NCAA Basketball: Power ranking of all 357 teams for 2020-21 season

230. Drexel Dragons

Drexel has been slowly improving every year under current head coach Zack Spiker. The Dragons had their best season under Spiker a season ago and this year looks to be even better. Drexel is not a tournament team but they can finish in the middle of the pack in a very competitive and tight Colonial. James Butler is a double-double machine and he returns to try and help Drexel earn their first winning season since 2013-2014.

229. Alcorn State Braves

The Braves have been slowly moving up the SWAC pecking order. Alcorn State has a new coach this year and lost a lot production from last year’s team. The Braves do return their leading scorer and one of the best players in the SWAC in Troymain Crosby. Alcorn State is going to experience some growing pains under their new coach but they have enough to continue to be a middle of pack SWAC team.

228. Morgan State Bears

When Kevin Broadus was hired by Morgan State before last season, the Bears needed a fresh face in the locker room to get them to their full potential. Broadus has been able to secure the commitments of some great transfers to help speed up the rebuild in Baltimore. The Bears are led by transfer Troy Baxter. The MEAC looks to be much better especially at the top this year and Morgan State is right in that mix as a top-half team.

227. Hartford Hawks

Over the last three years or so, Hartford has had some expectations in the America East. They have always fallen flat on those expectations so don’t expect many to take the bait this year. The Hawks are still capable but they do not have the overall firepower that they have had in recent seasons. Australian Hunter Marks leads the Hawks on their quest to finish higher than the middle of the America East pack.

226. Lafayette Leopards

Fran O’ Hanlan has been the coach of Lafayette since the 1995-1996 season and in that time the Leopards have made the tournament three times. The Leopards won 19 games last year which was one less than they had one over the previous two seasons combined, and the two seasons before that the Leopards were even worse.

So which team are the Leopards?  The one that won 19 games a season ago or the one who struggles to win double-digit games? 17 point per game scorer Justin Jaworski is back and wants to prove to everyone in Easton, PA that last year was the real Lafayette and not an anomaly.

225. Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders

The Islanders have had two pretty identical seasons back to back. They have finished 14-18 and exactly .500 in the Southland conference which has been good enough for the middle of the pack. Last season led by one of the top guards, all-conference player Myles Smith, Texas A&M Corpus Christi was able to beat the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and the hope is that win will jumpstart the program. This should be a top 5 team in the conference.

224. Appalachian State Mountaineers

Head coach Dustin Kerns was able to guide his Mountaineers to their first winning season since 2010-2011 and they had their winning conference season since joining the Sun Belt. Appalachian State has the pieces to have a winning season again, the problem is the top of the Sun Belt is loaded so they still may only finish in the middle of the pack. Justin Forrest and his 18 points per game return for the Mountaineers.

223. Dixie State Trailblazers

Dixie State enters their first year in Division 1 as a member of the WAC conference. The Trailblazers went 23-7 last season and had a high-powered offense. That offense scored over 81 points per game a year ago and leading scorer Hunter Schofield is back to lead the offensive attack. Dixie State has the talent to finish middle of the pack in the WAC.

222. Omaha Mavericks

It is hard to figure out how good Omaha will be since the 2015-2016 season they have been a consistent team in the Summit and they usually finish near the top of the league. This year though the Mavericks don’t seem to have the same firepower to compete near the top of the league.

Honestly, it seems like Omaha stayed the same while some other teams got better overall. The Mavericks do return a double-double machine in Matt Pile and they have an experienced roster so those are two factors that can lead to anything happening. Omaha isn’t great on the defensive end and that is going to lead to them finishing middle of the pack in the Summit.

221. Southern Illinois Salukis

It was a tale of two ends of the floor for the Salukis. They were the 15th best defensive team in the country allowing only 62 points per game. However, it was the exact opposite on offense, Southern Illinois was one of the worst offensive teams in the country as they only scored 63 points on the offensive end. The team plays slow and they play nail biters.

While Southern Illinois does have a good portion of their roster back from last year including leading scorer Marcus Domask. Even with that the offense has a long way to go before they will improve, and the defense will keep them in games but Southern Illinois is still a bottom four team in the Valley.

220. Miami (Ohio) Redhawks

2008-2009 was the last time that Miami had a winning season and they are going to have to wait another year. The Redhawks have never been one of the worst teams in the country they usually win around 12 or 13 games per year which is never going to get it done.  It has been a long time since Wally Szcerbiak led the Redhawks to the Sweet 16. This year the team is going to be led by Dalonte Brown but the Redhawks are the worst team in the MAC.

219. Saint Peters Peacocks

Saint Peter’s is a team who isn’t flashy, they rely on defense to win games and they play slow. Who cares how you play when you win games?  The Peacocks not only have one of the best mascots in the country they also have one of the best defenses in the country as well.

They were overall a top 30 defense and they used that defense and the services of the best shooter in the MAAC Doug Edert to secure their first winning record since 2016-2017 a year ago. Saint Peter’s is a top team in the MAAC and if they won the league no one would be surprised.

218. New Hampshire Wildcats

New Hampshire has never made the NCAA tournament and they have a coach who many think has overstayed his welcome. The Wildcats had a very surprising season last year. Many thought they would be one of the worst teams in the country last year but they ended up at .500 and showed they have one of the best guards in the country in Sean Sutherlin. Can head coach Bill Herrion keep this team consistent or will regression happen?

217. Northern Kentucky Norse

The Horizon League has been kind to Northern Kentucky, and they have finished near the top of the conference every year. They have also made the NCAA tournament twice. Last season marked the fourth season in a row the Norse had won 20 or more games. To make it five in a row Northern Kentucky is going to have to work some magic.

The roster this season is not nearly as good as it has been in the past and the Horizon League is better overall. A season ago the Norse were smothering on defense but again the roster is not what it was. Trevon Faulkner is back to try and help the Norse on both ends but hopefully, some quality depth develops. Right now, the Norse are a middle of the pack Horizon team.

216. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks

Northern Arizona was one of the biggest surprises in the country last year.  They lost their former coach Jack Murphy before the season started as he took the associate head coach job at Arizona. Enter Shane Burcar who has completely changed the Lumberjack program in just one season. Northern Arizona has their star Cameron Shelton back and the fans are buzzing in Flagstaff. The Lumberjacks are a top 4 team in the Big Sky.

215. College of Charleston Cougars

College of Charleston had a great three year run at the top of the Colonial Athletic Association. Last season they took a step back and struggled to regain the form that saw them win 20 games three years in a row. The Cougars were far too reliant on their star last year to score them points. A new star emerges for the Cougars in Brevin Galloway, but the rest of the roster has some holes. College of Charleston still has enough talent to finish in the middle of the pack in the Colonial.

214. UTEP Miners

The Miners were a team a lot of people were high on going into last year. I was not one of those people and UTEP would have likely been a lot better had there not been some internal turmoil. UTEP has gone through a lot of changes in the offseason and they saw a lot of key pieces from last year’s team leave via transfer.

The Miners still had a drastic improvement over their first year under head coach Rodney Terry as they went from eight wins to 17 wins. Bryson Williams is a star and he comes back to help UTEP on both ends of the floor. UTEP is a middle of the pack Conference USA team.

213. Central Michigan Chippewas

Head coach Keno Davis loves to play fast and he gets the ball up and down the floor quickly. The Chippewas have always been able to score and with the fast pace of play have not played much defense. This year’s Central Michigan team is going to have to break in a new set of players and one new starter as four starters who were all double-digit scorers have departed.

The most likely player to step up their production the most in the wide-open offense is Devontae Lane. The Chips are going to be a bottom two team in the MAC West.

212. Fairleigh Dickinson Knights

Greg Herenda is entering his eighth year as the coach of the Knights and he has taken his team to two NCAA tournaments and has not had a winning season in any other season. So, it is hard to know what to expect from Fairleigh Dickinson except that I feel this team will be pretty good due to the returning pieces the Knights have coming back. Jahlil Jenkins returning to lead this offense makes Fairleigh Dickinson one of the favorites to win the Northeast Conference.

211. Abilene Christian Wildcats

Head coach Joe Golding has Abilene Christian rolling they are one of the best teams in the Southland Conference and have won 20 games in back to back seasons. The Wildcats were a top 60 offensive team last year and a top 70 defensive team. That is going to get it done no matter who you are playing.

The Wildcats have a huge chunk of their team back from a season ago led by Joe Pleasant. The Wildcats right now is ranked as a top-half team in the Southland but don’t be surprised if they make a jump and finish second in the league like they did a year ago.

210. Texas State Bobcats

The Bobcats had an interesting offseason. First their star player and do everything guy Nijal Pearson graduated and is no longer on campus. To make things worse for Texas State their former coach Danny Kaspar was relieved of his duties after allegations and evidence of player abuse both physical and verbal came to light. The Bobcats had to make the tough, but right decision to take their program in another direction.

Interim head coach Terrence Johnson does have some to work with. The Bobcats were really good defensively last year and have most of that team back to still be lockdown on defense. One intriguing piece that Texas State has on offense is JUCO transfer Nighael Ceaser. Ceaser is a monster in the paint and is going to provide defense and scoring and help this offense immensely. The Bobcats are middle-of-the-pack Sun Belt team.

209. North Dakota State Bison

The Bison were all set to represent the Summit League in the NCAA tournament a season ago. They dominated the Summit and they were the almost unanimous pick to win the league. The Bison finished in the top 100 in both offensive and defensive ratings last season. Loosely translated they were good, and they would have been an upset special in the NCAA tournament last year.

This year the roster is new with no one outside of senior big man Rocky Kreuzer that is proven as a scorer. North Dakota State is well-coached, and they still have some athletes so never count them out completely. The roster this year just doesn’t compare to the teams above them in the Summit. North Dakota State is a middle of the pack Summit team.

208. Seattle Redhawks

Seattle lost a ton of production a season ago. Had the team stayed intact the Redhawks would likely have one of if not the oldest team in the country and they are still struggling to win. The WAC is a great conference for easy games within the league but it’s the top of the league that seems to be tripping up the Redhawks. It’s hard to imagine Seattle even with returner Riley Grigsby that the Redhawks do not finish lower than the middle of the pack in the WAC.

207. Charleston Southern Buccaneers

Charleston Southern doesn’t have much history as they have only made the NCAA tournament once. Coach Barclay Radebaugh has been inconsistent at his time there and there has not been much good. The Buccaneers are by no means the worst team in the Big South, but they are not the best team either, they are usually right around .500 in the conference and overall.

This season Charleston Southern returns the Big South defensive player of the year and one of the favorites for Conference Player of the Year in Phlandrous Fleming Jr. The Buccaneers have enough to finish in the top half of this conference.

206. Hawaii Warriors

Hawaii under their current head coach Eran Ganot has been the same team for the last three seasons. They are likely going to win around 18 games and finish .500 in the Big West and the is good enough for right in the middle of the league. The Warriors are in a little bit of a rebuild this year but Ganot is a good coach and is going to have the team competitive in the Big West.

Hawaii has a tremendous advantage that many other teams don’t they play in Hawaii and traveling there is never easy, and it is hard to play games there. The Warriors are led by a new star this year and all-conference type player in Samuta Avea. He is going to do his best to help the Warriors finish in the top half, but Hawaii looks poised to take their position in the middle of the pack like always.

205. Elon Phoenix

Here are a couple things with Elon to keep an eye on. The Phoenix has never made the NCAA tournament and they have finished in the top half of the Colonial once. Head coach Mike Schrage may not have seen his first season go according to plan on winning games, but one thing that he was able to do was develop two young players into the best backcourt in the league.

Hunter Woods had a coming-out party against William & Mary in the conference tournament a season ago with 20 points and 15 rebounds. He is going to have a breakout season.

204. Oakland Golden Grizzlies

1999-2000 was the first season the Golden Grizzlies became a division one school and Greg Kampe has been the head coach at Oakland for the duration. Kampe always seems to have better teams than many think, and this may be the case again this year.

Oakland is going to have a 20 points per game scorer in Rashad Williams but after that, they don’t have much in the way of scoring and are very balanced. Williams is good enough to win some games on his own but not against the powers in the Horizon League. The Golden Grizzlies end up middle of the pack.

203. Eastern Michigan Eagles

Rob Murphy has been the head coach at Eastern Michigan since 2010-2011 and in that time the Eagles have never really been good. They have had some good teams and some good players, but Eastern Michigan has consistently been one of the worst teams in the entire MAC, not just the MAC West.

This year will be another struggle for the Eagles as they return most of their team who only managed to score about 64 points per game last year. Ty Groce hopes to change that and jumpstart the offense.

202. Fort Wayne Mastodons

Welcome to the Horizon League Fort Wayne. The Mastodons made the jump from the Summit League to the Horizon League. Fort Wayne may be better suited in the Horizon League as the league is not as deep as the Summit League was.

The Mastodons took a step back under head coach Jon Coffman last year but with the move and some key transfers eligible, along with scoring leader Jarred Godfrey back Fort Wayne is in a much better position to win in the long term. They are still likely a middle of the pack Horizon team this year though.

201. UC Riverside Highlanders

I will admit that I was very wrong about Riverside last year. I didn’t think they would be very good at all instead they were one of the best defensive teams in the country averaging just a tad over 60 points per game which was top 10 in the country.

Riverside also got a huge win when they went into Lincoln, Nebraska, and blasted the Cornhuskers in the first game of the Fred Hoiberg era. Riverside is going to be great on the defensive end again and it all starts in the middle with their big-time center Callum McRae.