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The top non-Power 5 teams in this year’s NCAA Tournament are No. 1 seed UConn (Big East), No. 5 seed Gonzaga (WCC), No. 5 seed Missouri State (MVC), No. 8 seed South Florida (AAC), No. 9 seed South Dakota State (Summit), No. 10 seed Marquette (Big East) and No. 10 seed Central Florida (AAC).
Here’s a look the mid-majors who are seeded 11th through 16th:
11 Seeds
South Dakota Coyotes
Key player
Hannah Sjerven
Strengths (national rank)
Scoring margin: 16.3 (12th)
Scoring offense: 75.3 (29th)
Field goal percentage: 44.9 (30th)
Assist/turnover ratio: 1.26 (18th)
Scoring defense: 59 (49th)
Field goal percentage defense: 37 (40th)
Rebound margin: 5.1 (47th)
Turnover margin: 5.42 (22nd)
Turnovers per game: 11.2 (5th fewest)
Key wins
Bradley
Bracket outlook
In the first round they play an Oregon team that will likely be without one of its best players in Te-Hina Paopao.
FGCU Eagles
Key player
Kierstan Bell
Strengths (national rank)
Scoring margin: 23.6 (5th)
Scoring offense: 82.1 (5th)
Field goal percentage: 45.4 (23rd)
3-pointers made per game: 11.9 (1st)
Assists per game: 17.1 (13th)
Assist/turnover ratio: 1.51 (3rd)
Scoring defense: 58.6 (46th)
Steals per game: 10.1 (31st)
3-point percentage defense: 25.3 (8th)
Defensive rebounds per game: 29.5 (22nd)
Turnover margin: 6.82 (9th)
Turnovers per game: 11.3 (8th fewest)
Key wins
Central Florida
Bracket outlook
They are a popular pick to beat Michigan in the first round and were ranked No. 24 to end the season, meaning they may be under-seeded. However, Michigan is more talented than their No. 6 seed indicates.
Bradley Braves
Key player
Lasha Petree
Strengths (national rank)
3-point percentage: 35 (49th)
Assist/turnvoer ratio: 1.1 (49th)
Blocked shots per game: 4.9 (26th)
Turnovers per game: 12.7 (27th fewest)
Key wins
Wright State
Bracket outlook
They face a Texas team that was ranked as high as No. 17 and features projected No. 1 WNBA Draft pick Charli Collier.
BYU Cougars
Key player
Shaylee Gonzales
Strengths (national rank)
Scoring margin: 10.1 (41st)
Field goal percentage: 44.9 (29th)
Assists per game: 16.6 (20th)
Assist/turnover ratio: 1.15 (35th)
Field goal percentage defense: 35.5 (20th)
Blocked shots per game 4.3 (49th)
Key wins
Gonzaga
Bracket outlook
They face a Rutgers team that was on fire to close out the regular season before losing to Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament. The Scarlet Knights feature a great backcourt duo with Arella Guirantes and Diamond Johnson, but lack a dominant frontcourt scorer or rebounder to go against BYU’s Lauren Gustin (12.8 boards per game).
12 Seeds
UC Davis Aggies
Key player
Cierra Hall
Strengths (national rank)
Scoring margin: 9.5 (49th)
3-pointers made per game: 7.8 (49th)
3-point percentage: 36.6 (19th)
Free throw percentage: 76 (31st)
Assist/turnover ratio: 1.1 (47th)
Scoring defense: 55.9 (19th)
Field goal percentage defense: 32.9 (4th)
3-point percentage defense: 25 (7th)
Defensive rebounds per game: 31 (7th)
Turnovers per game: 13.5 (43rd fewest)
Personal fouls per game: 12.9 (6th fewest)
Key wins
None
Bracket outlook
They face a Missouri State team that had some close calls against weak teams in the Missouri Valley Conference. However, the Lady Bears beat No. 2 seed Maryland early in the season.
Central Michigan Chippewas
Key player
Micaela Kelly
Strengths (national rank)
Scoring offense: 77.9 (16th)
Field goal percentage: 45.9 (17th)
3-pointers made per game: 10 (4th)
3-point percentage: 35.5 (40th)
Free throw percentage: 77.2 (17th)
Key wins
Bowling Green
Bracket outlook
They face an Iowa team whose worst loss this year was to Michigan State, a tournament team (10-seed). Though they had some struggles against ranked teams early in the season, the Hawkeyes take care of business.
Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks
Key player
Stephanie Visscher
Strengths (national rank)
Scoring margin: 30.4 (2nd)
Scoring offense: 81.3 (8th)
Field goal percentage: 49 (4th)
3-pointers made per game: 8.4 (27th)
3-point percentage: 35.8 (31st)
Assists per game: 19.4 (7th)
Assist/turnover ratio: 1.22 (22nd)
Scoring defense: 50.9 (5th)
Field goal percentage defense: 33.7 (7th)
3-point percentage defense: 27.7 (41st)
Steals per game: 13.6 (2nd)
Blocks per game: 4.8 (29th)
Turnover margin: 8.38 (3rd)
Turnovers forced: 24.27 (1st)
Key wins
VCU, Jackson State
Bracket outlook
They face a Georgia Tech team that surprised a lot of people by becoming the third-best team in the ACC this year. The Yellow Jackets had one really bad loss to Boston College (7-12, 2-11 ACC).
Belmont Bruins
Key player
Destinee Wells
Strengths (national rank)
Scoring margin: 12.3 (29th)
Field goal percentage: 44.3 (43rd)
3-pointers made per game: 8.7 (18th)
Assists per game: 15.7 (39th)
Assist/turnover ratio: 1.14 (38th)
Scoring defense: 58.1 (41st)
Steals per game: 10.9 (16th)
Turnover margin: 4.72 (27th)
Key wins
Middle Tennessee, UT Martin
Bracket outlook
They face a Gonzaga team that mostly cruised through WCC play, though it didn’t dominate int the WCC Tournament with a 10-point win over a weak Santa Clara team and a one-point win over 11-seed BYU.
13 Seeds
Wright State Raiders
Key player
Angel Baker
Strengths (national rank)
Rebounding margin: 12.3 (6th)
Rebounds per game: 43.52 (14th)
Offensive rebounds per game: 16.6 (6th)
Scoring defense: 55.4 (16th)
Field goal percentage defense: 35.7 (21st)
3-point percentage defense: 26.5 (23rd)
Key wins
IUPUI
Bracket outlook
They face an Arkansas team that could be vulnerable to an upset because it had some close calls against weak SEC teams. However, the Razorbacks have one of the highest ceilings of the non-1 and 2 seeds, having defeated No. 1 seed UConn and No. 2 seed Baylor.
Idaho State Bengals
Key player
Diaba Konate
Strengths (national rank)
Scoring margin: 13.3 (23rd)
Field goal percentage: 45.8 (19th)
Assists per game: 15.8 (34th)
Scoring defense: 58.9 (48th)
Field goal percentage defense: 35 (14th)
3-point percentage defense: 25.6 (11th)
Rebound margin: 5 (49th)
Key wins
None
Bracket outlook
They face the tall task of taking on Rhyne Howard and Kentucky in the first round. Howard is one of the best players in the country and though the Wildcats lost to Ole Miss (11-11, 4-10 SEC) twice, the Rebels proved in the SEC Tournament that they are better than their record indicates.
Lehigh Mountain Hawks
Key player
Frannie Hottinger
Strengths (national rank)
3-pointers made per game: 9.8 (6th)
Free throw percentage: 78.5 (9th)
Assists per game: 15.9 (28th)
Assist/turnover ratio: 1.32 (11th)
3-point percentage defense: 26.2 (19th)
Defensive rebounds per game: 29 (29th)
Turnovers per game: 12.1 (16th fewest)
Personal fouls per game: 13.3 (9th fewest)
Key wins
Bucknell
Bracket outlook
They face a West Virginia team that at its best blew out Texas by 34 points. The Mountaineers’ worst loss was to an Oklahoma team that was on the tournament bubble.
VCU Rams
Key player
Taya Robinson
Strengths (national rank)
Turnovers per game: 13.1 (37th fewest)
Personal fouls per game: 14.9 (49th fewest)
Key wins
Dayton
Bracket outlook
They face an Indiana team that may be the strongest 4-seed. The Hoosiers were ranked as high as No. 9 at that was recently (March 8). Mackenzie Holmes will be hard to stop inside and then you have to deal with triple-double threat Grace Berger in the backcourt.
14 Seeds
Drexel Dragons
Key player
Hannah Nihill
Strengths (national rank)
Free throw percentage: 75.2 (46th)
Assist/turnover ratio: 1.19 (25th)
Scoring defense: 57.3 (33rd)
Turnover margin: 6.86 (7th)
Turnovers per game: 11.3 (7th)
Key wins
Delaware
Bracket outlook
They face a well-rounded Georgia team that is on a roll. The Lady Bulldogs have a great inside-out game with Jenna Staiti and Gabby Connally and nearly won the SEC Tournament.
Middle Tennessee Lady Raiders
Key player
Anastasia Hayes
Strengths (national rank)
Scoring offense: 74.5 (36th)
3-pointers made per game: 9.2 (11th)
Turnover margin: 3.46 (42nd)
Turnovers per game: 11.5 (9th fewest)
Key wins
Troy, Rice
Bracket outlook
They face intra-state rival Tennessee, the school Hayes once attended. The Lady Volunteers are battle-tested from playing in the SEC and as long as they don’t succumb to the pressure of being Tennessee, they could make a very deep tournament run. Middle Tennessee will have its hands full with Rennia Davis, Rae Burrell, Tamari Key and Jordan Horston.
Wyoming Cowgirls
Key player
Alba Sanchez Ramos
Strengths (national rank)
Assist/turnover ratio: 1.15 (36th)
Scoring defense: 57.3 (35th)
Turnovers per game: 11.6 (11th fewest)
Personal fouls per game: 12.7 (4th fewest)
Key wins
None
Bracket outlook
They face a UCLA team that was ranked as high as No. 5 and beat No. 1 overall seed Stanford. The Bruins may be the strongest 3-seed.
Stony Brook Seawolves
Key player
Asiah Dingle
Strengths (national rank)
Scoring margin: 9.6 (48th)
Scoring defense: 50.7 (4th)
Field goal percentage defense: 35.3 (19th)
Rebound margin: 6.8 (28th)
Key wins
Maine (twice)
Bracket outlook
They face an Arizona team that lost to a weak Arizona State team in its regular season finale but has one of the best scorers in the nation in Aari McDonald.
15 Seeds
Marist Red Foxes
Key player
Willow Duffell
Strengths (national rank)
Scoring margin: 13.6 (21st)
Assists per game: 16.2 (24th)
Assist/turnover ratio: 1.18 (27th)
Scoring defense: 50 (2nd)
Field goal percentage defense: 34 (9th)
3-point percentage defense: 25.6 (12th)
Personal fouls per game: 12.9 (5th fewest)
Key wins
None
Bracket outlook
They face a Louisville team that has just three losses with the worst one coming to No. 9 seed Florida State.
Jackson State Lady Tigers
Key player
Ameshya Williams
Strengths (national rank)
Scoring margin: 10.5 (36th)
3-point percentage: 35.8 (32nd)
Scoring defense: 58.2 (43rd)
Field goal percentage defense: 34.9 (13th)
Rebound margin: 10.8 (13th)
Rebounds per game: 42.08 (28th)
Key wins
None
Bracket outlook
They face a Baylor team that has just two losses with the worst one coming to No. 7 seed Iowa State.
Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers
Key player
Kendall Bresee
Strengths (national rank)
Scoring margin: 12.7 (26th)
3-pointers made per game: 8.3 (31st)
Free throw percentage: 79.7 (3rd)
Key wins
None
Bracket outlook
They face a Maryland team that has just two losses with the worst one coming to No. 22 Ohio State, which is not eligible for postseason play this year.
Troy Trojans
Key player
Alexus Dye
Strengths (national rank)
Scoring margin: 14 (18th)
Scoring offense: 86.2 (3rd)
Assists per game: 17 (14th)
Offensive rebounds per game: 19.3 (2nd)
Steals per game: 10.6 (21st)
Defensive rebounds per game: 32.9 (1st)
Rebound margin: 11.2 (11th)
Rebounds per game: 52.22 (1st)
Turnover margin: 3.15 (49th)
Turnovers forced: 19.41 (29th)
Key wins
Louisiana
Bracket outlook
They face a Texas A&M team that won the SEC regular season championship, but did have a slip up against LSU (9-13, 6-8 SEC).
16 Seeds
Utah Valley Wolverines
Key player
Josie Williams
Strengths (national rank)
Assists per game: 16.9 (15th)
Scoring defense: 57.3 (32nd)
Rebound margin: 5.6 (41st)
Key wins
None
Bracket outlook
They face No. 1 overall seed Stanford, which did have a slip-up against Colorado (10-10, 8-8 Pac-12) and also lost to UCLA, but was otherwise phenomenal.
High Point Panthers
Key player
Skyler Curran
Strengths (national rank)
Scoring margin: 11.2 (33rd)
3-pointers made per game: 10.5 (2nd)
3-point percentage: 36.9 (15th)
Free throw percentage: 75.7 (34th)
Field goal percentage defense: 36.7 (34th)
3-point percentage defense: 25.5 (10th)
Defensive rebounds per game: 29.6 (18th)
Key wins
None
Bracket outlook
They face a UConn team that has the best average margin of victory in the country at 31.5. The Huskies’ only loss came to No. 4 seed Arkansas.
Mercer Bears
Key player
Jaron Dougherty
Strengths (national rank)
Scoring margin: 9.8 (44th)
Assist/turnover ratio: 1.31 (12th)
3-point percentage defense: 26.9 (31st)
Blocks per game: 4.3 (45th)
Turnover margin: 7.52 (4th)
Turnovers per game: 11 (4th fewest)
Key wins
None
Bracket outlook
They face a South Carolina team that does have four losses, but the worst one was to No. 3 seed Tennessee.
North Carolina A&T Aggies
Key player
Chanin Scott
Strengths (national rank)
Scoring margin: 20.1 (7th)
Assists per game: 16.8 (16th)
Offensive rebounds per game: 16.6 (5th)
Scoring defense: 52.8 (9th)
Field goal percentage defense: 32.9 (3rd)
3-point percentage defense: 24.4 (4th)
Steals per game: 12.1 (5th)
Rebound margin: 5.7 (38th)
Rebounds per game: 43.69 (11th)
Turnover margin: 6.81 (10th)
Turnovers forced: 23.88 (2nd)
Key wins
None
Bracket outlook
They face an NC State team that has just one loss when playing with superstar Elissa Cunane. However that one loss was to No. 10 seed UNC.