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NCAA Basketball: Who might be the best mid-major teams in 2018-19?

By Lukas Harkins

SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 31: Loyola Ramblers fans cheer in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines during the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four Semifinal at the Alamodome on March 31, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 31: Loyola Ramblers fans cheer in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines during the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four Semifinal at the Alamodome on March 31, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /
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BOISE, ID – MARCH 17: McRae #1 of the Buffalo Bulls. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID – MARCH 17: McRae #1 of the Buffalo Bulls. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

4. Buffalo Bulls

2017-18 result: 27-9 (15-3 MAC), NCAA second-round appearance (No. 12 seed)

In the end, all that matters in basketball is outscoring opponents. It does not matter how teams get to the final score as long as they come out on top with more points. For the Buffalo Bulls, they used excellent offense to snag victory after victory last season. This was obvious to the No. 4 seed Arizona Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament as the Bulls ran up 89 points on them en route to a 21-point upset victory. On the year, Buffalo averaged 84.6 points per game, which ranked No. 6 in the country.

Heading into next season, there will be plenty of hype surrounding Buffalo due to that performance. In addition, the return of their three scorers from last season will also help. Seniors C.J. Massinburg (17.0 points, 7.3 rebounds), Nick Perkins (16.2 points, 6.0 rebounds), and Jeremy Harris (15.5 points, 5.9 rebounds) will all be asked to carry the weight once again last season with their high scoring and rebounding averages.

While the loss of Wes Clark (15.5 points, 5.4 assists) will hurt due to his ability to feed the other stars on the team, there is hope in that regard. Rising junior guard Davonta Jordan (6.5 points, 4.0 assists) flashed his ability to be a floor general last season in 35 starts and 25.2 minutes per game. Jordan is one of the more underrated guards in the country and you can expect that he will be asked to be the primary playmaker for the Bulls in 2018-19.

In order for Buffalo to reach its potential next season, the team will need to balance out the effort on both ends of the floor. The Bulls had one of the worst adjusted defensive efficiency ratings among NCAA Tournament teams last season and that could come back to bite them if not improved upon.

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