Mid-Majors That Could Pull Off First Round Upsets
Written March 11, 2009 by Jack Jones
Last week several different Mid-Majors punched their tickets to the Big Dance, but which of these teams are pretenders and which have a chance to pull off an upset or two in the tournament? Ben Burns takes a look at three teams and gives a prediction on their chances of winning their first round game.
Cleveland State (Strong Chance of Pulling Off a Tournament Upset)
The Vikings lost a couple of games to Butler by two points during the regular season, but then managed to come out on top in the Horizon League championship game. This team also pulled off an upset earlier in the year at Syracuse. Cleveland State is a balanced team that has three different players scoring in double figures and the team holds opponents to less than 60 points per game. The Vikings also have depth, with eight players seeing significant time and three seniors providing experienced leadership.
Siena (Strong Chance of Upsetting Teams in the NCAA Tournament)
The Saints upset Stanford in last year’s tournament, and head coach Fran McCaffery thinks that this team is even better. Siena looked very solid in winning the MAAC Championship game over Niagara on Monday night. This team also has the emotional back story that fans get behind and root for. Senior guard Kenny Hasbrouck won tournament MVP honors and celebrated by giving the trophy over to his father, who suffers from multiple sclerosis and is in a wheelchair. Siena has four different players scoring in double digits, plus they play tenacious defense that forces turnovers without fouling.
North Dakota State (Mediocre Chance of First Round Upset)
The Bison are one of those teams that might just be happy to make the tournament, this being this first season in Division I. The team battled back from a double digit deficit in the Summit League title game to beat Oakland, behind Ben Woodside’s game-winner with three seconds on the clock. Woodside was the Summit League player of the year who is putting up 25 per game over his last five outings. NDSU can really shoot the ball from outside and score the rock, as they are fifth in 3-point shooting, and eight in scoring average. The Bison haven’t beaten a top team, but did give USC a run for their money back in December.
Check the NCAA basketball odds on all of these teams and more here at BetFirms. Plus, if you are looking for college basketball picks to help you win more games to finish the season, look no further than our handicappers.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- Possible Round One NCAA Tournament Upsets
- NCAA Tournament Preview: North Dakota State vs Kansas
- Betting the First Round of the NCAA Tournament
- NCAA Tournament Picks & Predictions: Siena vs Louisville
- Siena vs Ohio State: NCAA Tournament Preview & Betting Odds
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