Where to find NCAA Tournament sleepers

As we put together to fill out our brackets in a very little additional than a 7 days, which teams could make you appear definitely good? Let us appear at some of the conference tournaments in progress.

Atlantic 10

The Atlantic 10 is usually a person of the final conference tournaments to tip, but owing to COVID-19 issues, it commenced Wednesday. This conference title is up for grabs. Richmond produced most of the preseason talk, boasting experience all about the courtroom and an remarkable 24-7 marketing campaign final season. But the Spiders stumbled a handful of periods this season and were eliminated from the A-10 match by Duquesne on Thursday, opening the door for faculties such as VCU, St. Bonaventure and Saint Louis.

The Atlantic 10 teams with the ideal at-substantial résumés are VCU and St. Bonaventure. With or with no successful the conference match title, I see the Bonnies generating the NCAAs as a 10th seed and the Rams as a twelfth seed. With teams such as Michigan Point out and Duke on the cut line, these A-10 teams do not want to leave their fates in the committee’s palms. I think VCU and St. Bonaventure could acquire a activity or two in the NCAAs — if they get there.

Atlantic Sunshine

Some scorching flames are coming out of Lynchburg, Va., exactly where Liberty is a person of the most popular teams in the country. The Flames are 21-5 and have gained 10 in a row following their victory about Kennesaw Point out on Thursday. If they can acquire the Atlantic Sunshine match, I have them in line for a No. thirteen seed in the NCAA bracket.

This will be a group no electric power-conference faculty will want to engage in. The 2nd-ideal group in the conference, Bellarmine, is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament because it is its first season in Division I.

If the Flames end up in the NCAAs, appear for them to acquire a activity or two. Coach Ritchie McKay’s teams are identified for playing their ideal ball in March. They have gained back again-to-back again conference tournaments and defeated Mississippi Point out in 2019 as a twelfth seed.

Significant South

Winthrop moved to 22-1 with an eighty two-61 victory about Longwood in Thursday night’s Significant South semifinal. The Eagles have dominated the conference all season, shedding only to UNC Asheville by two points. If Winthrop fails to acquire the Significant South match, the NCAA range committee will have to have a very long dialogue about the Eagles’ at-substantial résumé. Winthrop would like to keep away from that dialogue and just get the computerized bid. I have Winthrop as a No. thirteen NCAA seed. The Eagles will advantage enormously from the format of this year’s Significant South tourney. All game titles will be on the campuses of the larger seeds, so Winthrop is playing for an NCAA bid on its property floor. If the Eagles can put collectively two additional wins at property, appear at this group quite closely in your NCAA bracket.

Ohio Valley

Most of the talk in mid-main basketball this calendar year has centered on Belmont. The Bruins were cruising, not obtaining misplaced due to the fact early December — till final 7 days, when they misplaced consecutive Ohio Valley game titles to Eastern Kentucky and Morehead Point out. The very good information for Belmont is that these teams will be seeded 2nd and 3rd in the conference match this 7 days in Evansville, Ind. That means the Bruins will have to engage in just a person of them on their way to an computerized NCAA bid, which is the only route I see for Belmont to get into the NCAA Tournament.