Every year the NCAA Tournament brings some form of madness, each and every year, the amount was staggering in the 2023 tournament.
Five double-digit seeds won in the first round, including upstarts No. 16 Farleigh Dickinson and No. 15 Princeton. The stickers not only won in the first round, but made it all the way to the Sweet 16.
Here are five seeds that could make some noise, and bust those brackets early, when it all starts on Thursday.
No. 11 New Mexico
The Lobos strength is their backcourt, led by Senior Jaelen House, super scorer Jamal Mashburn Jr., and playmaker Donovan Dent.
The Lobos were on fire in the Mountain West Tournament, defeating three at- large teams, to gain the automatic bid to the tournament. Although, they only made 22 three pointers over the four games, they put pressure on the opponents defense, with a aggressive style and drew plenty of fouls.
A potential round of 32 matchup vs Baylor, which is the Big 12’s worst defensive team, could allow the Lobos to make a run all the way to the Sweet 16.
No. 12 Mcneese State
The Southland Conference maybe a bottom five conference, but Mcneese State is not your average low conference team. The Cowboys steam rolled through league play going 17-1 and had 11 double digit wins. Their biggest win this season, was vs Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Mcneese’s goal is to wear teams down, with an up tempo transition style offense, and a physical style defense that allows the most 3- pointers in the entire country. In the tournament they play Gonzaga that ranks a paltry 310th in 3- point percentage, and if they pull an upset will face Kansas, who stands 334th in the country. So a Sweet 16 is on the horizon for the Cowboys.
No 15. Western Kentucky
Generally 15 and 16 ranked seeds are filled with stories, with underdog potential, who have worked their entire careers to to make the spotlight of March Madness. That is not the case in Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers have four power conference players in their lineup. They also have four key players that have already played in the NCAA tournament for different teams. Their first year head coach, Steve Lutz made the Big Dance in back to back years while at Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
It will be a stretch to beat NO. 2 Marquette, but Western Kentucky’s experience wil be a big key. With both teams playing an up-tempo style, and allowing a ton of 3 pointers, this contest could be high scoring .
No 13. Sanford
Sanford’s potential as a bracket buster comes down to two things. Shooting three’s and injuries. The Bulldogs shoot 39% from three point land. Three of their starters, shoot 40% from three point range. Also their opponent Kansas, who is 153rd ranked in 3 pint defense, this game has upset written all over it.
The Jayhawks are led by the high scoring duo of Hunter Dickinson and Kevin Mccullar Jr., when healthy, are one of the best duos in the nation and combine over 36 points per game. The bad news for Kansas, is that both of them are battling injuries, which could slow them down. If Samford can hit some deep shots early, Kansas could have a difficult time keeping up
No. 12 Grand Canyon
A 12 seed has knocked off a 5 seed, in 32 of the last 38 NCAA Tournaments, so its never a bad idea to include at least one of the latter in your bracket. The Antelopes have a fair amount of experience with both appearances in the 2021 and 2023 tournament.
No. 5 Saint Mary’s is a battle-tested team, but its style of play might play right into Grand Canyon’s hands, as they play a very slow tempo type of game. This game could be very low scoring, which could keep Canyon, in the game to the very end with a chance of an upset.
Enjoy the tournament, and when these 5 teams wreck your bracket, don’t say I didn’t tell you so. Good luck!
-Yusuf
Photo Credit; CBS Sports, Arizona Sports
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