By Aidan Joly
This season there are 357 Division I basketball teams across the country, including the ones that opted out of the season for COVID concerns. On a nightly basis on our TV’s, we only see the ones in the top conferences. In early March, fans scramble to find the next Cinderella’s that could pull off an opening-round upset.
Here’s an early look at eight mid-and low major schools from one-bid leagues that could be the ones that do just that.
Liberty, ASUN
The Flames are off to a 7-3 start that includes wins over a pair of SEC schools in Mississippi State and South Carolina. Two of its three losses came to power conference schools but kept it within 10 against both with a 56-52 loss to TCU on November 29 and 69-60 loss to Missouri on December 9. Ritchie McKay’s squad boasts a pair of double-digit scorers in Darius McGhee and Elijah Cuffee, while being one of the smartest offensive teams in the league with the 22nd-best effective field goal percentage and 67th-best turnover percentage in the country, per KenPom. Things should continue to look up as they move into conference play.
Wright State, Horizon League
The Raiders reached the NCAA Tournament in 2018 and have continued to do well since. On Thursday, they sit at No. 103 in KenPom, best in its league. They are off to a 2-1 start with wins over Miami (OH) and Bowling Green, both blowouts. This is a team that does well on offense and defense with five double-digit scorers. 6’8” senior Loudon Love has averaged 13 rebounds per game through the first three contests. They are also a top-100 defensive team in the nation. They kick off league play on Saturday against Detroit Mercy.
Georgia State, Sun Belt
The Panthers and second-year head coach Rob Lanier kicked off the season in a big way back on November 25 with a quadruple-overtime, 123-120 win over Georgia Tech, putting them on the radar of fans for the year. Including that win they are off to a 4-1 start which included a split against non-conference foe Mercer, who we will talk about a little later. Justin Roberts and Corey Allen average 15.8 and 15.6 points per game respectively. Eliel Nsoseme is a threat on both sides of the ball, with 13.8 points and 11 rebounds per game. They are one of the cleanest teams in the country, 14th in turnover percentage.
Abilene Christian, Southland
The Wildcats, who have only been Division I since 2013-14, has a good chance of already picking up its second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history after making its first one in 2019. So far, this year’s team is better than the 2018-19 team, currently about 30 spots higher in KenPom from their finishing position in 2019. They are off to a 7-1 start with wins over some of the biggest names at the mid-major level, including a 70-47 drubbing of East Tennessee State and a good win over Austin Peay, one of the contenders in the Ohio Valley. They don’t have any double-digit scorers, but they have a ton of depth which may allow them to be a team to watch.
Chattanooga, SoCon
The Mocs still have not lost a game, sitting at 7-0. They boast two of the best players in the country at the mid-major level in David Jean-Baptiste, currently averaging 18 points per game and Malachi Smith, at 15.6 PPG. They also just got KC Hankton, a former Saint Louis Billiken who scored 16 points in 22 minutes in his team debut on Wednesday after some eligibility issues kept him off the floor. Don’t forget about Stefan Kenic and Trey Doomes either, two great depth pieces. Furman is the team to beat in the Southern Conference but if they get knocked off at some point, this may be the team to do it.
Murray State, Ohio Valley
Two years after Ja Morant’s departure, the Racers are still a very quality team, nearly top 100 in KenPom. They beat Illinois State but the more impressive win was against Austin Peay, where it was expected to be a dogfight the Racers won by 30 in the conference opener that had a lot of hype from the diehards. Tevin Brown and KJ Williams are the guys for this team but watch out for Chico Carter Jr., who can make a big impact off the bench. Now imagine how good they would be if Morant was still around in what would have been his senior season.
UC-Riverside, Big West
The Highlanders are probably the second-best team in the Big West behind UC-Santa Barbara. They had a season-opening loss to Pacific on November 25 but have picked up three wins since that against Washington on a neutral floor and true road games against Denver and Northern Arizona, all three by at least 15 points. A pair of forwards, Arinze Chidom and Jock Perry, lead this group and are a big reason why they are one of the best shooting percentage teams in the country. Guards Wil Tattersall and Zyon Pullin are also talented. Another reason to root for this bunch is they are led by first-year head coach Mike Magpayo, the first head coach of Asian descent in Division I history.
South Dakota State, Summit League
The Jackrabbits currently sit at 5-3, but they are a top-100 KenPom team. In their second game of the year, they gave a beatdown to Utah State on a neutral floor and have also picked up a win against Iowa State. One of the better offensive teams in the nation, the star here is Noah Freidel, who averages 17.5 points per game and shoots over 40% from three-point range. Baylor Scheierman averages 14.5 points, an even 50% from three, and 8.1 rebounds per game. They are two of four double-digit scorers on the team. However, we don’t get to see them for a while as they are not scheduled to play until January 8, kicking off league play against Western Illinois.
AJ Hoops 