Cinderellas of the 2015 NCAA Tournament

Selection Sunday is two days away and that means it’s time to see what little schools have the ability to make big waves in March Madness. These are schools from one-bid leagues or have lacked television time. Note Gonzaga, the Missouri Valley, the Mountain West and the Atlantic-10 are not on this list as they should be part of the big boys now.

If the slipper fits, you must advance to the Sweet 16.

North Florida: Atlantic Sun Tournament Champion
The North Florida Ospreys played most of their non-conference games on the road and lost most of those as a result but it did beat Purdue. North Florida is in the top 50 in blocks giving it some rim protection thanks to forward Demarcus Daniels. The Ospreys strength though is the 3-point line as they are in the top 50 in shooting percentage and defending the 3. Junior Beau Beech is 6’8” but has made 83 3s this year and is assisted with 80 more from guard Trent Mackey. North Florida’s 75.7 point average is in the top 25 scoring offenses in the nation. A team that can shoot the 3, defend the 3, and rim protect can definitely win a game in March.

Valparaiso: Horizon League Champion
Valparaiso with a top 55 RPI and 28-5 would have been a bubble team for an at-large but thankfully the Crusaders don’t have to worry about that with the automatic bid. Coach Bryce Drew said after his squad beat Green Bay in the tourney final that he hopes to have a better matchup this time. Two years ago, Valpo had to face Michigan State and it was not a good fit. The Crusaders may be more versatile this time as they rank in the top 50 in defense, blocks and 3-point percentage. Valpo holds opponents under 60 points a game and 6’10” senior center Vashil Fernandez averages three blocks a game. If Valpo plays a team that likes to keep the pace down, it should be able to hang around and even knock them off.

New Mexico State: WAC
The Aggies have not won the WAC tournament yet but will be a headache for a team in the first round if they do. New Mexico State tore through the WAC regular season with a 13-1 record. It’s all about defense for the Aggies as they hold opponents under 60 points per game as well. Defending the 3-point line is a big part why as teams shoot less than 30% percent from behind the arc against them. That’s just as good as Virginia and close behind Kentucky. New Mexico State doesn’t bail out offenses either as it is in the top 50 fewest fouls. Rebounding is another team strength so the only problems occur on the offensive end. If the Aggies can heat up just a little from the field it should be an interesting first round game.

BYU: WCC
The Cougars are on the bubble but they deserve to get in as they are a powder keg waiting to explode on the offensive side. BYU averages 83.6 points per game, and that’s good for No. 2 in the country behind Northwestern State. Contributing to scoring is BYU’s No. 5 ranking in free-throw percentage at 76.8%. The Cougars are also sport a plus 4.9 rebound margin giving them some support on the glass. If BYU can draw fouls, it has a chance to pull off wins in the Big Dance.

Stephen F. Austin: Southland
Stephen F. Austin is still fighting for the automatic bid in the Southland tournament so nothing is set yet. With that said the Lumberjacks are scary with a 27-4 record. A top 15 offense at 79 points per game is contributed from six players who average roughly 40 percent from 3. The big strength though is in forcing turnovers and converting them into easy baskets. The Lumberjacks are in the top 20 in turnover margin and pull off eight steals a game. If Stephen F. Austin can get in and play a team with an inexperienced back-court, the Lumberjacks could be on their way to round two and possibly the Sweet 16.

Honorable mentions: Old Dominion, UC-Irvine and Eastern Washington

How the Atlantic 10 rebranded itself

As a public relations/communications specialist, one of the things that caught my eye the past two weeks was a new marketing effort by the Atlantic 10 conference. Sure, I’ve seen conferences try to reinvent themselves in 30 second spots during a halftime break but this was different. It was not a cheesy promotion on how (insert conference name here) is proud of its (insert achievement here) and why its league is superior to everybody else. This marketing effort had an edge to it I rarely see.

The “Who Wants Next” campaign is a result of the A-10 contracting with a branding firm in Philadelphia called 160over90. While the video and pictures are well made the content is the real story here. The A-10 is doing everything it can to shatter the perception it is a mid-major conference.

That’s because it is not and there are stats to back it up. The A-10 currently has nine schools in the RPI Top-100. The American, a league the A-10 is often compared to, only has five. Many view the ACC and the Big Ten as the best conferences in basketball but they have nine teams in the Top-100 too. If the A-10 is inferior to those conferences it is not by much.

The perception that the A-10 is a mid-major is created by football, not basketball. Casual  fans believe every elite school has a football team competing in a BCS conference. It’s a stereotype ingrained in basketball fans too as undefeated Wichita State is getting hammered by a few experts as being unworthy of a No. 1 seed in the tournament. Smaller schools like this that thrive in basketball are mistakenly given a “Cinderella” label.

That is why I also like the “They’re work boots” poster. When the A-10 has tournament success it is not an “upset” or a “flash in the pan.” It is a win by a quality team like everyone else. Currently, four schools are a lock to be in the tournament with St. Joseph’s, Richmond, and Dayton on the bubble. That means the A-10 should earn roughly the same number of bids as all the other so-called “power conference” schools.

Another slogan used was “The rim offers blind justice.” 160over90 Chief Creative Officer Darryl Cilli explained how they came up with the slogan.

“Up on the scoreboard, skill and hard work count for more than name, legacy, or the number of stars in a recruiting class,” Cilli said.  “And there’s a fairness about the court.  This is the thinking that led to this line of the script, and more pieces that will follow in the coming months.”

As far as contracting with a public relations firm I can see why an athletic conference would do so. There are many bad examples of leagues trying to market themselves. Check out the photo below.

What… the… fudge

That is supposedly a promotion for the Big West Conference and its women’s basketball tournament. Now if you were able to tell that was about basketball then you deserve a gold medal from a figure skating judge.

I’m not suggesting every conference should consult with a PR firm as that is not an option for many mid-majors. For most of the large conferences it is not needed. But the A-10 is stuck in the middle, having large conference success with a mid-major perception. That’s where a PR firm can help.

“I’m not aware of many other instances like this,” Cilli said. “It’s not common to do it in the way the Atlantic 10 and 160over90 have with this project. The conference’s top-to-bottom depth and their consistent success over the years lent to pooling the teams’ collective accomplishments and positioning them together. Their shared values across programs and institutions, and the quality coaches and student-athletes made this effort possible.”

Now it’s up to the A-10 to back up its campaign on the court with another Final Four run by VCU or a Saint Louis. Maybe UMass and George Washington will bust everyone’s bracket.

For the Who Wants Next campaign, that would be a busted bracket worth celebrating.