The #11 play-in game has Middle Tennessee (28-5) playing St. Mary’s (27-6).

The winner of this game plays #6 Memphis Tigers.

This play-in game is the most interesting in this year’s tournament. The winner of the game could be in line to upset Memphis. Middle Tennessee and St. Mary’s are the two teams not in the power six conferences that basketball analysts argued back and forth whether or not they should be in tournament field. This game will be interesting.

Who do you think will win? We help you out.

When the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders were announced in the field, the basketball analysts on CBS and ESPN blew a gasket. They began saying the selection committee put more emphasis on bad losses and not as much on marquee wins. MTSU only has one win against teams in the RPI Top-50 (Ole Miss) and has only played two teams in the RPI top-100 all season.

The Blue Raiders are efficient with the ball. They don’t have a superstar on the team. The closest they have is Marcos Knight. The senior guard is a talented player, but lacks an outside shot.

The St. Mary’s College Gaels often gets overlooked in the West Coast Conference, because Gonzaga gets all the attention. The Gaels always have a talented team. I’ve liked senior guard Matthew Dellavedova for years. In the NCAA Tournament, always bet on a team with an experienced point guard.

I love St. Mary’s in this matchup. The only WCC games they lost were against Gonzaga, the #1 overall seed in this tournament. The Gaels will win this game and it won’t even be close. I’m not just saying that because they have some of the best cheerleaders in the tournament (pictures below), but they are just that damn good.

Prediction: St. Mary’s Gaels