The Athletic picks top 5 mid-majors: (some details omitted on all but vcu due to length limitations)
Mid-major men’s basketball preseason rankings: How Gonzaga, San Diego State look after offseason moves
Graham Ike is Gonzaga's returning leading scorer who averaged 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds last season. Jamie Squire / Getty Images
By
Lindsay Schnell
Oct. 8, 2025Updated 8:24 am EDT
What even is a mid-major in Division I college basketball in 2025?
It’s not a straightforward answer. With conference realignment scrambling so much of what we know about the college hoops landscape — which has included numerous longtime mid-majors moving into power conferences over the last few years — it’s hard to keep up.
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It’s strange, for example, to consider Gonzaga a mid-major, given that they’ve made two national championship appearances in the last nine years and play a tougher nonconference schedule than numerous high-major programs. But because they’re still in the WCC, that’s how the world sees them. (That changes next year when the Zags join the re-vamped Pac-12 with Oregon State, Washington State and Boise State, among others, and morphs into a conference more on par with the Big East).
In the transfer portal era, where athletes are almost always immediately eligible to play at their new school, mid-majors are often
ravaged by high-major programs with more resources. The schools below lost their share of important pieces from last year’s rosters, but given their track record of success, they’ll make any high-major team who draws them in the NCAA Tournament nervous, and rightfully so.
One quick note: It’s not uncommon for some of the best mid-majors to meet in conference games — Boise State and San Diego State both play in the Mountain West, for example, and Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga boast one of the nation’s best basketball rivalries in the WCC. But mark Dec. 14 on your calendars right now. That’s when Saint Mary’s and Boise State meet in Idaho Falls in what should be one of the best games of the season — mid-major or otherwise.
Here is a breakdown of the top five mid-major teams according to
Bart Torvik’s preseason rankings.
1. Gonzaga
Last season: 26-9 (NCAA Tournament second round)
Coach: Mark Few (27th season)
2. San Diego State
Last season: 21-10 (NCAA Tournament first round)
Coach: Brian Dutcher (ninth season)
San Diego State's projected starting 5
3. Boise State
Last season: 26-11
Coach: Leon Rice (16th season)
4. vcu
Last season: 28-7
Coach: Phil Martelli Jr.(first season)
vcu's projected starting 5
| Nyk Lewis | G | Fr. | No. 53 | Gonzaga High School |
| Jadrian Tracey | G | R-Sr. | 6.9 PPR, 2.8 RPG, 1.7 APG |
Oregon |
| Jordann Dumont | F | R-So. | 1.8 points |
Villanova |
| Barry Evans | F | Sr. | 13.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.7 APG |
Bryant |
| Christian Fermin | F | Sr. | 4.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG |
vcu |
Top bench players: Tyrell Ward (redshirt, LSU), Michael Belle (2.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg), Ahmad Nowell (1.5 ppg, 1.1 apg at UConn)
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Biggest losses: Max Shulga (15.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.0 apg), Joe Bamisile (15.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
Why they’re here: Losing all five starters is never fun, but vcu should be solid again this season with a new coach, experienced veterans finally getting serious minutes and a few key transfers.
Tyrell Ward, a former top-40 recruit who played two seasons at LSU, could explode. He was an important player for the Tigers for two seasons, making 18 starts in 54 total games. He redshirted last season, but is likely to push for a starting spot. Barry Evans is also poised for a big year after a breakout 2024-25 season at Bryant, where he was named the American East newcomer of the year. Evans was one of two players to follow first-year coach Phil Martelli Jr. from Bryant to vcu; Keyshawn Mitchell, who started at Bryant last year, was the other.
And don’t be fooled by Ahmad Nowell’s underwhelming stats from UConn. The 6-foot point guard was a top 40 recruit in the 2024 class when he committed to UConn over offers from Kansas, Kentucky and Auburn, among others. He struggled with a shoulder injury last season. Now healthy, he has the skillset to be a star in the Atlantic 10.
5. Saint Mary’s
Last season: 29-6
Coach: Randy Bennett (25th season)
Saint Mary's projected starting 5
In the transfer portal and NIL/revenue-sharing era, which mid-major teams withstood the turnover and stand out amongst the rest?
www.nytimes.com
Saint Mary's
San Diego
