 2011

Record Points Previous

1. St. Mary's (26) 17-3 768 1 West Coast
2. Cleveland State (2) 18-3 704 7 Horizon League
3. Missouri State (3) 16-4 655 3 Missouri Valley
4. Wichita State 16-4 627 4 Missouri Valley
5. VCU 15-5 569 11 Colonial Athletic
6. George Mason 14-5 543 12 Colonial Athletic
7. Harvard 13-3 532 9 Ivy League
8. Coastal Carolina 18-2 529 8 Big South
9. Oakland 14-8 502 10 Summit League
10. Gonzaga 13-7 487 2 West Coast
11. Old Dominion 14-5 481 5 Colonial Athletic
12. Butler 14-7 480 6 Horizon League
13. Belmont 18-3 467 16 Atlantic Sun
14. Montana 15-5 324 13 Big Sky
15. North Texas 16-4 270 19 Sun Belt
16. Portland 14-6 231 14 West Coast
17. College of Charleston 14-6 224 17 Southern
18. Fairfield 15-4 223 23 Metro Atlantic
19. Ball State 13-4 173 24 Mid-American
20. Princeton 12-4 169 21 Ivy League
21. James Madison 15-5 164 18 Colonial Athletic
22. Valparaiso 15-6 128 20 Horizon League
23. Hofstra 13-6 124 25 Colonial Athletic
24. Drexel 12-6 89 15 Colonial Athletic
25. Iona 13-7 79 22 Metro Atlantic


OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Northern Iowa 78, Wright State 72, Florida Atlantic 69, Indiana State 47, Furman 45, Hampton 43, Long Island 39, Bucknell 24, Creighton 24, Maine 16, Wofford 16, Vermont 12, American 10, South Dakota State 10, Long Beach State 8, Kent State 7, Buffalo 5, Northern Colorado 4, Akron 2, Columbia 1, East Tennessee State 1.

 

114 Teams Eligible for One of 11 Telecasts Feb. 18-20


The ninth annual BracketBusters, a three-day men’s college basketball event pitting potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other Feb. 18-20, will feature 11 nationally televised games – on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU -- selected from a pool of 114 teams, the largest BracketBusters pool in the event’s history.

For the sixth straight year, ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will feature five BracketBusters games, while ESPN or ESPN2 will televise up to six contests. The 11 BracketBusters matchups will be announced Jan. 31.

BracketBusters, named because of the success of the teams in NCAA Tournament play, will provide the 22 televised teams an opportunity to play other top non-conference opponents three weeks before Selection Sunday. The 92 teams not selected for BracketBusters will compete against each other through the same three days.

http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2010/09/espns-bracketbusters-to-feature-largest-pool-in-history/

The matchups are in for the ninth annual BracketBusters. See below for the televised games and check back in later for Andy Katz's early analysis of the event. For a complete list of the non-televised games, click here.

Friday, Feb. 18 (all times ET)
7 p.m. - VCU at Wichita State (ESPN2/ESPN3.com)
9 p.m. - Kent State at Drexel (ESPNU)

Saturday, Feb. 19
11 a.m. - Hofstra at Wright State (ESPNU)
1 p.m. - Austin Peay at Fairfield (ESPNU)
3 p.m. – Iona at Liberty (ESPNU)
5 p.m. – Missouri State at Valparaiso (ESPN2/ESPN3.com)
5 p.m. – Vermont at Charleston (ESPNU)
7 p.m. – George Mason at Northern Iowa (ESPN2/ESPN3.com)
9 p.m. – Utah State at Saint Mary’s (ESPN2/ESPN3.com)
11 p.m. – Montana at Long Beach State (ESPN2/ESPN3.com)

Sunday, Feb. 20
1 p.m. - Cleveland State at Old Dominion (ESPN or ESPN2)

Of the 15 conferences involved in BracketBusters, 13 are included in the television schedule:

BracketBusters national TV appearances, by conference
5 - CAA
3 - Horizon, Missouri Valley
2 - MAAC
1 - America East, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, MAC, Ohio Valley, Southern, WCC, WAC
0 - MEAC, Summit, Independents (Seattle)