Mid-major men’s basketball preseason rankings: How Gonzaga, San Diego State make offseason moves

What even is a mid-major in Division I College Basketball in 2025?

It’s not an easy answer. With conference realignments absorbing so much of what we know about the College Hoops landscape, which has featured numerous long-term mid-majors in recent years, it’s hard to keep up.

For example, it’s strange to consider Gonzaga a mid-major, given that they have made two national championship appearances in the past nine years and play a tougher nonconference schedule than numerous high-major programs. But because they’re still in the WCC, that’s how the world sees them. (That will change next year when the ZAGs join the rebranded Pac-12 with Oregon State, Washington State and Boise State, among others, turning into a conference more on par with the Big East).

In the age of the transfer portal, where athletes are almost always immediately eligible to play at their new school, mid-majors are often devastated by high-major programs with more resources. The schools below lost their share of key pieces of last year’s rosters, but given their track record of success, they’ll make any high-major team that draws them in the NCAA Tournament nervous, and rightly so.

A quick note: It’s not uncommon for some of the top mid-majors to meet in conference games—Boise State and San Diego State both play in the Mountain West, for example, and Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga have one of the nation’s best basketball rivalries in the WCC. But for now, mark December 14th on your calendars. That’s when Saint Mary’s and Boise State meet in Idaho falls in what should be one of the best games of the season—mid-major or otherwise.

Here’s a breakdown of the top five mid-major teams according to Bart Torvik’s preseason rankings.

1. Gonzaga

Previous season: 26-9 (NCAA Tournament Second Round)

Coach: Mark Weight (27th season)

Top Bench players: Mario Saint-Supery (International), Steele Venters (Redshirt, Eastern Washington), Emmanuel Innocenti (1.7 PPG, 1.9 RPG), Ismaila Diagne (3.4 PPG, 1.8 RPG) Jalen Warley (redshirt), Davis Fogle (Freshman, No. 39)

Biggest Losses: Khalif Battle (13.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG), Ryan Nembhard (10.5 ppg, 3.0 RPG, 9.8 APG), Nolan Hickman (10.9 ppg, 2.4 RPG, 2.3 APG)

Why they are here: The biggest question in Spokane right now is, does Tyon Grant-Foster qualify? As of September 29, Grant-Foster is still waiting for the NCAA to grant his waiver request, and the Zags’ ceiling could be hanging this season if he plays or not. Grant-Foster’s case is unconventional, to say the least: He’s 25, played one year of junior college and is at his fourth Division I school after stops at Kansas, DePaul and GCU, where he was the 2024 WAC Player of the Year. He missed two full seasons due to a heart condition but is now healthy.

Gonzaga, the No. 14 team in C.J. Moore’s top 25, has a lot of other players to be excited about, including freshman Davis Fogle, finally healthy former Big Sky MVP Steele Venters and Adam Miller, who connected on 42.9 percent of his 3-point attempts at ASU. This is Gonzaga, so of course they have an international player to keep an eye on: Mario Saint-Supery has been one of the top players in Spain’s Spain National Program for years and was named MVP of the 2022 FIBA ​​U16 European Championship. Gonzaga has a long history of signing international gems. But how much does Saint-Supery play in Mark Weight’s 27th season in Spokane?

2. San Diego State

Previous season: 10/21 (NCAA Tournament First Round)

Coach: Brian Dutcher (ninth season)

Top Bench players: Reese Dixon-Water (Redshirt), Pharaoh Compton (5.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG), Davis Latrell (11.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG at San Jose State), Tag Degourville (5.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG),

Biggest Losses: Nick Boyd (13.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.9 APG), Jared Coleman Jones (7.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg)

Why they are here: The Aztecs return three starters, including Magoon Gwath, the 2025 Mountain West Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Who will be the second best player on this roster?

There’s a lot of hype surrounding Reese Dixon-Waters, the former Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year when he came off the bench at USC in 2022-23. After a solid junior season in 2023-24 in which he averaged 9.6 points and 3.7 rebounds, Dixon Waters redshirted last season. He must insist on a starting spot.

Pharaoh Compton was undrafted as a freshman last year, when you consider the accolades he had coming out of high school as the best player in Nevada and SDSU’s first top-100 signee in nearly 20 years. Look for a big jump from him. In terms of transfer, Sean Newman Jr. an assist machine in Conference USA with an excellent assist-to-turnover ratio (2.66). How quickly does that translate to a new competition with new teammates?

3. Boise State

Previous season: 26-11

Coach: Leon Rice (16th season)

Top Bench players: Drew Fielder (7.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg at Georgetown), Dominic Parolin (Redshirt, Lehigh), Ethan Lathan (redshirt)

Biggest Losses: Tyson Degenhart (18.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG), Alvaro Cardenas (11.5 ppg, 3.1 RPG, 6.9 APG)

Why they are here: The Broncos need a new point guard after the graduation of Alvaro Cardenas, and that’s exactly why they went and signed Dylan Andrews, a former top-50 recruit, out of the portal. He’s not the only rookie to watch: Forward Dominic Parolin redshirted last season but was a solid player at Lehigh, averaging 11.5 points per game in 2023-24. What can he do in the best mid-major conference in the country? Drew Fielder, who came out of Georgetown, should also contribute early.

Boise State will have its share of youth, with five freshmen on the roster. The most intriguing player of that bunch is Ethan Lathan, the No. 34 center prospect in the 2024 class who redshirted last year and is expected to contribute in some capacity almost immediately. It’s hard to predict what will happen with so much inexperience to start the season, but it helps to have such an experienced coach, with Leon Rice entering his 16th season leading the Broncos.

4. VCU

Previous season: 28-7

Coach: Phil Martelli Jr. (First Season)

Top Bench players: Tyrell Ward (Redshirt, LSU), Michael Belle (2.8 ppg, 3.1 RPG), Ahmad Nowell (1.5 ppg, 1.1 APG at UConn)

Biggest Losses: Max Shulga (15.0 ppg, 5.9 RPG, 4.0 APG), Joe Bamisile (15.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg)

Why they are here: Losing all five starters is never fun, but VCU should be solid again this season with a new coach, experienced veterans finally getting serious minutes and a few key transfers.

Tyrell Ward, a former top-40 recruit who played two seasons at LSU, could explode. He was a key player for the Tigers for two seasons, starting a total of 54 games. He redshirted last season, but will likely push for a starting spot. Barry Evans is also primed for a big year after a breakout 2024-25 season at Bryant, where he was named the American East Newcomer of the Year. Evans was one of two players that first-year coach Phil Martelli Jr. followed from Bryant to VCU; Keyshawn Mitchell, who started at Bryant last year, was the other.

And don’t be fooled by UConn’s Ahmad Nowell’s overwhelming statistics. The 6-foot point guard was a top 40 recruit in the class of 2024 when he committed to UConn over offers from Kansas, Kentucky and Auburn, among others. He struggled with a shoulder injury last season. Now healthy, he has the skills to be a star in the Atlantic 10.

Max Shulga is one of the most significant departures for the Rams after being drafted in the second round of this past NBA draft. (Isaiah J. Downing/Imagn images)

5. Saint Mary’s

Previous season: 29-6

Coach: Randy Bennett (25th season)

Top Bench players: Jazz Gardner (4.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG at Pacific)

Biggest Losses: G Augustas Marciulionis (14.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 5.9 APG), Jordan Ross (8.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.6 APG), Mitchell Saxen (10.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg), Luke Barrett (9.8 ppg, 6.8 Rpg)

Why they are here: The Gaels lost a lot in the offseason, mostly to graduation, but also, in a perfect example of how mid-majors have become farm system teams to some extent, to the transfer portal, when Jordan Ross left for Georgia. As a result, Saint Mary’s returns just one starter from 2024-25, although two guys who were solid off the bench, Mikey Lewis and Harry Wessels, are also back; A significant increase in their production will be necessary.

Freshman Mantas Juzenas is the latest Lithuanian to join the Gaels, and they have a history of developing top players from that country. The two signed intra-conference transfers are also worth keeping an eye on. Bottom line: This roster may look mostly new, but we trust Randy Bennett. There’s a reason why SMC has been one of the top mid-major programs for over a decade.

Also considered rankings: Utah State, Memphis, South Florida