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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NCAA Basketball St. Thomas Tommies (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

St. Thomas Tommies

2020-21 record: 7-0 overall, 4-0 MIAC (26-3, 19-1 in 2019-20)
Key returners: Anders Nelson (19.4 ppg), Riley Miller (19.0 ppg), Parker Bjorklund (13.2 ppg)
Key additions: Courtney Brown Jr. (Milwaukee, 5.4 ppg), J’Vonne Hadley (Northeastern, 0.8 ppg)

There is a new giant on the rise in Minnesota, and one that the Div. I world should be aware of heading into next season. The Tommies – after being, for all intents and purposes, kicked out of their conference at the Div. III level – will make the climb to the Div. I level, joining the Summit League after being one of the most dominant forces in the college basketball world this century.

The Tommies completed a shortened, undefeated season that spanned February and March – and that is just the start of how forceful St. Thomas has been. The 2011 and 2016 NCAA Tournament Champions, the Tommies have reached the tourney 13 times in the last 15 years and were well on their way to potentially claiming another title in 2020 before the tournament was canceled, having reached the Sweet Sixteen as the fourth-ranked team in the nation.

What is even more terrifying is that, as of now, the Tommies’ top three leading scorers – from a team that averaged 83.0 points per game this year – are all slated to return. Few players in the country are as deadly of shooters as Riley Miller, who is shooting over 60% on FGs and three-pointers – but it is Anders Nelson who pilots the offensive, leading the team in scoring (19.4), assists (4.1), and steals (1.4).

St. Thomas’ ascension to Div. I has already paid off, too – the Tommies will see at least two players transfer in from fellow Div. I schools, including Courtney Brown Jr., the older brother of highly-touted Baylor commit Kendall Brown.

The Tommies’ success so far in the offseason should come as no surprise – in addition to head coach John Tauer, who owns a winning percentage over .800 at St. Thomas, the program has also added two highly proven Div. I coaching minds in Mike Maker and Gameli Ahelegbe. Maker was a head coach for six years at Marist, as well as Div. III powerhouse Williams – while Ahelegbe has spent the past seven seasons at the University of South Dakota.

Teams who have made the climb from lower divisions to Div. I have proven to be successful from the get-go, with Bellarmine and Merrimack being the most recent, obvious examples – and, given their dominance historically and lately, the Tommies should be a force in the Summit League immediately.

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