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NCAA Basketball: The mid-major favorites and darkhorses

By Doug Winkey

Mar 20, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; View of the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders shirts worn during warm-ups prior to the game in the second round against the Syracuse Orange of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; View of the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders shirts worn during warm-ups prior to the game in the second round against the Syracuse Orange of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 1, 2015; Long Beach, CA, USA; Long Beach State 49ers guard Justin Bibbins (21) dribbles the ball as San Diego State Aztecs guard Jeremy Hemsley (42) defends during the second half at The Pyramid. The Aztecs won 76-72. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 1, 2015; Long Beach, CA, USA; Long Beach State 49ers guard Justin Bibbins (21) dribbles the ball as San Diego State Aztecs guard Jeremy Hemsley (42) defends during the second half at The Pyramid. The Aztecs won 76-72. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

Big West

Favorite: Long Beach State 49ers

After a third place finish last year, the 49ers of Long Beach State are poised to reach their first NCAA Tournament since 2012. Five contributors returned from a team that won 20 games and reached the NIT. Things are looking positive for a group that has no seniors on scholarship.

Related Story: Four underrated takeaways from Tuesday's Champions Classic

Point guard Justin Bibbins can do just about everything for LBSU. The 5’8″ burner averaged 12.0 points, 3.2 boards, 5.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game last year. He also shot a blistering 44 percent from deep en route to All-Big West honors as a sophomore. Another year of development will have him in the race for conference POY.

Several other scorers, including Loyola Marymount transfer Evan Payne (18.0 points in ’14-15), will keep the offense chugging. As good as the perimeter will be, the 49ers will only go as far as the forward rotation of Gabe Levin, Mason Riggins and Temidayo Yussuf allows it.

Dark Horse: Cal State Northridge Matadors

The Matadors should be eager to reach their third overall NCAA Tournament and first since 2009. CSUN returned their top five scorers and six of their top seven. The team’s biggest concern is improving their 30 percent 3-point shooting from 2015-16.

Of the current Matadors, dual point guards Kendall Smith and Aaron Parks lead the charge. The two combined for nearly 30 points, eight rebounds and five assists a night last year. Neither shot it particularly well, but that could change in 2016-17.

Northridge also brought in several transfers, including guard Darin Johnson (Washington), center Dylan Johns (Texas A&M), forward Rakim Lubin (UConn) and forward Reggie Theus Jr. (South Carolina). Gelling all the pieces together is a big task, but a wealth of experience is a boon.

Next: CAA

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