2012 College Basketball Top 5 possible mid-major Cinderella’s
62With Butler out of the picture, who will take their place?
After 2 amazing seasons, the Bulldogs should go back to struggling. Lets take a look at the top 10 mid-major teams, that can make a run this year.
1. VCU Rams: The obvious pick here, they lose 2 major players, point guard Joey Rodriguez and Jamie Skeen. Rodriguez will be succeeded by 3 star recruit, Teddy Okereafor who plays the same way as Joey did. Jamie Skeen is a big loss, but Bradford Burgess should be able to step up and average 5 more points a game as a senior. They also are led by one of the best coaches in Shaka Smart. The only question is can they handle high expectations.
2. Gonzaga Bulldogs: The Bulldogs are coming off a great year, and should have another. They keep their best player, Robert Sacre, but lose their leading scorer, Steven Gray. But they bring in 2 great 4 star recruits, and 2 solid 3 star recruits. They had an amazing class, and could easily be a top 10 team in a few years.
3. Creighton Blue Jays: This may be a little high, but they remind me a lot of Butler. Superstar freshman Doug McDermott will return, and be the most dominate mid-major player. He scored 15 points and 7 rebounds as a freshman. They also bring in Geoffrey Groselle, a 3.5 star recruit, to create the best mid-major front court. They also bring back their second leading scorer, Antonie Young, who averaged 13 points a game. Don't sleep on the Jays.
4. George Mason Patriots: They lose 1 major player, but with the depth of this team they should be fine. They lose their head coach Jim Larrange to Miami, but hire Paul Hewitt who is a perfect fit. They should be in for another solid year, and will likely be a 8 seed again.
5. Wichita State Shockers: The Shockers, are coming off a NIT victory. They lose a few key contributors, but they should be fine. They are very well balanced, and have terrific coach, Greg Marshall leading them. They are such a balanced team, that if they can find a someone to step up, and be a star. They could make the NCAA tournament.
Notable teams that didn't make it: ODU, Belmont, Oakland, and St. Marys.
I kept St. Marys out because, I don't think they will have the same offensive fire power, after losing star guard, Mickey McConnell. If they recover, they can be as high as 3. They are high risk, high reward. They can go 32-1 or 22-11, just to be safe I will keep them out, but watch out for St Marys.
