Happy Hump Day! And it’s time for this week’s Top 5.
With Creighton’s drubbing of No. 4 Villanova on Monday,
Wichita State’s undefeated season and San Diego State’s emergence into the top
10, this edition of Top 5 is: Mid-major teams most likely to make a Final Four
run.
1.
Wichita State, 19-0, Missouri Valley: This one
didn’t take much time to think about. The Shockers are undefeated and have Final Four experience all over the floor. They boast a potential
first-round NBA draft pick in forward Cleanthony Early, who leads the
team at 15.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. The guards are also spectacular,
in particular Fred VanVleet, who averages 13 points and almost six assists a
game. The one thing I have against Wichita State is the strength of schedule.
The only team they’ve played in the current top 25 is St. Louis. But the fact
that the Shockers are still undefeated is impressive on its own. They have a
good chance of snagging a No. 1 seed come tournament time.
2.
San Diego St., 16-1, Mountain West: Just look at
the resume. Wins against Creighton, Marquette, Washington and at Kansas. The
Aztecs only loss this season was to No. 1 Arizona in their second game of the
season. Xavier Thames is a legitimate candidate for All-American, but he’s not
the reason SDSU is ranked seventh in the nation. That would be because the
Aztecs only give up 55.7 points per game, second in the country. That kind of
suffocating defense will lead them far into March, when buckets become
extremely hard to come by.
3.
Creighton, 16-3, Big East: The Blue Jays
technically aren’t a mid-major team anymore, but since this is their first year
in the new conference I’m putting them on this list. The reason why
Creighton has a shot at the Final Four is Doug McDermott. Barring any sort of injury,
the guy is a shoo in for the Wooden Award given to the best college basketball
player in the country. He’s the most efficient scorer in the nation, scoring 25
points a game on 50 percent shooting. Another reason Creighton can make a run:
3-point shooting. Just look at Ethan Wragge’s performance Monday night. Watch
out if this team gets hot in March.
4.
St. Louis, 17-2, Atlantic 10: The Billikens only
losses this season were to No. 8 Wisconsin and No. 5 Wichita State by a combined 11 points.
Not a bad resume. St. Louis is probably the most experienced group in its
conference, with five seniors and a redshirt junior on roster. However,
other than the two losses to top-10 opponents, the Billikens haven’t played
many quality teams. But with the experience they have, they are still a
significant threat to make a deep March run.
5.
Massachusetts, 16-1, Atlantic 10: The Minute Men
seem to have a game that goes down to the final shot every week. They’ve won
four games decided by a three points or less. In addition to those narrow
victories, UMass has also won a handful of games by less than 10 points. The teams it is beating aren't all that impressive, but the 13th ranked Minute Men continue to find waysto win, which is why they made this list. Also, four guys on their roster average in
double figures. That's tough to stop no matter who you are playing.
Top Videos
-This is a phenomenal story about Baylor’s Isaiah Austin.
-Another great ESPN piece about a brother at the X Games and a brother watching out for the other.
-Top plays from Tuesday.
-Not a video, but the Yankees won the bidding war for Japanese ace pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. He signed a 7-year contract worth $155 million.
Thanks for reading!
Reach me at: award6344@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram: @_andrewward
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