NCAA Basketball: Why March cinderellas are becoming more frequent

Could the next Cinderella blaze a trail in March?

Finding the next double-digit seed to make a run is becoming more and more difficult for a number of reasons. First, and most obviously, a lot changes in 11 months, and predicting where teams will be seeded is hard enough in March never mind a calendar year out.

Secondly, the transfer portal has led to what amounts to free agency in college basketball which makes not only knowing what rosters will look like difficult but any team continuity is becoming fleeting. Despite all that the common traits for those successful underdogs remain the same, and there is a team out there that if things fall right has the makings of a deep run, the Blazers of Alabama- Birmingham.

Andy Kennedy’s Blazers finished 25-7 and are the reigning Conference USA tournament champions. UAB entered 12-seed but lost to No. 5 Houston in the first round. The Blazers return a talented roster but their inclusion here comes with a huge caveat, and that is the return of their star guard Jordan “Jelly” Walker who is testing the NBA waters. The 5’11 Walker averaged 20 points, five assists and 1.5 steals last season and was a big catalyst for UAB’s success.

If Walker returns, the Blazers bring back five of their top six scorers from a team that put up nearly 81 points per game. In addition to the returning talent, Kennedy has added some impact transfers to his roster.

Tyler Bertram is a 6’3 guard from Binghamton who averaged nine points per game last season for the Bearcats. Bertram is a three-point specialist who shot 39% from behind the arc with 151 of his 229 shots coming from that distance. Javian Davis averaged 11 minutes per game last season at Mississippi State with three points and two rebounds per game, but the 6’9 240lb. forward gives the Blazers more bulk in the frontcourt to go with KJ Buffen. Eric Gaines is a former four-star recruit who played big minutes for LSU as a sophomore last season, averaging nine points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and over two steals per game.

The final two transfers coming in are a pair of brothers, Ledarius and Ty Brewer who starred at East Tennessee State last season. Ledarius is a guard who led the Buccaneers in scoring with 14.6 per game as a volume shooter who shot 41% from the field and 33% from deep. His brother Ty is a 6’9 forward who averaged over 10 points per game and led the team in rebounding with 6.7 per game who made over 53% of his two-point shots last season.

The Blazers are a team that went maybe six or seven deep last season, so these additions should lengthen their bench some. Even if Walker doesn’t return, UAB will be a veteran squad with juniors and seniors in their rotation.

The Blazers are a team that shoots the ball well from all over the floor and doesn’t give their opponents many free points by committing 11 turnovers per game. These attributes lead UAB to be a prime candidate to be the next Cinderella (should they be seeded as such) to make a deep run in March.