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 15, 2017; Dayton, OH, USA; UC Davis Aggies forward Chima Moneke (11) celebrates victory over the North Carolina Central Eagles in the first four of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Dayton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

3. UC Davis Aggies

Location: Davis, California

First Appearance since: Ever

Name to know: Chima Moneke (14.4 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 1.5 bpg)

UC Davis makes their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance after upsetting Cal-Irvine in the Big West Championship game. The Aggies then took out MEAC champ North Carolina Central to claim the Midwest region’s 16 and a date with Kansas.

Australia native Chima Moneke is a true handful down under despite standing just 6’6″. He had 18 and 12 in the win over NCC and could be an interesting problem for the Kansas interior. Guard Brynton Lemar is also capable scoring 16.6 points an evening and a 38 percent clip behind the arc. Plus, Davis’ mascot is named Gunrock. That is a truly spectacular nickname.

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