NCAA Basketball: 5 key storylines to watch for the rest of December

4. Mid-majors endure final nonconference tests

Excluding the American Conference, Gonzaga is the only mid-major ranked in the previous AP Poll. Barring a colossal collapse in the WCC, they’re a lock for the NCAA Tournament.

Teams hanging closer to the tournament bubble need to pick up some final wins before the conference schedule begins.

Nevada, coming off a brief stint in the AP Poll, plays Radford, UC Davis, Southern Illinois, and San Francisco. Loyola-Chicago takes a trip to UW-Milwaukee. Towson could extend their winning streak to 11 games next week before a trip to the ACC’s Pittsburgh Panthers.

Northern Iowa’s only losses are to ranked teams and they still have Iowa State and ranked Xavier on their schedule. Boise State will take a trip to SMU to end their nonconference slate. Rhode Island doesn’t have any more significant tests, but Middle Tennessee State has a home date with Auburn.

Once the conference season starts, many of these strong mid-majors will leave the spotlight, particular Towson and Middle Tennessee State, who are in traditionally weak conferences.

They need to prove themselves while the committee is still paying attention or else it may become too late to leave an impression.