They call it March Madness for a reason. The unexpected seems to overtake the expected throughout the NCAA tournament. Every year, a little school that nobody has ever heard of before, strings together a few upsets and goes a run. The high major, power six schools are put on a pedestal all year round, but there are always a few spoilers come March. The question is: who will play Cinderella in 2023?

5. Marshall  (24-6) T-1st Sun Belt 

Marshall has been an offensive juggernaut this season. They rank 9th in the country in scoring offense at 82.7 points per game. On top of that, they are also in the top 25  in turnover margin and 13th in the country in assist to turnover ratio. This Marshall offense is carried by two 20 points per game scorers: Taevion Kinsey (22.2) and Andrew Taylor (20.1). Having one 20 point scorer is an advantage that every team desires, but two 20 point scorers, that is just absurd. Not only does Marshall score it at a high clip, but they play fast. The Thundering Herd are the 11th fastest paced team in the nation. On the other side of the ball, true freshman, Micah Handlogten, locks down the paint. The 7-footer averages just a hair under 2.5 blocks per game, and he could certainly be the difference maker for this Marshall squad. I could certainly see this high powered offense pulling off an upset or two in March.

4. Kent State (22-6) 2nd MAC

Kent State is on the exact opposite end of the spectrum as Marshall. The Golden Flashes are known for their tenacious defense and ability to force opposing teams into mistakes, 16.4 of them to be exact. Opposing teams turn the ball over 16.4 times on average when facing Kent State. The Golden Flashes have a star on both ends of the court, Sincere Carry is an outstanding pure point guard leading this offense and Malique Jacobs is an absolute menace on the defensive end. Kent State played a pretty difficult non-conference schedule and they held their own. They pushed both #1 Houston and #12 Gonzaga to the 40th minute in each of those contests, ultimately Kent State could not pull off either upset, but it shows that they can compete with the best of the best. Some five seed is going to have their hands full when they have to take on this Kent State defense in the first round.

3. The Atlantic 10 (specifically VCU, Dayton, or Saint Louis) 

Which ever one of these teams end up earning the automatic bid, I believe they could make some serious noise. VCU should be the favorite, as they have maintained first place in the A10 all season long and they have looked the best out of these three teams. The Rams have a top 25 defense in almost every category, and they force the opposition into a lot of mistakes. That being said, Dayton has an elite defense of their own. The Flyers are also dominant on the glass, which is to be expected when the front court is anchored by their two best players: DaRon Holmes II and Toumani Camara. Saint Louis on the other hand, is a different story. The Bilikens came into the season with high expectations that they have failed to meet thus far. With that being said, this team now is still the same team experts ranked as high as top 20 in preseason polls. Though the season has been underwhelming, the Bilikens still possess wins over Memphis and Providence, proving that there is a reality where this Saint Louis team maximizes their potential. Regardless of which team ends up winning the A10, I could see any of these three stringing together a few victories and making a run.

2. Drake (24-6) 1st MVC

In 2021 the Bulldogs earned an at large bid and they went to defeat Wichita State in the NCAA tournament before falling to USC in the Round of 64. At the time, Drake’s current star player, Tucker DeVries, was a recruit in waiting. Now, DeVries has almost two full years of experience under his belt and I believe he could lead the Bulldogs on a run in March. This Drake team does not lack experience whatsoever. Other than DeVries, the rest of the starting lineup is filled up with seniors who have now started for at least three seasons. This experience is evident in Drake’s game, as the Bulldogs slow the game down and play at their own pace. Additionally, Drake is an elite shooting team. The Bulldogs knock down 37% of their looks from behind the arc and they shoot 78% from the foul line. These high percentage shooting clips allow them to get back into games quickly and it makes it hard for opponents to come from behind when the Bulldogs jump out to a lead. Drake is top 15 in scoring margin, outscoring their opponents by just under 12 points on average. Power 6 schools should cross their fingers and hope that they do not see their name paired with the Drake Bulldogs come Selection Sunday.

1. Oral Roberts (26-4) 1st Summit League

I know all of the college basketball fans out there remember the 2021 Oral Roberts team that took March Madness by storm. As a 15 seed in the NCAA tournament Oral Roberts made a magical run to the Sweet 16 where they were narrowly defeated at the hands of the Arkansas Razorbacks. I know what you’re thinking: no way will Oral Roberts play Cinderella two times in three years, well I am here to tell you that they will. This year’s Golden Eagles team is much better than team we all know and love from two years ago. Remember that little guy that just could not miss? His name his Max Abmas and he still cannot miss. Abmas is 4th in the nation in scoring (22.6) and 3-pointers made (106). The rest of the team has taken after Max in a sense because as a team, the Golden Eagles are 3rd in the country in 3 pointers made. Like I said before, this type of lethal shooting can decimate opposing teams’ leads or quickly extend a lead of their own. Unfortunately for Oral Roberts, Kevin Obanor does not remain from the great 2021 team, but they do retain two valuable starters alongside Max Abmas of course. They also have 7′ 5″ giant, Connor Vanover, manning the front court. This team has been a juggernaut all season long: they have only lost one game in the last three months. The Golden Eagles are a perfect 17-0 in league play with one game remaining. Their four losses were all true road games against NCAA tournament caliber teams. If you are a high major team and Oral Roberts doesn’t scare you, I don’t know what would. The Golden Eagles are the last mid-major I would want to see in the first round and I believe Max Abmas will lead this team deep into the tournament.