Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images[/caption]Bucknell (22-5, 9-2 Patriot League)
Coming off Monday night’s win at Lehigh, Bucknell secured first place in the Patriot League. While Lehigh could still win the conference, Bucknell’s respectable season cannot be ignored. The Bison are led by their senior center, Mike Muscala, who is averaging 19.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.
Muscala has been dominant in the Patriot League, putting Bucknell in a position to make its sixth tournament appearance in school history. Assuming they earn a spot in the bracket, the Bison will likely go against an elite program with size. Having Muscala takes away the size advantage of these top schools, and it gives Bucknell a legitimate shot at advancing past the first round.
Akron (21-4, 12-0 Mid-American Conference)
Much like Bucknell, Akron also has rare height for such a small school. Seven-foot senior Zeke Marshall leads the Zips in scoring with roughly 13 points per game. However, Akron’s success can be credited to their entire rotation. Any given night, six or seven players can go off for a double-digit game.
Akron has only lost four games to this point, two of which that have gone into overtime. The Zips lost an overtime nail-biter to the now No. 14-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys by four points in November, showing that they can compete with any team in the country. This time next month, expect Akron to be a tough match-up for any big-name school looking for an easy first-round win.
Middle Tennessee State (23-4, 15-1 Sun Belt)
In the Sun Belt this year, it has been all Middle Tennessee State. However, their success has also translated out of conference as well. Considering the Blue Raiders have beaten both Ole Miss and Vanderbilt this year, they would technically be ahead of South Carolina and Mississippi State in the SEC standings.
These morale-boosting wins will give the Blue Raiders the mindset that they can beat anyone come March. If somehow they lose in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, they just might even take a bubble team’s spot. Overall, this has been the most exciting year of basketball in Murfreesboro, Tennessee since their last tournament appearance in 1989.
South Dakota State (21-7, 13-7 Summit League)
The Summit League is currently has a four-team race at atop the standings. If South Dakota State survives the next month, they will be a popular pick to pull off an upset.
Senior guard, Nate Wolters is ranked third in the nation in scoring, averaging 22.8 points per game. Anytime you have a player of this caliber, you can beat anyone in the country. Last year, Wolters almost took down a No. 3-seed Baylor, but they came up short. With another year of experience under his belt, who knows where this outstanding scorer could take the Jackrabbits.
Belmont (20-6, 11-2 Ohio Valley Conference)
Belmont is looking like it’s headed to its third tournament. In the past, they’ve been a favorite to upset a high seed, and this year is no different. If they get past Murray State and the rest of the Ohio Valley Conference, they will pose a real threat in March.
The Bruins’ ability to shoot the three (13th in the country at 39.8%) has carried them all year, and it will keep them in any game. Any upset is possible when you have a team that can consistently knock down shots from behind-the-arc. If I’m the coach of a top-seeded team, this is one team I’d hope to avoid as a first-round match-up.
