SPORT

NCAA Match 2023: Prime Sleeper Teams Heading into Men’s March Madness

NCAA Match 2023: Prime Sleeper Teams Heading into Men’s March Madness

0 of three

    ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO - JANUARY 09: Max Abmas #3 of the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles dribbles in opposition to Jaelen Condominium #10 of the Contemporary Mexico Lobos at some stage within the first half of of their sport at The Pit on January 09, 2023 in Albuquerque, Contemporary Mexico. (Photograph by Sam Wasson/Getty Photos)

    Sam Wasson/Getty Photos

    The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles hang the aptitude to reprise their position because the NCAA males’s basketball tournament’s finest sleeper.

    Max Abmas and Co. evolved to the Sweet 16 two years within the past as a No. 15 seed, and they’d replicate that course all once more in 2023.

    Oral Roberts must always not as low of a seed because it became in 2021, nonetheless it still will also be even handed a sleeper utilize attributable to the minute consideration it bought at some stage in its finest bustle thru the Summit League.

    Oral Roberts is acceptable one of some mid-fundamental programs that could perhaps well clutch spots within the hearts of many college basketball fans at some stage in March Madness.

    The Toledo Rockets and Drake Bulldogs can pose threats in diversified strategies. Toledo can rating with any physique of workers within the country, whereas Drake has one of many hardest defenses from the mid-fundamental ranks.

Oral Roberts (Summit League)

1 of three

    FORT WORTH, TX - DECEMBER 02: Oral Roberts Golden Eagles guard Max Abmas (#3) dribbles up court docket at some stage within the college basketball sport between the TCU Horned Frogs and Oral Roberts Golden Eagles on December 2, 2021 at Ed & Rae Schollmaier Enviornment in Fort Rate, Texas.  (Photograph by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire by Getty Photos)

    Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire by Getty Photos

    Oral Roberts is in a severely better space to trigger havoc within the NCAA tournament bracket in 2023 than it became in 2021.

    The Golden Eagles entered the Huge Dance two years within the past as a No. 15 seed that got hot on the valid time within the Summit League.

    This time around, the Golden Eagles were the high physique of workers in their conference from inaugurate to invent.

    Oral Roberts has 14 more wins than it did at his point in 2021, nevertheless one thing is still the identical and that’s Abmas’ presence.

    Abmas is the sixth-only scorer in Division I at 22.2 aspects per sport. He could perhaps very well be the most effective scorer going into the NCAA tournament reckoning on finally ends up in diversified conference tournaments.

    One in all the nation’s high scorers could perhaps maybe scheme defensive nightmares for any physique of workers it faces, even though Abmas is more of a known quantity than he became in 2021.

    Oral Roberts could perhaps maybe still be the sweet space for upset projections, as Bleacher Document’s Kerry Miller and ESPN’s Joe Lunardi hang it projected as a No. 12 seed.

    The Golden Eagles could perhaps maybe all over all once more be a unhealthy double-digit seed, and if they scheme about a wins, Abmas could perhaps maybe poke down as one of many one mid-fundamental gamers in latest NCAA tournament historic past.

Toledo (Mid-American)

2 of three

    TOLEDO, OH - FEBRUARY 21:  Toledo Rockets guard RayJ Dennis (10) drives to the basket in opposition to Akron Zips guard Tavari Johnson (5) at some stage within the first half of of a Mid-American Conference standard season college basketball sport between the Akron Zips and the Toledo Rockets on February 21, 2023 at Savage Enviornment in Toledo, Ohio.  Photograph by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire by Getty Photos)

    Icon Sportswire

    Handiest the Alabama Crimson Tide average more aspects per sport than Toledo.

    The Rockets out of the MAC average 85.7 aspects per contest and they’ve scored not not as a lot as 84 aspects in their closing six games.

    Toledo would maybe be a double-digit seed that no physique of workers desires to glimpse within the first spherical, as prolonged because it gets out of the MAC tournament.

    Miller and Lunardi every project the Rockets as a No. 13 seed as of Wednesday morning.

    They could perhaps maybe pose a threat to a No. 4 seed because four gamers on the roster average over 11 aspects per sport.

    RayJ Dennis and Co. hang the nation’s 2d-only three-point proportion on the attend of the Colgate Raiders, so even though they are on the attend of moderately, they can fetch correct attend into any contest.

    Toledo desires to snatch three games in Cleveland from Thursday-Saturday to substantiate its space within the sector of 68, and if it does, it could maybe most likely perhaps well also very well be a physique of workers to behold within the first spherical.

Drake (Missouri Valley)

3 of three

    Drake guard Tucker DeVries (12) reacts after scoring a 3-point basket in opposition to Bradley at some stage within the 2d half of of the championship sport within the Missouri Valley Conference NCAA basketball tournament Sunday, March 5, 2023, in St. Louis. (AP Photograph/Joe Puetz)

    AP Photograph/Joe Puetz

    Drake is already locked into the NCAA tournament bracket because the Missouri Valley tournament champion.

    The Bulldogs enter March Madness with a 13-1 fable in their closing 14 games and with one of many upper defenses it’s likely you’ll perhaps keep in mind within the sector of 68.

    Drake ranks thirty third in aspects allowed per sport and opponent field-aim proportion. It earned its closing 5 wins by holding opponents below 65 aspects.

    Tucker DeVries and Co. allowed over 65 aspects on seven times in 23 Missouri Valley games. Two of these concessions occurred in double-overtime victories.

    DeVries is the huge title guard who could perhaps maybe utilize over a sport in opposition to a power-conference aspect. He averages 19 aspects per sport and assign up over 20 aspects in two of three MVC tournament games.

    Drake is projected as a No. 12 seed by Miller and Lunardi, and its aggregate of tough protection and one of many one scorers within the mid-fundamental ranks could perhaps maybe utilize down one or two groups within the Huge Dance.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Back to top button