NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early top-25 mid-major rankings for 2021-22

NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early top-25 mid-major rankings for 2021-22 season

Jan 4, 2021; San Diego, CA, USA; Colorado State Rams forward James Moors (10) is congratulated by guard Isaiah Rivera (23) and guard David Roddy (21) against the San Diego State Aztecs during the second half at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /

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NCAA Basketball Kevin Obanor Max Abmas Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

24. Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

2020-21 season record: 18-11 (10-5 in Summit League)

Despite having the nation’s second-leading scorer and Summit League Player of the Year in Max Abmas (24.6 ppg) and another star in Kevin Obanor, Oral Roberts still was mid-tier in the conference and was the underdog in the conference tournament. But the star duo became Golden Eagle legends in March, making it all the way to the Sweet 16 as a 15 seed.

At the moment, Obnaor has opted to return but Abmas is still in the NBA Draft process. If he comes back, Oral Roberts should be considered as preseason favorites in the Summit League. And even if Abmas departs, Kansas transfer point guard Isaac McBride will be an effective newcomer.

The concern with the Eagles is that they need to improve defensively. They ranked towards the bottom in many categories, including being 289th in scoring defense. If that doesn’t get better, they’ll have to score 90 points each night to have a chance.

23. Saint Mary’s Gaels

2020-21 season record: 14-10 (4-6 in WCC)

After losing two all-conference players in Jordan Ford and Malik Fitts, the Gaels collectively struggled last season on offense. Injuries to a few key pieces also derailed any hope of the team competing at the top of the WCC, along with an extremely unbalanced schedule due to covid-related issues throughout league play.

The good news is that Saint Mary’s brings back its entire roster for next season, including former walk-on turned into All-WCC point guard Tommy Kuhse, who elected to stay for another year. Guard Logan Johnson looked great towards the end of the season, leading the team in scoring overall at 13.3 ppg.

With big men Matthias Tass and Dan Fotu hopefully having healthy shooters around them, this team should finished 2nd or 3rd in the WCC. Head coach Randy Bennett never has multiple bad seasons in a row and excels with older rosters. With this level of continuity, the Gaels are a good bet to get back to normal.

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