Busting Brackets
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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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FAYETTEVILLE, AR – NOVEMBER 12: James Reese #0 of the North Texas Mean Green (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR – NOVEMBER 12: James Reese #0 of the North Texas Mean Green (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

17. North Texas Mean Green (20-11, 14-4 CUSA)

Former starting point guard Ryan Woolridge may be excelling for another mid-major team but the Mean Green has managed to succeed without him. Former JUCO star Javion Hamlet has been superb in his first season, leading the team in both scoring (14.6 ppg) and passing (4.7 apg). The numbers have been even better in conference play, with him and Umoja Gibson leading North Texas to the Conference USA regular-season title.

A ton of credit goes to head coach Grant McCasland for coaching this team up. From a talent perspective, North Texas may not even be top-five in the conference. Programs such as UTEP, Western Kentucky and Texas-San Antonio were deeper and had stars. But ultimately, the solid and consistent defense for the Mean Green gave them the edge in the 18-game marathon.

Even as a 1 seed, the Conference USA Tournament is going to be viewed as a wide-open event that a number of teams could win. North Texas certainly will be one of them but anything can happen in a single-elimination tournament filled with teams familiar with one another. Yet regardless of what happens, the Mean Green should be highly proud of what they accomplished for CUSA Basketball.

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