Mid-Major Power Rankings: Upsets Usher In 2024 & A New No. 1
Mid-Major Power Rankings: Upsets Usher In 2024 & A New No. 1
With its win at Gonzaga, San Diego State climbs in the first FloHoops Mid-Major Power Rankings of 2024. FAU's upset loss to FGCU leads to change at No. 1.
In what was arguably San Diego State's biggest win since Lamont Butler's buzzer-beater sank FAU at the Final Four, the Aztecs put an emphatic exclamation point on 2023. Jaedon LeDee and Reese Waters combined for half of San Diego State's points in an 84-74 win at Gonzaga, launching last season's national semifinalist back into the top four of the FloHoops Mid-Major Power Rankings to open 2024.
This special trio was the driving force behind our win at No. 13 Gonzaga on Friday night! #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/DlsHg6sNsy
— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) December 31, 2023
Each sports a 12-1 record heading into their meeting in Fort Collins, with New Mexico riding an 11-game winning streak. The Lobos have scored at least 73 points in each of those 11 contests, and averaged 86.3 points per game in that stretch.
Colorado State, meanwhile, boasts the nation's No. 11 most efficient offense per KenPom.com metrics, thanks in part to the fourth-highest 2-point field-goal percentage (61.6) and 36th-best 3-point percentage (37.6). The Rams are putting up 84.7 points per game behind six players averaging at least 8.3 a contest.
Rams trending 📈 to start 2024! #Stalwart x #TeamTogether pic.twitter.com/JC9h4ZfVFG
— Colorado State Men’s Basketball (@CSUMBasketball) January 1, 2024
All indicators suggest the Mountain West showdown should be a high-scoring affair.
As for flourishing on offense, Memphis — which ascends to the top spot this week, thanks in part to American Athletic Conference counterpart FAU dropping a surprising upset decision last week — opens league play having scored at least 77 points in all six wins on its current winning streak.
The newly minted No. 1 Tigers took over the pole position in the Power Rankings that FAU occupied last week, but concedes following a 72-68 loss to Florida Gulf Coast.
Memphis plays at one of the fastest paces in college basketball per KenPom metrics, and features one of the most effective scorers in the game with David Jones putting up 21.2 points per contest. Jones and Alabama transfer Jahvon Quinerly have made for a dynamic duo with Quinerly averaging 13.1 points and almost five assists per game.
The Tigers open AAC competition with a pair of intriguing matchups at Tulsa and hosting SMU. This is opening week in conference play across a variety of leagues, including the Coastal Athletic Association, which boasts one of the best mid-major games of the week.
College of Charleston, riding a five-game winning streak, heads to New York for a meeting with Hofstra on Thursday.
The Cougars and Pride shared last season's CAA regular-season title and were tabbed among the front-runners to contend for the 2024 crown. Hofstra faced an especially demanding non-conference slate, rolling into Coastal action over a three-week stretch that saw it travel to Duke, UNLV and face St. John's on a neutral floor, with only perennial MEAC contender Norfolk State visiting The Mack.
But while the Pride's record may not necessarily reflect it, Hofstra's play against quality competition and testing itself against a gauntlet makes it a team to watch come March. Look no further than St. John's coach and two-time NCAA Tournament champion Rick Pitino for an endorsement of coach Speedy Claxton and crew.
Rick Pitino: “I’ve shaken hands with Dean Smith, Frank McGuire, Lou Carnesecca, you name it from Bill Self…and I was close friends with John Wooden, so don’t exaggerate this, Speedy Claxton is one of the best coaches I’ve coached against in my lifetime” #sjubb
— Dave (@Davee_8) December 30, 2023
Charleston is one of two CAA teams checking into this week's Power Rankings facing a major road test in the coming week. UNC Wilmington remains in the rankings at No. 15 despite a loss at Arkansas.
The Seahawks scored 90 points in a game more competitive than the 106-90 final indicates, with both Trazarien White and Shykeim Phillips notching career scoring highs at 28 and 25 points. UNCW stays in the Power Rankings by virtue of its overall outstanding play on the road, including one of the most impressive road victories of the season at Kentucky, and it will need to call on that experience again visiting Drexel.
The Seahawks and Dragons feature perhaps the top two individual talents in the CAA between UNCW's White and Drexel's Amari Williams. The teams also boast the conference's two most impressive wins with the Seahawks' aforementioned defeat of Kentucky, and Drexel knocking off Villanova in Big 5 competition.
A clash of styles between high-scoring UNCW and Drexel's intense, defensive-oriented approach makes for one of the most interesting games on the first slate of 2024.
Games to Watch Jan. 2-7
Tuesday, Jan. 2
Utah State at Air Force, 4 p.m. ET/ 1 p.m. PT
Belmont at Southern Illinois, 8 p.m./5 p.m.
San Jose State at Wyoming, 8:30 p.m./5:30 p.m.
New Mexico at Colorado State, 10:30 p.m./7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 3
George Mason at La Salle, 6:30 p.m./3:30 p.m.
High Point at Radford, 7 p.m./4 p.m.
Dayton at Davidson, 7 p.m./4 p.m.
Duquesne at UMass, 7 p.m./4 p.m.
Saint Bonaventure at VCU, 9 p.m./6 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 4
Towson at Monmouth, 7 p.m./4 p.m.
Charleston at Hofstra, 7 p.m./4 p.m.
Memphis at Tulsa, 8 p.m./5 p.m.
North Texas at Wichita State, 9 p.m./6 p.m.
Saint Mary's at San Diego, 11 p.m./8 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 5
Bowling Green at Akron, 9 p.m./6 p.m.
Boise State at San Jose State, 10:30 p.m./7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 6
Tulane at North Texas, 2 p.m./11 a.m.
UNC Wilmington at Towson, 2 p.m./11 a.m.
Harvard at Princeton, 2 p.m./11 a.m.
Missouri State at Bradley, 4 p.m./1 p.m.
Duquesne at Loyola Chicago, 4 p.m./1 p.m.
Saint Bonaventure at Richmond, 4 p.m./1 p.m.
George Washington at VCU, 4 p.m./1 p.m.
Liberty at Western Kentucky, 6 p.m./3 p.m.
Southern Illinois at Illinois State, 7 p.m./4 p.m.
Hawai'i at Cal State Northridge, 8 p.m./5 p.m.
Colorado State at Utah State, 9 p.m./6 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 7
UMass at Dayton, 1 p.m./10 a.m.
Drake at Belmont, 3 p.m./12 noon
Northern Kentucky at Cleveland State, 4 p.m./1 p.m.
SMU at Memphis, 5 p.m./2 p.m.
Jan. 2 Top 15
1. Memphis
Memphis regrouped nicely from consecutive losses a month ago with a winning streak that included defeats of VCU, Virginia and Texas A&M, all potential NCAA Tournament teams.
2. Colorado State
No team faces a more challenging first week of 2024 than Colorado State, beginning with Tuesday night's clash vs. New Mexico. The showdown of one-loss teams leads into a road trip for the Rams to Utah State, yet another Mountain West representative in the FloHoops Power Rankings.
3. New Mexico
The Lobos' impressive winning streak over noteworthy opponents Santa Clara and UC Irvine faces its stiffest challenge to date against Colorado State. A win in Fort Collins would propel New Mexico into the AP Top 25, and make a case for UNM to top the next Power Rankings.
4. San Diego State
After some hiccups around the holidays, needing a buzzer-beater to take down UC San Diego and a late rally vs. UC Irvine, book-ending a loss to Grand Canyon, San Diego State seemingly regained its Final Four stride in wins over Stanford and Gonzaga.
Jadeon LeDee's case for National Player of the Year consideration grows with each outing.
5. FAU
Following its win over Arizona, FAU garnered some much-deserved buzz as a potential No. 1 or No. 2 seed when the NCAA Tournament field is announced in March. The Owls have one of college basketball's strangest resumes through almost two months, however, with losses to a Bryant team hovering around No. 200 in overall KenPom.com ranking, and Florida Gulf Coast closer to No. 225.
6. Gonzaga
Mark Few has what may be his most vulnerable Gonzaga team since 2016, when the Bulldogs needed a run in the West Coast Conference Tournament to continue the program's NCAA Tournament streak that began in 1999. Four losses have all come against quality opponents, including San Diego State, but Gonzaga is seeking a really defining victory still almost two months into the campaign.
Good news for the Bulldogs — or bad news, depending on how it unfolds — the WCC slate is full of strong competition. Saint Mary's is surging after first-month struggles, while both San Francisco and Santa Clara have shown Big Dance potential so far.
7. Utah State
Utah State carries its 11-game winning streak into the Mountain West season with a potential trap game at Air Force looming. If the Aggies can overcome the Falcons, a home date with Colorado State this weekend offers Utah State a chance to make a statement to AP Top 25 voters.
8. Grand Canyon
In defeating Louisiana Tech before New Year's, Grand Canyon scored its third KenPom Top 100 win over the Antelopes' nine-game winning streak. GCU owns four such wins overall with defeats of San Francisco (No. 48), San Diego State (No. 24) and Liberty (No. 76).
That's the good news for the 'Lopes: Potential bad news is there isn't another team currently ranked any better than No. 108 remaining on the schedule, likely requiring GCU win the Western Athletic Conference to returning to the NCAA Tournament.
9. Nevada
At 13-1 with a six-game winning streak to its credit, Nevada is hitting its rhythm to start Mountain West play. The Wolfpack should start 2-0 in conference with a trip to Fresno State and home game vs. Air Force as preludes to next week's high-profile double-dip vs. Boise State and at San Diego State.
10. James Madison
Still undefeated and boasting the nation's longest winning streak, James Madison's continued slide in the Power Rankings might raise some eyebrows. The Dukes can only beat the competition in front of them, and they've done so 13 times to open the 2023-24 campaign.
But since the dramatic, overtime win at Michigan State on opening night and an 82-76 defeat of Southern Illinois on Nov. 21, James Madison has not played another team with a KenPom ranking better than No. 184. Four of the Dukes' last six opponents rank in the 300s, and a fifth is a Div. III program.
11. Dayton
Dayton closed out 2023 with a hard-fought win over Longwood, a team deserving of a shoutout in this space as a potential NCAA Tournament pick. The Lancers gave Dayton a handful on Dec. 30, but the Flyers' strong second half and monster performance from DaRon Holmes secured the win.
Holmes is building a strong All-American candidacy, adding 27 points and nine rebounds vs. Longwood to his season averages of 17.7 and 7.3 per game.
12. Indiana State
A rematch of the 1979 NCAA Championship Game with Michigan State ended the Sycamores' 10-game winning streak. However, Indiana State showed a ton in defeat with Jayson Kent stepping up to join Ryan Conwell and Isaiah Swope on an afternoon Robbie Avila struggled.
Swope's 26 points at Michigan State bolstered his season average to 19.6 points per game.
13. Charleston
Charleston followed up on its statement win over Saint Joseph's with a romp against Montreat. The Cougars have won five straight and found their footing heading into CAA play, showing some noteworthy similarities to last year's NCAA Tournament squad. One such similarity is balance in scoring, with seven Cougars averaging between 6.4 and Ben Burnham's team-leading 13.7 points per game.
14. Princeton
Princeton returns to the Power Rankings, recovering from its lone setback this season vs. Saint Joseph's with an 84-82 win at Delaware to close out 2023. Four Tigers scored in double-figures to hold off the second-half rally of a good Delaware team that should contend in the strong upper half of the CAA.
Although the Seahawks could not pull off the SEC sweep, the offensive showing at Arkansas continued an impressive start for Takayo Siddle's squad on that side of the ball. The multifaceted UNCW attack makes for an exciting brand of basketball that could well be the standard for the CAA this season.