NCAA Basketball: NBA Draft stock and Kentucky’s odds among key questions
3. Which mid-major flying under the radar has Sweet 16 potential?
Zinkula
It’s been a couple of seasons (2017-18) since Sister Jean and Loyola Chicago made their Cinderella Final Four run, but the Ramblers have the talent to make some noise again this year. 6-9 senior Cameron Krutwig – the key holdover from the 2017-18 squad – is a load to handle in the post and a capable playmaker.
Loyola Chicago can make threes (37th-best 37.9%), shares the ball (6th in assist rate), and dominates the defensive glass (1st). It could ultimately be 13-0, Drake, however, that is representing the Missouri Valley come March.
Tineo
Maybe the best team that no one is talking about from the Mid-Major ranks has been Winthrop. The Eagles are 8-0 in Big South play and win in many different ways. The offense is electric and ranks 11th in the country with 86.5 points per game.
They rebound the best, score the best, and get to the free throw line the most efficient in the conference. They got a key win early in the season over Isaiah Miller-led UNCG in their season opener. The majority of Cinderella teams rely on a fantastic offense and Winthrop has plenty of options. They have seven players that average six or more points and the Eagles go 10 deep. If the Eagles are on the side of your favorite team, I would pay attention closely.
Brown
I like Belmont to be a Sweet 16 team. I’ve been high on Belmont ever since their near defeat of Maryland a few years ago, and I like the way they play on the perimeter and how they utilize their bigs. They have won nine straight games by more than 10 points and show no signs of slowing down.
Heiser
The Drake Bulldogs. Currently undefeated, I don’t think many people understand how good this team could actually be. Their strength of schedule has been pretty bad, but we’ve seen teams with lame schedules win two games in the tournament before. The Bulldogs have been pretty effective on both offense and defense and rank second in the nation in three-point percentage. Behind their athleticism and shooting, they could prove to be a legit threat come March.
Zacher
A number of the mid-majors I was high on at the start of the season have suffered some bad losses – namely, Little Rock, UNC Greensboro, and Western Kentucky – but I think those three have the potential to reach the Sweet 16.
But my biggest dark horse was and continues to be St. Bonaventure. They are 4-1 after finally getting their season underway midway through December, and they have racked up solid wins over Akron, Hofstra, and Richmond with a loss to URI.
Their lack of a non-conference schedule means they almost certainly will have to win the A-10 to earn a bid – but they feature one of the best starting fives in a deep A-10, and they own one of the best 3P% defenses in the nation. I don’t think it is out of the question to see the Bonnies make a dark-horse run.