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NCAA Bracketology: Buy or sell mid-major bubble teams in 2019

By TJ Miller

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: The Lipscomb Bisons bench reacts at the start of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: The Lipscomb Bisons bench reacts at the start of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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BOISE, ID – MARCH 15: James Dickey #21 of the UNC-Greensboro Spartans dunks the ball in the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 15, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID – MARCH 15: James Dickey #21 of the UNC-Greensboro Spartans dunks the ball in the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 15, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

UNC-Greensboro – BUY

Record: 20-3 (9-1 SoCon)

NET: 52

Best wins: at ETSU

Let’s get hypothetical. It’s a tall task, but if the Spartans could go 8-0 to finish 17-1 in a surprisingly solid Southern Conference only to lose in the conference tournament finals, then UNC-G would be 30-4. This would include wins at Wofford and Furman and a home game vs. ETSU. Without getting into possible outcomes of the SoCon tournament, this would definitely be enough for UNC-G to sneak into strong at-large consideration.

Maybe I’m allowing myself to get carried away because I love coach Wes Miller and this team but of any mid-major bubble team, I’d argue this is the one that could be a giant slayer should it reach the NCAA Tournament. Last March Gonzaga barely squeaked past the Spartans in the 4 v 13 seed game. This season UNC-G lost a close game to LSU back in November and in December it led Kentucky by 3 points before the Wildcats pulled away late in the 2nd half.

Not convinced? Give it a couple weeks, and I think we’ll be hearing UNC-Greensboro talked about far more. Senior Spaniard Francis Alonso is one of the best international college basketball players in all of college hoops. While the blowout home loss to Wofford back in early January has to loom large for this group, they’ve gone 6-0 since then. Should UNC-G win its next three games, they will play at Wofford February 16th in what could be the deciding factor in winning the Southern Conference regular season title. Buckle up!

Next. Top mid-major NBA Draft propsects. dark

The Spartans are talented enough to win games come March. To get there they need to be great in February.

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