Busting Brackets
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Mid-major Basketball power rankings: Gonzaga, Dayton and VCU on top

By Tristan Freeman

SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 08: Gonzaga Bulldogs players celebrate at half court after defeating the Washington Huskies 83-76 at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on December 8, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mike Tedesco/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 08: Gonzaga Bulldogs players celebrate at half court after defeating the Washington Huskies 83-76 at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on December 8, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mike Tedesco/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – NOVEMBER 19: Anthony Lamb #3 of the Vermont Catamounts (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

24. Yale Bulldogs (9-3)

Despite losing their top three scorers from the NCAA Tournament team last season, the Bulldogs look every bit of a legit contender to beat Harvard for the Ivy League crown once again. Senior forward Jordan Bruner (12.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg and 3.5 apg) has been solid as expected but the elevated play of both Paul Atkinson and Azar Swain has helped Yale to win nine of its first 12 games.

But many of them have been close, with three of those victories (four total) coming in overtime, including a 100-89 triple-overtime contest. Yet considering that this team has played just three games at home, including wins over Vermont and Bucknell, this team has played far better than anticipated.

23. UNC Greensboro 8-2 (1-0)

Leading scorer Francis Alonso is gone from the 29-win team a year ago but junior guard Isaiah Miller (16.8 ppg and 3.1 apg) has become the new leader for the Spartans. With eight players scoring at least five points a night, balance is key for the defensively stout UNC Greensboro squad who is ranked top-10 in scoring defense right now.

That defense carried them to a solid upset road win over Georgetown along with an early Southern Conference victory over VMI. NC State, the Spartan’s next opponent this weekend at home, should be very worried against this legit mid-major foe.

22. Vermont (7-4)

Star senior forward Anthony Lamb (16.6 ppg and 8.3 rpg), has been good as expected so far this season. The reigning American East Conference Player of the Year dropped 30 points against Virginia, a total that many teams struggle to get through late in the second half. But it’s a bit concerning that a pair of power conference transfers in Duncan Demuth (2.2 ppg) and Daniel Giddens (3.7 ppg and 4.8 rpg) have not had the impact Catamount fans have hoped.

That’s led to other losses this season that includes Yale and Rider that Vermont was favored in, offsetting a solid win over St. John’s. This is still a dangerous mid-major squad that teams won’t want to see in a 4-13 or 3-14 matchup but until those transfers start to play better, Vermont’s overall ceiling has lowered quite a bit.

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