4 Mid-Majors Which Can Make A March Run

The college basketball season is one week into February, and while the national championship chase involves the blue-blood schools such as Kentucky, Kansas, Arizona, and UCLA, the other really interesting conversation to be had in college basketball is if a mid-major team can get on a big roll and cause a stir in March Madness. Let’s look at a few candidates which stand out.

1 – Davidson Wildcats

The Davidson Wildcats made the 2008 Elite Eight thanks to a player you might have heard about from time to time: His name was Stephen Curry. Davidson came within an eyelash of beating Kansas for a trip to the Final Four, but fell just short. Kansas went on to claim the 2008 national championship. Davidson was a No. 10 seed that year. This year, Davidson might be as high as a No. 7 seed, but that’s still a “Cinderella” seed in the NCAA Tournament as opposed to a heavyweight seed. The Wildcats will not be a team a No. 2 seed or a No. 1 seed will want to face in the round of 32. Davidson runs very crisp and fluid offensive sets. This team is not easy to defend in the half-court. Davidson has high-level shotmakers who don’t break down late in games. Coach Bob McKillop is one of the best coaches in the country. There is so much to love about this Davidson team, which keeps answering challenges and always seems to have a response whenever an opponent makes a surge. This team is skilled and tough and well-coached, a great three-part combination to bring into battle.

2 – Loyola-Chicago Ramblers

The Loyola-Chicago Ramblers, under coach Porter Moser, made the Sweet 16 last year. This year, Drew Valentine has taken over as head coach with Moser now at Oklahoma. Yet, the Ramblers still look like the kind of mid-major team which no high seed will want any part of. You might remember that Loyola upset No. 1 seed Illinois in the 2021 edition of March Madness. The 2022 Loyola team just won a tough road game over the weekend against Missouri State which solidified the Ramblers’ place as an NCAA Tournament team for 2022. Loyola will probably be a No. 7 or 8 seed. The Ramblers play patient offense and are good at playing defense without committing too many fouls. The discipline of this team is what will give it a chance to return to the Sweet 16 and cause panic among the big schools from Power Five conferences.

3 – Murray State Racers

The Racers have lost just two games. They handle various kinds of stressful situations and usually make it look very easy. The Racers just have to keep winning the games they are supposed to win. If they do, they can make the NCAA Tournament even without a championship in their upcoming conference tournament. This team is for real.

4 – Grand Canyon Antelopes

The Antelopes just defeated Seattle University in a big Western Athletic Conference game. They then defeated California Baptist with excellent late-game defense. Coach Bryce Drew has successfully gotten his players to understand the value of defense. Because of this, Grand Canyon can win games which turn ugly. GCU doesn’t need a game to be pretty, elegant, or flowing in order to win it. The Antelopes can win when a game becomes messy. That’s really important in March.