Mid Major Report: NCAA Tournament Watch
By Lenny Del Genio
Sportspic.com
With the annual Bracket Buster weekend having come and gone, College Basketball bettors have now had an opportunity to observe the mid-majors likely to make an impact in NCAA Tournament betting. In case you missed out on all the action, here’s a rundown of the top mid-majors to look for in March Madness.
1. Wichita State: The Shockers currently lead the Missouri Valley Conference at 14-2 and are 23-4 overall. They are #15 in the RPI and will certainly be a single digit seed in the NCAA Tournament (likely a 5 or 6). WSU owns only two wins over teams in the Top 50 of the RPI, beating fellow mid-majors UNLV and Creighton (who are also on this list) by 19+. They crushed Davidson, on the road, during Bracket Buster Weekend 91-74.
2. New Mexico: Not many teams venture into “The Pit” in Albuquerque and come away with a win. Just ask UNLV, who lost here by 20. The Lobos have won seven in a row to take control of the Mountain West Conference and are 21-4 overall this season. They have four wins over teams currently ranked in the Top 50 of the RPI, while themselves ranked 27th.
3. Creighton – The Blue Jays are also out of the Missouri Valley and currently trail Wichita State by two games after a bad 21-point loss to the Shockers at home. But this is one of the top scoring teams in the country and are #1 overall in field goal percentage nationally.
4. Murray State – The Racers were the last team in the country to lose a game and should now be a lock for the NCAA Tournament (even if they lose in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament) after winning in impressive fashion against St. Mary’s on Bracket Buster weekend. This will be every bubble team’s best friend come Championship Week as a Murray State loss means two OVC teams will make the field of 68.
5. UNLV: The Rebels have the highest RPI (12) of any team on this list, but are trending downwards with three losses in the last four games, all on the road.
6. St. Mary’s: The Gaels are also trending downward due to three losses in the last four games. They must not only deal with Gonzaga (whose pedigree is so high we didn’t even think to include them here), but now also BYU in the West Coast Conference
7. Long Beach State: This is the first of three straight “long shots” come NCAA Tournament time as the 49ers will be a double digit seed despite owning the nation’s toughest strength of schedule. Already they’ve played San Diego State, Louisville, Kansas, North Carolina, Kansas State and Creighton. The only problem? They went 0-6 in those games. That said, only one of the losses came by more than eight points. Unlike last year, they will not miss the Tournament if they miss out on the Big West’s automatic bid.
8. Iona: The second group of Gaels on this list, Iona is currently in a tough battle in the MAAC with not only Loyola (MD), but Fairfield as well. A loss in the Conference Tourney could mean trouble. They did just score 90 in a win over Nevada on BracketBuster weekend and are the nation’s highest scoring team.
9. Belmont: Another team that wants to avoid a loss in the Conference Tournament. The Bruins were a popular upset pick in last year’s Tournament, but lost in the first round. The Atlantic Sun is not a strong league.