Mythical March Madness: 4 mid-majors who were poised to be Cinderella Stories

March Madness was canceled and deprived these mid-majors of being the next great Cinderella Story.

The NCAA Tournament was postponed but ESPN’s Joe Lunardi put together a proposed bracket and from that group, we’re going to breakdown the teams that could’ve made Cinderella runs had March Madness been held.

East Tennessee State

East Tennessee State emerged victorious from a rugged Southern Conference season, twice. They won the regular season and doubled down by winning the conference tournament as well.

The Buccaneers became the fourth team in the history of the Southern Conference to win 30 games in a season. Last year, Wofford joined that list as well and they were thought to have a shot at making a run in the NCAA Tournament.

It was the Terriers who East Tennessee State took down in the title game to punch their ticket. Thanks to a balanced attack Steve Forbes’ team was able to be one of the top mid-major teams in the country this year.

Three players averaged double-digits (Trae Boyd, Bo Hodges and Daivien Williams) and two others (Isaiah Tisdale and Jeromy Rodriguez) were at 9.2 and 9.1 points per game.

They were also a strong defensive team. On the season, they held teams to 42.5 percent shooting on field goals and 30.1 percent on 3-pointers.

Put it all together and you have all the makings of a Cinderella. Had the Bucs been given the opportunity to test themselves against the bigger schools in the tournament there’s no telling what would’ve happened. However, there’s a good chance that they would’ve turned a lot of heads during March Madness. Especially if they would have eventually faced off against Duke.

Liberty

Led by Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, Caleb Homesley, and Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year, Ritchie McKay the Liberty Flames were just outright dominant all season long.

Another 30-win team on this list, the Flames were dangerous and could’ve been a big spoiler during the NCAA Tournament.

In Lunardi’s bracket, they would’ve been lined up against the Auburn Tigers in their opening game. It would’ve been a tall task to take down a top-tier SEC team but Liberty was the group that could’ve pulled it off.

The “hot hand” has been a part of the basketball lexicon for ages but it doesn’t only relate to players. Teams too can have the “hot hand”. The Flames finished their season on a 22-game winning streak. That type of momentum doesn’t just disappear overnight.

Their strong defense helped propel them to the 30-win mark, just like East Tennessee State. They were even stingier on that end of the court holding their opponents to a field goal percentage of 38.7 and a 3-point percentage of 29.2.

Another advantage this team had is that they got off to quick starts. In the first halves of their games, they outscored teams 1,115 to 797. That amounts to a 9.4-point advantage per game at the half. That number drops down to 5.4 in second halves. Had the tournament gotten underway Liberty would’ve been ready to get off to a hot start.

Vermont

The Vermont Catamounts were in the news recently due to how they handled Senior Night. Having Josh Speidel play his first game ever in college during the event was one of the coolest moments of the shortened season.

However, the team was more than just good vibes. They won the America East conference and were on their way to being named a 13 seed in Lunardi’s mock bracket before the NCAA canceled the tournament. The Catamounts were a team to watch in the field of 68.

Led by senior Anthony Lamb, Vermont finished the year at 26-7 and nearly took down the defending champion Virginia Cavaliers in Charlottesville when the two teams met in the middle of November. Lamb chipped in 16.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game and was one of the country’s best players you may not know.

Often, it takes having one of the best players on the court in order to win in the survive-and-advance nature of March Madness. Over his four seasons in college, he’s shown time and time again that he can go toe-to-toe with just about any other player that is on the floor.

They outscored teams by 12 points per game over the course of 33 games. They had the talent to make noise and do some real damage.

Of the teams on this list, the Catamounts are the ones that are least likely to be back in the conversation next year. The others have veteran rosters that will turnover next season but losing a player of Lamb’s capabilities could set Vermont back for a few seasons once he departs.

Utah State

The Utah State Aggies did the unthinkable and took down the San Diego State Aztecs in the championship game of the Mountain West conference tournament. As one of the first conference tournaments to be held, the result wasn’t as fresh on the minds of the masses when college basketball shutdown in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Yet, the Aggies were definitely going to be a team to reckon with in the NCAA Tournament.

Heading into the season, a lot of eyes were on returning center Neemias Queta. As a freshman, he averaged a near double-double while blocking 2.4 shots per game.

As a sophomore, he finished with averages of 13 points and 7.8 rebounds while playing 13 fewer games. An injury took away some of that total and the cancellation did the rest.

However, the true hero of the team was senior Sam Merrill. The 6-foot-5 point guard did a little bit of everything on the court as he averaged 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game on the year. It was Merrill’s clutch 3-pointer that helped Utah State pull off their championship upset in the Mountain West.

Getting that type of talent at a mid-major program is a rare feat. A lot of teams at that level never have the opportunity to put together a roster like what Utah State has now.

It wouldn’t be a complete shock to see a team like the Aggies get going and get on a run that could take them to the Sweet 16, Elite Eight or further if they were able to play their cards right in the tournament.

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