Less than a week away from the start of the college basketball season, USA TODAY Sports examines some of the most intriguing story lines in its Starting Five series.
Today, five mid-major teams that could play Cinderella.
Missouri State
With Wichita State gone, the Missouri Valley’s hierarchy shifts to the cyclical format that’s typical of many mid-major conferences — where the teams with the most returning talent and veteran-laden rosters are the ones poised to win the league and make noise on the big stage in March. In the Valley this season, that team appears to be Missouri State, which has the best player in the league in Alize Johnson — who averaged a double-double with 14.