Part of what makes March Madness great is the ability for you to turn into a fan of a random team, despite the fact that you have no connection to that school.
For example, I am the proud owner of a Siena Saints sweatshirt because Siena beat Ohio State in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. And the NCAA Tournament is why we’ve all heard of schools like George Mason, VCU and Northern Iowa.
Some Cinderella will grab our hearts this year, but it’s never too early to know who to root for.
Vermont Catamounts
Not only is Vermont an objectively awesome state, the Catamounts have a really, really good basketball team. They’re the 63rd best team in the country, according to KenPom.com, and they shoot the lights out, ranking 20th nationally in effective field goal percentage.
Nobody on Vermont’s roster is taller than 6-foot-8, but the Catamounts haven’t lost a game since 2016. They’ve won 21 games in a row.
Vermont is a college sports wasteland. It’s the only one of the lower 48 states without a Division I football team, and it has just one Division I basketball team. Cheer for this team to give the Green Mountain State the college sports juggernaut it deserves.
Northern Kentucky Norse
Northern Kentucky has only had a Division I program since 2012-13, and the Norse—yes, the Norse!—are already in the NCAA Tournament. This was the first year they were even eligible for the NCAA Tournament, so they’re an incredibly efficient 100% in qualifying tries.
NKU’s first round matchup? In-state powerhouse Kentucky.
This isn’t quite a rivalry, but how cool would it be for Northern Kentucky to knock down mighty Kentucky in the first round?
New Orleans Privateers
Another team with a great nickname, New Orleans is a 16-seed this year. The Privateers might not make it far in this year’s tournament, but coach Mark Slessinger called his shot once this year.
Thx to my friend @GoodmanESPN for "believing" in us on Nov 4. Thx for the extra "motivation" lol u are the best #marchmadness @UofNO pic.twitter.com/9p7ck0pCmN
— Coach Slessinger (@CoachSless) March 12, 2017
SMU Mustangs
SMU is known mostly among college sports fans for being an NCAA villain, having gotten the “death penalty” in football for running a payroll, but it’s time to let the Mustangs shed that label, because they’re a lot of fun.
Despite getting a 6-seed, SMU is one of the best teams in college basketball and probably deserved a 3-seed. Semi Ojeleye is one of the most efficient players in the country, and SMU ranks fifth nationally in three-point shooting. The Mustangs have just one loss since November, and they have he potential to go on a roll.
The teams in their way: Baylor, Duke and Villanova. That’s a hatable group of teams, and SMU has the ability to knock them all off.
Middle Tennessee State
Middle Tennessee was one of the darlings of last year’s NCAA Tournament, knocking off Michigan State as a 15-seed.
That was an upset for the ages, but this year’s Blue Raiders are even better. They’re a 12-seed, but they deserved better, and many advanced statistical ratings see their game against No. 5 Minnesota as a toss-up, being one of the potential 12/5 upsets.
MTSU is battle-tested, having gone 5-1 against KenPom top 100 teams this year, and if any low seed can make a run, it’s the Blue Raiders.
