Early Season Tournament Odds Don't Favor Mid-Majors

We haven't really talked much about preseason tournaments here at Mid-Major Madness because outside of the NIT, very few are designed in ways where a team from a non-major conference can break through and potentially win.

That is backed up by a set of odds compiled by RealGM.com's Dan Hanner, who Tuesday looked at seven early tournaments and laid out the chances for the participants.

Murray State is the big winner in his eyes. The Racers are given a 20.5 percent chance of winning the Charleston Classic, second only to Baylor in the eight-team event. The competition there isn't overwhelming but the College of Charleston might be a more difficult out than they are given credit for in the current odds (7.2 percent).

Over at the NIT, Robert Morris is the big winner from the mid-major ranks, although big should be taken lightly. The Colonials have a 4.6 percent chance at the title based on Hanner's rankings. We previously touted both Robert Morris and Lehigh as potentially spoilers in the event, with the Mountain Hawks having the slight edge.

Part of our reasoning was that Pittsburgh wasn't exactly the same Pittsburgh that we were used to seeing last season. And while Lehigh might not be overlooked after what they did to Duke, that is no reason to discount them from making a big splash early. The 2.0 percent chance they have been given seems like a slight against a very strong team looking to back up last season's success.

Akron, BYU and Mercer, all wind up as the top mid-majors at their tournaments in these odds.

So take a look and let us know who you think might have been slighted, or who could emerge as the big shock team based on these numbers.