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NCAA Basketball: 10 Preseason Mid-majors to watch for 2018-19

By Tristan Freeman

BOISE, ID - MARCH 17: The Gonzaga Bulldogs bench reacts during the second half against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 17, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - MARCH 17: The Gonzaga Bulldogs bench reacts during the second half against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 17, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 27: Head coach Rick Stansbury of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers reacts in the fourth quarter against the Utah Utes during their 2018 National Invitation Tournament Championship semifinals game at Madison Square Garden on March 27, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 27: Head coach Rick Stansbury of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers reacts in the fourth quarter against the Utah Utes during their 2018 National Invitation Tournament Championship semifinals game at Madison Square Garden on March 27, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

2017-18 results: 27-11 (14-4) – NIT Final Four

Key losses: Justin Johnson (15.7 ppg and 9.5 rpg – both led team) – Darius Thompson  (13.6 ppg and 4.8 apg) – Dwight Coleby (11.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg)

Key returnees: SO Taveion Hollingsworth (13.3 ppg) -SR Lamonte Bearden (11.8 apg and 3.4 apg) – SO Josh Anderson (7.4 apg)

Key incoming players: JR Jared Savage (10.3 ppg at Austin Peay) – FR Dalano Banton (No. 167 ranked recruit)

Rick Stansbury has built a program that is capable of staying right near the top of Conference USA for the foreseeable future, thanks to a combination of quality transfers and recruiting top-100 high school talent.

That’s why despite losing the team’s top two scorers, they’re set up to have a good 2018-19 campaign. Lamonte Bearden will take over as the primary point guard, while Taveion Hollingsworth will look to become the best underclassmen scorer in the league.

But the ceiling for Western Kentucky will ultimately be decided by another pair of sophomores in Josh Anderson and Moustapha Diagne. Anderson wasn’t able to play until the conference season but did have eight games of double-figure scoring out of 23 total.

Diagne could be the primary post scorer for the Hilltoppers, now being officially cleared for college basketball after being unable to play at Syracuse. He’ll have a full season to play this time around.

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