2011 NCAA Tournament Cinderellas; Potential Future Mid-Major Contenders

Here are my top five Cinderellas to watch for in the upcoming 2011 NCAA tournament. All RPI rankings referenced are as of December 15th and can be found here.

#5. Utah State Aggies (7-2 WAC)
RPI: 27
Strength of Schedule: 67
Key Wins: Utah
Losses: Georgetown, BYU
Analysis: Tai Wesley has stepped up in his senior year to lead the Aggies with 14.7ppg, 8 rpg, a block per game, and 2.4 assists per game. Utah State is a solid team that will not take anybody by storm, but plays consistent basketball and can play a powerhouse school down to the wire.

#4. Oakland Golden Grizzlies (6-5 Summit)
RPI: 48
Strength of Schedule: 44
Key Wins: Ohio, Tennessee
Losses: West Virginia, Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Wright State
Analysis: Oakland should win the Summit to take advantage of the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Grizzlies have an experienced team who has played great teams very tough this season. They not only beat #7 Tennessee, but lost by just a point to Michigan State, and had a 15-4 lead against Illinois who they played very tough. The Grizzlies are a good candidate to ruin many brackets come March.

#3. Old Dominion Monarchs (8-2 Colonial Athletic Conference)
RPI: 12
Strength of Schedule: 12
Key Wins: Clemson, Xavier, Dayton
Losses: Georgetown (59-62), @ Delaware (67-75)
Analysis: The Monarchs have only played one bad game this year, and it was at Delaware. They have a solid team with experience in the regular and postseason. Their top three scorers were all part of the Monarch's 2010 NCAA Tournament upset over Notre Dame, and the 2009 postseason tournament championship over Bradley University in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. This team is battle tested and may be a favorite to repeat a first round victory in the tournament or more.

#2. Cleveland State Vikings (12-0 Horizon League)
RPI: 20
Strength of Schedule: 130
Key Wins: Kent State
Analysis: Guards Cole, Harmon, and Montgomery average a combined total of 47 points per game and were a part of the 2008-2009 team that upset teams including Syracuse, Butler, and Wake Forest. This season they have not faced many teams that have given them serious competition, but their schedule is very weak. Look for Cleveland State to have a tough time with upcoming opponents West Virginia and Butler. The Vikings are not yet ranked, but with overall numbers looking better than the #11 nationally ranked San Diego Aztecs (mentioned next), it's time they get some respect.

#1. (#11) San Diego State Aztecs (11-0 Mountain West)
RPI: 21
Strength of Schedule: 137
Key Wins: Gonzaga, St. Mary's, California
Analysis: The Aztecs are ranked 11th in the nation, but would still be a Cinderella in my book due to the Mountain West being a Mid-Major conference. The Aztecs are a powerful basketball team that should get national respect even when it comes to bracket selection Sunday. Look for the Aztecs to knock off several perennial powerhouse basketball schools in late March.

Others that deserve being mentioned: BYU, UNLV, Richmond, Kent State, Lipscomb, Portland, Southern Miss