David Connelly - SportsGrid

Kentucky's Defense Ranking: Key to Winning Championships

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The Sycamores are now legitimately entering at-large territory. Their win over Drake on Saturday was as impressive as they've had all season, and their resume and metrics are shaping up better than most bubble teams. 
We've got Indiana State on the #9 seed line in <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/article/march-madness-bracketology-update-for-2-5-sizzling-sycamores" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our most recent bracket projections</a>, and they're sure to stay there as long as they don't suffer any slip-ups. 
Up next is a midweek hosting of Valparaiso, followed by a tricky trip to Missouri State over the weekend. This is the mid-major team to watch as we approach the NCAA Tournament.

1. Indiana State

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Grand Canyon is not too far off at-large contention, but we've got them in the First Four Out for now. Their wins over San Diego State, San Francisco, and Louisiana Tech are impressive, while they only have losses to South Carolina and Seattle.
Sitting at 11-1 in WAC play, they've got a comfortable lead over the rest of the league. On the off-chance they run the table and fall in the WAC Championship game, they will be an interesting at-large conversation with just three losses on the season.

2. Grand Canyon

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Princeton fell victim to rival Yale in New Haven on Friday night, a game attended by yours truly. A solid first half kept the crowd mostly under control, but a second half of domination from the Bulldogs brought the building to life, and the Tigers could never quite stop the momentum.
This team is still elite and should be considered the slight frontrunner for the Ivy League's auto-bid. Still, they've certainly learned to respect the league's contenders right on their tail, with a loss to Cornell immediately preceding the Yale defeat. We'll see how Princeton responds when they get both teams back on their home court in the back half of the season.

3. Princeton

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The Bulldogs couldn't complete the season sweep over Indiana State over the weekend, but they are still among the class of the Missouri Valley. It's feeling like a three-horse race between these two and Bradley, who has emerged in recent weeks. 
This roster certainly holds the pedigree to win a race like this, loaded with postseason experience and a true leader in Tucker DeVries. Still, their chances at a top seed in Arch Madness took a severe hit after dropping Saturday's game. A trip to Bradley over the weekend doesn't make things much easier, either.

4. Drake

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Speaking of those Bradley Braves, they are quietly one of the hottest teams in the country right now. A fun exercise around this time of year to see who is playing the best down the stretch is to sort Bart Torvik's T-Rank to start the New Year. Upon doing so, you'll see that Bradley is ranked 13th in the nation during that span—the team's only loss since December 18th was an overtime road defeat to Indiana State. 
They've got four serious studs in Malevy Leons, Duke Deen, Connor Hickman, and Darius Hannah leading the way. Don't be surprised to see this dark horse contender come out on top as the MVC's automatic bid next month.

5. Bradley

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The Cowboys finally saw their 14-game win streak come to an end over the weekend with a road loss to Southeastern Louisiana on a night where they couldn't quite ever get going. They responded well with a decisive victory over Texas A&amp;M Commerce on Monday night, but we must knock them down a bit after that defeat.
McNeese remains the heavy favorite to come out of the Southland this season, and we won't start worrying unless we see the losses pile up here.

6. McNeese

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The race for the Sun Belt crown is continuing to heat up, and the Mountaineers of Appalachian State are at the top of the heap for now. Eight straight wins consisting of a season sweep over James Madison has Dustin Kerns's squad in pole position in the Sun Belt, and they are favored to win every remaining game on their schedule, according to KenPom. 
With how close the first two matchups were, we'd love to see App State and James Madison meet for a third time in the conference championship.

7. Appalachian State

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If you still haven't caught a game of Bucky Ball this season, we are practically begging at this point. There may not be a more fun team to watch at the mid-major level than Samford, thanks to the torrential pace and efficient offense that head coach Bucky McMillan preaches to his team. 
The Bulldogs have bounced back well from their road loss to Furman a few weeks back and remain in control of the Southern Conference at 9-1. You won't want to miss a blockbuster matchup at UNC Greensboro on Thursday night, who sit just a game behind at 8-2.

8. Samford

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The Dukes may have blown their shot at the Sun Belt regular-season title, but this team is more than good enough to compete for the league's auto bid. Despite the losses to Appalachian State, they still got seven of their eight wins by double-digits and remain in KenPom's top 70 nationally.
The team is well-balanced and has the stardom, coaching, and overall roster experience to make a deep run in March. A rare February non-conference matchup awaits in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge, where they will take on Akron this Saturday.

9. James Madison

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Irvine clings onto this spot by a thread, given they haven't lost in a few weeks. They sit atop the Big West in what's been an otherwise down year for the conference, with their only loss coming on the road to UC Davis. 
There isn't really a true superstar on this team - none of their players rank within KenPom's top five most valuable players in the league - and it's because head coach Russell Turner loves to utilize his bench. The Anteaters boast the 20th-highest percentage of bench minutes in the country.

10. UC Irvine

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We take a look at the best mid-major teams in the nation. The Missouri Valley reigns dominant with a trio of selections, with Indiana State leading the pack.

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