First Edition of the "Stretching the Floor" Ranks, December 2024

By Joe Budzelek

(@stf_ncaa)

Mid-majors in the Tri-State area (NY, NJ & CT) and New England have always been the main focus of this site, so for the first time ever, here is the first edition of the “Stretching the Floor” ranks.

Rules: These ranks include any team in NY, NJ and New England that is now in the Big East, Big Ten or ACC.

Photo credit Joey Loose (@jloose128)

1 -  St. Bonaventure 12-1

For the second time in three seasons, head coach Mark Schmidt has entered the season with nearly an entirely new roster, but in contrast to the disappointing 2022-23 season, this new-look Bonnies program – which is now boosted with former ESPN Senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski joining the brass as the team’s GM – is one of the most winningest teams in the nation.

According to KenPom, the defense is ranked 36th nationally in efficiency led by the versatile lockdown defense of junior forward Lajae Jones (2.5 “stocks” per game) and senior wing Chance Moore (2.9 “stocks” per game). Speaking of Moore, he is developing into St. Bonaventure’s two-way star, leading the team in points, rebounds, blocks and free-throws made, while also providing enough spacing to allow attacking guards like Melvin Council Jr. (13.2 ppg) and Dasonte Bowen (11.1 ppg) to penetrate inside. 

Like Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure is in a tier just below Dayton and VCU in the A-10 echelon, but both programs are major reasons why the conference is having a moment this season. 

2 - Rhode Island (11-1)

With a combined 21 wins across his first two seasons, the start to Archie Miller’s tenure at Rhode Island was a struggle, making this season’s incredible start pivotal in generating hope within Rhody Nation.

Anchored by the returns of fifth year seniors David Green (16.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 43.3 3P%) and Jaden House (10.9 ppg), the biggest offseason coup was the circuitous return of star guard and Ocean State native Sebastian Thomas (17.6 ppg, 7.0 apg, 2.4 spg) who is back with the Rams after a one-year cameo at Albany. His veteran leadership helps keep the Rams in the driver seat of controlling their fast-paced tempo on both ends. 

Bringing a physical element under the basket at both ends, fifth-year junior Javonte Brown has quietly been of the conference’s most impactful transfers as Rhode Island’s overall depth has helped the Rams develop into one of the most balanced teams in the A-10 (top-100 efficiency ranks in both offense and defense) with a much improved perimeter defense being a program highlight.

3 - Princeton 9-4

Following a luke-warm 4-3 start, December wins over Saint Joseph’s and Rutgers have catapulted Princeton back to the top of the Ivy as no team in the conference boasts a better star duo than juniors Xaivian Lee (16.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 6.0 apg) and Caden Pierce (12.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.8 apg).

As good as that combo is, the ceiling of Princeton lies in the breakout of sophomore guard Dalen Davis (11.5 ppg, 39.0 3P%), as well as freshman Malik Abdullahi and senior Philip Byriel, glue guy forwards who are two of the team’s best defenders and also have done a fine job replacing the minutes available following the grad transfer departures of Matt Allocco (Northwestern) and Zach Martini (Rutgers). Top-to-bottom, the Ivy League is a stronger conference than last year, so it is hard to imagine that Princeton will reprise their 12-2 conference record from the previous season.

4 - Columbia 10-1

Following last season’s 13-14 record, Columbia’s best under the eight year tenure of Jim Engles, the Lions are reaching new heights this year. Rostering a well-gelled team led by senior star combo guard Geronimo Rubio de la Rosa (18.9 ppg, 2.5 apg, 46.6 3P%), the Lions rank second nationally in roster continuity.

The Lions are at their best when their beautiful offense plays effectively in transition (86th fastest offensive tempo in the nation), shares the ball freely (4th best assist-to-field goal made ratio nationally) and shoots the ball well (17th in the nation with a 57.5 eFG%). 

However, while the Lions are not going to be a team that will beat you with their defense, this lack of two-way balance makes it hard to see the Lions continuing to win at the same pace, but no other team in the Ivy League is rich with as much offensive depth as the Lions. They’re on track to earn their first Ivy Madness bid this March. 

5 - UMass Lowell 10-4

Few teams in the nation have disappointed as much as the 6-8 Vermont Catamounts, leaving the UMass Lowell River Hawks to jump to the top of the America East as the program is looking to earn its first regular season championship and chance to dance in the NCAA Tournament. 

With its fast-paced offense that gets to the rim and a disciplined defense that forces teams to make tough isolation shots inside the arc, UML is one of the oldest and most experienced teams in New England, with the team returning five true or fifth-year seniors and bringing in three more from the transfer portal. 

Leading the charge is 6’7 fifth-year senior Quinton Mincey (15.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.1 apg), the alpha in the River Hawks’ offense as the true three-level scorer can get to the rim with ease. Along with Mincey, UML has the best frontcourt in the conference with America East First Team selection Max Brooks (15.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.5 bpg) returning as one of the best rim protectors in the nation. 

Even though UML is one of the oldest teams in the nation, the team’s ceiling lies in the breakout of freshman forward Martin Somerville (13.6 ppg, 2.0 apg, 47.8 3P%). After receiving nearly 20 D1 offers out of Southern California Academy, the Maryland native is clearly the best freshman in the conference and can score from anywhere in the halfcourt. Should the River Hawks make it to the dance, they will be one of the more dangerous lower seeds.

6 - Cornell 7-4

The Brian Earl to Jon Jacques coaching transition has gone as smoothly as possible with the Big Red continuing to be one of the most consistently dangerous programs in the Ivy League. 

Jacques has preserved all of Cornell’s recent idiosyncrasies that has become the program’s recent trademark: an endless bench that pressures the opponent for 94 feet for the entire game and a quick-paced offense that shares the ball freely and lets it fly from three. 

One difference between the two coaches: despite the deep rotations, Jacques seems to put a little more emphasis on playing his best players. For example, last year, no player averaged 25 minutes per game and just two players averaged double-digit scoring per game. This year, four players – Cooper Noard, Nazir Williams, AJ Okereke and Jake Fiegen – all average 25+ minutes per game and score 12+ minutes per game, providing the Big Red with multiple late-game closers that can score in a variety of ways. 

7 - Northeastern 8-4

Longtime Northeastern head coach Bill Coen has dealt with three straight trying years as the Huskies have averaged 20 losses per season throughout that span, but this Boston team has been one of, if not the biggest surprise in the CAA.

As one of the bigger mid-major squads in the nation, each player in Northeastern’s starting lineup measures in at 6’5+ and that size up and down the lineup has allowed Coen to provide more zone looks on the defensive end as the Huskies do a nice job generating turnovers and make it hard for their opponents to take high quality shots. 

The foundation of the Huskies success lies in their homegrown junior class with Rashad King, Harold Woods and Masai Troutman leading the team in scoring with a combined 45 points-per-game while center Collin Metcalf is the team’s best defender, boasting the eighth highest block rate in the nation. The CAA is the most talented the league has been in the last few years and with the league having no clear frontrunner, the Huskies will aim for their first CAA crown since 2019.

8 - Hofstra 8-4

Now in his fourth season at his alma mater, Speedy Claxton has led the Hofstra Pride to three-straight 20-win seasons and part of team’s success is thanks to Claxton’s ability to adjust to the roster, which is essential to navigating the portal. 

After starting his tenure with a fast-paced, offensive-centric team, this year’s squad functions under one of the slowest paces in the nation and has traded in its offensive firepower with a sturdy defensive squad that currently ranks fourth in the nation in opponents’ 2P% (41.3%), anchored with the one-two center punch of Michael Graham and Silas Sunday who average a combined 2.7 blocks per game.

Despite this stylistic shift, Hofstra remains “Guard U” as this team’s roster is led by two former Iona guards Cruz Davis (15.4 ppg, 4.1 apg, 1.5 spg) and Jean Aranguren (13.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.0 apg) while sophomore Kijan Robinson (10.1 ppg, 42.6 3P%) is a steady microwave perimeter scorer off the bench. 

While Hofstra’s defensive strides have been impressive, Hofstra will need to shore up their offensive efficiency – both in their shooting and turnover prevention – to reach their full potential.

9  - CCSU 8-4

Central Connecticut State entered the season as my Northeast Conference favorites, but did I expect the Blue Devils to enter conference play with just four losses, two of which were hard-fought, close matches against Providence and Rhode Island? Heck no.

A graduate of CCSU and first joining the collegiate coaching ranks a quarter century ago as an assistant under Howie Dickenman, head coach Patrick Sellers has done a remarkable job in New Britain. However, talking to the ever-modest Sellers over the summer, he deflects this team’s accolades directly to his players, namely on the team’s seniors who are the first to play every season under Sellers. “We have four core seniors that have been here from the beginning – Jayden Brown, Davonte Sweatman, Joe Ostrosky and Abdul Momoh  – so those guys helped build our culture,” says Sellers. 

As the team’s hard-nosed defense has steadily become a more natural act of muscle memory, Sellers has mentored the team to a level of self-sufficiency that is unforeseen nowadays in most programs, especially considering the widespread roster volatility across the nation. In addition to the returning seniors, fifth-year guards Jordan Jones (11.6 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.0 spg) and Devin Haid (12.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg) headline CCSU’s offensive attack.  

As the overwhelming favorites, CCSU will be an NEC wagon this year as the Blue Devils are poised to have their best year in nearly two decades. 

10 - Yale 6-6

Over the last decade, few programs in college basketball have sustained the level of success that James Jones and his staff have cultivated at Yale: five Ivy League regular season championships, four NCAA Tournament appearances, two of which resulted in upset wins – versus Baylor in 2019 and Auburn last year – all of which sum up to the Bulldogs winning exactly two-thirds of their games throughout that span.

That being said, the graduation of former captain August Mahoney and starting power forward Matt Knowling, and also considering the transferring of Danny Wolf to Michigan, it has taken some time for the Bulldogs to adjust after facing large-scale roster turnover. Senior guard John Poulakidas (21.1 ppg, 43.8 3P%) leads the offense while senior guard Bez Mbeng (11.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.6 apg, 1.5 spg) ranks as one of the best defensive guards in the nation, but the breakout of junior forward Nick Townsend (13.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.9 apg) and the continued growth of Yale’s deep group of talented underclassmen provide the Bulldogs with untapped potential. Right now, the Bulldogs are the fourth best team in the Ivy, but if the defense can shore up closer to James Jones’ standards, Yale can leapfrog one or two teams above them in the rankings. 

Just missed the cut: Fordham (8-5), Brown (7-4), Marist (8-2)