Who Are the Sleepers in the NCAA Tournament?

The Shockers are not shocking the basketball world anymore. This is a bonafide basketball program that Gregg Marshall has built in Wichita, KS, and he is developing some serious talent in the Midwest. Guard Fred VanVleet is the school leader in career assists, and also is second on the team in scoring average. Bama fans saw plenty of VanVleet on December 16, as he put up nine points, seven rebounds, and five assists in the Shockers one point victory over the Tide. 6'3" guard Ron Baker led the Shockers in that game with 14 points, and also leads the team in scoring average with 15.6/game. They don't have a lot of size (with only two players at 6'10" or taller), but make up for it with extremely high basketball IQ and great coaching. The Shockers, while #11 now, are probably not the eleventh best team in the country, so watch for Wichita to make their second Final Four appearance in three years.

The Razorbacks were easily the 2nd best team in the SEC this season, obviously trailing only the Kentucky Wildcats. They finished as runner-ups to the Wildcats in the regular season and also in the SEC Tournament. Head coach Mike Anderson has one of the most explosive teams in college basketball, and with reigning SEC Player of the Year in Bobby Portis dominating the paint and the high flying acrobatics of Michael Qualls, Arkansas is a team that could sneak into the Elite 8, should they get past the winner of North Carolina and Harvard.

Sometimes it's difficult for an 8 seed to make a run in the NCAA Tournament, because after defeating the 9 seed in the first round, the 8 seed has always played the 1 seed in that bracket, and for the most part, 8 seeds haven't been particularly successful, as the 1 seeds have won 76% of those match-ups in the past. However, this NC State team is a different kind of 8 seed. Led by All-Everything guard Trevor Lacey and shooter Ralston Turner, Mark Gottfried and his Wolfpack squad are loaded up to make a run this March. They must take down a physical and long LSU Tiger team in the first round, and then will face off against the Big East champions and 1 seeded Villanova Wildcats, but NC State has the talent and coaching to make an Elite 8 run, and possibly could make it all the way to the Final Four.

In order to win the NCAA Tournament, a team must have solid point guard play, they must share the basketball, have a rebounding presence, and a great coach. It's rare to say this, but the sixth seeded SMU Mustangs have all four of these attributes. The Mustangs rank 61st in total rebounds with 36.7/game, 21st in assists with 15.5, possess one of the top point guards in the country in Nic Moore, and of course are led by legendary coach Larry Brown. They face off against the UCLA Bruins (who many thought didn't deserve to make the Big Dance), and assuming they win that game, the Mustangs will do battle with the winner of Iowa State and UAB (probably Iowa State). If you are looking for a 6 seed to make a run, I highly suggest you pick SMU.

This doesn't feel right, calling Michigan State a "sleeper." It's times like this that I'm glad I don't work in East Lansing out of fear of what Tom Izzo would do hearing me call his team a "sleeper." But as a 7 seed, that's what they technically are. The Spartans aren't as talented as they have been over the past several years, but great coaching can get you far in March. Not to mention this team seems to be catching fire late in the season, and when filling out your brackets, it's always smart to pick the hot team. Led by the great shooting ability of Travis Trice and Denzel Valentine on the perimeter, the Spartans will be a tough out for any team. They have the Georgia Bulldogs in the first round, then would play the winner of Virginia and Belmont, so facing off against the Cavaliers would be a tough task, but if Virginia seems to have cooled off recently, along with suffering from the injury bug to star Justin Anderson, it's completely plausible and likely for the Spartans to see the Sweet 16 yet again, even in a "down" year.