Busting Brackets
Fansided

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
17 of 25
Next
LEXINGTON, VA – JANUARY 10: The Furman Paladins huddle (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
LEXINGTON, VA – JANUARY 10: The Furman Paladins huddle (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

9. Furman Paladins (25-6, 13-3 SoCon)

Last year’s team got more attention due to their first-ever national ranking but this edition of Furman is better in my opinion. They’ve been consistently right there with East Tennessee State at the top of the standings and even has a win over the Bucs early on in league play.

The Paladins are led by a trio of key players, including leading scorer Jordan Lyons (16.4 ppg) and forwards Noah Gurley and Clay Mounce. There’s plenty of offense for this team, ranking No. 2 nationally in 2-point percentage at 58%. They’ve also enjoyed a clean bill of health, with Furman’s top six contributors playing all 31 regular-season games.

Furman’s lack of quality wins this season means that they’re likely going to have to win the SoCon Tournament in order to make the NCAA Tournament. But it’ll be a tough road, with the likely path being Wofford in the quarterfinals, UNC-Greensboro in the semis and top-seeded East Tennessee State in the finals. Those three just happens to be the trio of teams who defeated the Paladins in the regular-season as well. In order to go dancing, Furman will have to exact some revenge along the way.

Home/Mid Major Conferences