Despite falling short in the Sun Belt tournament, Middle Tennessee State (28-5) boasted a resume impressive enough to get the mid-major conference a second bid.
The Blue Raiders sprinted through the Sun Belt conference with an impressive 19-1 record to claim the regular season title. Do they have enough steam left in the tank to make a cinderella tournament run?
1. Don’t let their five losses fool you. Two of them were in overtime and another to the SEC regular season champion Florida Gators at the beginning of the season. Their best win would be against the SEC tournament champs: Ole Miss 65-62.
2. Sometimes you have to look deep inside the numbers to find the cinderella’s of the NCAA Tournament. Middle Tennessee has probably been off your radar all year, but the Blue Raiders come in at No. 32 overall according to KenPom.com, and rank 20th overall in adjusted defensive efficiency. If their first round opponent, St. Mary’s, begins to struggle from the field, Middle Tennessee may be a plausible Cinderella candidate.
3. Where does Middle Tennessee struggle? They do not have a go-to scoring threat. Marcos Knight leads the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game, but is the only player on the team to average double figures.
4. According to KenPom, the Blue Raiders rank in the top 21 in both Effective FG% and Turnover%. Expect Mid Tennessee to try to ugly the game up against St. Mary’s.
5. Middle Tennessee State has never made it past the first weekend? Behind a stingy defense and balanced attack, could this be the year? It’s going to take three wins to do it.
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