It is finally March which means it is time for the most unpredictable tournament in all of sports. It seems that every year in March Madness, there are many surprising runs by teams. Last year it was St. Peters going to the Elite Eight and the year before it was Oral Roberts making it to the Sweet 16. While it is almost certain that no one will make a perfect bracket, nothing is stopping one from trying. All good brackets have one thing in common, a sleeper team. The team that no one thinks will get that far, yet does. Here are some sleeper teams to watch out for that could last longer than most think
- Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
It was just two years ago when Oral Roberts made the magical run to the Sweet 16. Being a 15 seed, nobody thought they would even make it past the first round. While they are not a 15 seed anymore, the odds are still not in their favor. Being the 12 seed gives them a tough matchup with Duke in the first round, a school famous for dominating in March. While Duke may seem like the obvious pick, be careful, because this game could have the opposite results. Currently, the Golden Eagles are averaging 84.2 points per game, which is the third most in all of college basketball. Led by their star point guard, Max Abams, this team is deadly on the offensive side of the ball. While Abams receives all the attention, Oral Roberts also has Connor Vanover, a 7 foot 5 center who is a defensive monster, averaging 3.3 blocks per game. Oral Roberts is the most underrated team in the whole tournament and they have the potential to go on a deep run.
- Northwestern Wildcats
It’s been a while since we have last seen Northwestern in March Madness Near the end of the season, it was uncertain that Northwestern was even going to make it to the NCAA tournament. However, when they needed wins most, the Wildcats took down number one-ranked Purdue in a thriller, and number 21-ranked Indiana. These wins solidified themselves into March Madness, however, then the downfall started, losing three critical games in a row. While there is a lot of question over Northwesterns consistency, they have a winnable path in the tournament. They are first scheduled to take on 10-seeded Boise State, a team that also has recent struggles. If they can pull it together and win the game, the Wildcats would likely take on the 2 seed UCLA Bruins. While this is a very tough matchup, UCLA lost their starting guard, Jaylen Clark, to an Achilles injury. While Northwestern’s offense is inconsistent, star point guard Boo Buie knows how to hit big shots, and will need to do that a lot for Northwestern to go far in March Madness.
- Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State heated up at the perfect time. Just last week, it looked as though Penn state had little to no chance to be selected for the NCAA tournament. When all hope seemed lost, Penn State went on a run to the Big Ten Championship game, which made them a lock on Selection Sunday. While only the 10 seed, they have a very winnable matchup against Texas A&M. Penn State resembles the perfect team to go on a deep run in the tournament, as they are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the nation. To pull off upsets, big shots need to be made, and that shouldn’t be a problem for the Nittany Lions. They have an All-Big Ten guard in Jalen Pickett who will need to be the main focus on the offensive side of the ball. If Penn State continues to play how they have recently, they could definitely be a threat to go far in the tournament.
Third Down With Devin 