Proponents of a hypothetical power-conference-only NCAA tournament make a reasonable case. In theory, by stripping Division I's widely disparate conferences of their guaranteed automatic bids, and focusing instead on selecting the best 64 teams in the country, the entire bracket would be more talented, and more competitive, from start to finish.
This is usually the part where we enumerate the myriad problems with this idea. Instead, we'll just give you a name: Dexter Werner.
Your only familiarity with Werner -- if you are familiar with him at all -- likely dates no earlier than No. 15 seed North Dakota State's round-of-64 matchup with No. 2 Gonzaga this past March. The game was closer than anyone expected late in the second half. Werner, a redshirt reserve sophomore who torched the Zags with an out-of-nowhere 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting -- including Dirk Nowitzki homebrew stuff like this -- was a big reason why.
Werner's frame (6-foot-6, 240 pounds) and ground-bound game are the college hoops version of a high school football star who cut his promising basketball career short in, like, sixth grade. He also happens to be likely starter for one of the Summit League's top contenders this season.
Sheer quirky variety like this is a bedrock of the NCAA tournament as we know it -- and a worthy reminder to check in on the Summit, and mid-major leagues like it, long before March. You never know what you might find.
Favorite
South Dakota State Jackrabbits
This is a tough call: On paper, it is tough to separate the Jackrabbits from their state university brethren to the north. Both teams finished 12-4 in the Summit League last season. Both teams return four starters and lose one. Both teams' departing senior starters happened to be the best and most important players in their respective lineups.
The loss feels more significant for North Dakota State. With all due respect to former Jackrabbits forward Cody Larson, NDSU senior Lawrence Alexander was one of the nation's best mid-major players, a lead guard who played 95.5 percent of his team's available minutes and shot 44.1 percent from 3. SDSU -- already a slightly more efficient team a year ago -- has a hole of its own to fill, sure, but a far less gaping one.
Sleeper
The Mastodons had some tough breaks in 2014-15. First came a 7-6 nonconference run. Then IPFW lost its first two -- and five of its first six -- games in league play, including a loss to eight-win Western Illinois. Most of those losses were close. Coach Jon Coffman got things turned around in late January, however, when his team won seven in a row and eight of its final 10 regular-season games. Last season's 16-15 record wasn't a great representation of IPFW's quality. The Mastodons should be better this season, both on the floor and in the win-loss column.
Team that could fall on its face
Just two seasons removed from 2012-13's 22-10 overall record and a top-60 finish in the KenPom.com adjusted efficiency rankings, Denver was a bit of a disaster last season. Swapping conferences twice (from the Sun Belt to the WAC to the Summit) in two years might have contributed; a group of disconnected and defense-averse players didn't help. Pioneers coach Joe Scott hired two new assistant coaches and signed six new freshmen, but it will take longer than one offseason to cure what ailed his program a season ago.
Top pro prospect
Obi Emegano, Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
Let's be real: Summit League players don't often pop up on scouts' collective radars, and 2015-16 is no different. Any selection here is a long shot at best. Emegano fills the box score enough to at least raise an eyebrow or two. He averaged 18 points and nearly 5 rebounds last season, while shooting 39 percent from 3 and drawing 6.9 fouls per 40 minutes. He's mini-James Harden! OK, OK, maybe not. Still, specializing in 3s and free throws isn't a bad way to snatch a look or two from modern NBA front offices.
Projected all-conference team
G: Obi Emegano, Oral Roberts
G: George Marshall, South Dakota State
G: Deondre Parks, South Dakota State
G: Garret Covington, Western Illinois Leathernecks
F: A.J. Jacobson, North Dakota State Bison