March Madness: 5 biggest questions for mid-majors in NCAA Tournament

March Madness: 5 biggest questions for mid-majors in 2019 NCAA Tournament

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 15: Caleb Martin #10 and Cody Martin #11 of the Nevada Wolf Pack walk up court during a semifinal game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament against the San Diego State Aztecs at the Thomas & Mack Center on March 15, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. San Diego State Aztecs won 65-56. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 11: Rui Hachimura #21 and Corey Kispert #24 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrate during a semifinal game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament against the Pepperdine Waves at the Orleans Arena on March 11, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bulldogs defeated the Waves 100-74. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Mid-majors figure to play a crucial role in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Here are five burning questions for the lesser known teams.

Welcome to our first roundtable for the 2019 NCAA Tournament! A few of our writers have come together to answer five of the top questions regarding the non-power conferences (plus Big East and AAC). Expect a ton of action and bracket busting from the smaller schools, as well as potential darkhorse runs. Here are the writers who participated in this project.

Connor Hope – @CondorianFM

Jason Burgess – @collegehoopsguy

Logan Butts – @logan_butts

Stu Luddecke – @sluddecke93

*Sports Illustrated Realtime Brackets is the first bracket game that lets college basketball fans switch their picks, in exchange for points, between and during live tournament games to keep their brackets alive all month long. Sign up now!

1. Biggest threat to Gonzaga getting out of the West Region and why?

Logan Butts

Obviously Michigan will pose a threat to the Zags in a potential Elite Eight matchup, but the biggest threat might be lurking in the second round. If Syracuse can get past Baylor in the first round, we know what their zone does to teams on short preparation. I would still bet on Gonzaga to make it out of the West, but the Orange zone could provide an early challenge.

Connor Hope

Texas Tech is the biggest threat to Gonzaga because they can exploit the Bulldogs in the one area that they struggle, defending elite scorers. Gonzaga has given up big numbers to Admiral Schofield, Jordan Ford, and Coby White in their losses, and another game like that from Jarrett Culver could spell doom for the Zags. Outside of the Red Raiders, and possibly the Seminoles, I am not sure any team can match the firepower and talent of the Zags.

Stu Luddecke

I think it’s Florida State. They are experienced, deep, and they play extremely tough defense. I do think that the St. Mary’s game was a fluke for the Zags and I don’t see them having a particularly hard time scoring the ball in the Tournament, but if there’s any team in the region that has a chance to get in their heads and slow down their offense, it’s the Seminoles. They have all the attributes that I mentioned and, most importantly, have been on an absolute tear recently, winning 14 of their last 16 with the only two losses coming against Duke and UNC. Michigan and Texas Tech are certainly also tough, but they’ve both looked more mortal than the Noles’ of late.

Jason Burgess

Who’s the biggest threat to Gonzaga getting out of the West Region and why?
To me, the biggest threat is Florida State due to the fact that they have the length and physicality to match up with the Zags.

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