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2014 NCAA Tournament: 2 Cinderella's That Will Win Your March Madness Pool

Max Meyer |
March 17, 2014 | 4:23 p.m. PDT

Senior Sports Editor

The slipper certainly fits the North Dakota State Bison. (Twitter/NDSUmbb)
The slipper certainly fits the North Dakota State Bison. (Twitter/NDSUmbb)
Happy St. Patrick's Day, and to celebrate, let's look at the double-digit seeds that have a lot of skill and that will need a little luck of the Irish to advance in the 2014 NCAA tournament. My qualifiers for a Cinderella run are that the team is a double-digit seed and that they make it at least to the Sweet 16. Let's look at the two teams I think have the best chance of accomplishing this tough task.

(If you have any questions that you want answered about filling out your bracket, hit me up on Twitter: @TheMaxMeyer)

North Dakota State

Stephen Curry and C.J. McCollum. Those were two unbelievably talented guys who led their mid-major teams to monumental upsets in the NCAA tournament. There is a formula that mid-majors need to follow in order for the David's beat the Goliath's of March Madness, and one of rules is that there needs to be a star on the underdog's squad. Let me introduce everyone to Taylor Braun, the star for the 12th-seeded North Dakota State Bison.

The senior 6'7" guard is a matchup nightmare waiting to happen for Oklahoma. Braun leads an offense that 50.9 percent from the floor this season, the best in the nation. Braun averages 18.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game on 49 percent shooting, including 44.1 percent from three-point land. He essentially does it all. Although their playing styles are very different, Braun's size and ability to affect the game in so many ways reminds me of Kyle Anderson, whose UCLA team is one of my top sleepers in the tournament. 

With Braun leading the way, he is also accompanied by two senior forwards, Marshall Bjorklund and TrayVonn Wright. Bjorklund is an efficiency machine on offense, shooting a mind-boggling 63.6 percent on the season while scoring 13.4 points per game. Wright scores 11.5 per contest, and also averages 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. Junior guard Lawrence Alexander is a major three-point threat, knocking down long-range shots at a 39.6 percent clip. 

The Bison are very efficient on offense, but not just their shooting. They average just 10 turnovers a game (which is 12th in the country), which means a greater amount of possessions leading to baskets. Four of their five starters are upperclassmen, so they make smart decisions often and simply do not turn the ball over. Like most Cinderella's, North Dakota State also has a favorable draw. Oklahoma's been a pleasant surprise this season, but six of their nine losses have come against teams that are ranked within the top-22 of trusted college basketball guru Ken Pomeroy's adjusted offense. The Bison are ranked 20th in that metric. According to ESPN Stats & Info, North Dakota State ranks third in offensive efficiency, while Oklahoma is 195th in defensive efficiency. 

If they advance past Oklahoma, I really like North Dakota State's matchup with four-seeded San Diego State in the round of 32. The Aztecs will not be able to keep up with their scoring, and will have trouble forcing turnovers and bad shots against them. Additionally, the Bison shoot 75 percent from the free-throw line as a team, whereas the Aztecs make their charity-stripe shots at only a 65 percent rate. The Bison need to be looked as serious contenders to stampede their way to the Sweet 16.

MORE: 2014 NCAA Tournament: 3 Sleepers That Will Win Your March Madness Pool

St. Joseph's

The A-10 tournament champions are no fluke. They beat VCU both times they've faced them this season, including in the A-10 championship. The 10th-seeded Hawks have an outstanding starting five, led by sharpshooter Langston Galloway and versatile Halil Kanacevic. 

Galloway averaged 17.5 points per game over the regular season, and shot 44 percent from the field and from three-point land. On a team that doesn't shoot free throws well at all, the Hawks are lucky that their primary ball handler shoots 82.6 percent from the line. Kanacevic leads his team with 8.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He's a beast inside the paint, but can also shoot the three well. He blocks shots and plays solid defense too. Oh, and Galloway and Kanacevic are both seniors. 

Rounding up the big five are senior forward Ronald Roberts Jr., freshman forward DeAndre Bembry and junior guard Chris Wilson. Four out of the five starters, like North Dakota State, are upperclassmen, and their experience will greatly benefit them in March Madness. Roberts Jr. averages 14.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game on 59.8 percent shooting from the floor. His interior presence on offense and defense can be troublesome for a team without a lot of size. Bembry and Wilson can both score from anywhere, rebound and pass the ball effectively. The Hawks don't have much of a bench, but their starters don't foul out and all five of them average at least 32 minutes per game. 

Their round of 64 matchup, Connecticut, has been struggling recently on offense. They've scored 70 points or more just once in their past nine games, and have scored fewer than 62 points six times over that span. The Huskies are very good on defense, ranking 11th in Ken Pomeroy's adjusted defense. However, VCU ranks second overall in that metric, and St. Joe's has scored an average of 67 points against them in their two wins. Shabazz Napier won the AAC's Player of the Year, but I think St. Joe's starting unit ultimately will have the upper hand. 

If they face Villanova in the round of 32, many pundits will write off St. Joe's because of their 98-68 shellacking against the Wildcats in December. However, St. Joe's will be more prepared for the second edition of the Big 5 battle. These Philadelphia rivals actually played a very competitive first half, before Villanova pulled away in the second half thanks to incredible three-point shooting. St. Joe's ranked 209th in the country in adjusted tempo according to Ken Pomeroy, and they will slow it down immensely this time. Additionally, expect St. Joe's to focus more on perimeter defense compared to the first battle, and they could cause a lot of trouble to a team that is overly reliant on making three-point shots. Additionally, with Kanacevic and Roberts Jr. inside, Villanova will have trouble guarding those two on defense, and having to deal with the Hawks' outside game.

St. Joe's strong inside-outside game on offense, solid defense and incredible experience in their starting five will cause many brackets to be busted in the East region. 

 

 

Reach Senior Sports Editor Max Meyer by email.

Follow @TheMaxMeyer



 

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