With Northwestern men’s basketball’s departure from the college basketball scene for the rest of this season comes a major void for ‘Cats faithful to fill.
Without NU in the dance, what’s the team to hitch the Wildcat bandwagon onto this March?
There are plenty of good options this year. A season filled with feel-good stories, historic dominance, David-versus-Goliath upsets and the usual dose of March shenanigans has set the stage for a fascinating NCAA Tournament, and one Northwestern fans should
be watching closely for the kind of true chaos only college basketball can deliver.
But if that doesn’t float your boat enough, I’ve got four more reasons why you should flip your televisions to the tournament this year. Here are some squads I think deserve to carry the Northwestern bandwagon.
Some of these programs might carry the wagon all the way to the national title.
No. 16 Seed Long Island University
For the first time in eight years, Brooklyn has a March Madness team, and this one might pull the biggest upset in NCAA history.
After two dismal seasons between 2022 and 2024 for the Sharks, last year was the revival of an NEC force, as LIU won six straight to propel itself into the conference tournament as the two seed. It would dominate Chicago State in the first round before losing to Saint Francis on free throws.
Yes. Free throws. Three of them with a second left was what kept the Sharks from dancing in 2025. Saint Francis got the bid after narrowly escaping a Central Connecticut State team that looked weaker and weaker as the tournament wore on.
Had it not been for a foul call with one second left, LIU would’ve been the favorites to upset CCSU and get the automatic seeding in the NCAA Tournament.
But in 2026, the Sharks made sure they wouldn’t be left on the outside looking in. They ran the NEC and walked their way to a championship, only losing three conference games in the process.
Led by Jamal Fuller, Malachi Davis and Greg Gordon, LIU brings a dangerous three-headed monster west to San Diego for a matchup with top-seeded Arizona. In front of what could be a Wildcat-heavy crowd, the Sharks may have the firepower to threaten just the third 16-over-1 upset in NCAA tournament history. Fuller, Davis and Gordon all score in double figures, all earned All-NEC honors and all have shown they can seize control of a game.
Arizona may have more to worry about Friday than a typical No. 1 vs. No. 16 matchup.
No. 6 Seed BYU
If outlandish, unimaginable Cinderella stories aren’t your thing, no need to fret. BYU might be right in your wheelhouse: not an overwhelming favorite, but not necessarily a “darkhorse.”
If anything, its a sleeping beast in the world of college hoops that everyone’s seemed to have forgotten about after its upset loss to UCF in regular season play. But its a beast waiting for its moment to strike, and March is the perfect time for it to do so.
Everyone’s seem to forgotten that A.J. Dybantsa is the best scorer in the nation. His 25.3 points per game leads the country by a sizable margin and he’s doing so on 51% shooting.
Fitting for a team that’s shooting 47% from the field this season.
Beyond Dybantsa, the Cougars turn to the craftiness of Baylor transfer Robert Wright III, who averaged 18 points per game and hovered near 50/40/90 splits for much of the Big 12 season.
Texas doesn’t really have a chance in round one, in my opinion, and Gonzaga will have its hands full in round two.
No. 9 Seed Iowa
If you’re seeking something Northwestern-adjacent to get behind, look towards Tampa, Fla., where the Hawkeyes will start their march (no pun intended) to the national title against Clemson.
Is it difficult to root for a Big Ten foe? Yes. But personally, I would rather see the national championship stay in the conference, and after the Big Ten championship game, I am not as high on Michigan making a run as the rest of the country seems to be.
Instead, I’m cashing my B1G chips in on Iowa, a team that’s spearheaded by the prototypical “bracket buster” player: Bennett Stirtz.
Stirtz, one of the best shooters in the country, is a nightmare matchup. He can pull up off the dribble, finish at the rim and operate with a smooth touch in the mid-range. Alongside him, Alvaro Folgueiras has shown real upside against teams like Ohio State and UCLA, while Tavion Banks brings another layer of efficiency. Altogether, Iowa has the kind of offensive firepower that can do serious damage over the next three weeks.
No. 11 Seed Miami (OH)
The Redhawks have the potential to go on a 2018 Loyola Chicago-esque run to the Final Four.
Their electric win over SMU last night told you everything you needed to know. Any stigma surrounding the MAC as a “weak conference” disappeared the moment Eian Elmer drove baseline for an emphatic tomahawk slam, capping a statement Quad 1 victory over the Mustangs and officially punching their ticket to the Round of 64.
I could go on about Miami’s electric three-point shooting, its ability to grind out clutch wins or the balance that makes it one of the most complete offenses in the tournament, but the case for getting behind the Hurricanes goes beyond any basketball logic.
It’s about history.
It’s not often that a team starts a season 10-0, let alone 20-0. 25 straight wins is an anomaly.
Miami won 31 straight. 31. A perfect regular season, capped off by a nail-biting overtime victory over their in-state rival Ohio to put the finishing touches on its regular season masterpiece.
At this point, an early NCAA Tournament exit would feel like it undersells everything this team has accomplished. That is not a reality anyone around the program wants to confront. For a team of this caliber, a deep March run feels only fitting.
This is the squad I’m backing. ‘Cats fans, are you with me, or are you rolling with one of the teams above? Maybe there’s even a dark horse we have not talked about yet.
