Busting Brackets
Fansided

NCAA Basketball: Current overlooked storylines in the 2018-19 season

By Jacob Matteson

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 10: Basketballs are shown in a ball rack before a semifinal game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament between the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Nevada Wolf Pack at the Thomas
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 10: Basketballs are shown in a ball rack before a semifinal game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament between the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Nevada Wolf Pack at the Thomas /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
HONOLULU, HI – DECEMBER 23: Frankie Ferrari #2 of the San Francisco Dons slashes between Paris Lee #1 and MiKyle McIntosh #11 of the Illinois State Redbirds to take a shot during the second half of the Diamond Head Classic NCAA college basketball game at Stan Sheriff Center on December 23, 2016 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
HONOLULU, HI – DECEMBER 23: Frankie Ferrari #2 of the San Francisco Dons slashes between Paris Lee #1 and MiKyle McIntosh #11 of the Illinois State Redbirds to take a shot during the second half of the Diamond Head Classic NCAA college basketball game at Stan Sheriff Center on December 23, 2016 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

San Francisco, Lipscomb, Liberty, Fresno State and East Tennessee State All Looking To Get Asked To Dance.

Year in and year out we expect everyone’s favorite Mid-Major’s such as Gonzaga and Nevada (if you were to consider them such at this point), to thrive.  Occasionally we’ll get teams we’re familiar with such as Saint Mary’s, Davidson and VCU sneaking in and turning heads.

Which makes this year a bit more refreshing when you see San Francisco (45th), Lipscomb (56th), Liberty (59th), Fresno State (60th) and East Tennessee State (64th) all cracking the KenPom Top 65.

Having these programs thrive and flesh out an already competitive Mid-Major scene makes it more entertaining for the fans who enjoy watching the underdogs turn into actual threats on the National level.

The Dons of San Francisco sit in the KenPom Top-60 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficency with two of their losses coming to Buffalo by just four points and a hard fought loss to national title favorite Gonzaga.

East Tennessee has asserted themselves as one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the country with a 39.7 OREB% according to KenPom.  Likewise, their 95.0 Adjusted Defensive on KenPom is their best in that given category since 2004 (95.8.)

Lost in the Nevada-dominated Mountain West headlines, Fresno State has strung together a 12-4  record with a neutral court thumping of Northwestern and a true road victory over Utah State.  Their 38.6 team 3pt% puts them among one of the better teams in the country when shooting the long ball, and with three of their losses being TCU (77-69), Miami (78-76) and Nevada (74-64), it’s hard to argue that this team hasn’t turned heads and deserve a little more attention.

The Atlantic Sun has enjoyed a nice non-conference slate thanks to Lipscomb (12-4) and Liberty (14-4.)  Three KenPom Top-75 wins for Lipscomb (SMU, TCU and Vermont) the Bisons have tied together a strong resume.  With the potential to flirt with a 25-win season, something that Lipscomb has yet to see in the KenPom era, their accolades are worth noting.

As for Liberty, while only claiming one KenPom Top-100 win (UCLA), they have become one of the most consistent shooting teams in the country.  Ranking Top-20 on KenPom in Effective FG% (58.3%, 5th), 3pt% (40.4, 8th) and 2pt% (56.5, 19th) the Flames are a tricky offensive code to crack.

Next. Top 25 Power Rankings. dark

Having four players in scoring 10+ points per game, six players with 2+ rebounds per game and eight players with at least 1 assist, Liberty might be one of the most balanced teams we aren’t discussing as we dive deeper into conference play.

Simply put, the stronger the Mid-Major scene gets, the better it is for college basketball.

Home/NCAA Basketball News