NCAA Basketball: Stephen F. Austin, Jordan Burns top mid-major performers

Best Mid-Major Matchup: Saint Mary’s 81, Utah State 73

Saint Mary’s and Utah State squared off in California for one of the most anticipated mid-major matchups of the early non-conference season. The two teams’ stars showed up in what was a closer-than-the-score-indicates win for the Gaels, their first at home over a ranked opponent in almost eight years.

Saint Mary’s leading scorer Jordan Ford continued his stellar play on the season so far. The senior scored 27 points, 22 of which came in the second half, on 10-18 shooting (5-9 from three-point range). Ford held off the Aggies down the stretch in a game that featured 13 ties and 23 lead changes.

Sam Merrill continued to step up for Utah State, notching 23 points, six rebounds, and two steals, while the highly underrated Justin Bean added 24 points and nine rebounds. Malik Fitts really came through for the Gaels with a 21 point, 11 rebound double-double.

The loss (unfairly, in my opinion) set the Aggies tumbling down from 15th to 25th in the latest AP Poll, while Saint Mary’s still sits unranked at 29th in the receiving votes section.

In other notable mid-major outings, UC Irvine ended Eastern Michigan’s unbeaten start to the season with a 77-56 blowout win, while Penn took down Vermont at home 65-52. Looks like any talk of an at-large bid for the Catamounts may be done.