In college football Division 1 schools are split between two subdivisions: FBS and FCS, and then, arguably, FBS is split between the Power 4 and the Group of 5. FBS gets the CFP. FCS, since 1978, has had their own playoff ranging from 4-24 teams.
Over on the court side of the house, Division 1 is simply Division 1. All D1 schools are eligible for the NCAA championship, even though there are also other, lesser, titles being handed out (The Crown, the NIT, etc.). That means 31 conferences start their season with hopes of being the next champion. Of those, only 5 are considered power conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big 10, Big East, and SEC). Leaving 26 conferences of mid-major mayhem.
Here at F2P, I’ll be covering that mayhem. Sure, you’ve got some well known names in these conferences: Gonzaga and rising star Saint Mary’s out of the West Coast Conference (WCC), Army and Navy in the Patriot League (of course), VCU and Dayton out of the Atlantic 10 (A-10), and Memphis in the American. But most of these teams don’t receive much national spotlight year to year. I intend to be that light for some of these teams that have proven they know how to ball.
And so, without further ado, I present part 1.
Pre-Season (You Know Nothing, Jon Snow) Mid Major Madness!
Atlantic Sun
Top 2
North Alabama shared the regular season title with Lipscomb in ’24-’25. They lead the ASUN in the preseason media poll, receiving 18 of 51 first place votes. The Lions will return 10 players from their NIT team, including one of two players selected unanimously by the coaches as Preseason All-ASUN Team. Forward Cornelious Williams averaged 9.7 points and 9.1 rebounds last year. Donte Bacchus joined Williams on the Preseason All-ASUN Team nominees after playing sixth-man for the Lions last season, appearing in all 35 games and averaging 8.3 points and 4.2 rebounds.
While in their first season of post-season eligibility, Queens University isn’t projected to start slow as they were picked to win the conference in the coaches poll, receiving half of the first place votes. The Royals return sharpshooting senior Chris Ashby, who was picked as the Preseason Player of the Year. Ashby set the single-season record for Queens with 115 made three pointers last year, on route to 12.7 points, 1.2 boards, and 1.1 assists per game. If the Royals are going to live up to the preseason hype, they will need to replace the best shot blocker in the country after Malcom Wilson graduated. They went into the portal and added Avantae Parker from Georgia Southern to fill this hole as Parker is coming off back to back seasons averaging at least 1.1 block per game.
Player Spotlight
Chris Ashby- senior 6’2 guard. He has played at least 33 games in his three seasons at Queens and while his FG and 3-point percentages have dropped each year, his points have risen along with his rebounds and assists. Ashby will likely be carrying Queens if the Royals want any shot at the NCAA tournament in their first season.
America East
Top 2
Vermont is no surprise to be selected as the Preseason favorite. The Catamounts have won 13 regular season titles to go along with 8 conference tournaments. Vermont returns two of the top Guards in the conference as TJ Hurley and TJ Long will both be back on the court. Hurley shot a league-leading 46.4% from three in conference play last year to push his scoring to 17.8 points per game. Long, however, was injured early in the ’24 campaign but is expected to be back to his ’23-’24 numbers: 12 PPG, 4 boards, and 2.2 3-pointers. Vermont has a shot at a couple impressive resume-building wins in their non-conference as they play Liberty (Conference USA Champs) Yale (Ivy League Champs) and Princeton before the end of the year.
University of Albany has the biggest chance to impress early if they can show up for their opener at Marquette. Now, the Great Danes are likely not pulling out the upset, but a quality loss on the road could propel them forward as they face 3 A-10 and Ivy’s in the rest of their non-conference before a real shot at a road win over South Carolina. Sophomore Guard Amir Lindsey was named to the Preseason All-Conference Team after a freshman campaign ended in All-Rookie Team honors. The Great Danes tied with Maine for second place in the Preseason poll.
Player Spotlight
TJ Hurley- senior 6’5 guard started 31 games last season for Vermont. He shot 42.7% from the field and 38.2% from beyond the arc. Hurley leads all returning America East players with 15.8 PPG.
American
Top 2
Memphis, the defending regular season and tournament champs, are set to be the class of the American (even if they might not be over on the football field). Penny Hardaway lost last year’s best player when P.J. Haggerty went to Kansas State. In return (not that there’s trades, of course) the Wildcats sent Dug McDaniel over to Memphis. McDaniel could lead the Tigers, unless Sincere Parker turns up and returns to his sophomore form. Parker shot 49.2% from the field, 42.6% from the arc and collected 15.9 points per game in his 16 games in ’23-’24. Last year, Parker dropped to 12.2 PPG behind 43.7% and 30.1% from the field and arc, respectively. Julius Thedford is a name to watch as the Sophomore returns home to Memphis after a year at Western Kentucky. The Tigers have a strong non-conference schedule including an early trip down the road to Ole Miss before welcoming the #1 ranked Boilermakers into town in late November. The middle of December will be a true litmus test as the Tigers will alternate home and away between Baylor, Louisville, Vandy, and Mississippi State.
South Florida will vie for the title this year and have the senior duo to do it. Izaiyah Nelson, Arkansas State transfer, and Daimion Collins, LSU, combined for 18.6 points and 13.2 rebounds per game last year. And the Bulls will happily welcome the transfers in hopes to improve on the 165th most prolific offense in the country last year as they went 13-19 overall and 6-12 in conference. The Bulls have the non-conference schedule to improve early as home games against George Washington, VCU, and Utah State are the only rough patches until a Dec. 17th date at Alabama. New head coach Bryan Hodgson will look to bring the Bulls their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2012.
Player Spotlight
Rowan Brumbaugh- Tulane junior 6’4 guard started all 34 games for the Green Wave last season averaging 35 minutes per game. He put up 15.5 points while also averaging 4 rebounds and 4.8 assists. His turnovers (2.2 per game) may be an issue.
A-10
Top 3 (Because gotta talk about them Flyers)
VCU will need to impress in their non-conference as they face only NC State on the road. The Rams are being led by new head coach Phil Martelli Jr. Martelli comes over from Bryant, who, like the Rams, made the NCAA tournament last year. Both leading scorers from last season are gone, so someone else will have to step up. Sophomore Guard Brandon Jennings was named to the Preseason All-Defensive Team after playing in all 35 games last season. Martelli brought over Barry Evans and Keyshawn Mitchell from Bryant. The duo posted 21.8 PPG and 13.6 boards, while Evans shot over 37% from 3 and Mitchell shot 52.4% from the field.
The Billikens boast one of the coolest glasses-wearing guys on the court and a non-conference schedule that doesn’t pose a drop of sweat. Saint Louis was picked second in the A-10, but only by 1 point. Robbie Avila is back and ready to improve on 17.3 ppg, 6.9 boards, and a 49.2% mark from the field. With the other two 17 point scorers gone, Josh Schertz, in his second year head coaching SLU, will need to figure out how to score to the tune of 5th best offense (and best field goal percentage) in the A-10. Dion Brown, a Boston College transfer, is only a year removed from posting 50.6% FG% and 19 PPG at UMBC. Quentin Jones, Northern Illinois, posted 16.6 ppg last year while Quinnipiac transfer Paul Otieno has posted double digit ppg and at least 58% from the field over the last two years.
Dayton has the best non-conference schedule of the three featuring games against Cincinnati, Marquette, Georgetown, Virginia, and Florida State. The Flyers will be led by Javon Bennett and Cal State Northridge transfer Keonte Jones. Bennett comes off a solid junior campaign where he put up double-digits 20 times on route to an 11.6 ppg and 2.1 assists, 2.7 boards and 1.5 steals. Jones is a graduate transfer who earned Big West First Team honors while shooting 50.6% from the field and scored 13.1 ppg while also averaging 9 boards and 4.1 assists. Amaël L’Etang, joins Bennett and Jones as a Preseason Team selection. L’Etang is looking to build off his freshman campaign when he averaged 7.1 ppg, 4.3 boards and 1.2 assists. He shot 50.9% from the field.
Player Spotlight
Robbie Avila- Senior 6’10 center put up 22 points in the Bills last regular season and NIT game. And he shares the rock. His 6.9 rebounds and 4 assists were both top 10 in the league last year.
Next I’ll be covering the Bigs and Coastal, so stay tuned for more Four Point Play!
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