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15 mid-majors you need to know before you hear about them in March
Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

15 mid-majors you need to know before you hear about them in March

There is now a blurry line between what is a mid-major and a power team. When George Mason crashed the Final Four in 2006 it ushered in an era where everyone believed it could make it there. Butler went to back-to-back championship games in 2010 and 2011. In 2011, VCU went from playing in the "First Four" to the Final Four. Last year the quintessential successful mid-major, Gonzaga, narrowly lost to one of the bluest of blue bloods, North Carolina, in the title game. 

One-and-done players go to mid-major schools. Better facilities and access to players have made more schools accessible to top recruits. We are living in a golden age of mid-majors where nothing really surprises us anymore.

With Wichita State now in the American Athletic Conference, the Shockers are no longer considered a mid-major. Neither is Gonzaga. But there are plenty of mid-majors to watch for in 2017-2018. Some you've seen before, and some could be the next breakout team. One of them could put a scare in your favorite team come tournament time.

Here are 15 mid-majors to watch for this season.

 
1 of 15

Ball State Cardinals

Ball State Cardinals
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The Cardinals won the MAC West Division last season, which continues the marked improvement the program is making since James Whitford took the reins. Recruiting is up (former UConn great Khalid El-Amin's son is a Cardinal this year), and six of the eight top scorers return. This is a solid perimeter team that has a good, though injury-prone, frontcourt that should get better as the year moves along. The Cardinals get to face Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Oregon this season before conference play.

 
2 of 15

Bucknell Bison

Bucknell Bison
Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Bucknell won both the Patriot League's regular season and conference titles in 2017 and return its top nine players in the rotation. The Bison are deep, experienced and willing to play defense. Zach Thomas, Nana Foulland, Kimbal Mackenzie and Stephen Brown played big in the 86-80 NCAA Tournament loss to West Virginia and will be the core group that will get the Bison back to the Big Dance. 

 
College of Charleston Cougars
Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

Charleston was good last season, just not good enough as the Cougars finished behind UNC Wilmington in the regular season and CAA Tournament. They return their entire starting lineup so continuity and experience should benefit them this season. The Cougars have three returning players who averaged at least 14 points per game last season, led by point guard Joe Chealey.

 
4 of 15

Florida Gulf Coast Eagles

Florida Gulf Coast Eagles
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

FGCU is no secret. The Eagles have made the tournament in three of the last five seasons and have won three games along the way. They've played on the same court as North Carolina, Georgetown and Florida and nearly toppled Florida State in last year's tournament. The Eagles should be the best in the Atlantic Sun yet again, and guard Brandon Goodwin should again lead the way. With a newer backcourt, Goodwin will be relied on to provide the scoring and playmaking to get that offense rolling. The key will be what big men show up and become that frontcourt scoring threat.

 
Grand Canyon Antelopes
Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Grand Canyon is one of the most controversial schools in Division I. The Lopes are coached by former NBA All-Star Dan Majerle and have finished second in the WAC in each of the last three years. They are also the lone for-profit university in D-I, and that fact has angered nearby Arizona State, who has tried to have other Pac-12 schools refuse to schedule them. The basketball program is known for its party atmosphere during games, giving the Lopes a decided advantage. On the court, this team is good. It adds Oregon transfer Casey Benson to join shooter Josh Braun and big man Keonta Vernon to possibly get GCU to its first NCAA Tournament.

 
6 of 15

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

Winning an NCAA Tournament game in consecutive years usually means you shouldn't be on this list. Either you are too good for a mid-major list, or all those seniors who carried you for two years graduated and you're starting a rebuild. Well, Middle Tennessee is a bit of both. JaCorey Williams and Reggie Upshaw both graduated, leaving huge voids. But head coach Kermit Davis brings Alabama grad transfer Nick King and a few JUCO transfers to join senior guard Giddy Potts to go for another run at a tournament win. 

 
Missouri State Bears
Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Wichita State's defection to the AAC leaves a huge void atop the Missouri Valley Conference. With Illinois State losing a ton of talent to graduation, it's anyone's league. Missouri State has a great mix of experience and talented newcomers to fill that void. Alize Johnson was the MVC newcomer of the year last season and toyed with entering the NBA Draft before deciding to return to the Bears. If Ronnie Rousseau can step up after a difficult season, the sky's the limit.

 
8 of 15

Oakland Golden Grizzlies

Oakland Golden Grizzlies
Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Oakland has had remarkable consistency for a mid-major program. Head coach Greg Kampe is entering his 34th season with the Grizzlies — the fifth longest tenure among active coaches. They've been to a postseason tournament in eight of the last nine years, including NCAA bids in 2010 and 2011, and beat Clemson in last year's NIT. The Grizzlies bring back Martez Walker and Jalen Hayes, their top two scorers from last year's Horizon regular-season champs. If they can fend off an improved Northern Kentucky in league play, they can pull off an upset in the Big Dance.

 
Princeton Tigers
Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Princeton lost six seniors from a team that went 14-0 in Ivy League play but returns Myles Stephens and Devin Cannady. The Ivy League will be a fight between Princeton, Yale and Harvard with either of them winning the regular season. Remember that the top four teams get into a playoff to determine the champ, so that weekend will be all that matters. My money is on Princeton. The Tigers' defense is a constant, and while they may get off to a slow start, they could be the best team in the Ivy when the conference playoff comes around.

 
Rhode Island Rams
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, Dan Hurley's Rams went on a run to win the Atlantic 10 Tournament and then hung with Oregon in the second round of the NCAA Tournament before finally bowing out, 75-72. This year, the Rams are thinking bigger. Guards E.C. Matthews and Jared Terrell lead the way as Hurley hopes his inexperienced frontcourt can follow along. This team is built on defense, and if the Rams can keep that going they can build on last year's March run.

 
11 of 15

Saint Mary's Gaels

Saint Mary's Gaels
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

The Gaels have a star in center Jock Landale, who is a nightmare matchup for anyone, let alone the other schools in the West Coast Conference. They also have a wing scorer in Calvin Hermanson who can attack the basket as well as knock down threes and their usual reliable backcourt. The Gaels are seemingly always looking up at Gonzaga but could take control of the WCC this season. 

 
South Dakota State Jackrabbits
Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Last year, the Jackrabbits needed a magical run in February and the Summit League Tournament title to get back to the NCAA Tournament. To make it a third straight year, they'll need to rely on forward Mike Daum. Daum averaged 25.1 points and 8.1 rebounds last season for South Dakota State and is one of the best inside-outside players in college basketball. He's joined by Reed Tellinghuisen, who is also a nice shooter at the forward spot. The Jackrabbits will battle rival South Dakota for Summit supremacy again, which will make for a fun winter in the Mount Rushmore State. 

 
Texas-Arlington Mavericks
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

UT-Arlington has been successful of late but just can't seem to break through to the tournament. Forward Kevin Hervey (last year's Sun Belt Player of the Year) and guard Erick Neal are the undisputed leaders of the Mavs. Their inside-outside pairing is among the best in the mid-majors, but it will be the development of the role players that determines their fate. Last year, the Mavericks went to the NIT and beat BYU and Akron. Watch out for head coach Scott Cross, who could be one of those hot coaching names.

 
14 of 15

UNC Asheville Bulldogs

UNC Asheville Bulldogs
Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Asheville reached the NCAA Tournament in 2016 and shared the regular-season championship last year, and a lot players from of those teams are back. The Bulldogs will start four seniors, led by Ahmad Thomas. The guard is not only a scorer (18 points per game in '17) but can rebound (6.6 per game), defend (three steals per game) and pass. Sophomore MaCio Teague may be the key to the Bulldogs' success this year. As a freshman, he took over the lead guard spot and handled it well. Like Thomas, he can score, dish, board and defend. Add in those experienced bigs, and coach Nick McDevitt has the goods to get back to the tournament. 

 
Vermont Catamounts
James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

Vermont went 16-0 in the America East last year, won the conference tournament and hung with Purdue before falling 80-70. The Catamounts should be scary good again as they return their top four scorers, including leading scorer/rebounder/shot blocker Anthony Lamb. Lamb did all that as a freshman last season and should immediately be a leader alongside four upperclassmen starters. This team has a chance to get back to the tournament and win its first game since that magical 2005 upset of Syracuse.

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