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

By Benjamin Zacher

Mar 20, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; St. Bonaventure Bonnies guard Jalen Adaway (33) moves in for a basket against the Louisiana State Tigers during the second half in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; St. Bonaventure Bonnies guard Jalen Adaway (33) moves in for a basket against the Louisiana State Tigers during the second half in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Basketball Loyola Marymount Lions Keli Leaupepe James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Basketball Loyola Marymount Lions Keli Leaupepe James Snook-USA TODAY Sports /

Loyola Marymount Lions

  • 2020-21 record: 13-9 overall, 7-5 WCC
  • Key returners: Eli Scott (18.0 ppg), Dameane Douglas (13.5 ppg), Keli Leaupepe (10.5 ppg)
  • Key additions: Cameron Shelton (Northern Arizona, 19.2 ppg), Kwane Marble II (Wyoming, 9.5 ppg), Gary Harris Jr. (Siena, 5.3 ppg in 2019), David Elliott (three-star CG), Lamaj Lewis (three-star CG), James Nobles (three-star SG)

Loyola Marymount’s quest to record its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1990 has been a long and strenuous one, but the Lions’ fifth-place finish in the WCC in Stan Johnson’s first season left the program with much optimism moving forward.

The Lions struggled to pick up significant wins in a weaker-than-typical WCC, with their best victories coming over Pepperdine and Santa Clara – but they also split with Big West tournament champions UC Santa Barbara, toppled the Big Sky regular-season champs in Southern Utah, and took Minnesota to the wire in a three-point loss prior to the Golden Gophers’ late-season meltdown.

Again, there is much to be hopeful about regarding the Lions – and that begins with Loyola Marymount’s roster of returners, led by leading scorer Eli Scott.  Exercising his extra year of eligibility, Scott will look to improve upon his 18.0 point average, leading a triage of double-digit scorers which includes Dameane Douglas and Keli Leaupepe, both of whom are slated to return after suffering season-ending injuries last year.

But the Lions will be an even more than that next year, particularly with the addition of Cameron Shelton, who logged double-figures in 19 games last season while leading the team in rebounds, assists, and steals.  Marble and Harris Jr. – who transferred to Loyola Marymount halfway through last season but sat out due to COVID-19 issues – will supply some quality depth in the backcourt.

Usurping Gonzaga from the top of the WCC seems like a near-impossible task for any team in the conference, but Loyola Marymount has the pieces to fight for an at-large bid next season.  Much of that depends on the health of Douglas and Leaupepe and the expectation that both will return – but if they do, then the Lions could finally break what would be a 32-year NCAA Tournament drought.

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