Selection Sunday is fewer than three full weeks away, with a glorious 68-team bracket inching closer with each passing day.
Nearly half of that NCAA Tournament field will be composed of teams from outside of men’s college basketball’s five major conferences: the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Big East and SEC.
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As the 2025-26 regular season winds down, several of those squads look capable of making some noise, whether it’s springing an upset over a national title hopeful or advancing deep into the tournament.
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Who might some of those potential bracket-busters and second-week (and even Final Four) contenders be?
Here’s the latest power rankings of teams from outside of college basketball’s five major conferences:
College basketball mid-major power rankings
1. Gonzaga (27-2)
Since a stunning loss at Portland on Feb. 4, coach Mark Few’s team has rounded back into form with five straight wins by an average of 17.6 points. Senior forward Graham Ike continues playing at an All-American level, averaging 25.4 points per game over the Bulldogs’ past nine matchups.
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2. Miami (Ohio) (27-0)
The RedHawks have convincingly continued their unbeaten run, with their past four wins coming by at least nine points and an average of 13.8 points per game. Luke Skaljac has thrived at point guard, a position he assumed only after a season-ending injury to Evan Ipsaro in December. He’s averaging 16.5 points and 6.3 assists per game over the past eight games.
3. Saint Louis (25-2)
The Billikens finally took a loss in Atlantic 10 play, falling on the road to a middling Rhode Island squad to snap an 18-game win streak. They rebounded three days later, though, with a 13-point home win against VCU to complete a season sweep of the conference’s second-best team. Coach Josh Schertz’s team continues to be remarkably well-balanced offensively, with a different leading scorer in each of its past five games.
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4. Utah State (23-4)
The Aggies squandered an eight-point lead with seven minutes remaining in an 80-77 loss at Nevada that ended an eight-game win streak. They’ll face a number of challenges the rest of the way, too, with three of their final four regular-season games coming against teams in the top five of the Mountain West standings.
5. Saint Mary’s (25-4)
The Gaels continue to just absolutely wear on opponents defensively, allowing only 62 points per game during their six-game win streak, with only one of those opponents averaging better than a point per possession. Their mettle will be tested in the final week of regular-season play, with home games against Gonzaga and Santa Clara.
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6. New Mexico (21-6)
The Lobos made a bit of history in their win against Fresno State on Feb. 21, rallying from a 22-point first-half deficit on their way to an 80-78 road victory. They outscored the Bulldogs 62-38 over the game’s final 25 minutes to earn their fourth-consecutive road win.
7. Santa Clara (23-6)
The Broncos have won 14 of their past 16 games and haven’t lost to a team other than Gonzaga since all the way back on Dec. 20. In their lone game last week, a 94-73 victory at San Francisco, senior Elijah Mahi had a career-high 30 points, along with seven rebounds and four steals.
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8. Belmont (25-4)
The Bruins make their debut in the top 10 of the rankings as they continue a blistering run through Missouri Valley play. Coach Casey Alexander’s team has won 12 of its past 13 games, with the only loss coming on the road against a 19-win Bradley squad. Belmont is the only Division I team ranked in the top five nationally in both 2-point percentage (61.3%) and 3-point percentage (40.3%).
9. San Diego State (18-8)
The Aztecs are stumbling to the end of the regular season, with back-to-back losses to cap off a nine-game run in which they’ve gone just 5-4 following a 13-4 start. Their traditionally stout defense was picked apart in an 83-74 loss on Feb. 21 at Colorado State, a game in which the Rams made 13 of their 31 3s (42%).
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10. VCU (21-7)
The Rams’ 10-game win streak came to a halt in a loss Feb. 20 at Saint Louis, a game in which they led by as many as 14 in the first half. The setback put that much more pressure on VCU to win the A-10 Tournament, with only one Quad 1 win and few, if any, opportunities left to pick up a signature victory to bolster its at-large resume.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College basketball mid-major power rankings: Gonzaga, Miami (Ohio) top the list
