There was a guy last Monday who said Purdue would be undefeated and ranked #1 until at least January 18th on his podcast. It may or may not have been me. Aside from being terribly wrong, this week of college basketball brought us more fantastic moments and upsets.
With schools around the country dealing with finals this and last week, week night college basketball has been bare at times. Still, every Monday Student Union Sports is going to take a look at the highlights of the college basketball week outside of the power structure. It’s time to take a look back at the week that was and see what’s ahead for the country’s best mid-majors.
Team of the week: Murray State
Memphis has not lived up to expectations at all this season. Penny Hardaway’s team is on a four game losing streak following a 5-0 start. One of those losses is to the Murray State Racers.
Matt Mcmahon’s team came back from a 14 point deficit at the FEDEX Forum Saturday to grab a season defining win over the Tigers. Four year starter Tevin Brown had 22 points and sophomore guard Justice Hill poured in 20 points and six assists. The comeback was fueled by prolific 3 point shooting. The Racers made 14 three’s on 29 attempts including six from Brown.
The win improved Murray State’s record to 8-1. The five game win streak they are on has been fueled by an offense that is ranked 81st per KenPom and forces turnovers on 23% of their opponents possessions. The Racers are also elite at rebounding their misses. Forward KJ Williams anchors a front court that is ranked 19th in the country in offensive rebounding. The combination is going to make Murray State an extremely tough team to face going forward.
Player of the Week: Baylor Scheierman, South Dakota State
Scheierman is the classic case of a mid-major star that has not gotten his due yet. After averaging 15 points and nine rebounds last year, he’s followed it up with numbers almost as good.
The Jackrabbits split two games this week and the loss was no fault of Scheierman’s. He scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a bad loss to Idaho Wednesday night but the week would get a lot better for him and his team. Saturday, South Dakota State took to the road to take on a solid Washington State team. What happened was one of the best buzzer beaters you’ll ever see.
Everything about the play is perfect. It capped off a game where Scheierman struggled for the most part too. The junior only had 11 points and eight rebounds but the shot made up for it all. He is just part of a three headed monster that’s going to make the Jackrabbits extremely tough to beat in the Summit League.
Five Games I’m excited to see:
UT Chattanooga @ Belmont: Wednesday 6 p.m. est
Chattanooga is flying under the radar as the favorite in Southern Conference. They have road wins over Loyola Marymount and VCU already. The Mocs are led by the back court of Malachi Smith and David Jean-Baptiste. How they are defended by Grayson Murphy is going to be fascinating to watch. The game is going to be defined by who wins the match up between Kansas transfer Silvio De Sousa and Nick Muszynski.
South Dakota State @ Missouri State: Wednesday 7 p.m. EST
Wednesday’s state is the best of the week and this game will be among the most entertaining. Missouri State’s Isiaih Beasley is the best scorer in the country that you don’t know about. His battle in the back court versus Noah Freidal and Baylor Scheierman is going to be one to watch. Forward’s Douglas Wilson and Gage Prim are also among the best in the Summit League and MVC respectively.
UCI @ #16 USC: Wednesday 9 p.m. EST
The Trojans are one of the countries last undefeated teams. UCI is one of the countries best mid-majors. A battle between the two regional schools is exactly what fans could want. The name to know for the Anteaters is Collin Welp, the senior forward should provide an intriguing opponent to the USC’s star Isaiah Mobley. Boogie Ellis is going to be the difference for the Trojans in the back court.
St. Bonaventure @ Virginia Tech: Friday 4 p.m. EST
The Bonnies just missed a major opportunity against ranked UCONN and will need this one if they want a decent seed in the dance. Mark Schmidt’s team needs Kyle Lofton back for this one, he’s missed the last couple games to injury. For Virginia Tech, their struggles at the offensive end are becoming dire. A five point loss against Dayton Sunday means this game is a must win for the Hokies too. Watch for the game within the game between VT forward Keve Aluma and Bonnies’ center Osun Osunniyi.
Texas Tech @ #5 Gonzaga: Saturday 1 p.m. EST
This game is a part of a huge Saturday slate. The Red Raiders have had some success in Mark Adams first season with the biggest result of the season coming against Tennessee. Kevin McCullar and Terrence Shannon Jr. will provide a terrific test for Rasir Bolton and Andrew Nembhard. How much Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme are able to dominate for the Bulldogs will determine the result.
Mid Major Top 10:
- Colorado State: Niko Medved’s team had another huge week. The Rams’ next big test comes next Tuesday against Alabama. If they win that, it could be a long time before this team loses again.
- Gonzaga: The Zags only game this week was a 25 point win against Merrimack. Saturday’s game against Texas Tech is the last non-conference test of the season.
- Loyola-Chicago: Drew Valentine continues to roll with the Ramblers. The win at Vanderbilt does not look like much but will probably be in the Quad 2 variety come Selection Sunday.
- San Francisco: Who has the best record in the country? The San Francisco Dons. Todd Golden’s squad is 10-0 and picked up a nice home win over Fresno State Wednesday night.
- BYU: The Cougars split two difficult games this week. The wire to wire win against Utah State was impressive but the uninspiring performance against Creighton is worthy of dropping spots.
- Saint Mary’s: A dominant win over Santa Barbara was the only result from the past seven days. The tough mid-major slate continues with a neutral court game against San Diego State.
- St. Bonaventure: Kyle Lofton is one of the best point guards in the country. Without him, the Bonnies aren’t the same team and it showed against UCONN.
- Belmont: A road win against St. Louis was a nice victory for Casey Alexander and co. The challenges don’t stop with a home game coming up against Chattanooga.
- Iona: If the section was called six games I can’t wait to see, there game Saturday against Seton Hall should be a good one. The Gael’s cruised against Yale this weekend.
- UT Chattanooga: The Moc’s are flying under the radar and get a chance to crown themselves Ohio Valley champs this week. Victories in games against Belmont and Murray State will shoot them up this list.
Just missed: UAB, Davidson, Utah State