Bracketology 2022: 5 mid-major squads with potential for at-large bids

Mid-major basketball has come on in more ways than one as the NCAA Tournament approaches. Take a look at some teams already taking the NCAA basketball world by surprise with their potential for at-large bids.

Loyola-Chicago Ramblers (MVC)

Loyola-Chicago basketball looks prime for another run under new head coach Drew Valentine. They’ve made two deep runs in the NCAA Tournament in the past appearances in 2021 and 2018 and look to play Cinderella once again.

Junior guard Braden Norris leads the way with 4.0 apg along with 11.1 ppg on 42.6 percent shooting from 3-point land in MVC basketball action. 6-foot-4 guard Lucas Williamson leads the scoring attack with 15.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, and 2.0 apg on 47.6 shooting from behind the arc. They’ve combined to make 5.0 3-pointers per contest in conference play in 2021-22.

They lost by just two points to Michigan State (11/24) and nine points to No. 1 ranked Auburn (11/25) but also hold victories over DePaul and Vanderbilt on the road as the conference leader in the standings.

Even if they don’t win the conference tournament, they’re a team that could find itself with an at-large bid regardless of how things end at the conclusion of the regular season if they can finish atop the MVC basketball standings. They’ve proven themselves before in the NCAA Tournament, finding them in the field as an at-large wouldn’t be a complete surprise.