Bracketology: 10 key storylines for Championship Week in 2019

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 27: Mamadi Diakite #25 and the Virginia Cavaliers bench cheers in the second half during a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

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BOISE, ID – MARCH 15: Mike Daum #24 of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits reacts in the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes 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) /

7. Missing out on mid-major stars

There already have been some heartbreaking results from the early mid-major tournaments involving some of the best players in the country. Because they play on small mid-major schools, they needed to win their conference tournaments in order to make the NCAA Tournament.

So far, some great senior stars have fallen. South Dakota State’s Mike Daum, a 3000-point career scorer fell in the quarterfinals of the Summit League Tournament to Western Illinois. Another 3000-point scorer Chris Clemons lost in the Big South Tournament, ending his career without ever participating in the Big Dance. Belmont’s Dylan Windler and Lipscomb’s Garrison Matthews are also seniors and may not go dancing in their final year of college.

The bracketology implications are big because teams with star players are favorites for upset predictions. That’s due to their ability to go off in a single game to pull off an upset against the higher seed. The teams who are going dancing in their place are somewhat less likely to get that said upset. That’s why Ja Morant and Murray State will be a trendy upset prediction when the brackets are released.

There are still some great mid-major players that could make some noise if they get in. Jon Elmore from Marshall is the all-time leading scorer at Marshall, while Charles Bassey is a projected first-round NBA Draft pick at Western Kentucky. D’Marcus Simonds is an elite scorer from Georgia State, while Justin Wright-Foreman is averaging nearly 27 ppg from Hofstra in the CAA. If any of these players get in, look for their teams to get some love to advance.

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