2017 NCAA Tournament: 10 mid-majors that deserve at-large bids

By Taylor Sturm | Mar 1, 2017

Mar 20, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders head coach Kermit Davis looks on during the second half of the second round against the Syracuse Orange in the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mar 17, 2016; Providence, RI, USA; UNC Wilmington Seahawks coach Kevin Keatts reacts during the first half of a first round game of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Dunkin Donuts Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /

UNC Wilmington Seahawks

UNC Wilmington won the CAA regular season title and head into the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed, but a stretch of three conference losses in five games at the end of January has to be worrying. The CAA has proven to turn out giant-killers before, and UNCW have shown flashes of being ready to pull off a major tournament upset or two. Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that the CAA gets two bids in the Big Dance – even for a team with an RPI in the 30s.

The Seahawks deserve an at-large bid in the 2017 NCAA tournament based on the eye-test, but they, like most of us, have no idea whether the Selection Committee will lean in favor of the mid-majors or the Power 5.

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