Mid-Major Top 25: Creighton Leads Three Top Ten Teams From The Missouri Valley

While it may not seem fair to punish Gonzaga for falling to an Illinois team that has yet to taste defeat, the 'Zags persistent unwillingness to defend probably would have resulted in them relinquishing the top spot even if they had stayed unbeaten on Saturday.

It was essentially a toss-up between Harvard and Creighton for the top spot, but the Bluejays are your new No. 1 and one of three Missouri Valley squads gracing the top ten. Arch Madness is going to be quite the treat.

Here is your fresh mid-major top 25, with preseason rankings in parentheses.

1. CREIGHTON (7-0) (3)

The Bluejays already have more street cred than anyone on this list outside Gonzaga after spending the past two weeks in the national rankings. Doug McDermott, the nation's fifth-leading scorer at 23.7 ppg, has the No. 1 offensive rating in the first installment of stat guru Ken Pomeroy's player ratings.

2. HARVARD (8-0) (5)

The champions of the Battle 4 Atlantis are nationally ranked in both polls for the first time in the extensive history of the program. The Crimson travel to face No. 8 Connecticut on Thursday, meaning they're either going to take a monster jump in the polls or their stay is going to be short-lived.

3. GONZAGA (5-1) (1)

The 'Zags have more than enough offensive talent to win the WCC and earn another respectable seed in the NCAA Tournament. The issue for Gonzaga, once again, is its inability to defend, a character flaw that was on full display in the Bulldogs' loss to Illinois. If this doesn't improve dramatically between now and March, Mark Few's team will once again be a first weekend exit in the big dance.

4. IONA (6-1, 2-0) (11)

The Gaels are the highest-scoring offense (91.0 ppg) in the country right now and are going to become must-see television by the end of the year if this keeps up. Scott Machado and MoMo Jones stack up favorably against any backcourt in college basketball.

5. MURRAY STATE (9-0) (NR)

Isaiah Canaan (20.3 ppg) is doing it all for the Racers, who are 9-0 and coming off of a blowout victory over Old Spice Classic champion Dayton. Murray will face an even stiffer test on Sunday when it hits the road to take on No. 20 Memphis.

6. DENVER (6-1) (NR)

After finishing 13-17 a season ago, the Pioneers have come out of virtually nowhere to become a major player on the mid-major scene. First they stunned Saint Mary's by 12, and then they snapped Utah Sate's 33-game home winning streak with a 67-54 upset that wasn't as close as the final score indicates. Denver, whose only loss came to then-No. 18 Cal, will host Iona on Thursday in what has become a surprisingly high-profile mid-major clash.

7. BELMONT (5-2) (2)

The Bruins opened their "2011-2012 Atlantic Sun World Domination Tour" with a thrashing of Kennesaw State and then a closer-than-expected four-point victory over Mercer. Belmont now slips back into non-conference play for a three-week stretch that includes two games against once-beaten Marshall.

8. WICHITA STATE (5-2) (6)

The Shockers suffered tough back-to-back losses to Alabama and Temple in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, but have since reeled off three-straight wins, including a 19-point throttling of 20th-ranked and previously unbeaten UNLV.

9. SAINT MARY'S (5-1) (12)

Saint Mary's is hitting 50.6% of its field goal attempts, good for 10th-best in the country.

10. NORTHERN IOWA (7-1) (NR)

UNI's lone defeat remains a 57-41 loss at Saint Mary's in a game that tipped off at 1 a.m. local time for the Panthers.

11. OHIO (5-1) (25)

The lone defeat for the Bobcats, who are responsible for Marshall's only loss of the season, remains a five-point setback at No. 4 Louisville in a game OU led by six with three minutes to play.

12. CLEVELAND STATE (8-1, 2-0) (NR)

Half of Cleveland State's eight wins have come by four points or less. That doesn't include a season-opening 71-58 win over Vanderbilt that put the Vikings on the national radar. A puzzling ten-point home loss to 3-5 Hofstra is their only blemish.

13. MIDDLE TENNESSEE (8-1) (NR)

A double overtime loss to Belmont is the only thing standing between the Blue Raiders and a 9-0 record. They get to host the rematch on Dec. 13.

14. KENT STATE (5-1) (18)

A balanced scoring attach anchors the Golden Flashes, who began the season with a 10-point win at West Virginia and have only been beaten by Cleveland State (57-53).

15. BYU (6-2) (4)

The Cougars are averaging 18.2 assists per game, ninth-best in the nation. It still feels strange seeing them on a list like this.

16. UC-SANTA BARBARA (4-2) (NR)

UCSB followed up a one-point overtime loss at San Diego State with an even more soul-crushing double overtime loss to UNLV. They're in the midst of taking a two-week break before setting off on a five-game road trip that includes tests at Washington, California and BYU.

17. VCU (5-3) (13)

Shaka Smart's team has lost in three of four tries against BCS conference opponents, but the Rams are coming off of impressive blowouts of South Florida and George Washington.

18. LONG BEACH STATE (4-3) (10)

It's just another week for the road-weary 49ers, who will face No. 13 Kansas at Phog Allen on Wednesday before traveling to North Carolina to take on the fourth-ranked Tar Heels on Saturday.

19. CHARLESTON (7-1) (NR)

The Cougars are already the proud owners of wins over UMass and Clemson, and they'll get a shot at both Tennessee and Louisville in the next two weeks.

20. WEBER STATE (5-1) (17)

Damian Lillard is the nation's leading scorer at 28.2 ppg. Most recently he scored 36 points in a loss to Saint Mary's and 41 in a victory over San Jose State.

21. COASTAL CAROLINA (7-1) (NR)

The Chanticleers rank fourth in the country in field goal percentage (52.5%) and sixth in rebounding (42.4 rpg).

22. OAKLAND (6-2, 2-0) (NR)

The two-time defensing Summit League champs have ripped off six straight wins since opening the season with losses to Alabama and Arkansas.

23. MILWAUKEE (8-1, 2-0) (NR)

With Butler looking vulnerable in the Horizon League for the first time in what feels like three decades, the Panthers are one of the teams right there in the mix battling to assume the throne.

24. VALPARAISO (6-2, 1-0) (NR)

Another one of those teams is Valpo, which knocked off Bulter in overtime in the league opener for both teams. Bryce Drew has done a tremendous job so far in his first season as his father's successor.

25. DAVIDSON (6-1, 2-0) (NR)

It'd be misleading to say the Wildcats "are back," but they're much, much improved from a season ago. A loss at Duke on Nov. 18 remains Steph Curry University's only setback.