Player of the Week
Derrick Alston Jr.., Guard, Boise State Broncos
Guards are not typically 6’9, especially in college basketball, but Derrick Alston Jr. is not your typical guard. The massive standout junior took over the Diamond Head Classic with three imposing performances that led to two wins out of the three. The first of his games was easily the worst as he only put up 16 points in a 14-point loss against Georgia Tech.
His next two games in the tournament were far from disappointing. A 32-point display the following day against Portland and a 23-point game against UTEP on Wednesday capped off the week and tournament for a surging junior.
Over the entire season, Alston has averaged over 21 points per game overtaking Justinian Jessup as the leading scorer for the Broncos. With a large build, eerily similar to NBA star Ben Simmons, Alston has not only the talent, but also the size to make his way onto draft boards as the season progresses.
Who’s Hot?
Yoeli Childs, PF, BYU Cougars
There are not many guys averaging a double-double in college basketball. Yoeli Childs is one of those guys. Granted, he missed the first five games of the season because of a suspension; however, his stat-line is not to be overlooked. Standing at 6’8, Childs snags 10 rebounds to go along with his 20.8 PPG. His last three games have gone below, right on, and above these averages.
He started with a 14-point, 13-rebound game against Nevada. This was followed by his average of 20 points and 10 rebounds at Utah State. Finally, most recently, Childs poured in 28 points and 8 rebounds in a beatdown of Weber State. What I found most impressive about all of this was the fact that he carried the Cougars to wins in all three of these games.
The addition of Childs will be huge for a Cougars team looking to compete with the likes of Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s in conference play.
Wichita State Shockers, 10-1, American Athletic Conference
Whenever Wichita State and VCU play, I make it a priority to watch. These teams are arguably two of the most iconic mid-major teams of the decade. Other than the perennial dominance of Gonzaga, these two teams have made lots of noise both before and in March. They are actually part of the inspiration for this week’s “Top Five” portion of the blog.
These small school powerhouses faced off with some of their best teams in recent memory last Saturday. Unsurprisingly, both of these teams are led by their philosophy built around teamwork rather than individual talent. The Shockers prevailed on Saturday, but it is the entire body of work that sets them apart as one of the hottest teams in the nation.
Who’s Not?
Collin Smith, PF, UCF Knights
The entire UCF offense failed to show up on the trip to Norman, Oklahoma, but Collin Smith’s struggles are far from surprising to the UCF faithful. The redshirt junior loomed in the shadows of Tacko Fall and Aubrey Dawkins a season ago, and many expected Smith to emerge from this shadow and become a star for the Knights.
In some ways, Smith has taken over a larger role for the 9-3 Knights. In fact, he is the leading scorer, but 13.6 PPG does not qualify a star in my opinion. I expected a much larger leap for Smith, but maybe that is simply a result of unrealistic expectations. Hopefully, Smith can rebound from a 20% shooting performance against the Sooners and start to blossom during conference play for UCF.
Tulane Green Wave, 8-4, American Athletic Conference
Tulane started the season 7-1 and defeated a surprisingly impressive Utah Utes squad in the early portion of their season. Since, the Green Wave has lost 3 of their last 4 including disheartening losses against the weaker opponents of Akron and Towson. The team is led by two transfers from larger schools in Teshaun Hightower (Georgia) and KJ Lawson (Kansas).
Things will not be getting any easier for the Green Wave because conference play is just starting up in the extremely competitive American conference. To make matters even worse, they will open on the road against the ninth-ranked Memphis Tigers.
Top Five Mid-Major Teams of the Decade
2016-17 Gonzaga Bulldogs
This Gonzaga team seems like a clear choice as the best mid-major team of the decade. There was not a single national champion so the next step would be runner-up, an achievement that the Zags can check off. Another key aspect of this season was their sheer dominance from start to finish. They challenged themselves in out of conference play and went unscathed up until the final game of the season against a hungry BYU team looking to knock off the last unbeaten team in college basketball.
Gonzaga rolled through the conference tournament and made it to the national championship, a feat immensely impressive regardless of the competition faced along the way. If it was not for an incredible North Carolina team seeking revenge after a demoralizing defeat in the national championship a year prior, Gonzaga could have easily been national champions for the first time in school history.
2009-11 Butler Bulldogs
If we are being technical, Butler’s success started from outside of this decade. However, the magical run that sent Butler to the national championship against Duke took place in 2010. The fifth-seeded Bulldogs, led by Gordon Hayward, clawed their way to one half-court shot away from a national championship. The Bulldogs found their way back to the national championship, without Hayward this time, before failing once again versus Kemba Walker and the UConn Huskies.
It is remarkable just to make it to the Final Four as a mid-major team, but to make it all the way to the national championship in two consecutive seasons speaks testaments to the quality of your program and the teams that got you there.
2012-14 Wichita State Shockers
Wichita State is the other team on this list who is recognized for two seasons of success. Going from a nine seed to the Final Four is enough to make this list in and of itself, but an undefeated regular season to follow it up solidified their inclusion on this list. The Shockers are another team rewarded for being knocked off by a blue blood in the NCAA Tournament as they lost in the 3rd round against the 8th seed Kentucky Wildcats who made their way to the national championship.
This two-season stretch is one of the best we have seen by any team in this decade, let alone by a mid-major team.
2017-18 Loyola Chicago Ramblers
Watching Loyola Chicago in the 2018 NCAA Tournament felt like watching the same game over and over again. The Ramblers played stout defense and made clutch shot after clutch shot to knock off the top teams of the tournament. First it was Donte Ingram with a three-pointer at the top of the arc against Miami, followed by Clayton Cluster drilling a floater against Tennessee in the next round. While the legend of Sister Jean will reign supreme when this Loyola team is remembered, the incredible Final Four run by the Ramblers is one of the iconic memories of this decade.
2010-11 VCU Rams
VCU finds themselves at the bottom of this list mostly because they have no tournament championship to speak of. Just like every other team on this list, VCU made it to the Final Four at some point during their tenure. The Rams were knocked off by another team on this list, Butler, during their exceptional run in 2011. Shaka Smart deserves most of the credit for VCU’s run of success in the early part of this decade and even without his leadership today, they still stand strong as a top mid-major program in the country.