5 Potential Bracket Busters

The Field of 68 is set for the NCAA Tournament, and we are filling out our brackets as we speak. Who will be this year's bracket busters?

It is no secret that the Selection Committee made some questionable decisions in their seedings this year, but this has opened up opportunities for the mid-major teams in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Here are our top 5 most likely teams to be Bracket Busters this season.

McNeese State

McNeese has been one of the best mid-majors in all of college basketball this season. The Cowboys are 30-3 on the season and handily won the Southland Conference. On Sunday, the Cowboys were given a 12-seed with a matchup against Gonzaga at the 5 seed in the first round of the tournament.

This could not be a more ideal game for the Cowboys who are looking to pick up their first win in the tournament in school history. I was absolutely stunned that Gonzaga was given a 5 seed, as were many other college basketball enthusiasts. The Zags have had a bit of an up-and-down season, but they finished strong once they were able to defeat #17 Kentucky at Rupp Arena 89-85. The Zags finished the season winning 9 out of their last 10 games.

For McNeese, this is going to be a true test as they have yet to play another team that is in the NCAA Tournament. The Southland Conference is ranked in the bottom 10 conferences in the country, so the competition they have faced has not be particularly great. However, Will Wade has put together an incredible team of high-caliber players in Shahada Wells, Christian Shumate, Javohn Garcia, and DJ Richards Jr. The Cowboys are athletic and quick, they rank 9th in forced turnovers and 10th in field goal percentage in all of college basketball.

Thursday. 6:25pm. TBS. Get ready.

Samford

Bucky Ball is destined to win their first tournament game this year as the 13 seed. The Bulldogs are matched up against Kansas in the first round who has had some health problems and struggles on the court as of late. Kevin McCullar Jr. and Hunter Dickinson both missed the entire Big 12 Conference Tournament, so if they can’t suit up, Samford has an even better opportunity.

Samford is 29-5 on the season coming into the tournament. The Bulldogs rank 9th in field goal percentage, 6th in turnovers forced per game, 7th in fast break points, and 7th in 3pt percentage. This is a well rounded basketball team, you can learn more about the history of their program here:

Looking at the depth that Kansas has given their health issues, Samford has a great opportunity because they have a true tournament team. Led by Achor Achor who averaged 15.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game in just 22.4 minutes per game, the Bulldogs keep their players fresh. They have 10 players that average at least 12.2 minutes per game and no player averages more than 25.8 minutes.

Bucky McMillan was coaching high school basketball just a few years ago and now he has led the Samford Bulldogs to their first NCAA Tournament since 2000. Just a phenomenal job and a incredible team to watch. The best part? If Samford and McNeese complete the upsets in the first round, they’ll play each other in the round of 32.

Thursday. 8:55pm. TBS. Be there.

James Madison

James Madison finished the season 31-3, they were ranked all the way up until they were in conference play, so how were they rewarded? A 12 seed. Insanity, but alas here we are.

The Dukes are led by Terrence Edwards Jr who averages 17.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. Followed up with TJ Bickerstaff and Noah Freidel who average 13.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 12.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game respectfully.

The good news is, despite disappointing seeding, the Dukes are matched up against Wisconsin in the first round. Wisconsin is absolutely a good team, they are older and the Badgers can score, posting at least 70 points in their last 10 games. However, looking at their 22-13 record, they’ve lost to Nebraska, Michigan, IU, and Penn State. In the non-conference, they lost to Tennessee, Providence, and Arizona. However, they did pick up a nice win against Marquette. Their other wins were against lower mid-majors like Arkansas State, Robert Morris, Western Illinois, and Chicago State. I’m not considering Virginia or Michigan State good wins because there is no reason either of these teams are in the NCAA Tournament this year.

James Madison is going to be a common upset pick for fans this year, and some may even have them going to the Sweet 16.

Tune in on Friday at 8:40pm CDT on CBS.

Drake

The Drake Bulldogs have the makings of a team that can make a deep run in the tournament. Led by Tucker DeVries who is averaging 21.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. DeVries has great support from Atin Wright, Kevin Overton, and Darnell Brodie.

Brodie can match up with about any big man in the country expect maybe Zach Edey, Atin Wright can fly, Overton shoots lights out, and DeVries is an NBA caliber player. These four, with an excellent supporting cast off the bench led the Bulldogs to a 28-6 record and their second consecutive MVC Conference Tournament Championship, knocking off Indiana State in the finals.

The committee slotted Drake in as a 10-seed in arguably what might be the toughest region in the tournament in the last decade. Their first round matchup is against Washington State. It won’t be a walk in the park for Drake by any means. This is a Washington State team that has wins against teams like Arizona (twice) and Boise State. However, they also have losses to Santa Clara, California, Arizona State, Washington, and narrow wins over Oregon State, USC, and Oregon.

If Drake makes it out of the first round, they’ll most likely meet with Iowa State who arguably could have been the 4th One Seed in the tournament. The Bulldogs have a tough spot, but we’ve seen crazy things happen and Drake has the talent to do it.

Thursday, 9:05pm CDT on TruTV.

New Mexico

The selection committee was not friendly to the Mountain West at all, giving them all worse seeds than they deserved. For the Lobos, they come in as an 11-seed lined up against Clemson in the first round. New Mexico has a deadly combination of Jaelen House, Jamal Mashburn Jr, Donovan Dent, and JT Toppin at the top of their lineup.

New Mexico comes into the NCAA Tournament with a 26-9 record on the season featuring wins over teams like San Diego State, Utah State, Nevada, Colorado State, Boise State, Toledo, and UC Irvine. Allegedly, had New Mexico not won the Mountain West Conference Tournament, the Lobos would have been left out of the tournament completely.

Clemson comes into the tournament at 21-11, with wins over some solid mid-majors like Winthrop, UAB, and Boise State, to go along with wins over Alabama, South Carolina, and TCU. Unfortunately, they had some tough losses to Miami, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, NC State, and Boston College.

This is a winnable game for the Lobos who would match up against Baylor, unless Colgate pulls off the upset in the first round. In my opinion, New Mexico has a great opportunity to make a deep run in the tournament depending on how others fair. Could Nevada knocked off Arizona making an easier path for a Mountain West team to make the Elite 8?

Tune in Friday at 2:10pm CDT on TruTV.

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