All articles tagged with #mid major
Sports Illustrated's comprehensive rankings for the 2025-26 men's college basketball season highlight the challenges of evaluating teams amid roster turnover, international recruitment, and the evolving landscape of college hoops, providing insights into top contenders, sleeper teams, and emerging programs across divisions.
Matt Norlander evaluates the best first-year coaches in college basketball after the 2022-23 season. Six coaches from the Big Six leagues who made the NCAA Tournament in their first year are highlighted, along with six mid-major coaches who made their mark. Norlander notes that it's too early to grade coaching hires, but identifies coaches on their way to good returns after just one season. Four of the seven coaches who earned acclaim last year had downturns or worse in '22-23.
Furman coach Bob Richey praised San Diego State's basketball program, saying they don't consider themselves a mid-major team and could advance as far as they want in the NCAA Tournament due to their physicality, defense, and rebounding. SDSU is headed to the Sweet 16 after beating Furman 75-52 and will face either Alabama or Maryland. Richey also noted that mid-major teams are showing they belong in the tournament, despite the difficulty of getting at-large invitations compared to power conference teams.