NCAA Basketball: Top-20 mid-major teams to buy stock into entering 2024-25 season

No. 4 - UAB Blazers

After reaching the NCAA Tournament last season -- their second appearance under head coach Andy Kennedy -- The UAB Blazers aren’t showing any signs of slowing down.

Double-double machine Yaxel Lendeborg, the 2023-24 AAC DPOY and First Team All-AAC honoree, is back. Esfrem“Butta” Johnson, who took a major second-year jump last season, is also back.  Losing Eric Gaines in the backcourt hurts, however, the Blazers landed 5-foot-11 PG Tyren Moore from Georgia Southern, who led the Eagles in scoring (17 PPG) and assists (3.1).

UAB is locked and loaded and littered with experience. Expecting to have one of the better offenses at the mid-major level, the Blazers have the pieces in place to take a stab at an AAC championship, meaning it's best to buy stock now before it's too late.

No. 3 - McNeese State Cowboys

Will Wade has the McNeese State Cowboys on an entirely different level in the Southland. After improving its win total from 11 to 30 in only one year, expect the Cowboys to be among mid-major’s best this season.

To start, Wade made significant splashes in the transfer portal. Brandon Murray, who played under Wade at LSU in 2021-22, is off to Lake Charles. Quadir Copeland (Syracuse), who played an integral 6th-man role with the Orange last season, alongside Sincere Parker (St. Louis), Jerome Brewer (Texas A&M Commerce), Joe Charles (Louisiana) and Alyn Breed (Providence) are other notable additions in this star-studded transfer portal class.

And this isn’t even including the returnees of Christian Shumate and DJ Richards Jr, both of whom expect to serve integral roles this upcoming season. As long as Will Wade is roaming the sidelines in the Bayou, buying stock in McNeese isn’t just the smart choice, it’s the necessary choice.