MM Poll 2/27 - Bucknell Jumps to #2

[TexasTerror]

This week's mid-major poll...

1. Gonzaga (31) 24-3 775 1
2. Bucknell 23-4 716 5
3. George Mason 22-6 697 2
4. Wichita State 23-7 683 6
5. UNC-Wilmington 22-7 640 7
6. Western Kentucky 21-6 603 4
7. Kent State 21-7 548 9
8. Hofstra 22-5 543 10
9. Missouri State 20-7 541 12
10. Northern Iowa 22-8 473 3
11. Creighton 19-8 463 8
12. Southern Illinois 19-10 399 11
13. Northwestern State 20-7 334 16
14. Winthrop 20-7 325 18
15. Akron 19-7 318 14
16. Wisconsin-Milwaukee 19-8 262 17
17. Old Dominion 21-8 234 19
18. South Alabama 21-6 207 21
19. Pacific 20-7 197 22
20. Iona 20-7 182 13
21. Murray State 21-6 176 20
22. Montana 19-6 112 15
23. Bradley 18-9 98 NR
24. Georgia Southern 20-8 59 NR
25. Delaware State 17-11 57 NR

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Manhattan 54, Miami (Ohio) 47, Northern Arizona 45, VCU 45, Sam Houston State 36, Fairleigh Dickinson 32, Albany 31, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 27, Penn 22, IUPUI 18, Northeastern 18, UC-Irvine 16, Marist 12, Coastal Carolina 11, Butler 9, Samford 5, Southern 3, Lipscomb 2.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

PL is really hated on in this poll. No Lehigh or Holy Cross.

[wannabegaucho]

Montana ahead of NAU? Yes, UM will likely beat NAU.

[dbackjon]

Montana ahead of NAU? Yes, UM will likely beat NAU.

We shall see. We beat them at our place already, and to get to the NCAA's, they are going to have to beat us there - something no Big Sky team has done this year.

[ngineer]

What makes a 'mid-major'? Gonzaga, IMO, is not a mid-major when it comes to basketball.

[wannabegaucho]

We shall see. We beat them at our place already, and to get to the NCAA's, they are going to have to beat us there - something no Big Sky team has done this year.
I can't help but worry though. I'd love to see you guys make the tournament, though. Then UC Davis would have played against 3 tournament teams (NAU, Nevada, Big West Champion)

[AZGrizFan]

We shall see. We beat them at our place already, and to get to the NCAA's, they are going to have to beat us there - something no Big Sky team has done this year.

HA! What a BLOWOUT!!!!! A game not NEARLY as close as the final score would indiate. Just like in Flagstaff, when Griz were up by 18 until we inexplicably and suddenly couldn't find the basket. NAU has DEFINITE matchup problems with the Griz. Good luck in the tourney, jon. You'll need it!

[dbackjon]

HA! What a BLOWOUT!!!!! A game not NEARLY as close as the final score would indiate. Just like in Flagstaff, when Griz were up by 18 until we inexplicably and suddenly couldn't find the basket. NAU has DEFINITE matchup problems with the Griz. Good luck in the tourney, jon. You'll need it!


We shall see - at least we didn't lose by 25 to a team that is not even making the Big Sky tourney...... :)

[Pard4Life]

PL is really hated on in this poll. No Lehigh or Holy Cross.

Both teams don't deserve it. And this is why...

Lehigh's non-conf. schedule...

vs. Northwestern (Laramie, Wyo.) (BCA Invitational) L 59-61
vs. Coppin State (Laramie, Wyo.) (BCA Invitational) W 65 - 64
vs. Butler (Laramie, Wyo.) (BCA Invitational) L 41 - 66
Princeton (Stabler Arena) L 54 - 64
Stony Brook (Stabler Arena) W 58 - 54
at No. 4 Villanova (Villanova, Pa.) L 47 - 84
Eastern (Stabler Arena) W 67 - 48
at Cornell (Ithaca, N.Y.) L 53 - 57
at Sacred Heart (Fairfield, Conn.) L 55 - 66
Harvard (Stabler Arena) W 67 - 56
Monmouth (Stabler Arena) W 71 - 57
at No. 7 Washington (Seattle, Wash.) L 37 - 54
Towson (Stabler Arena) L 66 - 69
at Columbia (New York, N.Y.) W 65 - 57

Even Lafayette beat Princeton and Cornell.. and those teams are not very good this year. Butler is Horizon's number two, a very competitve mid-major conference... and Lehigh was blown out there.

And Holy Cross...

High Point W, 85-73
William & Mary W, 67-55
Harvard L, 70-55
Cincinnati L, 77-55
Vermont L, 68-64
Siena L, 68-63
Fordham W, 71-63 (2OT)
Brown W, 64-41
Tennessee-Chattanooga W, 82-65
Clemson L, 71-48
Mississippi State L, 76-75
George Mason L, 71-38
Northeastern W, 59-44
Boston University W, 57-55
Boston College L, 63-53

HC has the better non-conference resume, but they finished third in the league. That George Mason drubbing speaks volumes of where they stand on the mid-major scale. So, no big Ws for Holy Cross, although almost vs Mississippi St. at a nuetral site.

[Pard4Life]

What makes a 'mid-major'? Gonzaga, IMO, is not a mid-major when it comes to basketball.

Agree with you on that nigineer. Mid-major is a team that plays in a conference outside of the big-boys, i.e. Big East, ACC, Big 10, etc. However, I'd say that the MVC could be seated at the lower end of the 'big-boys' table as a power conference. They definetely take the A10's seat, which is no longer really a power conference in my opinion. Neither is CUSA.

Gonzaga is an anomaly and I really hope some journalist out there writes a book on how they came from mid-major anonymity to a Top 5 team continuously, with NBA players.

[AZGrizFan]

We shall see - at least we didn't lose by 25 to a team that is not even making the Big Sky tourney...... :)

As I said, it's the matchup problems that will plague NAU if they meet Montana in the finals. But I agree, Montana will have to get by whoever makes it out of the qualifying games...and THAT I'm not nearly as confident of as I am of their ability to beat NAU.