KDSN Radio

Mid-Majors absent from NCAA Sweet Sixteen

UNI men's basketball coach Ben Jacobson believes that even in this era of the transfer portal and pay for play, there is still room for a Mid-Major team to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. The Sweet Sixteen begins Thursday night, and all of the teams remaing are from power conferences. Jacobson says most teams need some breaks to get to the second weekend. The Panthers made it to the Sweet Sixteen in 2010 and got to the second round in 2015 and 2016. Drake was eliminated last weekend by Texas Tech under former coach Ben McCollum, and Bulldog AD Brian Hardin believes Mid-Major teams are still competitive. Hardin does not feel the bracket for this year's tournament is a sign of things to come.