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

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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Belmont’s Nick Muszynski NCAA Basketball Ovc Championship 03 /

Belmont Bruins

2020-21 record: 26-4 overall, 18-2 OVC
Key returners: Nick Muszynski (15.1 ppg), Luke Smith (12.6 ppg), JaCobi Wood (11.3 ppg), Grayson Murphy (10.9 ppg), Ben Sheppard (10.7 ppg), Caleb Hollander (9.3 ppg)
Key additions: Will Richard (three-star CG)

With the exception of Gonzaga and Baylor, no team maintained as dominant of a winning percentage as the Bruins, who coasted to 26 wins before falling to Morehead State in the Ohio Valley title game. Belmont continued its dominance in the OVC since joining in 2012, wrapping up its eighth first-place finish in the past nine seasons.

Little went wrong for the Bruins, who, after suffering an early-season stunning loss to Samford, ran through the following three months on a 21-game win streak – which included a handful of respectable wins over teams like Morehead State, George Mason, and Lipscomb. Despite their 26 wins, however, the Bruins were not among the first handful of teams left out of the NCAA Tournament – largely, thanks to a weak non-conference schedule, and a late-season slip that saw Belmont drop three of its final five games.

But Casey Alexander’s first trip to the tourney at the helm of the Bruins should not be a significant challenge next season, either, considering Belmont loses no key contributor from this past year’s 26-4 squad. With zero seniors on last year’s roster, the Bruins have yet to see someone enter the transfer portal – and, barring a sudden departure – they should be back at the forefront of the OVC.

Their success begins and will continue with their deadly core group of six players who average over nine points a game, spearheaded by the big man inside in Nick Muszynski. With the positive of retaining much of last season’s team, comes the negative of the Bruins – thus far – not having many new additions to the fray, with the exception of a three-star combo guard in Will Richard who should supply an additional scoring option for an already talented lineup.

There is absolutely no reason to believe that Belmont should not be back in the upper echelon of the Ohio Valley – and even be the team to beat from the get-go. The Bruins have now gone two seasons without an NCAA Tournament trip, despite winning 26 games in each of the last two years – and with a handful of players now entering their senior seasons, they will have a chip on their shoulders in the 2021-22 campaign.

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