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10 non-power conference teams to watch during the 2023-24 college basketball season

Check below for our list of 10 non-power conference teams to watch during the 2023-24 season.

This list does not include Gonzaga or Memphis.

In no particular order:

Florida Atlantic: What can the Owls do for an encore? That’s the million dollar question in Boca Raton after Dusty May led Florida Atlantic to a 35-win season that ended on a loss at the buzzer against San Diego State in the Final Four. The Owls return everyone of significance from last season’s team other than reserve guard Michael Forrest, who averaged 8.2 points last season. Florida Atlantic has a quality non-conference schedule, highlighted by three games in the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando over Thanksgiving Weekend and neutral site matchups with Arizona (Las Vegas) and Illinois (MSG) in December. 

San Diego State: Brian Dutcher has repeatedly said that the Aztecs are a “power conference program in a non-power conference” and he’s right. But as long as San Diego State plays its basketball in the Mountain West, it’s going to appear on this list. Not to worry, this program’s brand has never been stronger after last season’s run to the national title game. Veterans Matt Bradley and Nathan Mensah are gone, but San Diego State returns four of its top six scorers — Lamont Butler, Darrion Trammell, Jaedon LeDee, and Micah Parrish — from last year’s team that won 32 games. USC transfer Reese Dixon-Waters will instantly have a major role and Dutcher is also bullish on a pair of underclassmen in Elijah Saunders and Miles Byrd. The years change, but the Aztecs’ product does not. 

Saint Mary’s: The Gaels have won 21 or more games in 15 of the past 16 seasons, but have only been to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament once during that span. Don’t be shocked if that changes in 2024. Randy Bennett’s squad is anchored by a burgeoning star in sophomore guard Aidan Mahaney, who averaged 13.9 points and made 74 three-point shots a year ago as a freshman. Veterans Alex Ducas (12.5 points) and Mitchell Saxen (11.6 points, 7.6 rebounds) are also back as all-conference caliber players and while Augustas Marciulionis is set for a breakout season as a junior after averaging 10 points in two NCAA Tournament games last spring. The ceiling is high in Moraga.  

UC Santa Barbara: All-American candidate Ajay Mitchell (16.3 points, 5.1 assists) highlights a nucleus that includes several returning pieces from last season’s team that won the Big West and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Baylor. Sharpshooter Cole Anderson (41.5 percent from three-point range) and versatile wing Josh Pierre-Louis (9.5 points, 3.9 rebounds) round out a formidable perimeter for the Gauchos, who are quickly becoming a brand name in college basketball. If Auburn transfer Yohan Traore — a former top-30 recruit — can average a double-double up front, UC Santa Barbara will have the necessary balance to hear its name called on Selection Sunday for the third time in four seasons under Joe Pasternack. 

New Mexico: College basketball’s most underrated backcourt — Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. — is the primary reason why folks in Albuquerque are cautiously optimistic that the Lobos’ NCAA Tournament drought is about to end; New Mexico hasn’t heard its name called on Selection Sunday since 2014. House and Mashburn will also play with other quality players on the perimeter, headlined by burgeoning sophomore Donovan Dent. A pair of transfers — Mustapha Amzil (Dayton) and Nelly Junior Joseph (Iona) — should play big roles up front. New Mexico has the requisites to be one of the best non-power conference teams in the sport in 2023-24. 

Dayton: Daron Holmes II’s decision to return to school for his junior season immediately put the Flyers on the national radar. A potential All-American, the 6-10 Holmes averaged 18.4 points and 8.1 rebounds last season as a sophomore and is more than capable of tallying averages of 20 points and 10 rebounds as a junior. If Holmes’ supporting cast — led by guards Malachi Smith (7.7 points) and Kobe Elvis (8.5 points) — can remain healthy then Dayton should be in position to be the top team in the Atlantic 10. Both Smith and Elvis only played in 19 games last season due to injuries. 

Boise State: 51 wins and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in back-to-back seasons has quietly made the Broncos into one of the most consistent brands in the Mountain West. Expect things to continue this season. Three of Boise State’s top four scorers — Tyson Degenhart, Max Rice, and Chibuzo Agbo — are back from last season’s 24-win team that lost to Northwestern in the NCAA Tournament. The 6-8 Degenhart (14.1 points, 5.3 rebounds) is a bonafide Mountain West Player of the Year candidate. Transfers Roddie Anderson (UC San Diego), Cam Martin (Kansas), and O’Mar Stanley (St. John’s) are all in the line for major minutes. Another NCAA Tournament is well within reach for the Broncos. 

Colgate: Teams in the Patriot League make plans and Matt Langel laughs. The architect of a burgeoning mid-major dynasty, the 45-year old Langel has won at least a share of five straight Patriot League regular season titles with a sixth feeling like a formality in 2023-24. Leading scorer Tucker Richardson is gone, but replenishing talent is nothing new for the Raiders, who lost Nelly Cummings as a grad transfer to Pitt prior to last season. Three double figure scorers — Keegan Records, Braeden Smith, and Ryan Moffatt — are back to anchor Colgate’s quest to return to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in six seasons.

UNC Asheville: The Bulldogs got a taste of March Madness last season, but in 2024 they’re looking for a bite. Do-everything forward Drew Pember (20.9 points, 9.1 rebounds) is back for UNC Asheville, who also added quality transfers in Greg Gantt (NC State) and Josh Banks (VCU). Mike Morrell also returns three players — Nicholas McMullen, Fletcher Abee, and Jamon Battle — who averaged 20 minutes or more on last season’s 27-win team that won both the Big South regular season and tournament titles.

Yale: Princeton’s run to the Sweet 16 last March has made many people forget that the Tigers shared the Ivy League regular season title last year with the Bulldogs. Don’t allow yourself to make that same mistake. Yale returns four double-figure scorers in Matt Knowling, John Poulakidas, Bez Mbeng, and August Mahoney from a 21-win squad and adds a former top-100 recruit in Northwestern transfer Casey Simmons. James Jones is also expecting a big jump from 7-foot sophomore Danny Wolf. The Bulldogs have the makeup of a team that could make major noise in the 2024 NCAA Tournament and maybe even a little before as Yale will play non-conference games at both Gonzaga and Kansas. 

Leftovers