NCAA Basketball: Projecting the top 25 mid-major stars for 2019-20
March Madness is invaded by lower-level stars every single year. Which mid-major phenoms project as top NCAA Basketball players this time around?
Even though blueblood programs reign supreme atop NCAA basketball most seasons, mid-major stars are the darlings capable of captivating the attention of fans across the country. All it takes is one or two amazing performances on the nation’s biggest stage to become a household name and some of the greatest Cinderella runs can be attributed to mid-major stars.
Davidson’s Stephen Curry is perhaps the most famous but let’s not forget about the likes of C.J. McCollum, Gordon Hayward, and Damian Lillard (among others) in recent memory. Fans around the country can seemingly always expect a few players from the mid-major level to burst onto the scene year in and year out.
Looking ahead to this 2019-20 campaign, there are a ton of very capable mid-major stars ready to take the nation by storm. While many might already be household names based on their prior successes, there are also plenty that are relative unknowns to the general college basketball crowd. That should change this season as there are quite a few potential Cinderellas waiting to see if the slipper will fit come March this year.
This article will break down my top 25 mid-major stars for this coming season and analyze their careers to this point while giving some insight into their playing style and skills.
For the sake of explaining the criteria for this list, all teams from the AAC, SEC, Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, ACC, and Pac-12 were excluded as well as Gonzaga. I consider all of these conferences and teams to be above the mid-major level. Even though the Bulldogs might play in the WCC, they operate like a high-major program in just about every single way and would dominate a list such as this with their deep and talented roster.
Now, without any further ado, let’s dive into these preseason rankings of the top 25 mid-major superstars for the 2019-20 season. There will be a few teams with two selections.