NCAA Basketball: 10 mid-major gems to watch for 2018-19

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 24: A detailed view of a Wilson Basketball with a NCAA March Madness logo on it during the first half between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Florida Gators during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden on March 24, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

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DURHAM, NC – NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Tony Shaver of the William & Mary Tribe directs his team during the game against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 23, 2016 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Nathan Knight- Jr. – William & Mary

William & Mary are one of only a handful of original Division I teams to have never made the NCAA Tournament. If they are to have a shot at ending that streak in 2018 Nathan Knight will be a big reason why. Knight is a 6-10 junior big man from Syracuse who starred at Nottingham High School and then played a prep year at Kimball Union in New Hampshire. He returns to the Tribe as the leading scorer and second-leading rebounder.

In his first season, he played in all 31 games, even starting five of them. In his 17 minutes per game, he did a little bit everything, averaging eight points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks per contest. He shot a tidy 57.5% from the field and scored a season-high 20 points in a late-season win over Towson.

Last season Knight was a cornerstone of the Tribe starting five, starting in the middle for all of the team’s games except one. The improvement from year one to year two was evident right away as he recorded his first double-double with a career-high 31 points and 14 rebounds in the team’s second game against Hampton. That game was a harbinger of things to come as Knight had a breakout season, with a stat line of 18.7/7.3/2.2, in addition, he even added two blocks per game. Knight also made a huge improvement at the free throw line where he shot 76.9% after shooting just 59% his freshman year.

He scored in double figures in all but one game and recorded nine double-doubles. He also scored at least 20 11 times including three games of 31 points. Only a junior, Knight has a couple of seasons to try and get William & Mary to the tournament and he is only going to get better over that time.

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