Ten Mid-Major Stars Who Could Shake Up March Madness

One of the best things about March Madness is its ability to introduce the broader American sports audience to names—and sometimes even schools—it's never heard of. While many are already familiar with players like Luka Garza, Paige Bueckers and Ayo Dosunmu, the NCAA tournaments don't only belong to household names, or the brand-name schools. Anyone can become a hero in March; all it takes is one game, or even one shot. Here's 10 mid-major players (five on the men's side, five on the women's side) who could leave their mark this year.

Jason Preston, Ohio (No. 13 seed, West Region)

Preston has a tremendous story about his path to get to where he is, and he's gone from averaging 2.0 points in his senior year of high school to a starring role for an Ohio team that stormed through the MAC tournament as the No. 5 seed. Shooting 58% from two and 40.3% from three, Preston has even played himself on the NBA radar—prospects that would surely be boosted by a big showing in the Big Dance.

Hannah Sjerven, South Dakota (No. 11 seed, Alamo Region)

Sjerven's Coyotes team is eyeing a first-round upset of No. 6 seed Oregon, and if they pull it off, expect her to be a big reason why. The 6‘ 3" senior center averages 17.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.5 steals in just 26.4 minutes per game, making her a force on both ends for South Dakota.

Max Abmas, Oral Roberts (No. 15 seed, South Region)

The 6‘ 1” sophomore is the nation's leading scorer, and far from a volume one at that. He's pouring in 24.2 points per contest while shooting 48.4% from the floor, 43.3% from three and 89.9% from the free throw line, all while managing a low turnover rate and playing a higher percentage of his team's minutes than all but three men's players in the country. It would take a Herculean effort for his Oral Roberts team to beat Ohio State, but it'll be fun to watch Abmas try.

Kierstan Bell, Florida Gulf Coast (No. 11 seed, River Walk Region)

Bell is a name that will be familiar to Ohio State fans—as a freshman last season, she earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors before transferring to FGCU. After receiving immediate eligibility, she's exploded as a sophomore, averaging 24.0 points and 10.8 rebounds while shooting 68.2% from two. The Eagles will need every bit of Bell's scoring ability going up against Naz Hillmon and Michigan in the Round of 64.

Jordan Schakel, San Diego State (No. 6 seed, Midwest Region)

After the Aztecs' dream season ended without a chance at an NCAA run a year ago, Schakel and fellow senior Matt Mitchell both stepped into larger roles in 2020–21. Schakel is a deadly shooter from deep (46.6%) who will be key to trying to shoot past the Syracuse zone in the Round of 64 before a potential deeper run in the Midwest Region.

Micaela Kelly, Central Michigan (No. 12 seed, River Walk Region)

Three years ago, Kelly was a freshman playing a key role when her No. 11 seed Chippewas made the first Sweet 16 in program history. Now a senior, she's looking to go out by pulling off another upset or two, this time as Central Michigan's leading scorer (23.9 ppg). The 5‘ 6” guard teams with sophomore backcourt mate Molly Davis to carry one of the nation's best offenses, and they'll need to be at their best against another potent offense in No. 5 seed Iowa.

Isaiah Miller, UNC Greensboro (No. 13 seed, East Region)

Only one player in the men's field (Purdue's Trevion Williams) takes a higher percentage of his team's shots when on the floor than Miller, the Spartans' senior point guard. Most of those shots are from inside the arc, where he has attempted a whopping 447 two-pointers this year compared to only 47 threes. If that weren't enough, he has the nation's fifth-highest steal rate, so consider Florida State's ballhandlers on alert.

Jill Townsend, Gonzaga (No. 5 seed, Mercado Region)

Townsend was most recently seen sinking the buzzer beater that won the Zags the WCC championship game over BYU, and she's a steadying presence for the highest-ranked mid-major in this week's women's AP poll. Unlike most of the teams on this list, Gonzaga is in the position of having to defend against a first-round upset, and the 5‘ 11“ Townsend (13.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 40.3% shooting from three) will be a crucial part of that.

Chandler Vaudrin, Winthrop (No. 12 seed, South Region)

The Eagles have lost just one game all season, and they're a trendy upset pick in the first round against a Villanova team missing Collin Gillespie. Vaudrin, a 6‘ 7” point guard who started his career in Division II, will be a handful for the Wildcats thanks to his all-around ability (he averages 12.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists) leading one of the fastest-paced men's teams in the nation.

Anastasia Hayes, Middle Tennessee (No. 14 seed, River Walk Region)

Hayes enters the dance just a hair behind Iowa freshman Caitlin Clark for the title of the nation's leading scorer; Hayes is at 26.5 points while Clark is at 26.7. Both will get at least one game to settle things; of course, their primary tournament goal is to try to help their team to victory. The Blue Raiders have a tough road to do that against No. 3 seed Tennessee, where Hayes actually played as a freshman. A No. 14 seed has never won a game in the women's NCAA tournament, but a huge day from Hayes could at least make things interesting. —Molly Geary

ICYMI

Tuesday's Sports Illustrated Daily Cover was a massive ranking of all 68 men's NCAA tournament teams. (By Pat Forde)

Lisa Byington is ready to make history this week as the first woman to do national play-by-play for a men's NCAA tournament game. (By Ella Brockway)

The Gonzaga men can make history in April, but which teams are the toughest obstacles in their way? (By Nick Selbe)

The news that six men's NCAA tourney refs have been dismissed from Indy is a bad development. (By Pat Forde)

Which three underdogs should bettors target in Friday's first round? (By Frankie Taddeo)

Best Thing We Saw

Sister Jean, Loyola Chicago's lovable 101-year old chaplain, did a Zoom call with the media today after being granted her wish to travel to Indianapolis for the Ramblers' first-round game against Georgia Tech (for the record, she's been fully vaccinated). 

Pick 'Em: Men's and Women's

SI's Michael Shapiro makes his picks for the initial slate of games in the men's East Region:

No. 1 Michigan over No. 16 Mount Saint Mary’s/Texas Southern: The Isaiah Livers injury could cost Michigan down the road, but not on Saturday.

No. 8 LSU over No. 9 Saint Bonaventure: LSU nearly stole the SEC tournament crown, and Will Wade’s squad sits No. 5 in offensive efficiency. Expect the Tigers to keep rolling through round one.

No. 5 Colorado over No. 12 Georgetown: We may be seeing a bit of a recency bias here as Georgetown becomes a trendy upset pick. Colorado senior McKinley Wright IV will continue to shine as the Pac-12 stays alive.

No. 4 Florida State over No. 13 UNC Greensboro: A limited Greensboro attack won’t be able to keep pace with the nation’s No. 10 offense.

No. 11 Michigan State/UCLA over No. 6 BYU: I’ll take a flier on a Michigan State squad with wins over Michigan, Ohio State and Illinois in the final two weeks of the regular season

No. 3 Texas over No. 14 Abilene Christian: Kai Jones and Jericho Sims are a pair of dynamic frontcourt pieces, and senior guard Matt Coleman is playing the best basketball of his career. Is Shaka Smart’s tournament breakout at Texas finally on the horizon?

No. 7 UConn over No. 10 Maryland: This could be a bit of a slugfest, but UConn James Bouknight should generate enough late-game offense to put the Huskies over the top.

No. 2 Alabama over No. 15 Iona: Not even a dose of Rick Pitino magic can slow Alabama’s supercharged attack. 

SI's Molly Geary makes her picks for the initial slate of games in the women's Hemisfair Region:

No. 1 South Carolina over No. 16 Mercer: Dawn Staley's team should have little trouble getting past the Southern Conference's Bears.

No. 8 Oregon State over No. 9 Florida State: The Beavers played well down the stretch after a COVID-19 pause, and they're the top three-point shooting team in the nation.

No. 12 Stephen F. Austin over No. 5 Georgia Tech: The Ladyjacks are a dangerous No. 12 seed and have won 19 straight, and this is a tough draw for the Yellow Jackets.

No. 4 West Virginia over No. 13 Lehigh: The Mountain Hawks pulled off a couple impressive upsets to win the Patriot League, but the Mountaineers will be too much to handle.

No. 6 Texas over No. 11 Bradley: The Braves will have their hands full with 6‘ 5” Longhorns center Charli Collier.

No. 3 UCLA over No. 14 Wyoming: The Bruins are a dark horse threat to win this region and won't fall victim early. 

No. 10 North Carolina over No. 7 Alabama: This should be a fun offensive battle, but I'm leaning toward the upset by the Heels.

No. 2 Maryland over No. 15 Mount St. Mary's: The Terps' dynamic offense will be too much against an in-state foe.

Crystal Ball

The Alabama men will notch their third 100-point game of the season against Pitino’s squad. The Crimson Tide play at a breakneck pace, and head coach Nate Oats isn’t exactly one to let his foot off the pedal. Bet the over if you’re so inclined. —Michael Shapiro

Bet on It

Over at DraftKings Sportsbook, 62% of proposition bets entered for "Winning Conference" took the Big Ten at +105 (bet $100 to win $105) odds. The wager on the Big Ten has 74% of the money taken in, with 26% spread amongst the remaining conferences.

Additionally, when it comes to Gonzaga or Baylor vs. The Field? Bettors are overwhelmingly on the side of "The Field" at odds of -124 (bet $124 to win $100). Twenty-eight percent of the bets have sided with Gonzaga or Baylor at +110, but with only 13% of the money. —Ben Heisler

At the Buzzer

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