2021 March Madness: Higher mid-major teams proved they’re still a tier below

St. Bonaventure Bonnies and BYU Cougars

Like I said to the start this, it truly is a shame for all associated with the VCU program to have their season end like that. The Bonnies were the last team that the Shockers played, and Mark Schmidt’s bunch won him his second conference tournament championship. Heading into their matchup against LSU, the Bonnies were a hot team with much experience.

Unfortunately for them, the styles of play got the better of them with their matchup with the Tigers. The run and gun tempo with a myriad of NBA talents that LSU has was too much for a slow-paced, defensive first Bonnies. St. Bonaventure had a wonderful season, but they were never in this game. LSU-Michigan sets up to be a fantastic game, but for another mid-major program, they too are going home after one game.

I think the popular pick was to take Michigan State to beat BYU. UCLA and Mick Cronin had other ideas, thus a majority of people changed their bracket to take the Cougars over the Bruins, including me. After taking Gonzaga to the limit in the WCC Championship game, BYU may have been overseeded, but also a team that you could have confidence taking. The duo of Alex Barcello and Brandon Averette was a very strong backcourt.

Continuing the trend, the major conference was leading the mid-major basically from start to finish. UCLA was always in control. Barcello tried his hardest to keep the Cougs in the game, but Johnny Juzang was relentless. The Cougars ended their season with their first losing streak of this year.

There was one bright spot, with Loyola-Chicago defeating No. 1 seed Illinois.. However, the better teams from the mid-majors across the country are all sitting at home one game in. Not the best look.