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We’re a day late on this, but we know you won’t be short on the #hottakes.
The Mid-Major Madness Power Rankings saw quite a shakeup this week, as our writers stepped back and re-thought their ballots. Now that we have a bigger basketball sample size, we can rely less on guesswork and projections, and more on what teams have actually accomplished.
In that spirit, Nevada made a huge jump this week despite two ho-hum victories. Middle Tennessee, Chattanooga, and Arlington entered the rankings as well, while Vermont and Akron faltered.
Really, the only place our ballots stayed the same was up top, where Gonzaga edged out its conference rival Saint Mary’s by a mere four points. Both those teams face big tests this week, as the Bulldogs hosts Washington and the Gaels welcome Arlington to Moraga.
So how did it all shake out? Take a look:
Mid-Major Madness Power Rankings:
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | LAST WEEK | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonzaga (6) | 8-0 | 1 | 198 |
| 2 | Saint Mary’s (2) | 6-0 | 2 | 194 |
| 3 | Wichita State | 7-2 | 4 | 177 |
| 4 | Valparaiso | 7-1 | 7 | 176 |
| 5 | Dayton | 5-2 | 6 | 157 |
| 6 | VCU | 6-2 | 5 | 154 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 5-3 | 3 | 142 |
| 8 | UNC Wilmington | 7-1 | 9 | 134 |
| 9 | Nevada | 7-2 | 19 | 110 |
| 10 | St. Bonaventure | 5-2 | 15 | 97 |
| 11 | San Diego State | 4-2 | 10 | 87 |
| 12 | BYU | 5-3 | 11 | 86 |
| 13 | Davidson | 5-2 | 8 | 72 |
| 14 | Middle Tennessee | 8-1 | NR | 62 |
| 15 | Chattanooga | 6-2 | NR | 61 |
| 16 | UT Arlington | 7-3 | NR | 59 |
| 17 | Ohio | 5-1 | 13 | 57 |
| 18 | East Tennessee State | 7-1 | 22 | 51 |
| 19 | Monmouth | 6-2 | 15 | 49 |
| 20 | Florida Gulf Coast | 5-3 | 21 | 45 |
| 21 | College of Charleston | 6-3 | NR | 38 |
| 22 | Illinois State | 4-2 | NR | 35 |
| 23 | New Mexico | 5-3 | 14 | 29 |
| 23 | Tennessee State | 7-1 | 25 | 29 |
| 25 | Arkansas State | 7-2 | 17 | 28 |
| Others Receiving Votes: Old Dominion 25; Vermont 23; Akron 23; Fort Wayne 18; Colorado State 18; Oakland 18; Princeton 17; Northern Iowa 14; La Salle 13; George Washington 12; Richmond 11; Missouri State 10; Portland 9; Fresno State 6; Louisiana Lafayette 3; Massachusetts 2; San Francisco 1. | ||||