Let the madness begin. March Madness is back and millions of fans are filling out their brackets. When filling out your bracket, make sure to consider these five teams that are sure to bust it if you don’t.
#12 McNeese Cowboys
McNeese dominated the Southland Conference, winning the regular season title with a 17-1 conference record, before breezing through the conference playoffs. Though the Cowboys didn’t play any ranked teams this season, the team dominated both ends of the floor, having the widest scoring margin in Division I, with just under a 19-point margin. While the Cowboys are a top 40 scoring offense, its defense is the strongest part of their game, allowing the fifth least amount of points, while forcing teams to only convert shots at a 38.5% rate. McNeese forces 16.5 turnovers per game and collects 10.4 steals per game. This team thrives at turning good defense into quick offense, scoring 13.7 points per game on the fast break. Offensively, the Cowboys are very efficient and protective, converting at a 49.2% rate and turning the ball over under 10 per game. McNeese isn’t reliant on the three, but converts at a 38.8% rate from beyond the arc.
McNeese is led by Shahada Wells, averaging 17.8 points per game and three steals per game, second in Division I. Wells proved he can perform in the big moments, scoring 27 points and having three or more steals in each Southland Conference playoff game. Christian Schumate is their enforcer and glass cleaner averaging 9.5 rebounds per game, while blocking 1.4 shots per game. Javohn Garcia and DJ Richards Jr. serve as secondary scoring options, both providing 11.4 points per game from the wing.
McNeese faces Gonzaga in the 5-12 matchup in the Midwest region at 7:25 p.m. on Thursday.
#14 Morehead State Eagles
Morehead State was 14-4 in conference, placing the Eagles as the three seed in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. The Eagles dominated in the tournament, with its smallest margin of victory being eight points. Morehead State has swallowing defense, allowing under 63 points per game, allowing just a 38.9% field goal percentage and under 30% rate on three’s from opponents. The Eagles crash the boards very well, grabbing 39.4 rebounds per game. Morehead State’s only flaw is a struggle with ranked teams, being blown out in two games against ranked teams and Morehead’s opponent is Illinois, which closed the season ranked 13th.
Senior guard Riley Minix is the go-to guy for the Eagles, averaging nearly 21 points per game and just under 10 rebounds per game, while also averaging a block and a steal per game . Minix was excellent in the OVC tournament, scoring 20 or more points and having seven or more rebounds in all three games. Jordan Lathon is the next option offensively, averaging 15.4 per game. Kalil Thomas is a knockdown three-point shooter, shooting at a 43.5% rate from deep, ninth in Division I. Drew Thelwell is the main orchestrator of the offense, averaging six assists per game.
Morehead State faces Illinois in the 3-14 matchup in the East region at 3:10 p.m. on Thursday.
#12 James Madison Dukes
The Dukes started the season is the best way imaginable, winning against #4 ranked Michigan State on the road, before going 14 game win streak. JMU picked up just three losses, with two of them coming at the hands of Appalachian State. The Dukes finished second in the conference, earning a first round bye in the Sun Belt tournament. JMU barreled through the tournament, with the championship victory being by 20 points. James Madison is one of college basketball’s premier scoring teams, averaging 84.4 points per game this season. The Dukes are efficient from the field, connecting at a 48% rate, while shooting 36.5% from deep. JMU swings the rock well, averaging 16.4 assists per game. The Dukes are top 10 in scoring margin in Division I, with over a 15 point advantage.
Terrence Edwards Jr. is the top guy for JMU, leading the team in scoring with 17.4 points per game, while being a dimer, entering the NCAA tournament on a streak of six games with five or more assists. T.J. Bickerstaff is the glass cleaner, averaging 8.5 rebounds per game, including 14 games with double digits. Noah Friedel is lights out from three, having 20 games with two or more threes.
James Madison takes on Wisconsin in the 5-12 matchup in the South region at 9:40 p.m. on Friday.
#10 Drake Bulldogs
The Bulldogs had another dominating season, finishing second in the Missouri Valley Conference, before knocking off everyone in the path to winning the conference playoffs. Drake was a top 40 scoring offense, averaging 80.5 points per game as a team. The Bulldogs always look for the best shot, shooting at a 47.9% rate, while averaging 15.9 assists per game. Drake takes advantage of the free points, shooting 76% from the line, which is crucial in the national tournament. Another crucial factor for teams in March Madness is limiting the turnovers, which Drake excels at, only committing 9.6 per game, top 20 in Division I.
Junior guard Tucker DeVries is the No. 1 option for the Bulldogs, scoring 21.8 points per game, sixth in Division I, with a 44.8%/36.4%/81.7% percentage line. DeVries enters the tournament on a 15-game streak of 17 or more points, including a 27-point performance in the Missouri Valley Conference championship. Despite his scoring number dipping, Atin Wright’s efficiency has improved tremendously, converting on about 45.4% of his shots, while making 41.2% of his threes, including back-to-back games with three or more triples. Freshman guard Kevin Overton has added a nice boost to the Drake offense, averaging just a tick over 11 points per game. Darnell Brodie has been putting in work on the glass and is hot, coming off a 17 point, eight assist performance against Indiana State.
Drake is set to face Washington State in the 7-10 matchup in the East region at 10:05 p.m. on Thursday.
#11 New Mexico Lobos
In March Madness, getting hot at the right time is very important and there might not be a hotter team than New Mexico, after the Lobos ran the gauntlet, battling through the Mountain West playoffs to win the conference championship. New Mexico is a top 25 scoring team, averaging over 81 points per game, but don’t forget about its defense, one which didn’t yield more than 66 points in any of the Mountain West tournament games. The Lobos hit the boards hard, grabbing over 39 rebounds per game, while also being a premier shot blocking team. The Lobos force over 14 turnovers per game, while limiting its turnovers to under 10.
The Lobos leading scorer in Jaelen House, who was hot in the conference tournament, including a 29 point performance in the quarterfinals and a 28 point, three steal game in the championship. Jamal Mashburn Jr. is the most efficient scorer, but when he gets hot, there’s not stopping him. In his second year, Donovan Dent has taken a huge leap forward, becoming one of the best passing guards in college basketball, while still serving as a good scoring asset. The duo of JT Toppin and Nelly Junior Joseph have opposing offenses quivering, as Toppin is averaging nine rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.1 steals per game, while Junior Joseph is grabbing 8.8 boards, swatting 1.4 shots and swiping 1.1 steals.
The Lobos are set to square off against the Clemson Tigers in the 6-11 matchup in the West region at 3:10 p.m. on Friday.
All stats are from NCAA and ESPN as of March 18, 2024
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