| Team | SQ | Torv | Has | KP | NET | AVG | |
| 1. | Saint Mary’s | 12 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8.00 |
| 2. | Gonzaga | 14 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 9.80 |
| 3. | San Diego State | 28 | 8 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 16.80 |
| 4. | FAU | 50 | 40 | 34 | 30 | 18 | 34.40 |
| 5. | Boise State | 75 | 28 | 27 | 24 | 26 | 36.00 |
| 6. | Utah State | 52 | 35 | 36 | 35 | 30 | 37.60 |
| 7. | Liberty | 77 | 32 | 31 | 41 | 40 | 44.20 |
| 8. | Nevada | 60 | 51 | 41 | 40 | 35 | 45.40 |
| 9. | New Mexico | 67 | 42 | 59 | 46 | 48 | 52.40 |
| 10. | UAB | 54 | 52 | 56 | 57 | 57 | 55.20 |
| 11. | Oral Roberts | 97 | 77 | 62 | 61 | 43 | 68.00 |
| 12. | North Texas | 100 | 62 | 81 | 54 | 51 | 69.60 |
| 13. | Charleston | 86 | 63 | 77 | 70 | 54 | 70.00 |
| 14. | VCU | 80 | 67 | 64 | 74 | 67 | 70.40 |
| 15. | Dayton | 109 | 53 | 55 | 67 | 73 | 71.40 |
| 16. | Santa Clara | 56 | 73 | 73 | 82 | 81 | 73.00 |
| 17. | Bradley | 117 | 66 | 58 | 79 | 56 | 75.20 |
| 18. | Drake | 105 | 59 | 68 | 81 | 70 | 76.60 |
| 19. | Sam Houston St. | 90 | 74 | 84 | 72 | 63 | 76.60 |
| 20. | BYU | 78 | 75 | 72 | 77 | 89 | 78.20 |
| 21. | Yale | 108 | 83 | 69 | 71 | 66 | 79.40 |
| 22. | UNLV | 57 | 89 | 90 | 86 | 90 | 82.40 |
| 23. | Iona | 148 | 61 | 83 | 73 | 58 | 84.60 |
| 24. | Kent State | 120 | 84 | 78 | 75 | 68 | 85.00 |
| 25. | Furman | 106 | 88 | 86 | 89 | 88 | 91.40 |
The newest addition in the Mid-Major Top Ten is UAB after they leapfrogged conference foe North Texas. The Blazers have won five straight and are just six spots off FAU for the highest-ranking squad among C-USA teams. The Owls picked up two wins over UTSA and UTEP by a combined 66 points to jump three spots this week. North Texas slips to the #12 spot after a loss on the road to Charlotte and will most likely need to win the conference tourney to get into the dance.
VCU jumped seven spots to #14 after convincing wins over Richmond and Saint Louis. Bradley also jumped Drake after taking the Bulldogs down at home to clinch the MVC regular season title. Kent State tumbled 10 spots despite two wins last week. After extending their win streak to nine, Iona makes the Mid-Major Top 25 for the first time this season. Utah Valley bowed out after just one week because of a 20-point road loss to Tarleton State. Below, we will highlight the best newcomer to each team.
Aidan Mahaney (Saint Mary’s)
A sure lock for WCC ROY, Mahaney is one of the best sharpshooters in the country. The freshman is in the 100th percentile in catch-and-shoot three-pointers and is hitting 41% from deep this season.
Malachi Smith (Gonzaga)
Last season’s Southern Player of the Year at Chattanooga, Smith has honed his ability to hit the three ball this season. He plays the sixth-man role for the Zags this season and is in the 97th percentile or better in catch-and-shoot and off-the-dribble three-pointers.
Micah Parrish (San Diego State)
Parrish gets the nod over Seattle transfer Darrion Trammell purely off efficiency. A junior transfer from Oakland, Parrish is fifth in scoring but in the 87th percentile or better in spacing and three-point efficiency.
Jalen Gaffney (FAU)
The Owls are primarily homegrown, but Gaffney, who is sixth in minutes, comes from UConn. He still leaves much room for improvement as a scorer, evident by his shooting percentage numbers. Still, he has been a fabulous facilitator, ranking in the 91st percentile in passing and leading the team in assists.
Chibuzo Agbo (Boise State)
A former top recruit who played sparing at Texas Tech from 2020-2022 has thrived at his new home with the Broncos. The guard has struggled to score in transition and near the rim this season but is in the 86th percentile in scoring off passes, highlighted by his ability to hit the three-ball (41%).
Daniel Akin/Taylor Funk (Utah State)
The first duo to make this list, Akin (Cal Baptist) and Funk (St. Joe’s), were highly productive scorers who landed at Utah State via the transfer portal this off-season. Akin is in the 96th percentile in SQ PPP thanks to his ability to create shots while driving to the basket and attacking the rim, while Funk is in the 95th percentile in cath-and-shoot threes.
Colin Porter (Liberty)
The 5’9, 145-pound freshman comes way of Paul G. Blazer High School in Ashland, Kentucky. Additionally, Porter has translated well to the college game thanks mainly to being in the 91st percentile or better in passing and stealing. He is also in the 95th percentile in catch-and-shoot three-pointers.
Jarod Lucas (Nevada)
Lucas spent three seasons in Corvallis playing for Wayne Tinkle’s Oregon State Beavers, playing a large part in the team’s Elite 8 run in 2021. He now leads the Wolfpack in scoring at 16.7 PPG and places in the 94th percentile or better in midrange and catch-and-shoot three-point shooting.
Morris Udeze (New Mexico)
Freshman Donovan Dent and UMKC transfer Josiah Allick deserve their flowers, but former Wichita State Shocker Morris Udeze has been the best newcomer for the Lobos this season. He is one rebound shy of averaging a 16-point double-double and is in the 95th percentile in SQ PPP.
Eric Gaines (UAB)
Tyron and Ledarrius Brewer have done their part since arriving from ETSU, but LSU transfer Eric Gaines leads the team in assists and is second in points behind Jelly Walker. The guard is in the 85th percentile in passing and the 82nd percentile or better in driving to the hoop and scoring at the rim.
Connor Vanover (Oral Roberts)
Vanover’s inclusion should be no surprise, as the former Arkansas Razorback has reinvented himself with the Golden Eagles. He has quadrupled his three-point attempts from the previous year, hitting 34% as a 7’3 big man. He is also in the 90th percentile or better in efficiency rolling and cutting to the basket.
Kai Huntsberry (North Texas)
Huntsberry bounced around from San Diego City College to the University of Mary before parlaying his success to being the leading facilitator at North Texas. The 6’3 guard has struggled to knock down shots this season, hitting at a 39% clip from the field, but he makes up for it by placing in the 80th percentile or better in passing, steals, and spacing.
Ryan Larson (Charleston)
CofC had a laundry list of newcomers to choose from, including Pat Robinson and Ante Brzovic, but Larson gets the nod because of his 47% good possession rate. In addition, the Wofford transfer leads the team in steals and is in the 88th percentile in passing.
Brandon Johns (VCU)
Former top prospect and Michigan transfer Brandon Johns is second in scoring behind star guard Ace Baldwin. The Michigan native is in the 88th percentile in SQ PPP and 89th in high free throw rate, taking 4.4 attempts per game at the charity stripe.
Mike Sharavjamts (Dayton)
The first Mongolian citizen to earn a Division I athletic scholarship, Sharavjamts is the only newcomer to get tangible minutes for the Flyers this season. He is only in the 22nd percentile in SQ PPP as his bad possession rate is double that of his good, but he is in the 71st percentile or better in the midrange and a more than adequate passer.
Brandin Podziemski (Santa Clara)
Like Vanover from Oral Roberts, Pdziemski was one of the most straightforward choices on this list. The sophomore transfer from Illinois leads the team in points (19.9), assists (3.4), rebounds (8.8), and steals (1.7) while being in the 84th percentile in SQ PPP.
Duke Deen (Bradley)
Deen started 27 games for Troy last season before coming to Peoria, Illinois. Dean is in the 32nd percentile in SQ PPP (53% bad possession rate) but in the 80th percentile in passing and stealing. In addition, he is in the 74th percentile or better in the midrange and off-the-dribble three-point shooting.
Sardaar Calhoun/Conor Enright (Drake)
Calhoun spent time at FSU and TTU before becoming a Drake Bulldog this offseason, while Enright is a freshman who plays 19 minutes per game. The former is in the 87th percentile in efficient three-point shooting, while the ladder is in the 88th percentile in passing and has been above average in attacking the rim and scoring near the basket.
Qua Grant (Sam Houston State)
The Wichita State transfer is an easy choice, as he leads the Bearkats in scoring (13.8 PPG) and assists (3.8 APG). Grant places in the 99th percentile in the steal rate and the 95th percentile in passing.
Rudi Williams (BYU)
One of the best scorers in the Sun Belt last year, Williams has flourished after transferring from Coastal Carolina to BYU. He averages 12.7 points per game on a 48/33/84 shooting slash line and is in the 89th percentile in SQ PPP.
Nick Townsend (Yale)
I imagine it’s pretty difficult to transfer into Yale; hence Townsend gets the nod despite playing just 4.9 minutes per game. Transferring out of Yale also seems like an odd career move, so it may be some time before Townsend gets meaningful minutes, but he is in the 98th percentile in SQ PPP on limited action.
Elijah Harkless (UNLV)
With only 25.8% of scoring returning from last season, the Rebels have a lot of candidates for newcomer of the year. However, Harkless is the clear-cut favorite, scoring a team-high 18.4 points per game and placing in the 85th percentile or better in the extended midrange, short midrange, and midrange frequency.
Daniss Jenkins (Iona)
Jenkins spent two years at Pacific before joining Rick Pitino at Iona. He is in the 30th percentile in SQ PPP (54% bad possession rate) but is in the 85th percentile or better in block and steal rate while also being third in points per game.
Miryne Thomas (Kent State)
Thomas transferred from Ball State to Kent State last offseason and is putting up near identical numbers for the Golden Flashes this year, albeit with a significant dip in turnovers. Additionally, he is in the 75th percentile in SQ PPP and 87th percentile in the steal and block rate.
Ben VanderWal (Furman)
The freshman from Timothy Christian High School in Elmhurst, Illinois, has done well in his 16 minutes per game this season. He is in the 89th percentile in SQ PPP and the 91st percentile or better in driving to the basket and attacking the rim.
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