Marty: Watch for these 5 teams as a possible Cinderella in the NCAA Tournament
Loyola Chicago, UMBC and Kansas State were just a few of the teams in last year’s upset-filled NCAA Tournament. Every tournament has one or two Cinderella stories that make a serious run in the Big Dance.
Which teams are this year’s most likely Cinderella candidates to bust your bracket?
Murray State Racers
Ja Morant is a future top-five pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Averaging 24 points and 10 assists per game, Morant and the No. 12 Racers have the talent and skill to knock off No. 5 Marquette who boasts one of the most elite scorers in the country, Markus Howard.
New Mexico State Aggies
Coached by former Wichita State assistant Chris Jans, the Aggies are NCAA Tournament-bound for the third straight season. The Aggies have won 30 games this season and have a balanced scoring attack. On top of that, the team only allows opponents to 64 points per game. If the Aggies can get by Auburn, it can make a deep run.
Oregon Ducks
The Pac-12 hasn’t earned much respect this year, but don’t overlook the Ducks. Bol Bol, a top forward, went down with season-ending injury early on. Since its restructuring, the Ducks have clicked. Payton Pritchard, the lone remaining member from Oregon’s 2016 Final Four season, went off in the Pac 12 Championship earning him Player of the Tournament. The Ducks will have a tall task though face Wisconsin as they look to pull off the upset.
Saint Louis Billikens
The Billikens have had a challenging season, to say the least. Numerous graduate transfers have struggled to fit into Travis Ford’s system. In the Atlantic-10 Tournament, the team clicked. Tramaine Isabell, a two-time transfer from Drexel and Missouri, has taken off lately including a season-high 39 points . Behind the likes of Isabell and Javon Bess, the Billikens were able to knock the the likes of Dayton and Davidson to win the A-10 Championship to secure an automatic bid.
Temple Owls/Belmont Bruins
Here’s a first four game. These two teams barely made the field of 68, but each has a chance at a deep tournament run.
The Belmont Bears which at times seemed unlikely to make the tournament after their loss to Murray State in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship. The Bears are lead by Dylan Windler, who averages 21 points and 10 rebounds a game. The Bears are one of the highest scoring teams in the country, averaging 87 points a game — the second-most in the country.
The Temple Owls have Shizz Alston, Jr., who averages 19 points and five assists per game. He’s the head of a triple scoring threat made up of Nate Pierre-Louis and sharpshooter Quinton Rose.
Sean Marty was the sports editor for The Sunflower. Marty, a senior from St. Louis, majored in communications with a journalism emphasis and minored in...