NCAA Basketball: Revisiting preseason top 15 mid-majors for 2019-20
#6 New Mexico State (5-5)
Key Wins
- 11/26 vs. South Florida 65-45
- 12/3 vs. UTEP 59-56
Top Performer: Trevelin Queen: 15 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.4 APG
The Aggies have not been at full strength yet this season, but being 5-4 is still not where they expected to be even without their point guard. A.J Harris. Harris has been dealing with an injury and still has not seen the floor in the 2019-20 season. This has resulted in much more of a problem than most people expected. The Aggies dropped three of their first four games against D-1 opponents and had a losing record for the first time in the Chris Jans era. They have since bounced back to beat South Florida and UTEP at home.
New Mexico State has been the Trevelin Queen show (15.0 PPG) for the first nine games and while he has been good, the rest of his team has to step up and help him. You would think it would be last year’s leading scorer, Terrell Brown, but he has struggled immensely to start the new season (22 FG%). I believe that once A.J Harris comes back from his hand injury the Aggies will be back to what they have been the last few seasons. His presence and ability to find the open man will result in more open shots for players who have started the season slow.
#5 Davidson (4-5)
Key Wins
- 11/19 vs. Nevada 91-71
Bad Losses
- 11/12 vs. Charlotte 58-71
Top Performer: Kellen Grady: 17.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.9 APG
Saying it’s been a disappointing start to the season for Davidson would be an enormous understatement. After giving the Tigers of Auburn everything they could, they follow it up by getting embarrassed by Charlotte. Then right when you think they turned the corner with a win over Nevada, they follow it up with losses to Wake Forrest and Marquette. The only good news is that the Wildcats are going to have many chances to get quality wins in conference play, with the Atlantic 10 having an impressive start to the season as a whole.
The struggles begin with Jon Axel Gudmundsson. The native of Iceland is starting out real slow, on the heels of his Atlantic 10 Player of the Year season. His numbers are down across the board and have put his fellow backcourt mate Kellen Grady in a tough position. Grady has put up good scoring numbers with over 17 PPG, but his 3-point shooting has taken a big hit from years past (25.7%). With the backcourt struggling, the Wildcats might need a big season from sophomore big, Luka Brajkovic to turn their season around.
#4 Saint Mary’s (9-1)
Key Wins
- 11/5 vs. Wisconsin 65-63 (OT)
- 11/29 vs. #15 Utah State 81-73
Losses
- 11/11 vs. Winthrop 61-59 (L)
Top Performer: Jordan Ford: 20.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.7 SPG
Saint Mary’s has been one of the better mid-major teams in the country over the past few years. This season doesn’t look like that is going to change. After starting out the season with a nice win over Wisconsin, they fell to Winthrop at home. They have rebounded pretty nicely with eight straight wins over lesser competition. It looks like the West Coast Conference championship will once again feature the Gaels against the Bulldogs.
They are led by electric senior guard Jordan Ford, who is once again averaging over 20 points per game. He is a skinny 6’1 guard who has range, as well as the ability to beat you off of the bounce. The biggest factor for how well Saint Mary’s will go this season will be the play of Malik Fitts and Tanner Krebs. The second and third-leading scorers for the Gaels are sharpshooters who spread the floor for Ford while also being able to create their own shot when needed.