NCAA Basketball: Revisiting preseason top 15 mid-majors for 2019-20
#9 Vermont (7-4)
Quality Wins
- 11/16 vs. St. Johns 70-68
Bad Losses
- 11/24 vs. Rider 67-72
- 12/1 At. Yale 52-65
Top Performer: Anthony Lamb: 16.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.8 APG
John Becker’s crew has been nothing short of dominant since he has set foot in Burlington. Year in and year out they have been near or at the top of the America East conference. With this being program legend, Anthony Lamb’s, last season they have higher expectations than just winning the conference. It hasn’t been the prettiest start, but the Catamounts have come out 6-4 through 10 games. Although this isn’t where they want to be a month into the season, there was never really a realistic shot that Vermont would get an at-large bid anyway. They will learn from games against their tough non-conference competition such as Virginia, Cincinnati, and upcoming UNCG to get them ready to dominate the America East again.
Anthony Lamb has impressed so far this season but needs help if the Catamounts want to reach their goals for this season. The guard trio of Stef Smith (39.5 FG%), Robin Duncan (39.1 FG%), and Everett Duncan (40.0 FG%) have shot poorly. To go along with their struggles, it appears that neither of the highly touted transfers is not going to have the impact many including myself expected, in Demuth and Giddens. I’m not going to doubt John Becker’s crew, however, and I expect them to once again win the America East.
#8 Harvard (6-4)
Key Wins
- 11/28 vs. Texas A&M 62-51
Bad Losses
- 11/8 vs. Northeastern 84-79
Top Performer: Bryce Aiken: 21 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.6 SPG
The Crimson are not at full strength. This was supposed to be the breakthrough year for Harvard. The Ivy League is down, and they had the roster to not only win the league but give a higher seed a run for their money in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Good news is on the horizon though, and Harvard expects one of their stars back soon. The Ivy league favorites have been up and down so far without Bryce Aiken and Seth Towns. They got Aiken back five games in and has looked a lot better. They beat Texas A&M at the Orlando Invitational and competed with Maryland and USC for most of the game. Once they get Towns back, they should be ready to compete for the Ivy League title.
After a bad loss to Northeastern, they bounced back and have looked like a whole different team. The addition of Aiken is the main reason, however ,the emergence of Noah Kirkwood (10.3 PPG) has also been a factor. Once the Crimson get back to full strength, there trio of Aiken, Lewis, and Towns should be a major factor against opponents come February and March.
#7 Dayton (6-1)
Key Wins
- 11/25 vs. Georgia 80-61
- 11/26 vs. Virginia Tech 89-62
Losses
- 11/27 At. Kansas 84-90 (OT)
Top Performer: Obi Toppin: 22.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.6 BPG
Dayton is one of the bigger surprises this season. They were supposed to compete in the conference and win some games, but not like this. The Flyers have impressed through seven games and has earned a 19th rank nationally. They are led by stud big man, Obi Toppin, who seems to expand his skillset each game. Challenging the Jayhawks in Maui, put the nation on notice. Can Dayton continue to impress with tough December matchups with Saint Mary’s and 20th ranked Colorado on the horizon?
Obi Toppin is the star that gets all of the headlines, but they have some solid players to surround him with. The two most notable are probably Jalen Crutcher and Ryan Mikesell. Crutcher is the point guard, and has excelled at giving the Flyer players the ball in good positions to score (6.3 APG). Mikesell is a stretch big that can knock down the three. He was a very important piece in the Kansas game, as he made Azubuike guard him on the perimeter. Dayton looks like the most complete team in the A-10.