5 teams most likely to make NCAA Tournament for first time

5. UMass-Lowell

Last March, Bryant was able to come out of the American East Conference as tournament champions to earn an automatic bid and their first spot in the NCAA Tournament. This year, the UMass-Lowell River Hawks are hoping to do the same thing.

With a 22-7 record, the River Hawks currently sit at No. 2 in the AEC behind Vermont, a seasoned tournament team. If the River Hawks are able to ride their No. 2 seed in the conference tournament to a conference championship, they will make the field for the first time in program history. UMass-Lowell first moved to D-I in 2013 and has been eligible for the tournament since 2018.

The biggest huddle will be beating a Vermont team that has gone 14-2 in conference play and is currently on a 12-game winning streak, though the River Hawks were able to do so earlier in the season on Jan. 11.

Hey @RiverHawkMBB, hows if feel to be 10-1?…………#MakeThemBelievers pic.twitter.com/LsJJtkLrip

— Peter Casey (@RiverHawksAD) December 9, 2022