Small-School CBB Teams to Watch at Least Once Before the Men's NCAA Tournament
Want to get in on a Cinderella story at the ground floor?
Now is the perfect time to familiarize yourself with some of the better small schools in the nation as we gear up for another exciting men's NCAA tournament.
Ahead we've highlighted the best squads who reside outside of the Power Five conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC) and three other major conferences (AAC, Atlantic 10 and Big East). Perennial NCAA tournament contenders Gonzaga and Saint Mary's out of the West Coast Conference were also excluded from the mix.
What's left is a handful of intriguing teams that the average college basketball fan likely doesn't know much about.
Let's change that.
A Potential 4-Bid Mountain West Conference
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The Mountain West Conference has received more than three bids to the NCAA tournament just three times in 23 years, with the most recent being in 2013 when they sent a record five teams dancing.
This year is shaping up to be the fourth.
According to the latest Bracket Matrix projections, Colorado State (No. 7 seed), Boise State (No. 8 seed) and Wyoming (No. 9 seed) are all comfortably in the field, while San Diego State (No. 10 seed) is currently on the right side of the bubble.
The Aztecs have a huge game at Wyoming on Monday night that would go a long way toward advancing their at-large case. Their resume currently includes three Quad 1 victories and a 15-0 record against non-Quad 1 opponents, and they sit No. 30 in the NET rankings.
However, they'll have a tough task, as the Cowboys have some serious firepower.
Graham Ike (20.7 PPG, 9.8 RPG) and Hunter Maldonado (19.1 PPG, 6.1 APG) lead the way offensively, though they only have six players averaging more than 12 minutes per game with four sophomores in that rotation.
If someone like Utah State or one of the other competitive teams on the outside looking in can shake things up in the conference tournament, the Mountain West bubble will be one of the more compelling stories on Selection Sunday.
Iona Gaels
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In his second year at the helm, Rick Pitino has the Iona Gaels poised to land their highest seed in the NCAA tournament in decades.
They have been the class of the MAAC this year with a 16-2 record in conference play, and they are the heavy favorites to walk away with the automatic bid from their conference.
A neutral-site victory over Alabama on Nov. 25 is proof they are capable of beating a tournament-caliber team, and they also hung around with Kansas in a 96-83 loss three days later.
The additions of SMU transfer Tyson Jolly (14.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG), Tulsa transfer Elijah Joiner (11.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.4 APG) and Louisville transfer Quinn Slazinski (8.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG) have helped to transform the roster, and with Pitino calling the shots, they'll come ready to play if they can snag the MAAC automatic bid.
If the Gaels can take care of business against Manhattan and Quinnipiac—two teams they beat by double-digits earlier this year—and then run the table in their conference tournament, it would give them a school record-tying 29 wins.
Murray State Racers
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The Murray State Racers have the best chance of any team on this list of receiving an at-large bid if they fail to win their conference tournament.
Entering Saturday's game against Southeast Missouri State ranked No. 19 in the AP poll, the Racers pulled out a 70-68 victory to wrap up a perfect 18-0 run through conference play, and they have climbed all the way to No. 24 in the NET rankings.
They have a pair of Quad 1 wins with a narrow 74-72 victory over Memphis and a 22-point blowout over a good Belmont team on the road, though they were handled by Auburn in a 71-58 loss in December.
A well-balanced squad that ranks inside the top 50 in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency and adjusted defensive efficiency, they are led by 6'10" junior KJ Williams, who tops the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring at 18.2 points per game and has four 30-point games on the year.
The Racers are currently projected for a No. 8 seed in the Bracket Matrix, and they have only landed a single-digit seed twice before.
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North Texas Mean Green
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The North Texas Mean Green pulled off one of the biggest first-round upsets in last year's NCAA tournament, upending No. 4 seed Purdue in their first trip to March Madness in more than a decade.
With four players averaging double figures in points and a defensive unit that ranks 19th in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency, they are a handful on both ends of the floor.
After a 1-1 start to conference play, they have ripped off 14 straight victories after a 56-49 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday, and they earned a Quad 1 victory when they beat UAB on the road earlier this month.
They haven't been tested much this year with only seven games against teams ranked inside the top 100 in NET, and only one against a team inside the top 50 when they lost 71-59 in a neutral site game against Kansas in November.
However, their defense makes them a tough draw for any team in the country.
San Francisco Dons
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The San Francisco Dons have not been to the NCAA tournament since 1998 when they lost to No. 3 seed Utah in the first round, but they have a chance to snap that drought as a third bid out of the West Coast Conference.
While they went 0-4 against Gonzaga and Saint Mary's, they do have three Quad 1 wins, including road victories over BYU and Santa Clara earlier this month as they have steadily climbed the NET rankings all the way up to the No. 28 spot.
Senior guard Jamaree Bouyea ranks fourth in the WCC in scoring at 17.0 points per game and has knocked down 67 threes at a 39.2 percent clip, while 6'10" senior forward Yauhen Massalski is averaging 13.6 points and 9.4 rebounds with 13 double-doubles on the year.
As the No. 4 seed in the WCC tournament, they're on the same side of the bracket as Gonzaga. They can't afford to lose to their quarterfinal opponent, but as long as they win that game and hold their own against the Bulldogs, they'll be in the mix for a bubble bid.
South Dakota State Jackrabbits
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The South Dakota State Jackrabbits have played in the NCAA tournament five times in the last 10 years, but they are still searching for their first trip to the Big Dance under coach Eric Henderson, who took over for T.J. Otzelberger after the 2018-19 season.
Sophomore Baylor Scheierman (16.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG) and senior Douglas Wilson (16.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG) rank fourth and fifth in the Summit League in scoring, and the team ranks 13th in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency.
Momentum is certainly on their side entering postseason play after they went a perfect 18-0 in conference play. They haven't lost since Dec. 15, but their resume is fairly thin overall with an 0-2 record in Quad 1 games, only two wins over teams ranked inside the NET top 100 and a bad loss to Idaho (NET: 322) in December.
With all of that being said, they are undoubtedly the team to beat in the Summit League conference, and with more than 80 points in 26 of their 31 games, they can light up the scoreboard.
All stats courtesy of Sports Reference.
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