NCAA Basketball: Chattanooga among four newcomers to Mid-Major power rankings
Jan 19, 2017; Moraga, CA, USA; St. Mary’s Gaels center Jock Landale (34) high fives guard Emmett Naar (3) after being called for a foul against the Pacific Tigers during the first half at McKeon Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Change is the major theme of the second edition of Busting Buckets’ NCAA Basketball Mid-Major Power Rankings.
No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs were one of two teams that remained in the same spot they were in, in our Mid-Major power rankings last week. The Zags went 2-0 this past week, which included a huge victory over Saint Mary’s on Saturday. No. 5 New Mexico State is the other team that remained in the same position as last week.
Illinois State, Belmont, and Chattanooga saw the biggest jump as all three moved up five spots. No. 11 Chattanooga is among four teams making their debut in the power rankings. No. 13 Vermont, No. 14 Winthrop and No. 15 UNC Greensboro are the other first-time members of the poll.
No. 7 Fort Wayne (14-6) is among four teams to fall out of the power rankings, as the Mastodons lost consecutive games for the first time this season. No. 9 Ohio, No. 10 Texas-Arlington and No. 12 Oakland also fell from the rankings.
Dec 17, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Chattanooga Mocs guard Casey Jones (24) during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gymnasium. Vanderbilt won 76-74. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Power Rankings: No. 15-11
15. UNC Greensboro (15-5): Diante Baldwin hit a game-winning three-pointer with four seconds left to give the Spartans a 66-63 victory over Mercer on Thursday. Baldwin, who scored 13 points against Mercer, became the 23rd player in school history to reach the 1,000 point plateau. UNC Greensboro has surpassed its win total from last season (14).
14. Winthrop (14-4): Guard Xavier Cooks recorded his fourth double-double (19 points, 13 boards) of the season to help the Eagles rally from an11-point first half deficit to defeat UNC-Asheville (76-73) on Thursday. Winthrop has won five straight and 9-of-10.
13. Vermont (16-5): The Catamounts are 6-0 in conference play for the first time since 2004-05. Head coach John Becker moved into a tie for third-place on the school’s all-time career wins (125-68) list with Vermont’s victory over UMass-Lowell on Thursday. Thursday’s victory was the 1,200 in program history.
With tonight's #AEHoops victory over UMass Lowell, #VCats picked up win No. 1,200 in program history! pic.twitter.com/hUlSOcvEQW
— UVM Men's Basketball (@UVMmbb) January 20, 2017
12. College of Charleston (15-5): COC has lost eight straight games to UNCW following its loss on Thursday. Joe Chealey, who scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, has scored in double-figures in 15 of 20 games this year. Chealey also has a team-best five-to-one assist to turnover ratio. Charleston hosts James Madison and also travels to Towson this week.
11. Chattanooga (14-4): The Mocs have won four in a row. Their two-point win over Mercer was their first single-digit win of the season.
Nov 21, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Belmont Bruins head coach Rick Byrd talks with Bruins forward Evan Bradds (35) against the Florida Gators during the second half at Amalie Arena. Florida defeated Belmont 78-61. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Power Rankings: No. 10-6
10. Belmont (12-4): Amanze Egekeze connected on six three-pointers and scored a season-high 26 points to lead the Bruins to their eighth straight win on Thursday. Egekeze and All-American candidate Evan Bradds combined for 50 points and 23 rebounds as both posted double-doubles against Jacksonville State. Belmont, on an eight-game winning streak, hosts Tennessee Tech on Saturday.
9. Valparaiso (15-4): The Crusaders moved into first place in the Horizon League as they cruised past Green Bay (80-56), receiving 20 points and a career-high 16 rebounds from Alec Peters. Peters is seven points shy of breaking the school record. Valpo continues its four-game homestand, where they are 9-2 overall, on Sunday against UIC.
Two down, two to go for @ValpoBasketball senior Alec Peters – he enters Sunday just seven points from breaking the scoring record! #GoValpo pic.twitter.com/B8nMi5qcy8
— Valpo Athletics (@valpoathletics) January 17, 2017
8. Illinois State (15-4): The Redbirds had a big win over Wichita State and followed that up by extending their winning streak to eight with a victory over Bradley. Senior guard Paris Lee recorded six steals against the Braves on Thursday to become the school’s all-time leader in steals with 225. Illinois State sits atop of the MVC alone for the first time since 1997-1998.
Just one of #REDBIRDhoops' 2⃣0⃣ assists last night.
Read about last night's win here ➡️ https://t.co/wkQZFaWM98#BackTheBirds pic.twitter.com/MtFdc8UoKE
— Illinois State MBB (@Redbird_MBB) January 19, 2017
7. Wichita State (16-4): Redshirt junior center Shaquille Morris registered his first career double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) in a victory over Evansville. The Shockers had their sixth game-winning streak snapped by Illinois State on Saturday. Wichita State hosts Indiana State and Southern Illinois this week.
6. Akron (15-3): The Zips are on a season-high eight game-winning streak. Isaiah Johnson, who is averaging 15.3 points a game, is a big reason. He ranks 25th in the nation in field goal percentage.
Jan 14, 2017; Spokane, WA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Nigel Williams-Goss (5) gets by St. Mary’s Gaels guard Joe Rahon (25) during the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. The Bulldogs won 79-56. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Power Rankings: No. 5-1
5. New Mexico State (17-2): The Aggies are on a 15-game winning streak the third longest streak in program history. New Mexico State is 4-0 in conference play for the first time since 2011-12. They host UMKC and then travel to Seattle this week.
4. Middle Tennessee State (16-3): The Blue Raiders remained undefeated in the C-USA with a 65-52 over FIU on Thursday. JaCorey Williams, who leads the team with 18.1 points a game, scored a combined 48 points in the last two games to give him consecutive 20-point outings three times this year. MTSU continues its Florida trip with a game at Florida Atlantic (Sat.) before hosting Louisiana Tech.
3. Saint Mary’s (16-2): The Gaels bounced nicely back from their blowout loss to Gonzaga with a 62-50 win over Pacific on Thursday. They knocked down 13 three-pointers, which is one shy of a season-high. Saint Mary’s, No. 2 in the NCAA in scoring defense, has surrendered 70 or more points just twice this season. They continue their three-game homestand with games against Pacific and San Francisco.
2. UNC Wilmington (17-2): The Seahawks earned an important CAA win on Thursday over College of Charleston for their seventh victory in a row. UNCW, the 10th highest scoring team in the country, had their second-lowest scoring output of the season in their 65-59 victory over COC. They have won 13 straight conference games.
1. Gonzaga (18-0): The Zags are the only undefeated team in the nation, and are ranked fourth in the Associated Press poll. The Bulldogs have won 11 straight games by double-digits after beating WCC second place Saint Mary’s by 23 and Santa Clara by 31. Gonzaga, ranked 16th nationally in offensive efficiency, outscored Santa Clara 47-16 in points in the paint on Thursday as 7’1″ center Przemek Karnowski tallied 19 points on seven shots. They have three games upcoming this week: a home and home series versus Portland (Jan. 21 and 23) before hosting San Diego (Jan. 26).
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