# The 20 Greatest Mid-Major College Basketball Players of All Time

> Small schools, huge seasons. A few of these names carried an unranked team deep into March; others just quietly outscored everyone in the country.

*By YPB Team · Published August 16, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-20-greatest-mid-major-college-basketball-players-of-all-time*

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## Current results (3 votes)

1. **Larry Bird** — 100% (3 votes · score 1000/1000)
   Took Indiana State to an undefeated regular season and the 1979 title game against Michigan State.
2. **Damian Lillard** — 0% (0 votes · score 591/1000)
   Weber State guard who left as the school's scoring leader and became an NBA All-Star.
3. **Bill Russell** — 0% (0 votes · score 542/1000)
   Won back-to-back national championships at San Francisco in 1955 and 1956.
4. **Stephen Curry** — 0% (0 votes · score 542/1000)
   Davidson guard who carried a 10-seed to the 2008 Elite Eight and led the nation in scoring the next year.
5. **Calvin Murphy** — 0% (0 votes · score 487/1000)
   Niagara guard who averaged 33.1 points a game across three varsity seasons.
6. **Steve Nash** — 0% (0 votes · score 422/1000)
   Santa Clara point guard who twice upset higher seeds in the NCAA tournament.
7. **Jameer Nelson** — 0% (0 votes · score 422/1000)
   Took Saint Joseph's to a 27-0 regular season and the 2004 Elite Eight as national player of the year.
8. **David Robinson** — 0% (0 votes · score 345/1000)
   Navy centre who became national player of the year in 1987 before a Hall of Fame NBA career.
9. **Lionel Simmons** — 0% (0 votes · score 345/1000)
   La Salle forward who finished third on the all-time NCAA scoring list and won the 1990 Naismith.
10. **C.J. McCollum** — 0% (0 votes · score 345/1000)
   Lehigh guard who scored 30 as a 15-seed knocked out Duke in 2012.
11. **Julius Erving** — 0% (0 votes · score 345/1000)
   Averaged 26.3 points and 20.2 rebounds at UMass before turning professional.
12. **Adam Morrison** — 0% (0 votes · score 345/1000)
   Led the country at 28.1 points a game for Gonzaga in 2006 and shared national player of the year.
13. **Fred VanVleet** — 0% (0 votes · score 345/1000)
   Ran the Wichita State team that reached the 2013 Final Four and a 35-0 regular season the year after.
14. **Ja Morant** — 0% (0 votes · score 345/1000)
   Murray State guard who led the nation in assists and posted a triple-double in the 2019 tournament.
15. **Gordon Hayward** — 0% (0 votes · score 253/1000)
   Butler forward whose half-court attempt at the buzzer nearly won the 2010 national title.
16. **Hersey Hawkins** — 0% (0 votes · score 253/1000)
   Bradley guard who led Division I in scoring at 36.3 points a game in 1988.
17. **Doug McDermott** — 0% (0 votes · score 253/1000)
   Creighton forward who finished fifth all-time in NCAA scoring and won the 2014 Naismith.
18. **Marcus Camby** — 0% (0 votes · score 253/1000)
   Won the Naismith and Wooden awards leading UMass to its only Final Four in 1996.
19. **Jimmer Fredette** — 0% (0 votes · score 141/1000)
   BYU guard who led the nation in scoring and swept the 2011 national player-of-the-year awards.
20. **Andrew Bogut** — 0% (0 votes · score 141/1000)
   Averaged 20.4 points and 12.2 rebounds at Utah and swept the 2005 player-of-the-year awards.

Tags: usa, basketball, players, ncaa