10 Teams Built to Bust Brackets in the 2015 NCAA Tournament
March is when the mid-majors make their mark, as well as make a mess of the NCAA tournament.
After first being early season cannon fodder for power programs, then when league play begins and they are forced to toil in relative anonymity, the best teams from outside of the top conferences will get their shot to make one last impact. And in the process, they'll send your tourney brackets straight into the trash heap.
With more than 350 programs in Division I, there are always some hidden gems that emerge from the one-bid conferences and wreak havoc in March. Last year, we saw Harvard, Mercer, North Dakota State and Stephen F. Austin make noise, and we'll no doubt be graced with additional upstarts this year.
Some will be major surprises, while others will be living up to the expectations that often get placed on mid-majors who seem built to bust brackets. Here's a list of potential Cinderellas who are primed to bring the madness to March.
Statistics, unless otherwise noted, are courtesy of NCAA.com and current through games played on Friday, Feb. 27.
Eastern Washington
1 of 10
Record: 21-7, 12-3 in Big Sky
Last NCAA tournament bid: 2004
Why them?
Eastern Washington made a name for itself back in November when it went into Assembly Hall and upset Indiana, 88-86. That came only two days after losing by nine at SMU and three weeks before falling by four at then-unbeaten Washington.
Simply put, Eastern Washington has challenged itself against power-conference teams, and though it went just 1-3 (including an 11-point loss at California), the Eagles were never out of contention in those games. They also have one of the best inside-out combinations in the country in sophomore guard Tyler Harvey and junior forward Venky Jois.
Eastern Washington is tied atop the Big Sky with Sacramento State and a half-game ahead of Montana, which it plays at home on Saturday. The regular-season champion hosts the conference tournament, and those teams have taken it all in the last four years.
Most likely March hero
Harvey. The 6'4" guard is second nationally in scoring, at 22.7 points per game, and he averages four three-pointers per game while making them at a 43.7 percent clip. Harvey, who is also an 86.1 percent free-throw shooter, averaged 25.3 points in the Eagles' four games against power foes.
He missed three games with a thigh injury and has struggled with his shooting since returning. However, come March, he'll be the guy the Eagles turn to in the clutch.
Iona
2 of 10
Record: 24-6, 17-2 in MAAC
Last NCAA tournament bid: 2013
Why them?
The New York City-area school has been a frequent participant in the NCAA tournament, with 10 trips since 1979, including a rare at-large bid in 2012. The Gaels have only won one tourney game, though, back in 1980, so this isn't a team that will just be happy to get there if they get another invite.
Iona outlasted rival Manhattan 79-75 on Friday to extend its lead to three games in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Association, having already clinched the regular-season title last week. It's won 11 straight and picked up a key victory earlier in the season at Wake Forest.
One of the highest-scoring teams in the country at more than 80 points per game, the Gaels rank ninth in the country in possessions per 40 minutes at 70.9, per Sports-Reference.com.
Most likely March hero
A.J. English and David Laury. It's pick your poison with Iona and these potent scorers, who average a combined 40 points per game. English, a 6'4" junior guard, averages 19.4 points with 5.3 assists per game, while 6'9" senior Laury averages 20.6 points with 9.5 rebounds.
Only Northwestern State's Zeek Woodley and Jalan West (41.7) and Georgia State's Ryan Harrow and R.J. Hunter (40.5) score more as teammates in Division I.
Louisiana Tech
3 of 10
Record: 22-7, 13-3 in Conference USA
Last NCAA tournament bid: 1991
Why them?
With two seniors and a junior in the starting lineup, Louisiana Tech has veteran leadership that has paced it to 77 victories over the past three seasons. Coach Michael White was a hot commodity on the offseason coaching carousel after the previous two years, but he stuck with the Bulldogs knowing what kind of team he had this year.
After finishing in a four-way tie atop Conference USA last year, only to fall to Tulsa in C-USA title game, Louisiana Tech has a 1.5-game lead on UAB and UTEP with three games left. The conference tourney will be at UAB.
Most likely March hero
Speedy Smith. His given name is Kenneth Smith, but the senior guard has earned his nickname with some of the swiftest moves in the game. With 807 career assists, he's already Louisiana Tech's all-time leader, and his 7.4 per-game average puts him on pace to finish in the top 25 in NCAA history in that category.
The 6'3" Smith, ranked third in Division I in assists per game, isn't much of a scorer (5.7 per game), but he is coming off a season-high 17 in Thursday's 77-60 win over UTEP.
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Murray State
4 of 10
Record: 25-4, 15-0 in Ohio Valley
Last NCAA tournament bid: 2012
Why them?
One of four teams in Division I yet to lose a conference game, Murray State is riding a 23-game winning streak since losing to Valparaiso in the Music City Showdown in Nashville. Since then, the Racers have topped 80 points on 15 occasions and won a pair of overtime games to remain perfect in the OVC.
Coach Steve Prohm has won at least 21 games in all four seasons since replacing Billy Kennedy, and this year, he has a potent duo of high-scoring guard Cameron Payne and inside force Jarvis Williams.
The Racers must beat Tennessee-Martin (18-10, 10-5) on the road Saturday to become the fifth team in OVC history to go unbeaten in league play.
Most likely March hero
Payne. At 19.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game, the 6'2" sophomore guard is one of the most well-rounded players in the country. He's similar to former Murray star Isaiah Canaan, though with more size, and in early season games against Houston and Xavier, he averaged 22.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
"Cameron Payne is quite possibly the best player you've never heard of," wrote Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports.
North Carolina Central
5 of 10
Record: 21-6, 13-0 in MEAC
Last NCAA tournament bid: 2014
Why them?
North Carolina Central made its first NCAA tourney appearance last season, hanging with high-scoring Iowa State for about 25 minutes before falling in its opening game. The Eagles graduated four starters from that team, yet they've had an equally strong performance this season and are poised to sweep through the MEAC with a perfect record.
NC Central won't try to run past anybody, but rather will look to lull opponents into submission. It ranks fifth in scoring defense, at 55 points per game, and its field-goal percentage defense of 35.4 percent is third best in Division I.
Most likely March hero
Jordan Parks. The 6'7" senior forward was a reserve on last year's tourney team, scoring nine points off the bench against Iowa State. This year, he leads the Eagles in scoring (14.6) and rebounding (8.0) while shooting 62.3 percent from the field.
North Florida
6 of 10
Record: 19-11, 11-2 in Atlantic Sun
Last NCAA tournament bid: Never
Why them?
Remember Florida Gulf Coast, that flashy unknown from three years ago that went all "Dunk City" on Georgetown and San Diego State? This is the team that's swept the current version of Florida Gulf Coast, and with a win Saturday, it will claim a share of its first Atlantic Sun regular-season title.
The Ospreys have their most victories in school history, and three more than any other season since joining Division I in 2005. They also have a notable scalp on their mantle, pulling out a 73-70 upset against Purdue in December.
While maybe not as flashy as that Florida Gulf Coast team from 2012-13, North Florida can still run and gun. It's 24th in the country in scoring, at 75.8 points per game.
Most likely March hero
Beau Beech. The 6'8" junior plays both inside and out, but what he loves to do most is shoot threes. He's North Florida's most prolific outside shooter, hitting 77 on the season, including 39 in 13 conference games.
Beech is second on the team in scoring, at 12.9 points per game, but since A-Sun play began, he's upped that to 16.3 per night.
Northern Iowa
7 of 10
Record: 27-2, 16-1 in Missouri Valley
Last NCAA tournament bid: 2010
Why them?
We're cheating a little bit here, since Northern Iowa is far from the traditional bracket-busting team. The Panthers are ranked 10th in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in school history and have a chance to sew up only their third regular-season conference title with a win Saturday at No. 11 Wichita State.
Despite the lofty ranking, though, to many people, Northern Iowa might seem like an unlikely power and instead would be a team more susceptible to being upset rather than going on a deep run itself. And those people would be wrong.
The Panthers have won 16 straight, with their only losses coming by three points and six points, in their Missouri Valley Conference opener at Evansville and in double overtime at VCU. They have wins over Wichita, Iowa, Northwestern and at Stephen F. Austin, snapping its 34-game home win streak back in November.
One of the most efficient teams in the country, the Panthers shoot 48.5 percent (12th best in Division I) while holding opponents to 38.6 percent shooting (21st).
Most likely March hero
Seth Tuttle. The 6'8" senior forward leads Northern Iowa in scoring (15.6), rebounding (6.6) and assists (3.2) and shoots an astounding 62.7 percent. He also calls the offensive plays rather than the point guard.
"He is a coach's dream," Loyola Chicago coach Porter Moser told Pat Borzi of the New York Times of Tuttle. "You don’t see post players with that kind of feel and command of their team."
Stephen F. Austin
8 of 10
Record: 23-4, 13-1 in Southland
Last NCAA tournament bid: 2014
Why them?
Shrewd college hoops fans will recognize Stephen F. Austin as something more than a school named after one of Texas' founding fathers. It's also one of the bracket-busters from last year's NCAA tournament, upsetting VCU as a No. 12 seed.
Two key starters from that team are back, and the Lumberjacks also loaded up on junior college transfers and a solid freshman class to give them a deep lineup with 10 players averaging at least 10 minutes per game. They shoot, share and steal the ball better than most teams in Division I, and they've won 22 of 23 following a three-game skid in November against a trio of likely NCAA tournament teams (Northern Iowa, Xavier and Baylor).
Coach Brad Underwood, a former Kansas State and South Carolina assistant, has gone 55-7 in his short tenure with SFA.
Most likely March hero
Thomas Walkup. Walkup averaged 17 points and 10.5 rebounds in SFA's two NCAA tourney games last year, and this season, the 6'4" junior guard is scoring a team-high 15.2 points with 5.9 rebounds and hitting 58.3 percent of his shots.
UC Davis
9 of 10
Record: 21-5, 11-2 in Big West
Last NCAA tournament bid: Never
Why them?
Since winning a Division II national title in 1998, UC Davis' program had been on a downward arc. This continued throughout its run in Division I, which began in 2004-05, but has made a major turnaround this season. As a result, the Aggies are in line for their first NCAA tournament bid at the D-I level.
Coach Jim Less has elevated UC Davis from 5-26 in his first season in 2011-12 to 14-17 in 2013 and now the program's most wins since 1999-2000. The Aggies had a seven-game win streak snapped Thursday at UC Santa Barbara, but they still hold a one-game lead over UC Irvine with three games left.
While UC Davis doesn't have any notable out-of-conference results on its resume—its only game against a power-conference opponent was Washington State, resulting in a 90-83 loss in December—that can work in its favor come tournament time. There's not much film to review on the Aggies, which could make them a mystery waiting to unwrap themselves in the tourney.
Most likely March hero
Corey Hawkins. The Arizona high school career scoring leader transferred from Arizona State after one season, and since becoming eligible in 2012-13, he's been the Aggies' leading scorer. This year, he's seventh in the country at 20.6 points per game, and the 6'3" senior guard is shooting better from three-point range than overall.
Hawkins has hit 51.9 percent of his threes, the nation's overwhelming leader in that category.
Valparaiso
10 of 10
Record: 26-5, 13-3 in Horizon League
Last NCAA tournament bid: 2013
Why them?
One of the greatest moments in NCAA tournament history, at least from the perspective of the little guy, came in 1998, when Valparaiso shocked Ole Miss with a buzzer-beating shot in the first round. That shot was made by Bryce Drew, whose father, Homer Drew, was the Crusaders' coach.
Bryce Drew is now Valpo's coach, and in his fourth season, the Crusaders look ready to make their second NCAA tourney trip in the past three years after locking up first place in the Horizon League with Friday's 56-53 win at Cleveland State.
With players from Canada, Croatia, Jamaica and the Netherlands, as well as throughout the Midwest, Valpo has the kind of roster mid-majors are built on and that tend to rise up in March to pull a surprise.
Most likely March hero
Alec Peters. The 6'9" sophomore forward is not your typical undersized mid-major big man, as he's just as deadly from the outside as he is in the paint. Peters averages 16.8 points and 6.8 rebounds, and he shoots better than 46 percent from three-point range.
Peters had 26 points and made five of eight three-pointers in a November win over Murray State, the last team to beat the likely Ohio Valley representative in the NCAA tournament.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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