Murray State (30-2) is not your typical Cinderella. The Ohio Valley champions have 20 straight wins since losing to Auburn, and the Racers are ranked No. 21 on the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET). Ja Morant’s alma mater, now managed by KJ Williams, will be a darling on many pool tables.
Loyola is back for the third time in five years, after a Final Four run in 2018 and a Sweet 16 appearance last year, meaning 102-year-old team pastor Jean Dolores Schmidt, aka Sister Jean, gets another star . The Ramblers have a tough first-round fight against Ohio State in Pittsburgh on Friday, but remember they’re still on a “mission from God.”
Mike Woodson’s Indiana team lost seven of their last nine games in conference play before the Hoosiers shocked Illinois in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament. Now they will try to advance as a play-in team against Wyoming in the East Region. Yale didn’t even play in 2020-21 after the Ivy League canceled the season because of the pandemic, but sniper Azar Swain and the Bulldogs held Princeton back on Sunday to give them a chance against Big Ten Power Purdue.