NCAA Basketball Tuesday Mailbag: Who are the nation's sleepers?

In this week’s edition of the NCAA Basketball Tuesday mailbag, we take a look at which teams are flying under the radar this season and the Mountain West.

Once again, I took to Twitter this week for questions for the NCAA Basketball mailbag. Conference play got underway across the nation this past week and there were some interesting questions that resulted. Here is what the Twitterverse came up with this week…

Question 1: Top NR (non-ranked) sleeper teams to keep an eye on as we head into conference play? Teams that could go somewhere in March. (Asked by Max Roitman)

The teams that jump out at me right now are Auburn, Butler, SMU, Nevada, and St. Bonaventure. Each of these teams has gotten off to a fairly good start and has something going for it that other teams in the country do not have. For Auburn, it is consistency. Although currently unranked, they are 12-1 and only have one poor performance on their resume, a loss to Temple on a neutral court.

Butler brings arguably the best win in the country to the table for an unranked team (Boston College over Duke is the other competitor). The Dawgs do not have the consistency of the Tigers but if a team is to make a run in March, they need to have shown that they can win the big game, which Butler already has done against Villanova.

SMU is just flying under the radar right now. Shake Milton and company are quietly putting together a very solid campaign this season and they have wins over three very good teams: Arizona, Boise State, and USC. They do already have three losses but look to be one of the top teams in the AAC. Watch out for them to steal a win or two from Cincinnati/ Wichita State.

Nevada had a disappointing loss to San Francisco recently but this is a team that is built to make a run. The Wolf Pack might not even be the best team in the Mountain West (see Boise State) but they will compete for that title and a single-digit seed in the Big Dance.

As for the last team, remember the name Jaylen Adams. Ever since the senior returned for St. Bonaventure, the team has been red-hot. Rhode Island might be the favorite to win the Atlantic 10, but the Bonnies will be able to make a good run at the title behind the play of Adams. Guard play can be huge in March and St. Bonaventure has a dandy.

Question 2: Florida State – Less physical talent than last year’s team with the losses of Bacon, Isaac, and Mayes but I actually think this team is better because of ball movement and team concept. Agree? Why or why not? (asked by FSUSC Doyer)

I’m not sure I would say that this team is “better” than last year’s, but I will say that the Seminoles are more built for an NCAA Tournament run than last season. Despite a high seed in the Big Dance a year ago, I was hesitant on how they would play in a single-elimination tournament that is heavily dependent on getting the right matchup.

This year, the team is more balanced and works better together. If one or two players are shut down, their offense is more likely to work as a team to find the right man for a bucket. The Seminoles are more likely to adjust and play different styles to come away with victories in comparison to last season and that will help them in the long run.

Question 3: Will USC rally together and make the tourney or NIT bound? (asked by FSUSC Doyer)

It is still way too early to make an end judgment on a team, but USC is in a tough position. The Trojans were stuck right on the bubble as my fourth-to-last team in the tournament during my first edition of Bracketology and it will be hard to move up. In a similar fashion to the Big Ten, the Pac-12 is super top-heavy and that will affect the number of teams that receive bids.

Unless USC picks up a win or two over Arizona and Arizona State while avoiding the bad losses against the bottom-half of the conference, I think the Trojans will be an NIT team.

Question 4: How many teams does the MWC get in? (asked by Fake Matt Mumme)

In my first edition of Bracketology for this season (which released on Jan. 1), I had the Mountain West getting two teams into the Big Dance: Nevada and Boise State. As always, the conference is going to get one team in with their auto-bid but I think they will get one other team this year. As of right now, Boise State and Nevada are the clear frontrunners to receive bids but I would not underrate the possibility of a team like UNLV figuring things out and making a run.

After just an average non-conference slate as a conference, it will be very difficult for the Mountain West to get three teams in the dance but I am not going to rule out the possibility. For now, I think two teams get in.

Question 5: Thoughts on a wide-open SoCon? ETSU has been mighty impressive lately. (asked by Kevin Sweeney)

“Wide-open” really is the best way to put it. The SoCon had an up-and-down non-conference slate and will quite obviously be a one-bid league this year. Yet, the regular season and conference tournament will be incredibly entertaining due to how close so many teams are at the top. I agree with Kevin that East Tennessee State has been the most impressive team as of late. After blowing a lead against Xavier in mid-December, the Buccaneers have rebounded with a four-game winning streak and are one of the three 10-4 teams in the conference.

Joining them at the top is UNC-Greensboro and Furman. While UNC-Greensboro has a win over NC State on the resume and has looked solid as of late (minus their loss to Asheville), I think that Furman is the best team to challenge ETSU at the top, especially in the conference tournament.

Furman’s Devin Sibley is the best player in the conference and he could be the difference in the conference tournament. There is a talented supporting cast around Sibley and the Paladins played Tennessee tight on the road in the non-conference.

Next: Bracketology: First projected field for 2018

That concludes this week’s edition of the Tuesday mailbag. To be included in next week’s version, be sure to follow me at @hardwiredsports or the site at @BustingBrackets on Twitter. I will ask for questions next on Sunday, Jan. 7.

Home/NCAA Basketball News

NCAA Basketball Tuesday Mailbag: Who are the nation’s sleepers?

By Lukas Harkins | Jan 2, 2018