In college basketball, mid-major teams are little engines that can. Here are my picks for the best of the best.
One of the best things about college basketball is that David not only can but often DOES beat Goliath. It happens every year–as it did last March when Buffalo knocked off Arizona and Maryland-Baltimore County (a 16-seed) humiliated Virginia.
But upsets don’t happen only at tournament time.
Already this season Belmont has topped UCLA, Furman took down Final Four Loyola, and Buffalo (at it again) beat West Virginia and Syracuse.
Juices like those flow regularly, even though the outcome isn’t always on David’s side. This weekend Marquette took care of Buffalo and LSU slammed Furman.
But so much for business as usual. Let’s focus on the mid-majors that I believe can do damage during March Madness…in the first round, at least. I’ll give this another shot just before tournament time.
Before I start, let’s do some defining.
By mid-major, I mean Division 1 schools outside of the so-called ‘Power 6’ conferences, that is, the Big East, Big Ten, Atlantic Coast, Southeastern, Big 12, and Pacific 12.
With that interpretation, here are my top five teams followed by a list of seven contenders.
(NOTE: AP ranks as of 12/17, RPI ranks as of 12/22)
BUFFALO (Mid-American), 11-1, AP #14, RPI #7: Nate Oats has veterans across the board, led by juniors CJ Massinburg and Jeremy Harris, Those two will take this team as far as it can go. Just how far? Full of talent, these Bulls lack discipline.
Discipline issues didn’t cost UB against WVU or SU (teams with the same problem), but it cost the Bulls dearly against Marquette (its only loss to date).
FURMAN (Southern), 12-1, AP #24, RPI #89. The ‘little team that could’ turned heads when it defeated defending national champ, Villanova. Furman wins with balance—five guys can hit double figures in points and rebounds. Jordan Lyons and Matt Rafferty are clutch players. Twenty minutes of spotty play (second half) cost FU against LSU.
BELMONT (Ohio Valley), 9-1, AP No rank, RPI #13: This tiny Catholic school from Nashville can beat the big boys. The Bruins did just that against Middle Tennessee, W. Kentucky, and UCLA. The Bruins win when Dylan Windler scores and works the boards (31 and 12 v. Green Bay, 12 and 15 v. UCLA). Kevin McClain (13 ppg.) and Grayson Murphy (12 ppg.) contribute, too. It’s s catch-as-catch-can after those two. That’s the Bruins Achilles heel. BU’s next major test is Dec. 29 v. Purdue.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (Summit), 10-4, AP No rank, RPI #202: Center Mike Daum and guard David Jenkins form one of the best big-small combos around (averaging nearly 50 ppg).
While the Jackrabbits don’t shy away from playing big-time schools, they have a habit of coming up short (by 8 to Memphis, 4 to Nevada-Reno, 4 to Tulane).
NEW MEXICO STATE (Western Athletic), 9-2, AP No rank, RPI #49: ‘Sad.’ That’s the word I use to describe the Aggies. Although no stranger to basketball excellence, NMSU has fallen on hard times. They play in the diminished WAC that includes a mishmash of teams like Grand Canyon, Seattle, and Utah Valley. That’s ridiculous! The Aggies have already beaten New Mexico twice and Washington State. They lost at Kansas by four. The starting line-up is solid. The bench, although not deep, is serviceable. Like SDSU, I think this team could shock a big name come March.
Texas State (Sun Belt), 10-1, AP No Rank, RPI #106: This is my Sleeper Team. Neither the Bobcats nor the Sun Belt gets national attention. Keep your eye on TSU’s Nijal Pearson (20 ppg.).
TSU reminds me of the MTSU team that did-in Michigan State during March Madness 2016.
CONTENDERS: North Texas (C-USA), New Jersey Tech (A-Sun), SUNY Stony Brook and Vermont (America East), University of California, Irvine (Big West), Northern Kentucky (Horizon), Drake (Missouri Valley).
