March Insanity: 6 males’s school basketball groups who may steal a bid come Choice Sunday

Per traditional, there shall be a handful of tournaments this postseason the place a heavy favourite goes down and a workforce nobody anticipated to crash the Large Dance does so by claiming its convention’s automated bid. In a couple of of those circumstances, the overwhelmed favourite (or this 12 months, favorites) could have a resume sturdy sufficient to nonetheless warrant inclusion within the discipline of 68. In these cases, the Cinderella league champion will wind up “stealing” a bid from a non-automatic qualifier that will have been within the discipline in any other case.

Extra so than any 12 months I can bear in mind, it looks like the mid-major leagues with an at-large candidate have two of them. That’s comforting for bubble boys from main conferences, however thrilling for the prospects of a three-bid WCC or a 3 (4?)-bid AAC.

In the event you’re a fan of Indiana or Ohio State or Arkansas or another workforce being talked about by Joe Lunardi each day proper now, right here’s who you’re rooting for over the subsequent two weeks:

1. Saint Mary’s (West Coast)

For the third straight 12 months, the Gaels have received the WCC’s common season title and would be the No. 1 seed within the league’s postseason match. Whether or not they win their second straight WCC match title or go one-and-out, Randy Bennett’s workforce shall be comfortably within the discipline of 68 for a program-record fourth consecutive 12 months.

2. Gonzaga (West Coast)

The Zags have one of many weirdest match resumes of any workforce in current school basketball historical past. The predictive metrics say Gonzaga is likely one of the 10 greatest groups within the nation. Their precise win/loss outcomes say they’re … removed from that. Regardless, they’re going to be dancing for the twenty fifth consecutive 12 months, the third-longest streak within the sport.

3. Memphis (American Athletic)

“They’re not a mid-major. They don’t belong on this submit. Maintain their title out of your mouth.”

No matter. They’re going to listen to their title referred to as on Choice Sunday whether or not they win the American match or not, and that’s all that issues.

4. Drake (Missouri Valley)

The Bulldogs are unquestionable the most effective tales in school basketball this season.

After greater than a decade of dominating the Division-II stage at Northwest Missouri State, Ben McCollum lastly acquired his shot on the D-I stage when Drake provided him their head teaching place final spring. Bulldog followers weren’t sure {that a} D-II coach was the suitable alternative to interchange Darian DeVries, who bolted for West Virginia after an especially profitable run in Des Moines. They had been even much less offered when McCollum introduced that he can be bringing 4 gamers with him from Northwest Missouri State, and that these 4 gamers would all be starters. Some followers despatched indignant emails to athletic director Brian Hardin, and others began mockingly referring to this system as “D-II Drake” on social media.

It’s labored out fairly properly.

Drake’s 27 wins are tied for essentially the most of any workforce within the nation, and so they lately wrapped up simply their third outright common season convention championship of their 111-year program historical past.

Regardless of all this, Drake has performed only one Quadrant-I sport all season (a impartial court docket win over Vanderbilt) and would immediately turn into probably the most debated at-large candidates within the nation if it fails to chop down the nets in St. Louis.

The Missouri Valley has given us a 1-seed vs. 2-seed championship sport in every of the final 4 seasons, with Drake profitable because the 2-seed the final two years. Bubble boys needs to be pulling for the Bulldogs to win this factor, but when they’re going to lose, you need them to lose early.

5. UC San Diego (Large West)

Of their first 12 months of NCAA match eligibility, the Tritons have been spectacular. They at the moment sit at 26-4 general, they’ve a number of Quadrant-I victories, and they’re No. 35 within the NET — only one spot behind two-time reigning nationwide champion UConn.

Individuals could have questions on UCSD in the event that they lose within the Large West match, but when that loss had been to return in opposition to a really sturdy UC Irvine workforce within the championship sport, the Tritons would have a fairly sturdy case to listen to their title referred to as on Choice Sunday.

6. San Francisco (West Coast)

USF’s at-large possibilities in all probability died with their common season-ending loss to Gonzaga. HOWEVER, generally the Committee will get a bit of wild with their last at-large picks. If the Dons had been capable of knock off the Zags within the WCC semis after which misplaced a aggressive sport in opposition to Saint Mary’s within the championship, there’s actually an opportunity they may earn a bid over an influence convention bubble workforce that misplaced early in its personal convention tourney.