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NCAA Basketball: 5 early potential Cinderellas for 2021 NCAA Tournament

By Trevor Sinodhinos

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 8: Led by committee chairman Mark Hollis (3rd from L), the NCAA Basketball Tournament Selection Committee meets on Wednesday afternoon, March 8, 2017 in New York City. The committee is gathered in New York to begin the five-day process of selecting and seeding the field of 68 teams for the NCAA MenÕs Basketball Tournament. The final bracket will be released on Sunday evening following the completion of conference tournaments. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 8: Led by committee chairman Mark Hollis (3rd from L), the NCAA Basketball Tournament Selection Committee meets on Wednesday afternoon, March 8, 2017 in New York City. The committee is gathered in New York to begin the five-day process of selecting and seeding the field of 68 teams for the NCAA MenÕs Basketball Tournament. The final bracket will be released on Sunday evening following the completion of conference tournaments. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: Eric Monroe #2 of the Yale Bulldogs (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: Eric Monroe #2 of the Yale Bulldogs (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Potential NCAA Basketball 2021 Cinderella – Yale Bulldogs

Last tournament appearance 2018-19 season

Another first-place team, another non-shocker tournament team for 2020-21. Yale Basketball will be losing two starters in 6’9 Jordan Bruner (10.9 ppg, 9.2 rpg), and 6’2 Eric Monroe (7.2 ppg, 4.3 apg), but the projected 12 seed by Harkins and teamrankings.com has suffered bigger losses in the past.

As recently as the 2018-19 season, when the Bulldogs ended their run with a five-point loss in the first round to Louisiana State as a 14 seed, they also lost four starters going into this past season. The four starters they lost accounted for 49 points per game, yet the Bulldogs repeated as Ivy League Champions. This time around the Bulldogs will be losing fewer than 20 points per game as they attempt to three-peat as champions of the Ivy League.

Yale also proved they were better than the bottom half of the ACC with a three-point win at North Carolina and nine-point victory at Clemson. Two victories they managed despite their top 30 three-point shot under 30 percent in both victories. The biggest detriment to the Bulldogs who were ranked 58 in Ken Pom and had a Net Ranking of 69 was the fact that they averaged 13 turnovers per game. A stat that will adjust itself to more acceptable rates as the two seniors were the two biggest offenders combining for 4.6 turnovers per game. Joe Lunardi currently has the Bulldogs projected for a 13 seed, and you should have them projected to get out of the first weekend.

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