5 Mid-Major Players That Must Play In NCAA Tournament

Alec Peters, Valparaiso

Most mid-majors have to win their conference tournament to earn an automatic bid, but Valparaiso is a bubble team even if they don’t win the Horizon League’s conference tournament. At 16-4 with wins over Alabama and ranked Rhode Island, Alec Peters and Valparaiso are a legitimate threat to make the Tournament over a Power-6 school.

Despite playing in the Horizon League, Peters is on the Wooden Award midseason watch list. His averages of 24.2 points, second in the nation, and 10.9 rebounds, eighth in the nation, have garnered him even more national attention than last season.

Peters is a potential first round pick in this year’s NBA Draft, too. Just like R.J. Hunter did a couple of years ago, Alec Peters has a chance to significantly boost his draft stock with a big game or two.

He’s already shown that he can play well against top teams in the nation, which is important considering the Crusaders won’t have a cakewalk in the first round of the Tournament. Against three ranked opponents this season, Peters averages 24.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game on 45.5 percent shooting.

Alec Peters led Valparaiso with 18 points in their 65-62 loss to Maryland two years ago, but his improvement since, especially as a scorer, is uncanny. He’s arguably the best scorer in the nation and has the supporting cast to make Valparaiso a Cinderella story this season.