Colorado State back in KC's Mid-Major Top 10, plus 11 players to know before conference tournaments start

When the Northeast Conference tips off tournament play on Feb. 28, college basketball's magical, madness-filled tourney journey will begin. No month on the sports calendar is as unforgettable or unpredictable — the rare time when goliaths are actually slayed by Davids.

Given that this column is entirely devoted to Davids, there seemed no better platform to educate the masses on the biggest ballers among the mid-major ranks. These are the players poised to bust brackets in glass slippers. Competitors will give you 10 players to watch, but here in KC's Column of Complete Excellence you get 11. We go the extra mile. It's what makes this the most visited column on the internet. (Editor's note: This claim is not entirely substantiated.)

Without further ado:

Last March, when mainstream America was introduced to the Oral Roberts superstar, those of us who regularly plant our flag in mid-major soil wondered, «Where've ya been?» Abmas led Division I in scoring last season (24.5 PPG), then paired with Kevin Obanor in the NCAA tournament to lead the 15-seed Golden Eagles to upsets of 2-seed Ohio State and 7-seed Florida. Obanor left for Texas Tech in the offseason, while Abmas elected to remain in Tulsa (or did Coach Paul Mills bolt the door and beg him to stay?).

Either way, Abmas is, again, among the nation's top scorers — as of Thursday, fifth in Division I at 22.8 PPG — with five 30-point games this season, including two 38-point eruptions and an uber-exclusive inclusion on the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 list.

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