We've seen a spike in transfers from the NAIA level making a huge impact for Division I programs. The coming season will continue to emphasize this trend with NAIA stars landing at strong Mid-Majors. Here are five players you need to know: open.substack.com/pub/bracketb...

The McNeese Cowboys are one of the hottest Mid-Major programs, and that's translated in the transfer portal. So far, the Cowboy's have picked up several players from the power conference ranks looking for an opportunity to prove themselves. open.substack.com/pub/bracketb...

The Duquesne Dukes showed growth in year two with Dru Joyce at the helm as they finished 18-15 overall and 9-9 in the Atlantic-10. Heading into year three, Coach Joyce has already made a slash with three important additions from the transfer portal.

With the tournament expansion, that means that more Power Conference teams are going to schedule good Mid-Major programs since there are more opportunities to get a bid right? Right? ....Right?

That first Field of 76 Bracket Projection next season is going to be some vile work

At this rate we might have to start covering bad power conference teams as "Bracket Busters" 😅

The High Point Panthers have an immense amount of momentum rolling, following back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, an NCAA Tournament win over Wisconsin, and an increased NIL budget. This momentum has translated into a strong portal showing: open.substack.com/pub/bracketb...

The transfer portal has been on fire, but we are seeing some Mid-Majors beat the odds and return key players, including: - Austin Peay - McNeese - Vermont - UIC - Valparaiso - And more! Check out the full list below!👇 open.substack.com/pub/bracketb...

Anthony Martinez has told us that he is entering the transfer portal. The 6'2 guard played his freshman season at Monmouth after stellar campaigns in France. While playing for Orleans in the U21 circuit, he averaged 20.8 points, 3.9 assists, and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 51% from inside.

While the transfer portal has exploded with an enormous volume of entries, some mid-major teams are finding success at retaining key talent. The Austin Peay Governors are returning two of their key players in Zyree Collins & Rashaud Marshall. (1/6)

First weekend without any college basketball in 2026...what do we do now?

Ring Malith was phenomenal to follow at SIUE. Paired with Ray'Sean Taylor, he helped lead the Cougars to their best season in program history and first NCAA Tournament appearance. There will be a long list of suitors.

With over a thousand of players in the portal already, who do you want your team to target?

Dusty May...FAU legend. Congratulations to the Michigan Wolverines! With that, the 2026 season comes to a close. Time to lock in on the portal. We'll see you tomorrow 🫡

WE'RE GETTING FROSTIES

As the season officially comes to a close, thank you all for following along this year! It's hard to believe that on our first article we published we had just 26 views to now growing towards 1,000 subscribers and over 2,300 of you here. Cheers to continued growth!

The 2026 Coaching Carousel has been a rollercoaster and it's still not over. Landing a coach with experience and a winning track record can flip your program in just one year. These are five of the top Mid-Major hires we'll be keeping an eye on: open.substack.com/pub/bracketb...

Disappointing end to the NIT

What a disaster of an ending to regulation for Tulsa We're headed to overtime in the NIT Championship

Tulsa 💔💔💔

Game of the day (4/5): - Tulsa vs Auburn in the NIT Finals ~ 7pm CST

Michigan might be a wagon....what a first half

If you think that the Selection Committee is going to put in 26+ win Mid-Majors over sub .500 Power Conference teams in the expanded tournament...you are out of your mind.

Last night was a tough end to a strong season for Illinois State. Over the last two seasons they have won the CBI, then took a trip to the NIT Semifinals. If Pedon can take one more step forward, the Redbirds could have something special brewing next season.

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane are heading to the NIT Finals! They took down the New Mexico Lobos 74-69 at Hinkle Fieldhouse behind David Green's 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. Tulsa held New Mexico to 7-33 shooting from deep as they pick up their 30th win!

Games of the Day (04/02): - New Mexico vs Tulsa ~ 6pm CST - Illinois St vs Auburn ~ 8:30pm CST

What coaching carousel madness are we going to get today?

With the transfer portal and coaching carousel making headlines, what better way to break up your timelines than with a positive look back at the top five Mid-Major College Basketball stories of the 2025-2026 season! Check out our latest post below!👇 open.substack.com/pub/bracketb...

With Ben Jacobsen taking the Utah State job, it's going to be bizarre not seeing him at Northern Iowa. After two decades with the Panthers, it was easy to assume he'd just be a lifer for UNI.

Izaiah Day (Taylor ~ NAIA) has told us that he's heard from the following schools: - Morehead State - The Citadel - Gardner Webb - East Carolina - App State - Lincoln Memorial (D2) - Catawba (D2) He averaged 16.3 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 48.4% overall and 42.3% from beyond the arc.

How can you not love college basketball?

We're putting together a fun, recap piece that will be coming out next Monday, but we want to hear from you! Aside from Miami's perfect regular season, what were the top Mid-Major college basketball stories to come out this season? Drop them below!👇

The Illinois State Redbirds are headed to the NIT Semifinals after taking down the Dayton Flyers on the road 61-55! Johnny Kinziger led the team with 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists as Chase Walker followed up with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The MVC is still alive!

Chris Mack to South Florida out of nowhere? This is how the coaching carousel feels right now.

Games of the Day (3/25): - Illinois State vs Dayton ~ 6pm CST - Nevada vs Auburn ~ 8pm CST

Murray State extended both Ryan Miller and Rechelle Turner today for the Men's and Women's Basketball teams. Coming off 31 wins on the women's side and an NIT appearance in year one underneath Miller on the Men's side, things are looking bright in Murray, Kentucky.

Saint Joseph's has looked great in the first half against New Mexico at the Pit. The Hawks lead the Lobos 39-37 while Derek Simpson has already poured in 16 points. A trip to the NIT Semifinals is on the line!

Tylen Riley is on triple-double watch with 13 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds at the half. Tulsa is pouring it on Wichita State as they are 10-17 from deep and lead the Shockers 52-36. Monster first half.

Games of the Day (3/24): - Wichita State vs Tulsa ~ 6pm CST - Saint Joseph's vs New Mexico ~ 8pm CST

It's going to be very weird not seeing Randy Bennett on the sidelines for Saint Mary's next season

Randy Bennett to Arizona State Jerrod Calhoun to Cincinnati The coaching carousel is on 🔥

After a second consecutive year with a lack of major upsets, deep runs in the tournament from non-power conference teams, and major blowouts, a lot of people are asking: Is Cinderella Dead? We say no, but it's on life support and here's how to fix it: open.substack.com/pub/bracketb...

Robert Morris legend Alvaro Folgueiras with the huge three for Iowa to take the lead over Florida with 4.5 seconds left!

TULSA! The Golden Hurricane are headed to the NIT Quarterfinals after rolling past UNLV 77-66! Romad Dean racked up 11 points & 11 rebounds as Ade Popoola & Miles Barnstable finished with 16 points each. They'll take on the winner of Oklahoma State and Wichita State!

Let's give a huge shoutout to Seattle U. The Redhawks finished 21-14 on the season and just took Auburn to the final stretch in the second round of the NIT. They outscored the Tigers 54-49 in the second half. Excited to see what Chris Victor can do next year in the WCC!

The Illinois State Redbirds are headed to the NIT Quarterfinals as they took down Wake Forest 78-75 on the road! Ty Pence led the team off the bench with 23 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals on 8-11 shooting. Johnny Kinziger hit the game winning three with 1.7 seconds left!

Johnny Kinziger with the DAGGER THREE! The Redbirds go up 78-75 on Wake Forest on the road with just 1.7 seconds left in the second round of the NIT!

Just tossing this out there, but Matt McMahon obviously had a lot of success at Murray State. If South Florida would be interested, he could be an intriguing option with experience at the non-power conference level with success there. It just didn't pan out at LSU.

Games of the Day (3/22): - Utah State vs Arizona ~ 6:50pm CST - Illinois St vs Wake Forest ~ 3:30pm CST - Seattle U vs Auburn ~ 5:30pm CST - UNLV vs Tulsa ~ 6pm CST - George Washington vs New Mexico ~ 7pm CST - Wichita St vs Oklahoma St ~ 7:30pm CST - Saint Joseph's vs California ~ 8pm CST