March Madness is finally here. In a couple of days, teams will begin knocking each other out of this single-elimination tournament that promises to go bonkers. Will any of the teams that’ll go deep in the tournament come from the group of sleepers? Below, we’ve listed 10 lower-seed teams we think are likely to pull off an upset or two in their respective regions.
[sc:MarchMadness ]2015 March Madness Sleeper Predictions, Analysis
Midwest
No. 8 Cincinnati Bearcats
Furthest Round to Reach: Third Round
On the heels of a heartbreaking, buzzer-beating loss to UConn in the AAC Tournament semifinal, the Bearcats will head into the Big Dance motivated nonetheless. The Bearcats will lean on their tight defense to carry them past their tourney rivals, and that includes Kentucky, which will likely await Cincy in the third round should Mike Cronin’s team take care of Purdue. Kentucky’s a huge test but if the Bearcats pass it, the sky’s the limit for Cincy.
No. 11 Texas Longhorns
Furthest Round to Reach: Elite Eight
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Now is the time for the Longhorns to get their acts together and prove that they deserve their high No. 20 ranking on KenPom and their spot in the tournament. They almost got it going in the Big 12 tourney when they nearly beat eventual champion Iowa State in the quarters. Rick Barnes’ team is not one that’s short in talent. With Isaiah Taylor manning the backcourt and the pair of giants in Myles Turner and Cameron Ridley, Texas definitely has the tools to do damage in the tourney.
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No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers
Furthest Round to Reach: Elite Eight
The Hoosiers are in after all. And their place in the tournament is a huge pat in the back for head coach Tom Crean, who’s been on the hot seat for most of the season. James Blackmon Jr., a painfully underrated freshman, is a scoring dynamo that works perfectly with Yogi Ferrell in the backcourt. Together, Blackmon and Ferrell have made Indiana become one of the fiercest scoring teams in the nation today, averaging 77.5 points per game this season. The Hoosiers are pretty efficient too on offense, which you could tell from their 10th-ranked 116.6 points per 100 possessions.
West
No. 6 Xavier Musketeers
Furthest Round to Reach: Elite Eight
Xavier had an awesome run in the Big East tournament before succumbing to Villanova in the conference final. As a conference sixth seed, the Musketeers took down AP No. 22 Butler and No. 23 Georgetown but just didn’t have enough against No. 4 Villanova. That being said, Xavier is going to be a tough beat for any team in the Big Dance. Much of the Musketeers’ fate will depend on the play of reliable (and experienced) big man Matt Stainbrook and their raft of guards who can all score.
No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes
Furthest Round to Reach: Sweet 16
Sleepers usually have a player with seemingly pro-level talent. Ohio State has one in D’Angelo Russell. Russell is a projected top-five pick in the next NBA Draft, and with a lack of talent surrounding him, the Buckeyes are going to go as far as where Russell will take them. Russell is a do-it-all guard, carrying averages of 19.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game into the Big Dance.
East
No. 8 North Carolina State Wolfpack
Furthest Round to Reach: Elite Eight
The Wolfpack have wins over Duke, Louisville, and North Carolina on their resume. Need we say more why they’re a sleeper in the East region? Despite a huge loss to Duke in the ACC tourney, it’s not really a stretch to think that the Wolfpack will take down some big cats in the National Tournament. No opponent can afford to let its guard down when facing NC State’s three-headed backcourt monster comprised of Trevor Lacey, Ralston Turner, and Anthony Barber.
No. 6 Providence Friars
Furthest Round to Reach: Elite Eight
Go ask No. 1 seed Villanova how it feels like to play against the Friars. Providence gave Villanova hell in the semifinal of the Big East tourney, losing only to the Wildcats by two points. The Friars can hang with the best teams in the upcoming tournament so long as LaDontae Henton and Kris Dunn remain healthy. Henton and Dunn are in the conversation of the most lethal tandem in the nation. Henton is averaging 19.7 PPG, while Dunn is right behind him with 15.8 PPG.
No. 7 Michigan State Spartans
Furthest Round to Reach: Elite Eight
Nothing says that the Spartans are ready for the Big Dance more than their performance against No. 1 seed Wisconsin in the Big Ten Conference Championship game. Despite ending up as losers, Tommy Izzo’s team did manage to give the Badgers a scare. Branden Dawson and Denzel Valentine proved their mettle, too, in that game, scoring 16 points apiece. The boys from Eat Lansing are 65th in the nation in scoring (72.0 PPG) and fourth in assists (17.2 APG).
South
No. 6 SMU Mustangs
Furthest Round to Reach: Sweet 16
The Ponies finally got their wish of getting into the tournament—a privilege that was surprisingly taken away from them last season. The reigning American Conference Tournament champions will enter the tournament with blue chips on the shoulders of Nic Moore (14.3 PPG) and Markus Kennedy (11.6 PPG), who’ll have to complement the team’s vaunted defense with their scoring. SMU is 25th in the nation in defense with just 59.8 points per game surrendered this season.
No. 10 Davidson Wildcats
Furthest Round to Reach: Sweet 16
It’s a shame that Davidson had a relatively weaker schedule during the regular season. Because of that, we didn’t really see how the Wildcats’ high-scoring ways would fare against top-tier competitions. But that’s what the Big Dance is for. Davidson is going to be a challenge for its opponents, who’ll have to find a way to contain the Wildcats’ offense that scores 79.9 points per game on an impressive 47.1 shooting percentage. Furthermore, Davidson is a three-point machine, manufacturing 10.7 threes per game. Somehow, the Wildcats managed to top that figure of late, averaging 13.7 triples over their last three games.
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