Mid-Majors in the First Four
Six of the eight teams playing in the first four are mid-major programs
NCAA March Madness is officially here. The First Four play-in games will begin on today at 7 p.m. with Princeton taking on Iowa State for the 11th seed in Regional 3 in South Bend, followed by the 16th seed up for grabs in Regional 1 in Los Angeles as Southern takes on UC San Diego. The second pair of First Four games takes place on Thursday. In Regional 2 in Chapel Hill the 11th seed will be battled for between Washington and Columbia at 7 p.m., followed by the 16th seed in Regional 3 in Austin between William & Mary and High Point.
Let’s take a closer look at the mid-major programs playing in the First Four play-in games. First off, we have two teams who won both the regular season title AND were conference tournament champions (Southern winning the SWAC and High Point winning the Big South). Next, we have two teams who made magic happen by winning their conference tournaments (William & Mary winning the CAA Tournament as the 9 seed and UC San Diego winning the Big West Tournament as the 4 seed), and TWO at-large Ivy League teams (Princeton and Columbia).
For William & Mary and UC San Diego this will be their first time in program history making the NCAA Tournament at the Division-1 level. Here’s what you need to know about each of these mid-major programs hoping to advance to the Round of 64. Let’s take it from the top.
Princeton (21-7, 12-2 Ivy League)
The Princeton Tigers finished the regular season second in the Ivy League only behind Columbia. In the non-conference slate, they picked up big wins over Vermont (America East Tournament Champs), Middle Tennessee State (Co-Regular Season Champs in CUSA), Rhode Island. In Ivy League play they split the regular season series with Harvard and dropped both games to Columbia. In the Ivy League Tournament, the Tigers fell in the semifinals to Harvard after Harmoni Turner exploded for a career-high and tournament record 44 points.
On the offensive end Princeton is a team that only scores 66 PPG which was good enough to rank 3rd in the Ivy League but on the national level is 21 points lower than the highest scoring team (Murray State averaging 87.8 PPG). Following the season ending injury to junior Madison St. Rose, the Tigers top three scorers were Skye Belker (13.1), Ashley Chea (12.5 PPG), and Fadima Tall (10.3 PPG), all sophomores so the future is bright for Princeton. Chea was a unanimous selection for First-Team All-Ivy while Bilker and Tall were Second-Team selections. Now on the defensive end, this is where Princeton makes their money. The Tigers are holding opponents to just 56 PPG and lead the Ivy League in blocks per game (3.8) and only allowing opponents to get 29 rebounds per game- best in the Ivy League.
They key for the Tigers success against Iowa State will be controlling the pace and staying out of foul trouble down low. In ALL of their non-conference losses this season Princeton has allowed teams to score 70+ points. They will have to control the pace against a Cyclones team that’s averaging 77 PPG. In addition, Iowa State is led by the low post duo of Audi Crooks and Addy Brown, it’s vital that the Tigers stay out of foul trouble.
Southern (20-14, 15-3 SWAC)
Southern comes into the First Four after winning the SWAC regular season and conference tournament titles. The Jaguars played a grueling non-conference schedule with contests on the road against Oklahoma, Iowa State, Nebraska, Texas, and Illinois. Not to mention home contests against North Carolina State and Washington. As a result, Southern finished the non-conference slate with a 2-11 record, with those two wins coming against two NAIA opponents. During the stretch of non-conference games, senior Aniya Gourdine said "If you want to be in the spotlight, you want to play the good teams. Most of the games, we’ve been in them so I think it's good for us to show that we can compete with the biggest schools." Although they didn’t win any of these matchups, they prepared themselves for the big stage.
Along with Gourdine, who was named to the All-SWAC Second Team, Head Coach Carlos Funchess was named the SWAC Coach of the Year. On the offensive end the Jaguars don’t necessarily do anything that jumps off the page, but defensively, Gourdine being tough on the ball (leads the SWAC with 2.4 steals per game), rebounding and holding opponents to just 56 PPG is where they will hang their hat. In order to get the win over UC San Diego they will need to control the boards, limit Sumayah Sugapong, and take care of the ball on the offensive end.
UC San Diego (20-15, 13-7 Big West)
UC San Diego is a true Cinderella story. The Tritons in their first year of eligibility since moving to the Division-1 level following the 2020 season, are headed to the Big Dance. UC San Diego finished the regular season as the fourth best team in the Big West but used a conference tournament run defeating the No. 1 seed Hawaii in the semifinals and No. 3 seed UC Davis in the Big West Championship. Sumayah Sugapong is the head of the snake for the Tritons. The sophomore Sugapong averaged 14.7 PPG and 3.6 APG, both leading the team. As a result, she was named as a member of the All-Big West First Team and was named the Big West Tournament MVP in the championship run. Alongside Sugapong is the Big West Newcomer of the Year, Sabrina Ma averaging 10.1 PPG and shooting 35% from deep. With six players on the team averaging 7+ points per game, the Tritons can score in a number of ways, and anyone can go off for a big game for this group.
On the defensive end, UC San Diego is averaging 11 steals per game which is tops in the Big West, averaging 39.8 rebounds per game which ranks second in the Big West, and forcing 20 turnovers per game which ranks first in the Big West.
Columbia (23-6, 13-1 Ivy League)
The Columbia Lady Lions finished the regular season atop the Ivy League standings for the third year in a row and went into the Ivy League Tournament poised to defend their regular season crown. Unfortunately for the Lady Lions, they ran into a Harvard squad that was hungry and, on a mission, to bring home the Ivy League crown. Looking back at Columbia’s non-conference schedule, the squad finished 9-4, with key wins over mid-major foes Florida Gulf Coast (ASUN Champions) and Ball State (MAC Champions), falling short to Indiana, Duke, Richmond (all NCAA Tournament teams) as well as Villanova (WBIT team).
Columbia is led by their Big 3 trio featuring sophomore sensation Riley Weiss, First Team All-Ivy League selection who averages 17.8 PPG (second in the Ivy League), senior Kitty Henderson, a unanimous First Team All-Ivy League selection and Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 13.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 4.8 APG, and 2.4 SPG. Lastly, senior guard Cecelia Collins, All-Ivy League Second Team member, averaging 13.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 4.6 APG. Offensively, the Lady Lions are one of the best teams in the Ivy League, averaging a league best 73.4 PPG, on 43% shooting from the field (second in the Ivy League), crashing the glass at a high rate averaging 16.4 offensive rebounds per game (best in the Ivy League), and share the ball with 17 APG (first in the Ivy League).
Defensively, the Lady Lions can pressure the ball at a high rate, forcing 18.2 turnovers per game (second in the Ivy League), generating 9.8 steals per game (second in the Ivy League) all while holding opponents to just 58 PPG (third in the Ivy League).
For Columbia to knock off B1G foe Washington in the First Four, they will need to make things tough for the Huskies Big 3 in Elle Ladine, Sayvia Sanders, and Dalayah Daniels. Washington ranks in the top 10 in both field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage.
William & Mary (15-18, 8-10 CAA)
Like UC San Diego, William & Mary Tribe are also a Cinderella story. Finishing the regular season losing 8 of their last 10 games and ranked ninth in the CAA, many didn’t expect the squad to make the magical run that they did in the CAA Tournament. As a result, the Tribe will be making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history under Head Coach Erin Dickerson Davis. Looking back at the team's non-conference schedule, William & Mary faced Norfolk State (MEAC Champions), UC Irvine, Richmond (A-10 Regular Season Champions), Howard, Longwood, and Maryland. All losses for the Tribe but great tests to see where the team was going into a DEEP CAA conference slate. Offensively William & Mary is led by senior guard Bella Nascimento averaging 16.3 PPG (ranking third in the CAA) and earning All-CAA Second Team honors. As a team, the Tribe are averaging just 61.8 PPG but in their four wins in the CAA Tournament the team has upped their scoring total to 73 PPG. For the Tribe’s run to continue in the NCAA Tournament against High Point, they will need a big performance from Nascimento as well as a stifling defense against a balanced Panthers team.
High Point (21-11, 13-3 Big South)
The High Point Panthers come into the First Four play in games as the regular season and conference tournament champions of the Big South. The Panthers have won their last nine games with their last loss coming at the hands of Radford on February 5th. Looking back at their non-conference schedule, High Point defeated A-10 opponent Davidson and took down Big XII opponent UCF on the road. They were knocked off by West Virginia, Illinois State, Campbell, Elon, Wofford, and Stetson before beginning Big South play.
On both ends of the floor the Panthers were near the top of the rankings in multiple statistical categories, including PPG (67.2, second in the Big South), field goal percentage (43.5%, first in the Big South), points allowed (58.1 PPG, first in the Big South), blocks per game (3.3, first in the Big South), opponents field goal percentage (39.2, second in the Big South), opponents turnovers per game (19.1, second in the Big South). As mentioned earlier, High Point has a balanced attack on the offensive end. The Panthers are a team that features five players who average 9+ PPG, one junior, the team’s leading scorer Nevaeh Zavala (10.6 PPG) and four seniors. The veteran group has found ways to get it done on both ends of the floor and will hope to end the Tribe’s Cinderella run in the First Four.