March Madness - Hot or Cold

As March plods on, so do I.  Here is a list of hot and cold teams that could potentially bust your brackets.  The hot teams are mostly just teams that have either won their conference tournament or are playing very well.  Note that these are not upset picks (I will have a sleeper picks segment coming soon).   The cold teams are teams that have limped to the finish or struggled down the stretch.  It's always good to pick a team that has been hot down the stretch- remember Connecticut in 2011? They won their last 5 games of the regular season, then the Big East tournament.  They of course went on to win the national championship.  Remember Missouri last year? They didn't play well in the Big 12 tournament and lost in the first round to Norfolk State even though they were a 2 seed.  How hot/cold a team is going into the tournament not only gives a glimpse into how they are playing, but how they might be looking at the games from a confidence aspect.  Is it a "Let's go out and win the whole thing" type mentality, or a "Let's not lose" mentality.  While I can't give you a glimpse into the psyche of the teams, I can tell you who is playing their best (or worst) basketball at the moment.  Here is my 2013 March Madness "Hot or Cold" post. (All times Eastern)

HOT: (4) Saint Louis - There might not be a team playing better basketball at the moment than the Saint Louis University Bilikins. They are 27-6 on the season with a 13-3 conference record out of the Atlantic 10. They won both the regular season crown and the A-10 conference tournament.  On January 19th they lost to lowly Rhode Island.  It seemed like Saint Louis was destined for mediocrity, and they would once again be on the bubble.  But since that day they have won an incredible 16 out of their last 17 games, including 4 wins over ranked teams, including 3 wins over Butler, and 2 against VCU.  Their only loss in that stretch was in overtime on the road against Xavier.  Saint Louis has a great group of seniors and can shoot the three very well.  They have a dynamic backcourt, and if history is any indicator, it helps to have one of those if you are going to make a deep tournament run. They take on 13 seeded New Mexico State on Thursday, March 21 at 2:10 pm. 

COLD: (4) Michigan - Another 4 seed, but Michigan is in a completely different situation than Saint Louis. After starting the season 16-0, and at one point boasting a 20-1 record, Michigan has fallen from grace over the last few weeks.  The various bracket projections had them as a 1 seed all year until they fell all the way down to a 4.  How did this happen? They only managed 5 wins in their last 12 games.  A 5-7 record down the stretch is nothing to write home about.  Some of these losses are justified (Indiana twice, a half court buzzer beater against Wisconsin), but it's how the Wolverines are losing that bothers me.  They blew 8+ point leads against Wisconsin twice, Indiana, and against Penn State, one of the Nittany Lions' two Big Ten victories.  Michigan's overall body of work is still very impressive, but they are not playing they best ball, and rely too heavily on All-American point guard Trey Burke.  He's good, but he can't do everything.  Michigan will take on a tough 13 seeded South Dakota State team led by star guard Nate Wolters Thursday, March 21 at 7:15 pm.  The good news for Michigan: they are playing close to home in Detroit; just a 55 minute drive from the Michigan campus.

HOT: (1) Louisville - Yeah, I know you would imagine that the number one overall seed would be playing pretty well.  Honestly, "pretty well" is a total understatement.  Louisville is playing OUT OF THEIR MINDS right now.  10 straight wins in the tough Big East, and they have won 13 of their last 14, on their way to a 29-5 record.  The only loss was a 5 overtime contest at Notre Dame.  I'm pretty sure we can excuse that as a good loss.  Louisville has beaten 5 ranked teams during that stretch, including Syracuse both on the road and on a neutral court.  They don't have an obvious weak spot in their lineup, and even if they did, their amazing guard play would make up for it.  This is a team that went to the Final Four last year, and returned many players from that team.  They have experience playing good teams in tough environments.  They probably wont get either in their first game: they are playing the winner of a First Four play in game (more information on that HERE), and they are playing very close to home in Lexington, Kentucky.  Louisville will play either North Carolina A&T or Liberty on Thursday, March 21 at 6:50 pm.  If/When they win, they will play the winner of Colorado State and Missouri.  

COLD: (11) Minnesota - Once upon a time the Golden Gophers were 15-1, ranked #8 in the land, and playing incredible basketball. And then the flood gates broke open and they finished the season on a 5-11 run to end up with a 20-12 record.  That's not very good, regardless of what conference you are in.  Luckily, they had enough quality wins that they could still make the tournament as an 11 seed.  Amazingly, they still have 5 wins against ranked teams, but during that 5-11 cold spell they lost to the likes of Purdue, Nebraska, Iowa and Northwestern. None of those teams made the big dance.  I'd say that's a little more than a cold spell: that's an ice age! But the NCAA Tournament is redemption time, and Minnesota will get that chance against 6 seeded UCLA on Friday, March 22 at 9:57 pm. 

HOT: (8) North Carolina - Sometimes you can determine the "hotness" of a team based on the numbers.  Sometimes you have to use the good ol' fashioned eye test.  UNC (24-10) meets that test.  They struggled with team chemistry for most of the season, but really got it together late and have been really clicking on offense.  They have ability to go out any day and outscore any team that they play against.  They are 8-2 in their last 10 games, and even though they lost to Miami (FL) in the ACC championship game, they are still a very dangerous team.  They will play 9 seeded Villanova on Friday, March 22 at 7:20 pm.  If they win, they will (most likely) have a huge showdown with 1 seeded Kansas.

LUKEWARM: (4) Syracuse - If Syracuse aggravates me, I can't even imagine how their fan base feels, or even their coach.  On one hand, they beat 2 ranked teams and make it to the Big East tournament championship game.  On the other hand, they are 4-5 over their last 9 games.  On one hand, every loss was to a ranked team.  On the other hand, several of them were at home, and several others by double digits. So, I'm just going to categorize Syracuse as "lukewarm" because that's exactly what they are.  They have splotchy big man play, and their guards have a horrible tendency to get themselves into foul trouble. The Orange (26-9) will take on the 13 seeded Montana Grizzlies on Thursday, March 21 at 9:57 pm.

HOT: (2) Ohio State - The Buckeyes (26-7) are on fire right now.  They are on a 8 game winning streak that includes wins against 4 ranked teams, including at Indiana.  They just won the Big Ten tournament over Wisconsin, and they made it look easy.  They have great weapons, but the key right now is Aaron Craft.  He is a prototypical passing point guard.  He racks up the assists and steals first, and looks to score second.  This was no the case over the last few games, as Craft has somehow flicked a switch, and is averaging 13 points over his last 5 games.  Craft, along with Deshaun Thomas, will be the keys for Ohio State to make a deep run this year. Ohio State takes on 15 seed Iona on Friday, March 22 at 7:15 pm.

UNBELIEVABLY SCALDING FIERY HOT: (6) Memphis - If you haven't already figured it out, Memphis is playing some very good basketball right now.  They are on a 24-1 streak.  That's incredible. They are 30-4 overall, and currently on a 6 game winning streak after losing to Xavier in late February. They had a perfect 16-0 record in Conference USA, and won the conference tournament with an overtime thriller against Southern Mississippi.  Memphis is extremely athletic, and is poised perfectly to make a good run.  They will take on an 11 seed that will be determined in the First Four, in a game between Saint Mary's and Middle Tennessee State (Preview of that game HERE).  That game will be played on Thursday, March 21 at 2:45 pm.  

So there you have it. The hot and cold (and Syracuse) teams in the tournament.  I hope that this helps you so you can fill out a great bracket and beat your coworkers, or friends, and you HAVE to beat your boss. There will be a sleeper picks post coming out tomorrow, along with continued March Madness coverage every step of the way.  Happy bracket fillings. 'Til next time.

First Four Preview

Oh how I have waited for this day! May the glorious thing we call "March Madness" commence.  This post will be my first of many involving the NCAA Tournament as I cover the action every step of the way.  The best thing about college basketball is that every college basketball team has a mathematical shot at being the National Champion.  That number has now been reduced to 68 teams.  The field traditionally used to be a 64 team field, but the NCAA has decided they want to make even more money, so two years ago they expanded the field to 68 and started what they call the "First Four", which is simply 4 play-in games that take place in Dayton a couple of days before the actual tournament starts.  This will be the third year that the First Four has taken place.

Surprisingly, teams have had success out of the First Four.  Virginia Commonwealth made it all the way to the Final Four in 2011 even though they had to play an extra game in the First Four.  The NCAA Selection Committee (The people that decide who is in and who is out) has been very lenient towards teams from smaller conferences over the last few years when deciding which teams will be the last ones in. The trend held strong this year, as none of the teams selected for the First Four are from a major conference.  Here is my preview of the First Four games of the 2013 NCAA Tournament. (All times Eastern)

(16) North Carolina A&T vs (16) Liberty - Tuesday March 19, 6:40 pm
The First Four has two games that take place between 16 seeds, and two games with teams that are seeded somewhere between 11-14.  Unfortunately for the 16 seeds, these games are preparing them for the slaughterhouse: the winner will go on to face a 1 seed.  In the long history of the NCAA Tournament a 16 seed has never beaten a 1 seed.  In the case of these teams, they will go on to face the number 1 overall seed, Louisville. Both of these teams had to win their conference tournament to receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
North Carolina A&T was a relatively darkhorse team out of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).  The MEAC had been dominated all season by Norfolk State and North Carolina Central, but both of those teams lost in the early rounds of the conference tournament   North Carolina A&T defeated Morgan State by 3 to secure this spot.  They finished 19-16 on the season with a 8-8 conference record.
The Liberty Flames have to be one of the best stories of March Madness.  They started out their year by losing the first 8 games they played.  Add in a poor conference season, and they were 12-20 heading into their conference tournament.  But they got hot at the right time, rattled off 5 straight wins, and beat heavy favorite Charleston Southern in the Big South conference championship game to clinch a berth in the tournament.  They have a 15-20 record, and went 6-10 in conference.
Straight Up Pick: North Carolina A&T

(16) LIU Brooklyn vs (16) James Madison - Wednesday March 20, 6:40 pm
The other 16 seed matchup features LIU Brooklyn and James Madison.  The winner of this game will go on to face the 1 seeded Indiana Hoosiers. LIU Brooklyn has one of the best point guards in the country, Jason Brickman.  Brickman is averaging an incredible 8.5 assists per game.  He has led the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds to a 20-13 record, and a victory in the Northeast Conference tournament to secure their NCAA Tournament bid.
The Blackbirds will face the James Madison Dukes from the Colonial Athletic Conference.  James Madison won their conference tournament over favorite Northeastern by 13 points.  They have a 20-14 record on the season.
Straight Up Pick: LIU Brooklyn

(11) Saint Mary's vs (11) Middle Tennessee State - Tuesday March 19, 9:10 pm
The first at-large matchup of the tournament features two 11 seeds that many thought would not even make the tournament.  The winner of this game will move on to face 6 seeded Memphis.  The Saint Mary's Gaels have a 27-6 record on the season, and are led by one of the most dynamic players in the country, point guard Matthew Dellavedova.  They played in the West Coast Conference where they had a 14-2 record, with their only two conference losses coming to Gonzaga, who is a 1 seed in the tournament.
Saint Mary's dynamic back court will have a tough task ahead of them, as they take on the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. MTSU has a 28-5 record, and went 19-1 in the Sun Belt conference.  They were favored to win their conference tournament and get an auto-bid, but lost in the second round to Florida International.  These two teams have not played the toughest schedules in the nation, and it will be very interesting to see how they are perform, each team coming off of a loss in their most recent game.
Straight Up Pick: Saint Mary's

(13) La Salle vs (13) Boise State - Wednesday March 20, 9:10 pm
The final First Four matchup features two of the best bubble teams in the nation.  The winner of this game will move on to face a tough 4 seed, Kansas State. La Salle had a great year in one of the tougher mid-major conferences, the Atlantic 10.  They ended up with a 21-9 record, but lost their last 2 games of the season.  They do hold quality wins over Butler and VCU this year however.
La Salle will face one of the hottest teams in the NCAA Tournament, the Boise State Broncos.  Boise State, out of the Mountain West Conference (the best non-major conference in the nation), finished with a 21-10 record, including winning 5 of their last 7 games.  Regardless of who wins this game, they are poised for a deep tournament run.
Straight Up Pick: Boise State

This was the First Four preview, and was also the first piece of A LOT of great March Madness content that is still to come.  Look for more previews, sleeper picks, and a hot/cold chart that will help you pick your brackets.  I love March, and I hope you do too.  'Til next time.

Blind Resumes

It's almost time for the NCAA Tournament! Which means the joy of filling out a bracket, bragging about your picks, and then watching way too much the right amount of basketball as you cheer on your teams.  But to pick a bracket, the NCAA selection committee must choose who is in and who is out.  It is our job as fans to speculate and predict who will be in the field, and who will be left out.  The teams that are on the edge of being barely in or barely out of the tournament are considered to be "on the bubble".  When fans look at these bubble teams to try and determine who should be in or not, they are often extremely biased towards large or traditional schools.  Over the last few seasons the NCAA has shown a bit of reverse bias by picking teams like VCU, Alabama-Birmingham, and Iona over what some people considered to be far superior teams.  I have decided to take all of the bias out of the equation, and introduce to you the blind resume.  I have taken 18 teams that the experts have right on the bubble.  Probably about 6 or 7 of these 18 teams will end up making the tournament, and these are the teams that the selection committee will be deciding over.  The point of a blind resume is that it is purely unbiased.  I have made tables that have three teams and their criteria listed.  The goal of this game is for you to look over the three resumes and then determine who you feel like most deserves a berth in the tournament.  After you are done picking out a team, click on the link below that table.  It will open a window that will show you the three teams that were in the table. You might be very surprised at some of the teams that you pick! (all stats and information as of 3/8/13) (for a brief recap of what RPI and BPI are,  I have them described in a previous post HERE)

Blind Resume Table #1:

Criteria	Team A	Team B	Team C
Overall Record	20-10	20-10	20-9
Conference Record	9-8	11-6	8-7
RPI	94	54	43
BPI	65	46	47
Strength of Schedule	133	82	79
Non-Conference SOS	286	74	218
Home	15-4	15-2	13-1
Away	4-5	4-7	5-8
Neutral	1-1	1-1	2-0
Record vs. RPI Top 25	2-1	0-3	2-5
Record vs. RPI Top 50	4-4	1-4	3-6
Record vs. RPI Top 100	6-8	6-9	7-7
Last 10 games	4-6	6-4	6-4
Good Wins	Colorado, UCLA,  California, @ Colorado	Missouri, @ Ole Miss	@ Creighton, UNLV, Colorado State
Bad Losses	Depaul, @ Utah	@ Georgia	@ Utah, @ Nevada

Click HERE to find out which teams are in Blind Resume Table #1.

Blind Resume Table #2:

Criteria	Team A	Team B	Team C
Overall Record	20-10	21-7	22-8
Conference Record	10-7	11-4	11-4
RPI	70	39	42
BPI	43	45	64
Strength of Schedule	134	98	88
Non-Conference SOS	302	121	87
Home	17-1	11-2	11-1
Away	3-8	8-5	9-6
Neutral	0-1	2-0	2-1
Record vs. RPI Top 25	2-2	1-1	0-3
Record vs. RPI Top 50	4-2	2-2	0-4
Record vs. RPI Top 100	7-3	5-6	3-7
Last 10 games	5-5	8-2	6-4
Good Wins	@ Wisconsin, NC State, UNC, Duke	Villanova, Butler, @ VCU	Denver
Bad Losses	Delaware, @ George Mason, vs. Old Dominion, @ Wake Forest, @Clemson	Central Connecticut State	@ Marshall

Click HERE to find out which teams are in Blind Resume Table #2.

Blind Resume Table #3:

Criteria	Team A	Team B	Team C
Overall Record	22-8	22-8	20-10
Conference Record	10-5	11-6	8-9
RPI	40	57	86
BPI	57	44	54
Strength of Schedule	72	162	123
Non-Conference SOS	68	294	298
Home	13-3	16-1	16-3
Away	8-4	5-6	3-6
Neutral	1-1	1-1	1-1
Record vs. RPI Top 25	1-3	0-2	1-4
Record vs. RPI Top 50	3-3	1-3	2-4
Record vs. RPI Top 100	9-5	6-6	3-8
Last 10 games	8-2	5-5	5-5
Good Wins	vs. Syracuse, La Salle, Saint Louis, @ Villanova	Missouri, Tennessee 2x	NC State, Duke
Bad Losses	Duquesne	@ South Carolina, @ Mississippi State	@ Boston College, @ Georgia Tech

Click HERE to find out which teams are in Blind Resume Table #3.

Blind Resume Table #4:

Criteria	Team A	Team B	Team C
Overall Record	19-12	17-13	18-11
Conference Record	10-8	9-9	10-7
RPI	52	77	56
BPI	59	90	63
Strength of Schedule	17	57	49
Non-Conference SOS	144	29	49
Home	12-4	11-3	12-3
Away	6-7	4-9	4-7
Neutral	1-1	2-1	2-1
Record vs. RPI Top 25	4-1	1-1	1-2
Record vs. RPI Top 50	5-7	3-5	2-3
Record vs. RPI Top 100	7-10	7-6	8-9
Last 10 games	6-4	4-6	7-3
Good Wins	Louisville, Syracuse, @ Connecticut, Marquette, Georgetown	vs. Miami (FL), @ Wichita State, Creighton	Wichita State, Florida, Massachusetts, Kentucky
Bad Losses	Columbia	@ Morehead State, @ Southern Illinois, @ Missouri State, Drake 2x, @ Bradley	Georgia 2x

Click HERE to find out which teams are in Blind Resume Table #4.

Blind Resume Table #5:

Criteria	Team A	Team B	Team C
Overall Record	20-10	18-10	20-10
Conference Record	10-7	8-7	12-6
RPI	50	55	49
BPI	39	95	53
Strength of Schedule	54	62	37
Non-Conference SOS	148	80	70
Home	16-1	10-4	11-5
Away	3-8	7-4	6-5
Neutral	1-1	1-2	3-0
Record vs. RPI Top 25	1-4	0-2	2-2
Record vs. RPI Top 50	3-7	1-6	5-5
Record vs. RPI Top 100	6-8	7-8	8-9
Last 10 games	6-4	5-5	8-2
Good Wins	Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State	@ La Salle, Ohio	Oregon 2x, @ Arizona, UCLA, Colorado, @Denver
Bad Losses	@ Texas Tech	George Washington	Harvard

Click HERE to find out which teams are in Blind Resume Table #5.

Blind Resume Table #6:

Criteria	Team A	Team B	Team C
Overall Record	18-11	26-5	17-13
Conference Record	11-6	14-2	8-9
RPI	62	34	69
BPI	67	32	49
Strength of Schedule	85	124	30
Non-Conference SOS	78	138	43
Home	12-3	16-1	11-5
Away	4-8	9-2	4-7
Neutral	2-0	1-2	2-1
Record vs. RPI Top 25	0-1	0-2	0-5
Record vs. RPI Top 50	0-4	1-2	1-5
Record vs. RPI Top 100	7-7	5-3	4-10
Last 10 games	6-4	9-1	3-7
Good Wins	vs. Villanova, Kentucky	Creighton, BYU 2x	Oklahoma State, @ Kentucky, BYU
Bad Losses	Tulane, @ Auburn, Mercer	vs. Pacific, vs. Georgia Tech	Northwestern, Charleston

Click HERE to find out which teams are in Blind Resume Table #6.

I hope that this blind resume game was fun, and that it helped you discover some teams that you might have previously written off.  Remember, there is still some great basketball left to be played! This weekend has some great games, including Syracuse @ Georgetown, Duke @ UNC, and Indiana @ Michigan.  After this weekend, there is a whole glorious week of conference tournaments, and then the moment of truth for all of these schools listed above: Selection Sunday.  It's March.  This basketball is Madness.  Wait... It's MARCH MADNESS BABY! Clearly, I'm just a little excited about this.  'Til next time.

Can You Feel the Madness?

It's in the air. It's that time again. It's March Madness!

This is my favorite time of year. I also say that phrase about five other times when different sports go down to the wire.  But this has to be the best. In less than a month, 1 team out of 68 will be crowned NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Champions.  But just as those teams are about to embark in a month of mayhem to see who comes out on top, you are also most likely eyeing a struggle of your own: the bracket. Whether it's with your co-workers, friends, schoolmates, or family, you have to win! However, that's a lot easier said than done. The key to picking a winning bracket, is not only picking the winner, but making sure one of your final four teams doesn't get upset.  Here is where I come in.  This is a list of 10 potential sleeper teams, or teams that could pull off an upset or two, and maybe even become the next Butler:

Wichita State (27-5):
Not a true sleeper team, getting a 5 seed, but the Shockers are a team that I believe can go far in the tournament. They have a very winnable matchup against 12 seed VCU, and would play the winner of Indiana, and New Mexico State. They finished ranked number 16 in the AP Poll, and boast a 16-2 record in the very difficult Missouri Valley Conference.  The Shockers are a veteran team with great senior leadership, led by Joe Ragland's 48% from behind the arc.  This balanced attack can adapt to any style of play: they can slow it down, run-and-gun, or pound it into the paint.  They have good wins against Creighton, UNLV, and a 17 point thrashing of Davidson. This is a scary team to play.

Colorado (23-11):
Colorado was not supposed to get into the tournament after an up and down year in the Pac 12. But they went on an absolute tear in the Pac 12 tournament, beating Arizona for the title, and earning an automatic bid. This team is a sleeper simple because they are hot.  After winning a tight contest against Oregon, they beat favorite Cal by 11, playing their way to an 11 seed.  They play a streaky UNLV team in the first round.  If Colorado can contain the potent play of UNLV forward Mike Moser, and continue their hot shooting, it might be their time to pull an upset or two.

South Dakota State (27-7):
The Jackrabbits, a 14 seed, champions out of the Summit League, are the perfect team to pull an upset. They have an incredible guard in Nate Wolters, who averages 21.3 points, and 6.0 assists per game. Though he only shoots 24% from three point, the rest of the team nails 43% from deep.  The Jackrabbits do lack in size in the post, but they have a tantalizing matchup with Baylor. Baylor is a very good and athletic team, but they have been plagued by inconsistency, especially in big games.  South Dakota State, with their solid guard play, could be the perfect team to take advantage of this. They only allow 57.3 points a game, and they must slow it down like that if they are to beat Baylor.

Long Beach State (25-8):
I absolutely love this team. They have the perfect combination of good shooting guards, and big men that can run the floor.  As a 12 seed, they played one of the toughest schedules in the nation, having a "go anywhere, play anybody" mentality. This has paid off, as they went 15-1 in Big West play.  They are battle tested, and will not be intimidated by big games, or tough opponents. They beat Pittsburgh and Xavier, and played Kansas, UNC, and Louisville tough. They play New Mexico, a 5 seed, in the first round. New Mexico is a ferocious squad, who attacks the boards very well. Can Long Beach State prevail, behind the dynamic guard play of Casper Ware and Larry Anderson.

Davidson (25-7):
To say that the Wildcats can shoot the three is an understatement. They are one of the better three point shooting teams in the country, and are also a very clutch free throw shooting team as well.  They beat Kansas by 6 on the road, which was the highlight win of their season. But it took them 2 overtimes to beat Western Carolina in the Southern Conference Championship. Another good strength of Davidson is their ability to rebound, averaging 38.9 per game, which is good for 19th in the country. But all of that is about to be tested, when they take on 4 seed Louisville, fresh of a victory in the Big East tournament.  But as we well know, a team that can shoot the three is always capable of an upset!

Colorado State (20-11): 
The Rams have squeaked their way into the tournament, receiving an 11 seed, out of an unusually good Mountain West Conference. They had an 8-6 conference record, with good wins against UNLV, San Diego State, and New Mexico. They don't have much of a post presence, but can knock down the three. Led by Wes Eikmeier, they are one of the better three point shooting teams in the country, and one that you can never count out of a game.  However, they are taking on one of the best three point shooting teams in the country, Murray State, who finished the season 30-1. Can Colorado State stick with the Racers long enough to pull off an upset? We will see!

Southern Mississippi (25-8): 

The Golden Eagles, a 9 seed out of Conference-USA, have plenty of late game experience. They have had 5 overtime games, with two going into double overtime. One of these double overtime games was a loss to Murray State. They play Kansas State for their first game, and are liable to take down anyone with their outstanding depth. They have six players that score between 9.5 and 12.2 points per game. But will this balanced attack be enough to knock off the Wildcats? 

Montana (25-6):

The Grizzlies, or "The Griz" as they are known, have played their way to a 13 seed, strutting a 15-1 conference record in the Big Sky. They have won their last 14 games, and are a solid all-around team. They -have size in 7-footer Derek Selvig, but have yet to face a test. They are getting one in their first game, however. The Wisconsin Badgers, out of a very good Big Ten Conference, will take on the Griz. Wisconsin, however, has been prone to upsets in the last few years. They play a very slow pace. Can the Griz, an unknown, pull off the upset? 

Creighton (28-5): 
They Bluejays have had a great year, and come into the tournament red hot as an 8 seed.  Creighton has won their last 7 games to cap off a 14-4 season within the Missouri Valley Conference, led by the dynamic play of coach's son, Doug McDermott. They are the nation's most accurate shooting team at 50.9%. They have good leadership and experience, with wins against Wichita State, San Diego State, and Long Beach State. They get 9 seed Alabama in the first round, with the winner taking on (probably) UNC. Creighton has the ability to play with a team like that, but they have to keep McDermott out of foul trouble and play solid ball down to the wire.

NC State (22-12):
The Wolfpack are pumped and ready to go, getting an 11 seed after a 9-7 campaign in the ACC. Led by C.J. Leslie, the Pack look to knock off San Diego State.  They made a good run in the ACC tournament, beating Boston College and Virginia before losing a heartbreaker to UNC. Leslie fouled out with 8 minuets to play, and the Wolfpack were unable to hold on against UNC's late game surge. Richard Howell is a great compliment to Leslie, and Scott Wood adds a deadly three point shot.  NC State is definitely a team that could go deep into the tournament if they get hot at the right time.

Well there you have it. 10 sleepers that may just surprise a few folks this year.  If you have any last minute questions, please use the comment section below. I will get back to you as soon as possible. Normally I would ramble on and on here about how Spring Training has started (see I just did it), and other sports, but all I can focus on is college basketball.  'Til next time.