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NCAA Tournament Sleepers

The brackets are out for the 2012 NCAA Tournament, and this year could be as difficult as ever in predicting who will make the Final Four, as each region has a number of teams who you could make an argument for, and if years past have taught us anything, you never know what to expect. I have taken the time to breakdown the possible sleepers (teams not the top two seeds) in each region, which should help you make your tournament picks this year.

East  Region Sleepers:

I believe the East is the toughest region of them all.  You have Syracuse and Ohio State as the top two seeds, plus Florida State and Vanderbilt, who each won their conference tournament.  Anyone could come out of this region, and which ever team does will have earned it.

No. 3 Florida State – The Seminoles have beaten Duke and North Carolina a combined four times this season.  They knocked off the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels in the semifinals and finals, respectively, of the ACC Tournament.  The ACC champs are clearly capable of beating anyone in the tournament.

No. 5 Vanderbilt – Like FSU, the Commodores got hot late and won their conference tournament.  That’s saying something considering they had to beat No. 1 Kentucky in the SEC title game, which they did by a final score of 71-64.  This team has two studs in John Jenkins (19.9 points) and Jeffery Taylor (16.4) that will be tough to deal with.

No. 6 Cincinnati - The Bearcats made it to the Big East championship game before bowing out to Louisville.  They have three stud guards in Sean Kilpatrick (14.3 points), Dion Dixon (13.1 points), and Cashmere Wright (10.9 points, 4.6 assists).  They also have a massive center in Yancy Gates (12.4 points, 9.2 rebounds).  This team has all the pieces to make a run.

West Region Sleepers:

This one of the weaker regions that appears to be coming down to Michigan State and Missouri, but not if these three teams have something to say about it.

No. 4 Louisville – The Cardinals got hot late and won four games in four days to take down the Big East Tournament title.  They beat three NCAA Tournament teams and another bubble team while holding three of four opponents to under 55 points.  Louisville finally got healthy late in the year, which makes them a dangerous team going forward.

No. 6 Murray State – The Racers never really got the respect they deserved all season.  A 30-1 team, Murray State should have been given a lower seed.  They beat Memphis, Southern Miss, St. Mary’s and Western Kentucky, which are four teams that will be playing in the NCAA Tournament.  This team is the real deal and could make an Elite 8 run.

No. 12 Long Beach State – No team in the field played a tougher non-conference schedule than Long Beach State.  The 49ers played eight NCAA Tournament teams before even getting into the conference season.  They would win 18 of their final 20 games, and this is the highest-seeded team that nobody wants to face.

South Region Sleepers:

I have pegged the South as the second-toughest of the four regions.  That’s because I don’t feel that anybody is going to be able to beat Kentucky or Duke, and it’s almost certain that one of those teams goes to the Final Four.

No. 5 Wichita State - The Shockers have been underrated all year and are the one team that I believe can beat Kentucky or Duke on their best day.  Wichita State ranks 15th in the country in scoring (77.7) and 13th in field goal percentage (48.5).  Not to mention they only give up 62.4 points, outscoring opponents by an average of 15.3/game.

N0. 8 Iowa State – The Cyclones finished 3rd in what was pegged the second-toughest conference in the country.  They have been given the No. 8 seed, but they should be a No. 5 or No. 6.  Head coach Fred Hoiberg has brought in one of the most talented recruiting classes in the country, and these are guys that can play with anyone.  The Cyclones beaten Kansas and Baylor, so they’ve proven it on the floor.  They could shock the world against Kentucky in the Round of 32.

Midwest Region Sleepers:

I believe the Midwest Region is the weakest of them all.  That means that No. 1 seed North Carolina should have no problem getting through.  Aside from Kansas, their competition will be these teams.

No. 3 Georgetown – The Hoyas haven’t had much luck in recent NCAA Tournaments, but this is a very talented team that will be a tough match-up for all comers.  Jason Clark (13.9 points, 4.1 rebounds), Hollis Thompson (12.7 points, 5.6 rebounds), Henry Sims (11.7 points, 6.2 rebounds) and Otto Porter (9.5 points, 6.7 rebounds) are all tough guards.

No. 5 Temple - The Owls have five players who all average 9.1 or more points, so they are very balanced. They also have two absolute scorers in Ramone Moore (17.7 points) and Khalif Wyatt (17.1 points) who can fill it up. The Owls have wins over five NCAA Tournament teams in Wichita State, Duke, Saint Louis, Xavier and St. Bonaventure.

No. 11 NC State – The Wolfpack made it to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament, losing 67-69 to North Carolina, which proved that they can play with the best in the country.  They open with a very winnable game against San Diego State. Despite being the higher seed, they are actually favored in that contest.