NCAA Tournament: Lower Seeded Teams To Look Out For In The Big Dance

With the NCAA Tournament set to begin, we take a look at some underdog teams who could make a run.

When the NCAA Tournament kicked off on Tuesday, there were 68 teams eligible to be the champion of the college basketball. That number is significantly more than any other sport, making it one of the most difficult things to project in our business.

Having said that, millions of people will be filling out their brackets in the days leading up to the Big Dance, all with dreams of becoming the office hero. Some people will go all chalk, riding No. 1 seeds all the way through the Final Four.

Others will rely heavily on Cinderella teams, with upsets strewn across their bracket. Either way is fine, as there’s no sure-fire way to win. However, every little bit of knowledge helps.

If you find yourself filling out a last-minute bracket, I’ve compiled a short-list of lower seeded teams who could do real damage this March.

Seeding is based on the official FanSided Tournament bracket.

First Game: #11 USC/Providence – Friday, 3:10 P.M ET, TruTV

SMU has flown under the radar this year, playing in the nearly forgotten American Athletic Conference. The Mustangs could make the argument they were horribly under-seeded, earning only a No. 6 seed despite 30 wins and a No. 11 rank by KenPom.

Even though Tim Jankovich is the head coach, this is a team that was built by NBA legend Larry Brown. Prior to the start of the year, Brown abruptly resigned, leaving Jankovich with a stacked team and high hopes.

Jankovich is no slouch himself, having led Illinois State to four 20-win campaigns in a five-year period.

Since Jan. 12, the Mustangs ate 16-0 with nine KenPom top-100 wins. The Mustangs beat fellow NCAA Tournament team Cincinnati two times in that span.

The Mustangs do it differently than most teams, playing their starting unit nearly the entire game. Per KenPom, SMU’s starting five was on the floor 82 percent of the time over their last five games.

In particular, opponents will have a difficult time guarding Semi Ojeleye, a transfer from Duke. He is an extremely talented wing player, who can shoot it from the outside, as well as bang around in the paint.

In 34 minutes per game, Ojeleye is averaging a team-high 18.9 points per game, while shooting 42.8 percent (71-for-166) from beyond the arc.

If Ojeleye and company can continue their stellar play, they have the talent to make a deep run into March.

First Game: #11 Rhode Island – Friday, 4:30 P.M ET, TBS

Ever since their superstar and team leader Maurice Watson Jr. went down for the year, the Bluejays have had to scramble to figure things out. Things only got more complicated when Watson was hit with sexual-assault charges, putting a black eye on an otherwise clean program.

Watson was the driving force for Creighton, leading them to an 18-1 record before the injury came. Since then, Creighton put up a pedestrian 8-8 record, but recently orchestrated a turnaround in the Big East Tournament.

Thanks in large part to freshman standout Justin Patton and sharpshooter Marcus Foster, the ‘Jays made it all the way to the Big East Tournament title game.

Even though they lost the championship game 74-60 to Villanova, it’s clear that the team has rallied around each other in the face of adversity.

The Bluejays offense is still one of the best in the country, ranking 19th in the nation at 82.1 points per game. Also, with wins over Providence and Xavier in the conference tournament, Creighton proved they have the chops to win consecutive games against top-tier competition.

I like Creighton to make a run in the Dance this year, as they try to protect the national perception of their program.

First Game: #9 Vanderbilt – Thursday, 4:30 P.M ET, TBS

My, what a year for the city of Chicago. First the Cubs ended their long World Series drought, now the Wildcats are headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in their program’s history.

Head coach Chris Collins, the son of former NBA All-Star Doug Collins, rebuilt the Northwestern program from the ground up over the last few years, improving their record little by little in each of Collins’ first three seasons.

Finally, after winning 20 games and being snubbed in 2015-16, the ‘Cats wouldn’t be denied this year.

Overall, Northwestern won 23 games in 2016-17, knocking off many top-tier programs along the way. In fact, the Wildcats beat six schools who would eventually join them in the field of 68 NCAA Tournament teams. (Dayton, New Orleans, Maryland, Wake Forest, Wisconsin, and Michigan)

Throughout the year, one player in particular stood out for Northwestern, junior point guard Bryant McIntosh. An Indiana native, McIntosh earned second team All-Big Ten honors, thanks to a healthy stat line and leadership qualities. If the ‘Cats needed a big shot, they turned to McIntosh.

If they needed someone to rally the troops, they turned to McIntosh. When all was said and done, McIntosh finished the year leading Northwestern in most offensive categories, including minutes played (34.1 mpg), scoring (14.4 ppg) and assists (5.2 apg).

Look out for Bryant McIntosh to grab the attention of those who haven’t seen Northwestern play, as he is a player who truly jumps off the screen.

If the Wildcats want to make even more history, they’ll need their defense to continue playing at a high level. In 34 games, the program allowed only 65.1 points per game, good for a No. 34 rank nationally.

Next: After Plane Crash, Michigan Wins Game In Practice Gear

Continue to check back with FanSided and HoopsHabit for more coverage of the NCAA Tournament. You can find your official FanSided NCAA Tournament bracket here.