Not only do we love Southern Illinois' nickname, The Salukis, we believe they are primed for an NCAA Tournament run this year, so we give SIU the number one spot in our Cinderella Watch List.
Here are a few of the NCAA's underrated teams to watch, as the season unfolds. Keep an eye on them to see which ones will step into Cinderella's slippers in March.
1. Southern Illinois -- The Salukis return all five starters from a team that won 22 games and made the NCAA Tournament. There's no reason to think they won't be better this year.
2. Bucknell -- The Bison won 27 games last season, before losing to powerhouse Memphis in the NCAA Tournament. They return plenty of scoring and rebounding from this team and should cruise through the Patriot League again this season.
3. Creighton -- The Blue Jays have a terrific backcourt and will be tournament-ready, after a difficult MVC schedule.
4. Saint Mary's -- We love the Gaels, who return their top three players, who combined for 36 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists per game. Look for the Saint Mary's to push Gonzaga for first place in the West Coast Conference. Twenty-plus wins and a tournament trip in March wouldn't surprise us one bit.
5. Northwestern State -- It's hard to overlook a team that won 26 games and made the NCAA Tournament in 2005-06, but the Demons play in the Southland Conference with the likes of Lamar and Texas State. This, alone, is enough to make even the most astute aficionado forget about Northwestern State. The best players from this group return, though, so don't you forget to check in on the Demons as the season progresses.
6. Witchita State -- The Shockers won the loaded Missouri Valley Conference last year and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, eventually losing to Final Four team George Mason. There's no reason to think the Shockers won't compete again this year, securing their spot on our pre-season Cinderella Watch list.
7. Butler -- The Bulldogs will pair talented transfer Mike Green with A.J. Graves, creating arguably the best backcourt in the Horizon League. Graves averaged 13 points per game, and Green netted better than 10 per contest in two seasons with Towson University. Butler has plenty of post-season experience and should threaten to win the league, after finishing second a year ago.
8. Northern Iowa -- The Panthers return imposing frontcourt players, Grant Stout and Eric Coleman, who combined for nearly 24 points and 16 rebounds per game a year ago. There's plenty of depth on a squad that won 23 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season.
9. Hofstra -- The Pride won 26 games in 2005-06, and hardly anyone noticed, because Hofstra had the bad luck of playing in the Colonial Athletic, where last year's Cinderella darling, George Mason, resides. Things will be different in 2006-07, as The Pride returns three of the best scorers in the nation at guard, in Antoine Agudio, Carlos Rivera and Loren Stokes. These three combine for 46 points per game. With this kind of scoring and experience, Hofstra is primed to unseat GMU as the league's newest Cinderella darling.
10. Oral Roberts -- The Golden Eagles return two all-league performers in the Mid-Continent Conference. Conference player of the year, Caleb Green, returns after a brilliant 2005-06 campaign, in which he averaged 21 points and 9 rebounds per game. Any improvement from Green, and ORU could win 25 games and make some noise in March.
