With the first week of conference tournaments commencing, many eyes are looking for who can be that mid-major college basketball team to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. While a team like Indiana State seems likely to win out in their respective conference tournament, other schools are going to have a tougher challenge.
The Ivy League, Sun Belt Conference and the Coastal Athletic Conference will likely be the prime mid-major college basketball tournaments that you need to follow if you are a fan of basketball or if you want a little insight on who that Cinderella team can be this year.
3 Mid-Major College Basketball Tournaments to Follow
Ivy League
A year after winning the regular season title, conference tournament championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Princeton Tigers are back on top of the Ivy League. Yale, who also won the regular season title last year, is also back atop the conference standings. With the Tigers sitting at 21-3 on the season and 11-2 in the conference, there is no reason to believe why Princeton can’t repeat and be a strong mid-major college basketball team in March Madness.
Princeton is led by a trio of double-digit scorers in Xaivian Lee (17.9), Caden Pierce (15.7) and Matt Allocco (12.7). Lee and Pierce form a formidable one-two inside-outside duo. At 6-3, Lee has taken a giant step forward, after averaging 4.8 points per game (PPG) in his freshman season last year. Lee’s shooting percentage has also jumped from 37.6% to 45.8%. Averaging 3.7 assists per game and 5.8 rebounds per game (RPG) over the season, Lee can do more than just score. As for Pierce, standing at 6-6, the sophomore plays much bigger than he is. At 15.7 PPG and 9.3 RPG, Pierce shoots the ball at 54% from the field and an astounding 60.3% from two. Junior Matt Allocco is the final piece of Princeton’s strong offense, as he shoots the three at 41.9% this season. With three players being able to score at all three levels of the court, it makes sense why Princeton’s offense is ranked 29th in KenPom.
Yale is the biggest competitor for Princeton’s march at another appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Currently ranked as 82 in the KenPom rankings, the Bulldogs are pretty even when it comes to offense (85) and defense (84). On offense, Yale is a little more well-rounded than Princeton, with five players who score 9.8 or more. The best of the bunch is seven-foot sophomore Danny Wolf. Similar to Xaivian Lee, Wolf has stepped up his game from his freshman year, increasing his scoring output from 2.6 PPG to 14.4 PPG this season. Shooting the ball at 48.4% this season, Wolf can step out and hit a three-point shot, shooting at 36.2% this season. Partnering with Wolf is 6-5 Junior guard John Poulakidas. Poulakidas scores 12.9 PPG on 44.8% shooting from the field and 40.7% from the three-point line. Yale is one of the best-scoring teams in the country this season, as they have the 51st-best shooting percentage in the country. Add that to only giving up 66.5 PPG to opponents this season, Yale really has a chance to get hot and make a run in the NCAA Tournament.
The only other team who has a shot to take down one of the top dogs, is Cornell. The Big Red have wins over both Princeton and Yale this season, proving that they are not going to flame out easy in the Ivy League Tournament. Cornell plays fast and scores a lot of points, led by Senior guard Chris Manon, the team scores 82.4 PPG, which ranks 21st in the country. Add into that a first place ranking in the country in two-point field goal percentage and all of a sudden the Big Red is a little scarier than once thought.
Predicted Winner: Yale Bulldogs
Sun Belt Conference
Realistically, there are only two threats to win the Sun Belt Conference Tournament this season. The first is one of the best mid-major college basketball teams this season in Appalachian State. Ranked as the third-best mid-major team, the Mountaineers have the 26th-best defense in the country, according to KenPom. Giving up just 66.1 PPG this season, Appalachian State holds opposing teams to a 38.5 shooting percentage, which ranks fourth in the country. Senior Donovan Gregory is the catalyst for the Mountaineers’ offense, as he averages 13 PPG on 49% shooting from the field and 44% from the three-point line. He partners with TreVon Spillers, who at 6-7 is an undersized post player, but he plays strong and averages 12.8 PPG. Spillers is a force in the paint though, as he corrals 8.6 RPG. Finally, the last double-digit scorer is junior Terence Harcum at 11.9 PPG.
The other contender for the Sun Belt bid this season is James Madison. After starting the season 14-0, the James Madison Dukes currently hold a 28-3 record. Those 28 wins are two more than Houston, Connecticut and Purdue for the most wins in division one, right now. Led by Junior Terrence Edwards (17.6), the Dukes score 84.6 PPG, which ranks ninth in the country. With Edwards, James Madison has four players who score in double figures. Along with Edwards is T.J. Bickerstaff, who is the nephew of Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. T.J. scores 13.9 PPG on 63% from the field. James Madison’s offense is well documented this season, but when you factor in their 29th-ranked shooting percentage, it makes sense that the Dukes beat a team like Michigan State this season.
Predicted Winner: Appalachian State
Coastal Athletic Conference
With two teams ranked in the Collegeinsider Men’s Mid-Major Top 25, the Coastal Athletic Conference Tournament should be a battle for an NCAA Tournament bid. The leader in the clubhouse is Charleston. Charleston has been on the rise lately, as they have made two NCAA Tournament appearances in the last six years. They hadn’t made an appearance since 1999. This season may be Charleston’s best season though. The Cougars are led by two 12+ PPG scorers in juniors Reyne Smith and Ante Brzovic. Smith shoots 41.5% from the field while hitting 40% of his three-point shots. As for Brzovic, the Croatian big man makes 47.4% of his shots. In total, Charleston is ranked 104th in KenPom and has the 62nd-ranked offense. With a strong offense, the Cougars get up 65.1 shots per game, which ranks sixth in the country. Add into that 31.1 three-point attempts per game, which ranks third in the country, and Charleston makes its money on the offensive side of the floor.
The other team that cracked itself into the college basketball mid-major top 25 is North Carolina Wilmington. The Seahawks score 80.2 PPG, which ranks 43rd in the country. That is catalyzed by junior forward Trazarien White. White scores 19.6 PPG, which ranks 38th in the country. With a 49.2% and seven rebounds per game, White is one of the biggest unknown stars in the country. White partners with senior guard Shykeim Phillips, who scores 14 PPG. Phillips takes most of his shots within the three-point line, shooting 52.4% from the field. He is also the main playmaker for the Seahawks, averaging 3.8 assists per game. Much like Charleston, UNCW excels at scoring the ball. At 80.2 PPR, the Seahawks rank 43rd in the country. The Seahawks also come away with four steals per game, which ranks first in the country, meaning UNCW is a very opportunistic team.
While Hofstra and Towson lurk in the shadows, the other team that is going to compete for the CAA Tournament is Drexel. The Dragons want to slow the game down and win on the defensive side of the ball. Giving up just 65.8 PPG and a 41.5 shooting percentage, Drexel is going to make life difficult for either Charleston or UNCW. Three of the Dragons starters are in their senior season, so along with defense, experience is also to the advantage of Drexel.
Predicted Winner: Charleston Cougars
