It was an abbreviated NCAA Tournament for mid-major schools, with all of them out of the running following the second round.
The fact that no mid-major teams advanced to the Sweet 16 could be a sign of things to come. With NIL disparity between the power conferences and the mid-majors, this is a trend that is likely to continue.
On the positive side, there were some good moments for the mid-majors. Here is a look back at the mid-major schools’ performances in the tournament.
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BIGGEST HEARTBREAKER
(4) Maryland 72, (12) Colorado State 71. Jalen Lake’s three-pointer gave Colorado State a 71-70 lead when Maryland called a timeout with 3.6 seconds remaining. Maryland won it when 6-10 freshman Derik Queen hit an off-balanced bank shot at the buzzer, enabling the Terrapins to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016. Queen was the Big 10 Freshman of the Year and is projected to be a potential NBA Lottery pick.
Colorado State 6-6 senior Nique Clifford had 21 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Of little consolation, Clifford finished as Colorado State’s all-time single-season scoring leader with 681 points. The previous record of 676 by Pat Durham had stood since 1988.
Maryland was supposed to dominate inside, but it was from beyond the arc where the Terps had the biggest advantage, shooting 10 for 24 (.417) compared to 5 for 21 (.238) for Colorado State.
UPSET SPECIALS
(12) McNeese 69, (5) Clemson 67. McNeese owned a 31-13 lead at intermission and led by as many as 24 points early in the second half before holding on for dear life at the end. Brandon Murray, a 6-5 senior, had 21 points off the bench to lead the Cowboys. It was the first-ever NCAA win for McNeese. Quadir Copeland, a 6-6 junior transfer from Syracuse, added 16 points, seven rebounds, five assistss and two steals, while 6-6 senior Christian Shumate contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds.
McNeese won despite shooting just 4 of 19 from three-point range (.211) and 11 of 22 from the foul line.
Clemson shot just 1 of 15 from three-point range in the first half, but the Tigers were 8 for 15 in the final 20 minutes. Just too little, too late.
(11) Drake 67, (6) Missouri 57. Bennett Stirtz, a 6-4 junior and Missouri Valley Player of the Year, scored 21 points and added four assists for the Bulldogs. He shot 8-11 from the field, including 3 for 3 from three-point range, while also hitting both free throws. Tavion Banks, a 6-7 junior, came off the bench to total 15 points. He showed why he was named the MVC Sixth Man of the Year.
Drake won despite shooting just 12 for 24 from the foul line. Missouri was hurt by shooting just 4 of 16 from three-point range
Stirtz was one of four players who followed coach Ben McCollum from Division II Northwest Missouri State. McCollum has since been named the new head coach at Iowa.
CLASSIC ENDING
Amarr Knox’s layup with one second left gave Alabama State a 70-68 over St. Francis (PA) in the First Four play-in game. It was Alabama State’s first ever NCAA win.
BEST TEAM PERFORMANCES
Gonzaga
The No. 8 seeded Zags blitzed No. 9 Georgia, 89-68 in the opening round, behind 24 points from 6-5 senior Khalif Battle and 18 each from 6-10 redshirt sophomore Braden Huff and 6-2 senior Nolan Hickman. Gonzaga held Georgia to 5 for 26 shooting from deep (.192)
Gonzaga was also impressive during an 81-76 loss to No. 1 seeded Houston. This came against a Cougars team that leads the nation in scoring defense, allowing 58.4 points per game.
Graham Ike, a 6-9 senior who had 13 points in the win over Georgia, led Gonzaga with 27 points while adding five rebounds and two blocks. Battle scored 17, and point guard Ryan Nembhard contributed 10 points and 11 assists.
The Zags pulled to within 77-76 on two Battle free throws with 21 seconds left. After Houston’s LJ Cryer made two free throws to increase the lead to 79-76, Battle had a three-point jumper blocked by Ja’Vier Francis with three seconds left. Houston was then fouled and made two free throws to round out the scoring.
Colorado State
Besides the aforementioned buzzer-beating loss against Maryland, (12) Colorado State opened with a 78-70 win over (5) Memphis. Despite the seedings, Colorado State was a slight favorite since Memphis was without point guard Tyrese Hunter, who was sidelined with a foot injury. Colorado State 6-2 sophomore Kyan Evans scored 23 points. He shot 7 of 11 from the field and hit a career-high six three-pointers (in nine attempts) and added four assists in 36 minutes.
Rams star Nique Clifford was held to 14 points, but he added eight rebounds and six assists.
Trailing by five points at halftime, the Rams outscored Memphis 47-34 in the second half.
ALL MID-MAJOR TOURNAMENT TEAMS
First-Team
Bennett Stirtz, 6-4, Jr., Drake. (MVP). The Missouri Valley Player of the Year, Stirtz scored 21 points and added four assists in the Bulldogs opening 67-57 win over Missouri. He shot 8-11 from the field, including 3 for 3 from three-point range, while also hitting both free throws. In a 77-64 second-round loss to Texas Tech, Stirtz added 21 points (9 for 19 shooting), three rebounds, eight assists, and one turnover. Not bad for somebody who competed previously at Division II Northwest Missouri State.
Nelly Junior Joseph, 6-10 Sr., New Mexico. Joseph had 19 points and seven rebounds in the Lobos’ opening 75-62 win over Marquette. He shot 7 for 10 from the field, while not attempting a three-pointer, and hit all five free throws. In the second-round 71-63 loss to Michigan State, Joseph had 16 points and seven rebounds, shooting 7 for 9 from the field while making two steals.
Graham Ike, 6-9 Sr., Gonzaga. After scoring 13 points on 6 of 9 shooting in an opening 89-68 win over Georgia, Ike exploded for 27 points (8-13 from the field, 2 of 3 from 3, and 9 of 9 from the foul line) in an 81-76 loss to Houston. He also had five rebounds, one assist, and two blocks.
Nique Clifford, 6-6 Sr., Colorado State. In an opening 78-70 win over Memphis, he totaled 14 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and no turnovers. Clifford then totaled 21 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in the 72-71 second-round loss to Maryland. Even though he shot 10 for 30 in the two games, Clifford attracted plenty of defensive attention and showed his all-around game.
Amarr Knox, 6-3 So., Alabama State. Knox had 16 points and broke a 68-68 tie with the winning layup in Alabama State’s 70-68 victory over St. Francis in a play-in game. He added 18 points, four rebounds, and two steals during an 83-63 loss to Auburn.
SECOND TEAM
Khalif Battle, 6-5 senior Gonzaga. Battle, who previously played for Butler, Temple, and Arkansas, scored 24 points in an opening round win over Georgia. He shot 9 for 14 from the field, including 4 of 7 from deep, and added eight rebounds and two assists. Battle then had 17 points and six rebounds in the second-round loss to Texas Tech.
Brandon Murray, 6-5 Sr., McNeese. Murray came off the bench to score 21 points in the opening upset win over Clemson. He shot 10 of 18, including 1 of 2 from three-point range. In the second-round loss to Purdue, he contributed nine points, five rebounds, and four assists off the bench while shooting 3 for 7.
Mitchell Saxen, 6-10 Sr., Saint Mary’s. Saxen had 12 points and 11 rebounds, while shooting 5 of 8 from the field in an opening 59-56 win over Vanderbilt. During an 80-66 loss to Alabama, Saxen had 15 points, five rebounds, and three steals while shooting 7 for 12 from the field in 39 minutes.
Zeb Jackson, 6-5 Gr., VCU. The Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year, Jackson came off the bench to score 23 points in an opening 80-71 loss to BYU. Jackson, who began his career at Michigan, shot 9 of 14 from the field, including 5 of 10 from three-point range.
Tavion Banks, 6-7 Jr. Drake. The Missouri Valley Conference Sixth Man of the Year, Banks had 15 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and three blocked shots in 25 minutes off the bench during the Bulldogs’ opening-round upset win over Missouri. He added 11 points in 24 minutes along with four rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in the 77-64 loss to Texas Tech.
