With over a week of college basketball in the books, a handful of mid-major programs have separated themselves from the rest. From early résumé building wins, players that look ready to become stars and plenty of clutch moments, here’s a closer look at five teams that have established their presence early on.
Yale Bulldogs (Ivy)
The defending two-time Ivy League champions showed they are once again a force to be reckoned with after dominant road victories over Navy and Quinnipiac. Despite losing top scorer John Poulakidas and Ivy League player of the year Bez Mbeng, the Bulldogs’ offense appeared to be as dangerous as ever.
Sophomore forward Riley Fox has seized his moment, leading the team with 18.5 points with a 72.2% field goal percentage. Senior forward Nick Townsend, a legitimate Ivy League Player of the Year candidate, complements him with 17.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists over two games. Ranking No.11 nationally in shooting efficiency and third in three-point percentage, the new-look Bulldogs’ offense is a serious threat anywhere on the court and, so far, looks every bit the contender to three-peat in the Ivy.
Vermont Catamounts (America East)
Vermont clawed their way to a victory in an early game of the year contender after a double-overtime victory over Brown. While it wasn’t pretty, the America East preseason favorites showed their ability to grind through close games and make clutch plays like TJ Hurley’s buzzer-beater layup with 0.6 seconds left.
Senior guard TJ Long has been one of the most effective scorers in the country so far, averaging 25.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in three games. The Catamounts will look to channel their momentum into a fourth-straight conference title and could be a name to look out for come March.
Santa Clara Broncos (WCC)
An 87-68 dismantling of Xavier was Santa Clara’s declaration that they can compete with the top of the West Coast Conference. One of the top scoring teams in the nation last year, the Broncos have carried that fire power into this season behind senior forward Elijah Mahi’s 17 points and three rebounds per game. They shot 54.7% from the field and 38.5% from three against the Musketeers, showing off the talent necessary to compete with Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s.
New Orleans Privateers (Southland)
The Privateers pulled off one of the biggest upsets to start the season, taking down TCU 78-74. They showed off impressive defense that exposed weak shooting from the Horned Frogs, while also out-rebounding them and forcing costly turnovers. Senior guard Coleton Benson led the Privateers offensively with 24 points and hitting game-sealing free throws to stop TCU’s late comeback efforts.
A blowout loss to LSU humbled the squad, but their early upset showed off the grit necessary to make noise against superior opponents. A program that has struggled for the past few years may have signaled the beginning of a push for their first tournament berth since 2017.
Akron (MAC)
Akron steamrolled through perennial mid-major contenders James Madison and Princeton to open 2-0, immediately affirming their stats as the favorite in the Mid-American Conference. Senior forward Amani Lyles has filled the stat sheets with 19 points and seven assists per game. Tavari Johnson has also chipped in with 17.5 points per game. The Zips are looking to make the NCAA tournament for the third year in a row and potentially pick up their first ever March Madness win. They’ll face a serious test this week when they face No. 2 Purdue in West Lafayette.
Mid-major basketball thrives on early statements, and these five programs have already made their names known. From conference powerhouses to up and coming underdogs, these teams will look to crash the college hoops hierarchy. Of course, there’s an entire season ahead of them, and conference play will ultimately sort out the contenders from the pretenders. But for now, these are names to circle if they’re called upon in March.