Small But Strong

Joshua Lars Weill points out four tough mid-majors, including two of my favorites, Creighton and St. Mary's:

The emergence of Doug McDermott as a force to be reckoned with has, unsurprisingly, also been a boon to the Bluejays, who sit at 20-2 and 10-1 in the very viable Missouri Valley. But it’s not just McDermott’s play that has Creighton ranked in the nation’s top 15. Rutgers transfer Gregory Echenique, a burly 6’9” forward from Venezuela, has anchored the low post for Creighton, hauling in almost eight boards a contest. With two players of that caliber on his team, coach McDermott's decision is looking smarter all the time.
The St. Mary’s Gaels
Each year, a few Australian high-school basketball stars come to the United States, and ach year, it seems at least a few of them decide to matriculate at tiny St. Mary’s College of California. Maybe it’s the sunny locale or just the chance to assimilate alongside fellow countrymen, but whatever the reason, the Gaels’ Down Under connection has been hugely helpful on the basketball court.
weak on power conference teams—the Gaels...
This season, St. Mary’s is 21-2 with a win over West Coast Conference rival Gonzaga, and they're currently ranked 16th in the country. Certainly, their schedule's been weak weak on power conference teams—the Gaels lost to Baylor in their only real test—but on balance St. Mary’s looks like a solid team.

Both teams should make the tournament, even if they get upset in their conference tournaments.  I caught the end of the Gaels' game against BYU.  It was a battle, but they managed to hold on.  Personally, I thought they were getting homered.