NCAA basketball has seen some incredible Cinderella stories recently, the latest being Loyola-Chicago. Which mid-majors are ready to make a run in 2018-19?
Cinderellas are what make March Madness. In the past, these magical runs have lasted maybe to the second weekend but rarely further. However, for the last 10 years, that glass slipper has fit for more than one dance. Like the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers last season, Cinderellas are getting closer and closer to notching a national championship.
In 2006, George Mason was the first mid-major of the modern era to crash the Final Four party. Then in 2010, Butler made it to the last dance, falling in the National Championship game. The Bulldogs repeated the feat in 2011 and were joined at the Final Four by First Four participant, Virginia Commonwealth. Wichita State then landed in the Final Four in 2013 and this last year the former conference mate of WSU, Loyola-Chicago, made an improbable run to the last four standing.
The question now is: How did the Ramblers make their run? They did have a little bit of tournament luck as the top two seeds of their region were upset (including No. 1 seed Virginia by No. 16 Albany) early and after defeating No. 3 Tennessee, Loyola-Chicago dispatched No. 7 Nevada and No. 9 Kansas State on their way to San Antonio. They also had the quintessential traits of a successful team in March. Most notably, they were efficient. The Ramblers were 17th in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com and third in the country in field goal percentage. They also got fantastic guard play from high school teammates turned collegiate stars Ben Richardson and Clayton Custer as well as junior Marques Townes.
The question now becomes, who will be the next mid-major to reach the Final Four? Here are three teams that could have what it takes to follow in the footsteps of Loyola-Chicago.
The first is one of the teams the Ramblers beat en route to San Antonio, the Nevada Wolfpack.
Nevada Wolf Pack
The Wolf Pack finished last season 29-8, winning the Mountain West regular season title and making a run to the Regional Semifinals of the NCAA Tournament where they fell to the aforementioned Loyola. Head coach Eric Musselman is losing one major competitor to graduation in guard Kendall Stephens, who averaged 13 points per game.
He does return five of his top seven scorers, including Jordan Caroline and Lindsey Drew, who combined to average averaged 25.8 points, 12.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists per contest in 2017. The biggest coup of the offseason for Nevada was definitely the return of the Martin twins, Caleb and Cody. The two forwards tested the NBA draft waters and ultimately decided to return to Reno.
The wins kept coming for the Wolf Pack this summer as they landed a commitment from five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American power forward Jordan Brown. The 6-foot-10 Brown is ranked as the top recruit in California and No. 17 nationally by 247Sports. The frontcourt depth was bolstered even further by the addition of two transfers. Trey Porter who averaged 13 points and six rebounds for Old Dominion last season while 6-foot-7 forward Tre’shawn Thurman, who is eligible after sitting out last season, averaged 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds for Nebraska-Omaha in 2016-17. Musselman’s two other recruits so far this summer, 6-foot-10 K.J. Hymes and 6-foot-7 Vincent Lee, add even more depth at the forward position.
Not to be outdone, the backcourt depth of Nevada is just as strong behind Caroline and Drew and also bolstered by three eligible transfers: Jazz Johnson (Portland), Nisre Zouzoua (Bryant) and Corey Henson (Wagner). The guard trio combined to average 50.7 points during their last season of action.
Buffalo Bulls
The Bulls finished last season at 27-9 with a Mid-American East division title, a MAC Tournament title, and a first-round upset of tournament favorite Arizona in the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Nate Oats returns one of the younger teams in the country at just over an average age of 20. Buffalo likes to get up and down and score. They ranked No. 6 nationally in points at 84.6 per game and were 34th in offensive efficiency at KenPom last season.
With the Bulls up-tempo style, they had nine players average at least 12 minutes per game. They return seven of those players and three of their double-digit scorers, only looking to replace Wes Clark and his 15 points, five assists, and three rebounds. They do return a lot of senior leadership in guards Jeremy Harris and C.J. Massinburg as well as forward Nick Perkins. The triumvirate returns 48.7 points and 18.9 rebounds.
With nearly an entire roster returning from the most successful team in the program’s division one history, Oats’ current recruiting class consists of three players. Four-star 6-foot-5 shooting guard Jeenathan Williams leads the class and point guards Ronaldo Segu and Javion Hamlet will give the Bulls more depth that will continue to play their up-and-down style.
Loyola-Chicago Ramblers
Yes, the Ramblers themselves could repeat their own accomplishments, much like Butler in 2010-11. Porter Moser’s squad that went 32-6 and ran roughshod over the Missouri Valley and knocked off every goliath they faced on their way to the Final Four loses three players to graduation and three others decided to transfer. Three key cogs in Clayton Custer, Marques Townes, and sophomore center Cameron Krutwig do return, though.
Loyola was successful because they were very good at nearly every aspect of the game. They were ranked in the top-60 in each of the following categories; offensive efficiency (53rd), defensive efficiency (17th), field goal percentage (3rd), field goal percentage defense (44th), 3-point percentage (20th), 3-point percentage defense (37th), assists (51st) and fouls per game (2nd).
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The Ramblers will welcome three newcomers to their squad in 2018-19. First up is sophomore forward Aher Uguak, who transferred from New Mexico joins the team after sitting out last season. The 6-foot-7 forward saw limited action for the Lobos and will have three years of eligibility remaining. The recruiting class consists of two three-star recruits: 6-foot-9 center Franklin Agunanne and Cooper Kaifes, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard.
*All national statistics courtesy of NCAA.org.