Cinderella. Underdog. The little guy. Whatever you want to call them, teams outside the power-conference structure provide college basketball with much of its March magic. No other sport routinely produces David-versus-Goliath tall tales like the Saint Peter’s run to the 2022 Elite Eight or Florida Atlantic’s Final Four berth last season. Like any good magic trick, the prestige often comes as a genuine surprise. No one was talking about FAU this time a year ago; the Owls were picked to finish fifth in Conference USA, yet came within a buzzer-beater of playing UConn in the national title...
Cinderella. Underdog. The little guy. Whatever you want to call them, teams outside the power-conference structure provide college basketball with much of its March magic. No other sport routinely produces David-versus-Goliath tall tales like the Saint Peter’s run to the 2022 Elite Eight or Florida Atlantic’s Final Four berth last season.Like any good magic trick, the prestige often comes as a genuine surprise.
Selfishness seems like the least of these Owls’ concerns. This is a group, after all, whose two best players , willingly came off the bench for large portions of last season. Every player with eligibility returned to Boca Raton and ignored the transfer portal. Even younger players who barely got off the bench a year ago and still have no guarantee of major minutes decided to run it back.
This remains a super versatile team willing to do whatever it takes to win. True freshman guards Jakel Powell and Devin Vanterpool present a prime example. May told them they’d have little chance to crack the rotation this season barring injuries, but both signed on anyway. The disease of me? Florida Atlantic still prefers the power of us.Saint Mary’s has an enrollment of just 2,700, plays in a 3,500-seat gym and generates less than a third of San Diego State’s men’s basketball revenue.
“He needs to get stronger so he can get through screens,” Bennett says. “He needs to be a better playmaker as well as a scorer — we need him to be like a four- or five-assist guy. And he needs to become a consistent defender. But he’s had a good offseason.” “First, you’ve got to get there and then get there somewhat consistently, and that creates those opportunities,” says Rice, who’s entering his 14th season. “Keep crossing those milestones and keep knocking on the door, and eventually you’ll get those next steps.”
“He’s an elite, elite shooter,” Rice says. “He just didn’t get enough chances to show that last year. You’re going to see big strides in Tyson’s game.” Perhaps the karma is ready to turn. If so, it’ll probably be because DaRon Holmes II did the pushing. The 6-10 Holmes was the highest-ranked recruit in Dayton history, and he’s somehow still on campus as a junior. After averaging 18.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and nearly two blocks as a sophomore, Holmes went to the NBA Combine with intentions of turning pro. There were also some blue-blood schools eagerly anticipating his entry into the transfer portal.
But for the Flyers to return to the NCAA Tournament, they’ll need better health in the backcourt. Starting guards Malachi Smith and Koby Brea missed significant chunks of time last season and were lesser versions of themselves when they were on the court. Smith had offseason surgery on both ankles, while Brea underwent operations on both tibias. Guard Kobe Elvis also sat out nearly half the year, although he avoided the knife.
The offense revolves around senior forward Matt Knowling, a midrange maestro who shot 62.5 percent from the field last season despite battling a painful calcium deposit in his biceps. A veteran backcourt features reigning Ivy defensive player of the year Bez Mbeng and sharpshooters August Mahoney and John Poulakidas.
That would be head coach Darian DeVries, who has built a winning culture in Des Moines, and his son, Tucker. Last season, Tucker DeVries became just the fourth sophomore to win the Missouri Valley Player of the Year award after averaging 18.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 37 percent from 3 on seven attempts per game. The 6-7 wing may lack explosiveness, but he can bury contested jumpers and get into his pull-up game with a high release and flawless mechanics.
“We’ve got a lot of options on offense and can really spread it around and space people out,” Darian DeVries says.
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