NCAA Basketball: 10 mid-majors to watch for ahead of 2021 offseason

Santa Clara Broncos

• 2020-21 record: 12-8 overall, 4-5 WCC
• Key returners: Josip Vrankic (15.2 ppg), Jalen Williams (11.5 ppg), Keshawn Justice (10.9 ppg), Christian Carlyle (9.0 ppg)
• Key additions: P.J. Pipes (Green Bay, 14.5 ppg), Danilo Djuricic (Harvard, 6.1 ppg), Brenton Knapper (three-star PG), Camaron Tongue (three-star PF)

There is no way around it: the WCC is going to be substantially better next season.  With Gonzaga still on top of the college basketball world and, as mentioned before, Loyola Marymount getting better, there is still also room for others to take a leap – and Santa Clara will fit that bill.

The Broncos finished in the middle of the WCC, and struggled to pick up significant wins, with their best coming over Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine – but there were some positives to take away, including some solid showings against Colorado State, USC, and Gonzaga, and a 7th-place finish in the WCC that saw Santa Clara reach the WCC Quarterfinals after back-to-back wins over Portland and Pacific.

With the exception of Guglielmo Caruso, the Broncos’ fourth-leading scorer, Santa Clara will return nearly everyone from its starting lineup, including leading scorer Josip Vrankic, who opted to utilize his extra year of eligibility.  Joining him are a duo of double-digit scorers in Jalen Williams and Keshawn Justice, who headline a trio of players who saw over 31 minutes a game.

Vrankic returning will lessen the blow of Caruso leaving, but the Broncos’ chances of taking a leap in the WCC have been greatly accelerated by the addition of two marquee transfers in Green Bay’s P.J. Pipes, the Phoenix’s third-leading scorer, and best three-point shooter last season, and Harvard’s Danilo Djuricic, who provided the Crimson a few double-digit performances throughout the 2019-20 season.

Herb Sendek may have his best team yet at Santa Clara, and the Broncos have the talent needed to fight for an at-large bid – and what could be Santa Clara’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996.  The Broncos are in a similar position to Loyola Marymount, where they do not have enough to usurp Gonzaga from the WCC’s throne – but could cause some havoc in a mightily improved mid-major conference.

Obviously, the mid-major scene is changing constantly, particularly with the transfer portal ramping up substantially as players continue to enter and exit, and a few of these teams’ identities could change dramatically between now and tip-off of the 2021-22 season.  But these are decidedly 10 marquee teams that should be given attention moving forward – and should be remembered once the coming season begins.