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March Madness: Murray State, Wofford, Villanova and Nevada potenial Cinderellas

By Jonathan Geib

MURRAY, KY - FEBRUARY 09: Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers reacts in the second half of the game against the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars at CFSB Center on February 9, 2019 in Murray, Kentucky. Murray State won 86-55. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
MURRAY, KY - FEBRUARY 09: Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers reacts in the second half of the game against the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars at CFSB Center on February 9, 2019 in Murray, Kentucky. Murray State won 86-55. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – NOVEMBER 24: Head coach Russell Turner of the UC Irvine Anteaters reacts to a call during the 2017 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational basketball tournament against the UC Irvine Anteaters at the Orleans Arena on November 24, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – NOVEMBER 24: Head coach Russell Turner of the UC Irvine Anteaters reacts to a call during the 2017 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational basketball tournament against the UC Irvine Anteaters at the Orleans Arena on November 24, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) /

UC Irvine Anteaters (13-seed)

Who are the UC Irvine Anteaters? They are the 13-seeded team that you absolutely want to have winning multiple games in your bracket. The Anteaters are currently carrying a 16 game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament after sweeping the Big West Conference Tournament this past weekend.

UC Irvine has not received much attention or consideration due to the fact that they play in the Big West Conference. I mean, only three teams in that conference finished the season with winning records, so I understand the reasoning here. Yet, as the old saying goes, you can only play the teams on your schedule and UC Irvine did that and won 30 of those games.

The shocking statistic, and unlikely advantage, for UC Irvine is that no player on the team averages more than 13 points per game. Think about just how crazy that is, the leading scorer for the Anteaters is only averaging 12.5 points per game. They play the purest definition of team basketball of all participants in this year’s Tournament. Every player contributes for the Anteaters, and with the lack of a true star player, there is not a clear defensive game plan for opponents to draw up.

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