NCAA Basketball: 10 mid-major gems to watch for 2018-19

At the mid-major level in NCAA Basketball, players rise to the occasion on stages big and small in hopes of landing on the biggest stage of them all.

The major conferences are loaded with stars and players who aren’t quite stars but are keys to a team’s success. At the mid-major and lower levels of the sport, those non-star key contributors are even more vital.

For every Clayton Custer, there’s a Ben Richardson or Cameron Krutwig. Steph Curry had Andrew Sander and Jason Richards at Davidson and at Lehigh CJ McCollum had Mackey McKnight. Without the trusty sidekick, the hero isn’t nearly as successful.

Every team in the country has one or more of these players, but some are more productive than others and by late February into March they burst on to the scene with more national exposure and people wonder where Cameron Krutwig of Loyola or Jason Richards of Davidson came from, rest assured they don’t just show up as the season comes to a climax, they perform at a high level all year long.

Every season has them and 2018 will be no different. They may not be on the best team in the conference, their team may lose more than it wins, it may not, but these are the type of guys that will make you sit up and take notice as they drop 20 points or record a double-double on your favorite team early in the season. The following 10 mid-major players are names you should know heading into the 2018 season because odds are if you’re only hearing about them for the first time in March, it may be too late for you and your favorite team.