March Madness predictions: 7 Cinderella teams that could bust your NCAA Tournament bracket
When it comes to the NCAA men's tournament, there's one type of team anyone will be scared to face: Cinderellas.
There always seems to be teams that are heating up at the right time that result in making unexpected runs and busting brackets across the country. Like who saw Princeton making the Sweet 16 and Florida Atlantic in the Final Four last season? And even San Diego State was a surprise finalist.
This year can offer up a similar tournament experience with national championship favorites getting sent home early and a team going from unknown to becoming the darling of March. For this purpose, it could be teams starting at the No. 8 seed line, since it could flip the tournament upside down by knocking out a No. 1 seed in the second round.
Here are teams that can not only pull off a first-round tournament upset, but could surprisingly playing in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.
Florida Atlantic
Could this year's Florida Atlantic team be ... Florida Atlantic? Connecticut is a popular pick to repeat as national champions, so millions of brackets could be busted if the Huskies are eliminated in the second round, and the Owls are capable of making it happen.
Florida Atlantic hasn't been as great as its 35-4 team last season with some questionable losses, but it does still have most of its pieces from last year's Final Four run so that experience could come in handy. If the Owls are able to get past Northwestern, they could be able to solve a stout UConn defense while preventing the Huskies from collecting second-chance points. If Florida Atlantic gets to the second weekend, it has a solid chance of getting back in the Final Four.
BREAKDOWNS: East Region | Midwest Region | South Region | West Region
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Mississippi State
Another No. 1 seed that could be in trouble is North Carolina if it has to face Mississippi State. The Bulldogs had a great showing in the SEC tournament which included a win over Tennessee to solidify their spot in the field, and they have shown they can hang around tough teams.
Mississippi State has an excellent freshman guard in Josh Hubbard who is capable of having big games and could be a problem for the Tar Heels the same way DJ Horne was for North Carolina State in the ACC tournament final. The Bulldogs are also a great defensive team, especially on 3-pointers, and can limit the Tar Heels from generating any momentum. If the Bulldogs can take care of the ball, they can be a hard to team to take out as they get further down the West region.
Drake
There aren't many teams that would want to play whoever emerged from the Missouri Valley Conference, and Drake certainly is dangerous.
The Bulldogs are a highly efficient offensive team and are perfectly fine playing a back-and-forth game. If Drake gets to face a great defensive team in Iowa State in the second round, it could be fine not having a great offensive game when Iowa State isn't all that great on the offensive end. The key to Drake's success will be Tucker DeVries. In the first round loss to Miami (Fla.) last season, he only had three points on 1-for-13 shooting. Expect the two-time conference player of the year to turn it around this season to lead Drake into a tournament run.
New Mexico
New Mexico went from needing to win the Mountain West conference tournament to now being a team capable of making a deep run. The Lobos have an outstanding backcourt in Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. that combine for 30.5 points per game to lead an electric offense.
When New Mexico went on its conference tournament run, the defense really stepped up to give the offense a chance to deliver a dagger in the second half. Even when the defense isn't holding down opponents, New Mexico is capable of outscoring opponents, and if the Lobos get past Clemson, they'd probably be excited to possibly face Baylor and Arizona teams that are lacking on the defensive end.
Oregon
Another Power Six team that only got in the tournament by becoming conference tournament champion, Oregon's hot play makes them a dangerous No. 11 seed to go against this upcoming weekend. The Ducks got excellent play from guard Jackson Shelstad, who makes the backcourt even more explosive with Jermaine Couisnard. Mix that in with big man N'Faly Dante and Oregon has several ways to attack on offense.
Since Dana Altman took over for Oregon in 2010, he has never lost in the first round of the tournament in seven appearances, and only twice his team didn't make it to the Sweet 16. Two of those trips to regional semifinal came as double-digit seeds. Altman is a coach that knows how to scheme against any opponent and it will make Oregon a tough out regardless of who it plays. If the defense plays like how it did in Las Vegas, expect Altman to continue his streak.
James Madison
There's a reason why James Madison enters the tournament tied with Connecticut for the most wins this season at 31. The Dukes are great all around. Their 83 points per game rank 12th in the nation while occupying spots near the top of several opponent shooting categories.
The Dukes will be a popular No. 12 seed upset pick in the first round against Wisconsin. If they get past the Badgers, Duke is the likely opponent in the second round. James Madison sports a defense that allows 28.8% of 3-point attempts, which can make it a frustrating day for any higher seeded team and creates the perfect recipe for wrecking havoc in the South region.
McNeese State
No one knows much how McNeese State will handle playing against better teams, but Will Wade's Cowboys are absolutely capable of providing a shock. In his first season, Wade took a team that won 11 games last season to a 30-3 record and the nation's leader in scoring margin.
Fans will enjoy watch McNeese State play given how well it takes care of the ball and shoots 3-pointers. Not only that, but its also one of the best teams at generating steals, giving the Cowboys chances to run and set up its perimeter game. Up first for the Cowboys in Salt Lake City is Gonzaga and then potentially a matchup with Kansas. Both teams have tournament pedigree but aren't as strong as usual.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness predictions: Who can bust your NCAA Tournament bracket?
