Basketball News

Mid major college basketball teams are always a delight to root for. Everyone loves an underdog, and there's no place where they underdogs get their due more dramatically than college basketball, where the search for the next Cinderella begins in December. So let's go on a search, shall we, for the next Cinderella.

The criteria for this list is strict. You can't have been- or be currently- ranked in the AP Top 25 in order to be considered a sleeper, a Cinderella, a party crasher. That means no Gonzaga, no Davidson, no Xavier. Although these schools have much lower athletic budgets that BCS schools, and normally they would qualify, their days as the underdog are over. Everyone expects that these teams will be good, and they're dominating their conferences. Here are some teams who could sneak up on the college hoops world in true Cinderella fashion. They're what we'd call mid-major mid-rangers. Take a look. Then, check out http://www.stubhub.com/ncaa-basketball-tickets for some NCAA basketball tickets to see these teams play live.

---San Diego---
Big Wins So Far: Valpariso, Nevada, Oregon
Possible Stumbling Blocks: Gonzaga and St. Mary's. San Diego will have to play these two teams (who are on the national radar and thus not mid-rangers) two times each in the later part of the season. It's possible that the Toreros will take the rest of the WCC undefeated, but getting to the tournament means beating two superior teams in the WCC title tourney, which is easier said than done. Good news for people looking to buy NCAA basketball tickets to see the WCC Tourney: It's in Las Vegas this year.

---Vermont---
Big Wins So Far: Delaware, Loyola
Possible Stumbling Blocks: The best thing about Vermont right now is that they're flying way, way under the radar. After getting a lot of love within the ranks of the America East coaches in the preseason, the Catamounts have mounted a good-but-not-great 5-2 record. Their schedule is not very tough, so by the end of the year, they could be in a good position to win the conference and get to the NCAA Tournament, totally undetected. Talk about party crashers. However, Boston University looms. They will play the Bulldogs twice before the regular season is over, then presumably meet them in the conference title game.

---Creighton---
Big Wins So Far: New Mexico, Oral Roberts, Dayton
Possible Stumbling Blocks: Creighton used to be the class of the Missouri Valley Conference, but for some time they've been relatively quiet, making the Bluejays a prime candidate for mid-ranger status. Their schedule is pretty weak this season, with hardly any non-conference challenges. Their real tests will come against fellow Missouri Valley teams like Evansville, Drake, and the currently undefeated Illinois State. Fans looking to get some nice NCAA basketball tickets should think about the Creighton Bluejays page at StubHub. And if you want to put a mid-major on your watch list, this isn't a bad team either.