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Mid-major Basketball power rankings: Dayton, Gonzaga and ETSU rises up

By Tristan Freeman

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 01: Matt Mitchell #11 of the San Diego State Aztecs steals possession of the ball in the second half against the Utah State Aggies at Viejas Arena on February 01, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 01: Matt Mitchell #11 of the San Diego State Aztecs steals possession of the ball in the second half against the Utah State Aggies at Viejas Arena on February 01, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images) /
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DAYTON, OHIO – FEBRUARY 22: Sincere Carry #10 of the Duquesne Dukes (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
DAYTON, OHIO – FEBRUARY 22: Sincere Carry #10 of the Duquesne Dukes (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Conference tournaments have already begun in the month of March. Which are the current top Mid-major Basketball teams in the country?

March Madness is finally upon us! But before we get to the NCAA Tournament action, the 32 conference tournaments are starting up. The smaller ones from Mid-Major Basketball have already gone underway, including the Atlantic Sun, Missouri Valley, Northeast and the Mountain West, who’s playing a week early than usual due to scheduling reasons.

In a couple of days, we’ll have our first set of automatic bids for the 2020 NCAA Tournament. For the mid-majors, it’s everything because, with the exception of a few of the stronger leagues such as the WCC and Atlantic 10, only one bid will be coming out of there. There are many quality mid-major teams who have the potential of making noise in the Big Dance but which ones are most likely to get there?

Here’s an updated look at the top-25 mid-major basketball programs, whose seasons are all on the line in the next week or two.

25. Duquesne Dukes (21-9, 11-7 Atlantic 10)

The A-10 has seen its fair share of ups and downs with several teams, which has made for some fun games and matchups. Duquesne has been involved with many of them, beating some quality teams on the road such as VCU, Saint Bonaventure and Saint Louis, while also losing to George Washington and UMass.

Balance and depth have been the key for the Dukes, with four players averaging in double figures. Leading scorer Marcus Weathers has made a case for All-Conference honors, while point guard Sincere Carry has continued to develop as a sophomore.

The home loss on Friday to Richmond wasn’t a bad loss but it ended the team’s hopes of getting a double-bye as a top-4 seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. But they have shown that they can compete and beat anyone outside of Dayton. It’s been a positive season overall for the Dukes and they have the ability to make a run if Weathers can carry them.

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