Mid-major Basketball: 5 key questions and storylines for 2021-22 season

Apr 5, 2021; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few reacts on the bench against the Baylor Bears in the second half during the national championship game in the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

4 of 5

Mid-major Basketball California Golden Bears Matt Bradley Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Which mid-major transfer will have the biggest impact on their new team?

Ferruci

Koby McEwen

McEwen will look to find a niche at Weber State will be the third school of his college career. McEwen’s path is a mirror image of last year’s point guard Isiah Brown who came to Ogden for his final year of eligibility after attending two schools previously. If McEwen can imitate Brown’s production, he will be in for a fun year. Brown was named the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year and named a first-team all conference performer.

Unfortunately for Brown and the rest of Randy Rahe’s squad, the end result was not a trip to the NCAA tournament after falling in the Big Sky quarterfinals to Montana. But the talent is abundant for the Wildcats as all other contributors return for a team that averaged over 80 points a game and ranked 4th in the country in two-point field percentage last season.

Additionally, McEwen will look to get fellow transfer Jamison Overton involved. Overton averaged over 15 points a game at Utah Valley last season. It will be a concerted effort for the Wildcats as they will need to take down Big Sky favorite Southern Utah for an NCAA tournament berth.

Watson

San Diego State’s Matt Bradley (from Cal) does not fit the usual mold for the Aztec’s system as a true scorer who will take a lot of shots, turn the ball over frequently, and struggle to defend consistently. Having said that, his impact as a go-to scorer, particularly in the clutch, will be incredibly valuable for a San Diego State team looking to make its ninth NCAA Tournament in the last 12 seasons.

Schroeder

This is sleeper pick. For all the great talent at Gonzaga, I think Rasir Bolton is the kind of guard that will provide the Bulldogs a different kind of guard. As a penetrator on a team with such great bigs, he could have a breakout kind of season.

Loose

With Matt Mitchell, Jordan Schakel, and other contributors now gone, San Diego State gets a big boost from California transfer Matt Bradley, who put up 18 points per game with a struggling Golden Bears program. Bradley gets a shot to contribute offensively at a high level from the get-go.

Home/Mid Major Conferences