Duce Paschal rounds out Indiana State basketball roster--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamore Basketball to play in 2026 Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands--gosycamores.com
Racers men's basketball confirms matchup with Georgia Tech in Nashville--WPSD Local 6
Racer Men’s Basketball Inks Pavle Nikolic--goracers.com
Men’s Basketball to Face Georgia Tech at Bridgestone Arena--goracers.com
Cooper returning to SIU Hoops, men add recruits--Southern Illinoisan
State of the Beacons--The Victory Bell
Projecting where the revamped Pac-12 will rank in college basketball's mid-major conference hierarchy--CBS Sports
6. Missouri Valley
Top teams
95. Illinois Chicago
100. Murray State
104. Illinois StateSub-200 teams: Southern Illinois, Evansville
Belmont would have been part of the NCAA Tournament bubble conversation had the field been at 76 teams in 2026. The Bruins suffered a stunning quarterfinal loss to Drake in the conference tournament, which dropped them to 26-6 and opened the door for Northern Iowa to claim the league's only bid to the Big Dance. Now Belmont's Casey Alexander (Kansas State) and UNI's Ben Jacobson (Utah State) are on to new gigs, leaving Illinois Chicago in prime position to capitalize during the season ahead.
The league's chances of sending multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament feel tenuous at best, but Murray State is another program heading in the right direction under ex-Creighton assistant Ryan Miller.
Vanderbilt women's basketball to play Belmont at Bridgestone Arena--Nashville Tennessean
Women’s Basketball to Play Vanderbilt at Bridgestone Arena on Friday, Dec. 18--belmontbruins.com
Cooper returning to SIU Hoops, men add recruits--Southern Illinoisan
Redbirds Add Deng Garang for 2026-27--goredbirds.com
Eight Years, Five Coaches, Sustained Success: Ben Jacobson Is Ready to Carry the Torch at Utah State--Hoops HQ
UNI men’s basketball welcomes six to 2026 spring recruiting class--unipanthers.com
Eastern Wyoming Transfer Diaz Set to Join Women's Basketball--siusalukis.com
Looking at the new MVC Coaching hires--Busting Brackets
Bradley basketball may have found the blueprint for surviving the modern era--Busting Brackets
10 Mid-Major Transfers Who Could Be Stars at the High-Major Level--Hoops HQ
7. Jaquan Johnson, 5-foot-11 sophomore guard, Bradley → Iowa State
Nicknamed “Bully” for his hard-nosed, physical style, Johnson and Iowa State are a match made in heaven. The reigning MVC Defensive Player of the Year is heading to a program known for its consistent dominance on that end. With Tamin Lipsey out of eligibility, the Cyclones needed another lockdown perimeter defender to help maintain their identity. Johnson was among the best on the market.
The scrappy guard stepped into Bradley’s starting lineup last season and averaged 16.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 38.3 percent from three. Offense will be harder to come by for Johnson in the Big 12, especially given his lack of size, but his defense should earn him significant playing time on a team ranked No. 11 in Hoops HQ’s Never-Too-Early Top 25.
Bradley hires former OSF fundraising ace as general manager of basketball--Peoria Journal Star
Redbirds Sign Louie Semona for 2026-27--goredbirds.com
Three former Sycamores announce new destinations--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Non-conference schedule gets more clear for Murray State men's basketball, highlighted by Indiana exhibition--WPSD Local 6
New contracts reveal more about Murray State women’s basketball schedule--WPSD Local 6
Eastern Wyoming Transfer Diaz Set to Join Women's Basketball--siusalukis.com
Bradley Athletics Names Tom Hammerton General Manager of Basketball--bradleybraves.com
First look at Ronald Nored's Butler basketball team comes against alum leading Indiana State--Indianapolis Star
Sycamores to play Butler, Kansas next season in men's hoops--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamore Basketball opens 2026-27 with exhibition at Butler for second-straight season--gosycamores.com
Danyelle London Joins UIC Women’s Basketball Ahead of the 2026-27 Season--uicflames.com
Former Gonzaga assistant coach signs multi-year extension at Valpo--Sports Illustrated
Why retention trumps the transfer portal and how mid-majors can still land tournament bids--The Athletic
If you were a mid-major coach or GM, what would you do (besides robbing a bank) to give your team a fair chance for an NCAA bid in this NIL, Portal and now unfair expanded tourney era? — Hchoops
The hardest thing coaches deal with at this level is building, because elite mid-major players are usually going to be poached. But because there’s such urgency at the high-major level to get older and stay older, there are a lot of really good high school players who will get overlooked. That’s always been the case, but it might be even more so in this era than ever before.
At that level, you have to win with your evaluations and development, and then have a system you can recruit to and win with. Yes, you might lose your best players, but programs with depth continue to win. One great example is Belmont. In the previous three cycles, Belmont lost Even Brauns (Iowa), Malik Dia (Ole Miss), Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Maryland, then Tennessee), Cade Tyson (North Carolina, then Minnesota), and Isaiah Walker (Xavier).
Even with all those losses, Belmont won the Missouri Valley this past season and sent three more players to the high-major level in Drew Scharnowski (Duke), Tyler Lundblade (Tennessee) and Sam Orme (Nebraska). I recently watched several Belmont games, and I’m convinced Belmont will be good again because it retained freshmen Jabez Jenkins, Jack Smiley and Eoin Dillon. Those are three of the next stars, and I was almost surprised they didn’t enter the portal as well. They’re likely waiting for their turn to put up big numbers and eventually get big deals themselves.
There are also some mid-major portal players who slip through the cracks and remain at that level. One good example is Ty Pence, who transferred to Akron from Illinois State. Pence is a 6-6 wing who is really good in the mid-range but made only 27 3s and averaged 9.4 points this past season. You have to watch his tape to see that he’s pretty good. These decisions have to be made so quickly that there’s only so many guys you can watch, and players with bigger numbers (or who make lots of 3s) usually get chased first.
Another smart strategy: Have really good players with attributes that might keep the high-majors away. Sticking with Illinois State, the program retained two really good players: Chase Walker (an undersized big man) and Johnny Kinziger, a 5-11 combo guard. If you can find undersized players at point guard and center, they can be awesome college players, and they might be less likely to get poached. Again, it’s all about making smart evaluations and taking calculated risks. — Moore
The Basket Under Review Newsletter - May 18, 2026--Basket Under Review
More scheduling news!
UAB and Belmont will begin a home-and-home series on December 8 in Birmingham next season. Both teams have won 20+ games each of the last six seasons.
Georgia Tech and Murray State are meeting for a neutral site game in Nashville. Murray State is coming off their first 20-win season since 2022 and Georgia Tech will be led by former Troy coach Scott Cross who has won 20 games five seasons in a row.
Women’s Basketball Adds Paige Schumann as Assistant Coach--belmontbruins.com
ISU men's basketball finishes recruitment with Weber State transfer--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Men's basketball concludes recruiting with signee Duce Paschal--gosycamores.com
UIC Women’s Basketball Promotes John McCray to Associate Head Coach--uicflames.com
Roger Powell Jr., Valparaiso basketball ink multi-year extension--The Times
Roger Powell Jr. Inks Multi-Year Contract Extension to Continue to Lead Valpo Men’s Basketball Program--valpoathletics.com
Men's Basketball Welcomes Cooper Knowles--belmontbruins.com
Forward Louie Semona announces transfer to Illinois State--The Pantagraph
Redbirds bolster frontcourt with Hilltoppers transfer Semona--The Vidette
Murray State men's basketball will host Washington State on November 30th--WPSD Local 6
UIC Men’s Basketball Adds Mohamed Ndao to 2026-27 Roster--uicflames.com
Meet the latest additions to the Bradley basketball roster, coaching staff--Peoria Journal Star
Drake women's basketball signs transfer forward Allie Myers--Des Moines Register
Makuei Riek joins Purple Aces men’s basketball program--gopurpleaces.com
Evansville native Luke Ellspermann joins UE men’s basketball--gopurpleaces.com
Miami Redhawks just made one of the more intriguing assistant hires in the mid-major ranks--Busting Brackets
Redbirds Add Leyton Wolf to Roster--goredbirds.com
COLLEGE NOTEBOOK: ISU men's basketball confirms game date vs. Milwaukee--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Men's basketball signs SMU transfer Chance Puryear--gosycamores.com
Murray State using new approach to complete 2026-27 roster--WPSD Local 6
Gustav Winther joins UE Men’s Basketball--gopurpleaces.com
George Richardson to Join Valpo Men’s Basketball Program--valpoathletics.com
UE Men’s Basketball adds Max Langenfeld--gopurpleaces.com
Woodruff $1 million gift will support premium seating, locker room renovations at Hulman Center--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Puryear commits to ISU men's basketball--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Indiana State University Board of Trustees Approves Naming of the Woodruff Sycamore Loft--gosycamores.com
Murray State men's basketball officially adds Auburn guard, Kaden Magwood, from transfer portal--WPSD Local 6
Offseason rolls on for Murray State men's basketball: Roster prepares for an important summer--WPSD Local 6
Men’s college basketball transfer portal fits: 5 of the best pairings this offseason--The Athletic
Ty’Reek Coleman, Iowa
2025-26 stats (at Illinois State): 10.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.9 steals per game
The Athletic transfer portal rank: unrankedHawkeyes coach Ben McCollum has an eye for point guards. He found Trevor Hudgins from Manhattan, Kan., and Hudgins was a back-to-back National Player of the Year in Division II and went on to play for the Houston Rockets. He brought Bennett Stirtz to Northwest Missouri State, and Stirtz is about to be a first-round NBA Draft pick after following McCollum to Drake and Iowa, where the Hawkeyes went on an Elite Eight run this year.
Coleman could be next. His counting stats were not spectacular in his freshman season at Illinois State, but he was on a talented team and often deferred to upperclassmen. There is a lot to like when you look beyond the numbers and study the tape.
His effort and instincts defensively jump off the screen. He’s always putting pressure on the ball and is willing to make multiple efforts:
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Offensively, McCollum has his point guards working out of a lot of ball screens. The sample size isn’t big, but Coleman was the most efficient player in college hoops of anyone who finished at least 70 pick-and-roll plays, per Synergy.
What Coleman does best is get paint touches and make great paint decisions. He plays under control and makes the right read when he sees traffic, willing to find the open man:
0:00 / 0:13
This is going to play great at Iowa, where patience is preached and McCollum will surround Coleman with shooters. The beauty with the Hawkeyes is if you pitch it out and re-space, the ball will often come back to you. Coleman has shown the ability to make 3s (41.6 percent) and does his best work attacking closeouts, which plays like the one below will happen frequently in the Iowa offense.
0:00 / 0:21
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Coleman’s usage go up in Iowa’s guard-friendly offense. Coleman isn’t likely to get Stirtz-like usage as a sophomore, but McCollum is sure to find ways to utilize his speed and generate as many paint touches as possible.
Sam Orme, Nebraska
2025-26 stats (at Belmont): 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists per game, a 65.1 effective field-goal percentage
The Athletic transfer portal rank: 91Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg pairs well with players who see the game on both ends. Hoiberg runs a lot of sets that require multiple reads and the best shots often come behind the play once switches happen or the Huskers get the defense in rotation. Defensively, Nebraska runs a no-middle system that requires defenders to really pay attention off the ball. Anyone who can see and process what is happening is going to be a good fit.
That’s where Orme jumps off the screen. Orme is a perfect role player and a great fit for Nebraska at the 4 spot vacated by Berke Buyuktuncel.
Nebraska is going to miss Buyuktuncel’s length and physicality on the defensive end and offensive glass, but Orme should be an upgrade on offense, and his ability to process the game should help make up for his physical tools not quite being on Buyuktuncel’s level.
Defenses were willing to leave Buyuktuncel wide open on the perimeter and he rarely made them pay, making only 24.1 percent of his 3s. Orme is not an elite shooter but he shot 38.7 percent from 3 in two seasons at Belmont.
Most of Nebraska’s actions will be to set up shooters Pryce Sandfort, Braden Frager and Connor Essegian, and sometimes the best way to take those shots away is through switching. Orme is smart at recognizing when he gets a smaller defender on him and punishing in the post:
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Orme is also a smart cutter, reading his defender and timing it correctly on drives:
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Nebraska was an elite cutting team last season, and that ability to read and react will play well in Hoiberg’s offense.
Nebraska defensive coordinator Nate Loenser will also appreciate Orme’s ability to read the game on that end. He can anticipate an action coming and bait the offense into throwing a pass, as he does here against this Illinois State flare action:
0:00 / 0:07
These glue guys can be the difference between average and good teams, and Orme was a smart add. I’m not sure this group will be able to match the size and physicality of Hoiberg’s Sweet 16 team this past year, but Orme could improve Nebraska’s offensive efficiency and make up the difference if the defense slips.
Orme is a great example of the importance of finding lower-usage glue guys. It’s easy to see Orme fitting a specific role, because how Nebraska will ask him to play is very similar to what he just did at Belmont.
Murray State Men’s Basketball Signs Guard Kaden Magwood--goracers.com
Bruno Alocen to Join Valpo Men’s Basketball Program--valpoathletics.com
