March Madness: 10 teams that deserve your fandom

By Doug Winkey | Mar 16, 2017

Mar 11, 2017; Birmingham, AL, USA; Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders head coach Kermit Davis with Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders forward Reggie Upshaw (30) and Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders forward JaCorey Williams (22) hold the trophy after defeating the Marshall Thundering Herd for the Conference USA Tournament Championship at Legacy Arena. Blue Raiders defeated the Herd 82-73. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mar 11, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Kent State Golden Flashes forward Jimmy Hall (35) shoots over the defense of Akron Zips center Isaiah Johnson (23) during the first half of the MAC Conference Tournament championship game at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

9. Kent State Golden Flashes

Location: Kent, Ohio

First Appearance since: 2008

Name to know: Jimmy Hall (18.9 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 1.4 bpg)

Kent State shocked the Mid-American Conference by knocking off the top three teams in consecutive games to win the conference’s automatic bid. They will play UCLA Friday in Sacramento in the South region.

Jimmy Hall does just about everything for the Golden Flashes. He leads the team in scoring, rebounding, blocks, and shooting percentage. Hall was one of the MAC’s best forwards and could create some problems for UCLA’s front court at 6’8″, 235. Guards Jaylin Walker and Deon Edwin also score at decent rates to keep teams from collapsing too hard on Hall. UCLA is supremely talented, but fans should show up and cheer for the upstarts from Ohio.

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