4 Mid-Majors Which Can Rise Up In March Madness

The fun and charm of March Madness exist for many reasons. One of them is the cute, cuddly mid-major school which gets into the field and then slays the big heavyweight schools, creating a major bracket upset which changes the opportunities for everyone left in the NCAA Tournament. Which four mid-majors should you keep an eye on, with the reminder that Gonzaga is not a mid-major in any real sense (only in a narrow technicality which doesn’t mean anything of value).

1 – Murray State

The Racers have lost only two games all season, and one of them was to an Auburn team which has won the SEC championship and will likely be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Murray State went unbeaten in conference play – both the regular season and the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. That is extraordinarily hard to do, but Murray State pulled it off. This is going to be a headache not only for the first-round opponent, but for a No. 1 or No. 2 seed if Murray State is able to get past the first round. The Racers are relentless at both ends of the floor. They play tenacious defense and have multiple skilled scorers who can create offense. They can certainly make the Sweet 16.

2 – Loyola-Chicago

The Ramblers struggled at points in the regular season, but they were brilliant in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, winning their first two games decisively and then holding off Drake in the championship game to clinch an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. You will remember that Loyola made the Final Four in 2018, and then beat No. 1 seed Illinois last year in March Madness. Loyola’s combination of structured offense and great rotational defense – always being in the right spot on the floor and regularly using the angles of the court to its advantage – makes playing the Ramblers a very large chore at this time of year. Loyola is disciplined, smart, detail-oriented, and precise. Those are great qualities for a tournament team to have. The Ramblers won’t beat themselves and are certainly a team no higher seed wants any part of on the first weekend of this tournament.

3 – Chattanooga

The Mocs beat Furman in a classic Southern Conference Tournament championship game on Monday night. David Jean Baptiste hit a 35-footer against great defense from Furman, swishing the shot to win in overtime by one point. What was incredible about that overtime period is that Furman did not miss a single shot. It still lost. That’s how well Chattanooga had to play to beat Furman. That’s how well the Mocs can perform when they are at their best. A high seed should want to avoid the Mocs in the first round.

4 – Saint Mary’s

The Gaels were good enough to beat Gonzaga in late February, with a combination of structured offense and highly physical defense which moved Zag players off their preferred spots and forced them to take uncomfortable shots from undesired positions on the floor. Saint Mary’s can throw a monkey wrench into most of the opposing defenses it faces. The Gaels are equipped to handle virtually every matchup other teams might throw at them. This is a resourceful group coached expertly by the always underrated Randy Bennett.