By Alec Musa
Published February 15th
Welcome to the first annual Mid-Major Top 25 powered by ShotQuality data. I’ve seen a few people attempt to make something along these lines, but I felt those lists never got the love they deserved. So instead of being frustrated with what I saw, I decided to do a little research and make a list of my own. Below is a table that ranks the top 25 mid-major squads by the average of their rankings from ShotQuality, Torvik, Hasla, KenPom, and the NET. In this week’s rendition, we will highlight the top scorer on each squad. Hopefully, this is a good mid-major top 25 and if it isn’t please don’t tell me. Enjoy.
| # | Team | SQ | Torv | Hasla | KP | NET | Avg. |
| 1. | Saint Mary’s | 9 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6.60 |
| 2. | Gonzaga | 20 | 18 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 15.40 |
| 3. | San Diego State | 27 | 8 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 17.20 |
| 4. | Boise State | 78 | 27 | 31 | 29 | 26 | 38.20 |
| 5. | Nevada | 52 | 47 | 38 | 36 | 31 | 40.80 |
| 6. | FAU | 54 | 42 | 49 | 39 | 20 | 40.80 |
| 7. | Utah State | 60 | 41 | 47 | 42 | 37 | 45.40 |
| 8. | Liberty | 70 | 33 | 40 | 45 | 47 | 47.00 |
| 9. | New Mexico | 64 | 46 | 60 | 52 | 48 | 54.00 |
| 10. | UAB | 38 | 64 | 65 | 67 | 66 | 60.00 |
| 11. | Oral Roberts | 101 | 71 | 51 | 49 | 38 | 62.00 |
| 12. | North Texas | 83 | 51 | 70 | 59 | 49 | 62.40 |
| 13. | Charleston | 84 | 65 | 78 | 68 | 55 | 70.00 |
| 14. | Dayton | 95 | 61 | 69 | 70 | 78 | 74.60 |
| 15. | Sam Houston St. | 90 | 72 | 86 | 72 | 59 | 75.80 |
| 16. | UNLV | 49 | 83 | 83 | 85 | 83 | 76.60 |
| 17. | Drake | 98 | 68 | 68 | 78 | 72 | 76.80 |
| 18. | BYU | 75 | 74 | 74 | 81 | 89 | 78.60 |
| 19. | Bradley | 115 | 78 | 57 | 80 | 63 | 78.60 |
| 20. | Yale | 111 | 85 | 66 | 76 | 68 | 81.20 |
| 21. | Kent State | 107 | 81 | 88 | 73 | 61 | 82.00 |
| 22. | Furman | 99 | 84 | 67 | 82 | 82 | 82.80 |
| 23. | VCU | 87 | 86 | 75 | 84 | 84 | 83.20 |
| 24. | Santa Clara | 55 | 89 | 97 | 91 | 91 | 84.60 |
| 25. | Southern Miss. | 116 | 90 | 80 | 87 | 58 | 86.20 |
Saint Mary’s: Aidan Mahaney may be a freshman, but he plays like an upperclassman who lacks zero confidence in his scoring ability. Nevertheless, the sharpshooter has been deadly this season, ranking in the 100th percentile in taking catch & shoot three-pointers on 65 such attempts.
Gonzaga: One of the most well-known names in college basketball, 2x All-American Drew Timme, will be remembered as one of the best players in program history, regardless of how the season shakes out. The senior is averaging a career-best 21.1 points per game and is in the 88th percentile in high-efficiency post-up.
San Diego State: Guard Matt Bradley has made a career out of scoring the basketball, scoring in double figures for the fifth consecutive season. He is one of the best pure shooters on this list, ranking in the 81st percentile or better in the short midrange, long midrange, off-the-dribble three-pointers, and catch & shoot three-pointers.
Boise State: Sophomore Tyson Degenhart has jumped teammate Marcus Shaver in the scoring department as the ladder has dealt with injuries all season. The three-point sniper is in the 81st percentile in creating his own shot.
Nevada: Jarod Lucas, a member of the 2021 Oregon State team that made the Elite Eight, has been a godsend for the Wolfpack this season. The senior averages 17.7 points per game and is in the 93rd percentile in effective three-point shooting. In addition, he attempts nearly seven treys per contest.
FAU: Guard Johnell Davis is one of four sophomores that have FAU bidding for just their second tourney draw in 30 seasons, but he is scoring a team-best 13.5 points per game. Davis is shooting nearly 90% from the charity stripe and is in the 89th percentile in effectively creating his own shot.
Utah State: Steven Ashworth has nearly doubled his scoring output from last season, as the junior sits at 15.9 points per game. He is one of the most efficient players in the MWC, if not the country, placing in the 95th percentile in SQ PPP on 288 possessions.
Liberty: Darius McGhee was only a freshman playing 21.3 minutes per game when Liberty upset Mississippi State in the NCAA Tournament in 2019. Fast forward four years, and he is in his second season, scoring more than 21 points per game for the Flames while ranking in the 96th percentile in efficient three-point shooting.
New Mexico: Jamal Mashburn Jr. has been a beast since arriving in New Mexico last season. The son of former NBA All-Star Jamal Mashburn (shocking, I know) is scoring 20 points per game and is in the 91st percentile or better in short and long midrange shots.
UAB: One of the best names amongst all mid-majors is easily Jordan “Jelly” Walker. Don’t be fooled, as the guard is a walking bucket, scoring 22.7 points per game despite missing time this season. He is in the 98th percentile in off-the-dribble three-pointers this year on 147 attempts.
Oral Roberts: 2020 NCAA Tournament darling Max Abmas again leads the Golden Eagles in scoring this season. It is his third straight season averaging at least 22 points per game, and he is in the 92nd percentile in SQ PPP despite 412 possessions.
North Texas: Guard Tylor Perry may be the best shooter nobody knows. The Coffeyville CC transfer leads the Mean Green in scoring for a second consecutive season and is in the 97th percentile or better in catch & shoot and off-the-dribble three-pointers.
Charleston: Guard Dalton Bolon played in three games last season before missing the remainder of the season with an injury. The grad transfer has bounced back gracefully, leading the 25-3 Cougars in points while placing in the 86th percentile in turnover frequency.
Dayton: DaRon Holmes II broke onto the scene as one of the best true freshmen in America last season while leading Dayton to a surprising 24-11 record. He’s taken on much more of the offensive load this season amid injuries, averaging 17.8 pointers per game. He is in the 90th percentile or better in shots at the rim and driving to the basket.
Sam Houston State: Wichita State transfer Qua Grant shot just 36% last season but is up to 45% this season on nearly triple the attempts. He has also been a defensive pest, ranking in the 98th percentile in steal rate.
UNLV: Oklahoma transfer Elijah Harkless is one of many transfers impacting the Rebels this season. The senior makes a living getting to the line, placing in the 84th percentile in high free throw rate.
Drake: Sophomore Tucker DeVries is one of five key returners from last season’s Bulldog squad, yet he is pacing them in scoring at 19.5 points per game.
BYU: Forward Fousseyni Traore started 21 games for the Cougars as a freshman last year but is now the leading scorer for BYU this season. He is in the 86th percentile in SQ PPP this season.
Bradley: Redshirt junior Rienk Mast was second in scoring last season for a 17-14 Braves squad but has since taken the reigns as the team’s leading scorer. The Netherlands native is in the 97th percentile in effective post-up while being in the 98th percentile in high post-up frequency.
Yale: With Azar Swain finally gone from Yale, Matt Knowling leads a balanced Bulldogs offense. However, Knowling is in the 86th percentile in SQ PPP as he is one of four scorers sitting in double digits.
Kent State: Sincere Carry is in his second season leading the Golden Flashes in scoring. He was also a bucket-getter during his three seasons at Duquesne. In addition, the senior is in the 95th percentile or better in passing and stealing, as he is one of the best all-around guards in the MAC.
Furman: Guard Mike Bothwell has upped his scoring every season for the Paladins, now sitting at 18.4 points per game on a career-best 53% from the field. Mike Bothwell is in the 77th percentile in making guarded catch & shoot three-pointers.
VCU: Junior Ace Baldwin may be one of the most important players on this list, as his 13.5 points per game and 10.1 attempts per game easily pace the Rams. Baldwin is another one of those elite two-way guards, placing in the 99th percentile or better in pacing and stealing.
Santa Clara: Sophomore Brandin Podziemski played just 4.3 minutes per game as a freshman last season from Illinois before the highly touted prospect transferred to Santa Clara. The 6’5 guard has since erupted, averaging 19.4 points per game on 43% from deep. In addition, he is in the 97th percentile in effective three-point shooting.
Southern Mississippi: Ole Miss transfer Austin Crowley is flourishing in his first year with the Golden Eagles, scoring 16.9 points per game while shooting over 40% from the field for the first time in his four-year collegiate career. He thrives in transition, placing in the 94th percentile in efficiency in transition.
About the Author:
Alec Musa, a College Hoops obsessed analyst and content creator, is SQB’s secret weapon in the southwest! Make sure to check out Alec on the SQ Bets Podcast every Monday, and on Tik Tok!