Riley Saxon
By Riley Saxon
5 Mid Majors (not named Gonzaga) to Watch in 2021-2022
Houston
Houston is looking to build on the momentum of their first Final Four Appearance since 1984, but they’ll have to do so without Quentin Grimes and DeJon Jarreau. Still, Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark are back, plus Kyler Edwards transferred in from Texas Tech. Edwards pedigree, plus the returnees and some incoming length should keep Houston as one of the top defensive teams of the nation. And although they did not win the American last season, winning it this season will go a long way for seeding purposes.
Saint Bonaventure
An early exit from the tournament last season won’t dampen the enthusiasm for a squad that has a shot at beginning the season inside the AP Top 25. With Kyle Lofton at the point, they should be in every game. The starting lineup will likely consist of 5 seniors (who have a combined 328 starts at the collegiate level – many of them together). The Bonnies should have another top defense, plus they added some offensive pop in Jalen Adaway (12.2 ppg at Miami of Ohio), Abdoul Karim Coulibaly (5.2 points + 51% FG at Pitt) and Linton Brown (18.6 at the JuCo level).
San Diego State
They might still be chasing the high of their 2019-2020 campaign, but they are still the class of the Mountain West. Fans should also come back to Viejas Arena this season, so the Aztecs’ underrated home field advantage should be in full swing. They also added one of the best players in the transfer market in Matt Bradley, who was the third leading scorer (18.0 ppg) in the Pac 12 last year. In fact, SDSU added almost 43 points per game via the incoming transfers of Bradley, Chad Baker-Mazara, Tahirou Diabate and Jaedon LeDee. Improved scoring output to go along with the Aztecs traditionally great defense and rebounding could lead to Brian Duthcer’s first NCAA tourney win at San Diego State – and perhaps a few more.
Richmond
The Spiders started last year 6-1, with the only loss to #11 West Virginia. Injuries and Covid derailed the season, however, as they went 8-8 the rest of the way, capping off the season with a second round loss in the NIT. While Covid took down their 2020 and 2021 seasons, it also allowed Richmond’s four super-seniors to come back for one more year. Much like Atlantic 10 foe St. Bonaventure, Richmond will rely on experience to navigate the season that hopefully ends with them dancing.
Belmont
Belmont has had its moments throughout the past few years, including winning their first ever tournament game in 2019, but they’ve fallen short of more March Madness glory the past two years thanks to Covid and some untimely losses. They should again be at the top of the Ohio Valley, especially with player of the year candidate Nick Muszynski. There is some potential for Belmont to make noise in the non conference schedule: They’ll play either Alabama or Rick Pitino’s Iona Gaels, plus they have an MTE that includes Kansas and Miami, and they are at St. Louis in early December. They’ll still likely need to win the OVC tournament to get in, but they should have a few opportunities early on in the season.
The Bruin Bias
This week, we’ll take a quick look at Coach Mick Cronin’s record against the PAC 12.
Regular Season
Arizona (4-0) – Has continued an amazing stretch of winning against rival Wild Cats
Arizona St (3-1) – Cronin has game planned well the last three games of the series
California (3-0) – Handles business against the teams UCLA needs to
Colorado (3-1) – Lone loss kicked off series of losses at the end of last year
Oregon (0-2) – This will need to change for UCLA to win the Pac 12 this year
Oregon State (2-0) – Lost the important one in the Pac 12 tourney in 2021
Stanford (0-2) – Perhaps the most shocking record of Cronin’s tenure
USC (0-4) – Heartbreakers to end the regular season of both of Cronin’s years
Utah (4-0) – The team UCLA has dominated the most
Washington (4-0) – The first season sweep meant slightly more
Washington St (2-2) – Wazzu has gotten better every year; key series to watch
Total (25-12) – A better than .667 winning % that has included two Pac 12 Tournament first round byes in two attempts. Look for it to only improve in the future
Quick Thoughts
- 0-1 in the Pac 12 Tournament (Cancellation; OT L to Oregon St)
- UCLA has taken care of business against the bottom dwellers under Cronin
- 0-6 combined to Oregon and USC needs to change this year
College Hoops Breakdown appears twice a month through the summer at JoeTorosian.com
Riley Saxon can be reached at:
Email: rileymsaxon@gmail.com
Twitter: @CHoopsBreakdown …
