The college basketball world was shaken last Saturday, as the D1 Men’s Basketball Committee revealed the top 16 seeds for March Madness. If the season were to end today, Auburn would lead the pack as the No. 1 overall seed. The St. John’s Red Storm represent the Big East as the No. 4 seed in the East region. What the committee did not talk about were the numerous mid major programs which have a chance at making a deep run this March. In this week’s roundtable, our group of writers will discuss their favorite mid major program right now.
Jake Loomis
Campus Correspondent
St. Mary’s
St Mary’s is the mid major program to beat. On the season they are 21-4 so far, and they have steamrolled through conference play so far. The program looks ahead to a big matchup with Gonzaga on the 22nd. This will be a true test to tell how far this team can go this March and their season so far has been shocking. St. Mary’s is also where UConn guard Aidan Mahaney transferred from, illustrating the program’s ability to produce talented guards. Agustus Marciulionis is the team’s best player and will carry them far this March, since I am predicting them to make the Elite Eight.
Jake McCreven
Staff Writer
He/Him/His
UC San Diego Tritons
Head coach Eric Olen has the Tritons playing high-level, efficient basketball in the program’s first eligible year for the NCAA Tournament. UCSD currently sits atop the Big West Conference (22-4, 12-2) after running away from UC Irvine in the second half last week. What makes the Tritons such a tough out is their size in all five positions. With an average height of 77.6”, UCSD is able to effortlessly switch defensively and manipulate matchups offensively to find easy points in the post. The Tritons are 36th nationally in effective field goal percentage (55.3). UC San Diego owns a sterling 2-1 Q1 record, with a signature win over Utah State.
Ryan Lombardi
Campus Correspondent
He/Him/His
Yale Bulldogs
Coming off a stunning March Madness upset over Auburn last year, the Yale Bulldogs have looked tough to beat in conference play. Sitting at a perfect 9-0 in the Ivy League, Yale is having its best in-conference start in program history. This is an experienced team led by senior guard John Poulakidas, who dropped 28 against Auburn last year, and is now averaging 19.4 points per game this season. The Bulldogs are 18th in the country in PPG and 24th in rebounds. However, after a rocky start out of conference play, Yale would need to win the Ivy League tournament to make the field. But they have shown promising performances, such as staying within eight points of Purdue, scoring 84 on a top ten team. The Bulldogs look to be trending in the right direction, making them a scary opponent should they get in March Madness.