NCAA Basketball: 5 best mid-major teams so far this season
4. Boise State Broncos
The Boise State Broncos come in at No. 4 after beginning the season at 8-1. Led by preseason Mountain West Conference Player of the Year Chandler Hutchison (13.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg), the Broncos look to return to the NCAA Tournament after missing in each of the last two seasons.
Boise State is currently 38th in the RPI rankings. Their lone loss came at the hands of the Iowa State Cyclones in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Championship game on Nov. 19. Since then, the Broncos have won four straight games, including wins over Loyola (Chicago) and at Oregon.
The defense of the Broncos has been the key to their success so far. They rank 18th in the nation in scoring defense (61.6 ppg).
Outside of Hutchison, the Broncos have had some younger guys step up in sophomore guards Justinian Jessup (15.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and Alex Hobbs (12.0 ppg). Seniors Christian Sengfelder (11.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Lexus Williams (8.2 ppg) are also main contributors on this year’s team.
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sacramento State (2-7) at Boise State on Dec. 9
- Grand Canyon (5-2) at Boise State on Dec. 13
- Boise State at SMU (7-3) on Dec. 18