Upset Special: The Teams That Could Surprise You!

I usually do not watch too much college basketball, but when it comes down to March, i watch it like a hawk. It is addicting.

From teams you never heard of in conference finals, to the Big East Tournament, to March Madness, the month of March is dedicated simply to basketball.

There are a few teams that could surprise you this year. No, I didn't say pick them. No, I didn't say they would win.

I said, "They can surprise you." So lets get started.

North Dakota State Bison (26-6)

The North Dakota State Bison are in their first year of eligibility in Division I basketball.

Truly making this story more compelling is the miracle shot they made to win the Summit Tournament. ND State is a high scoring team averaging just over 80 points a game.

They have won 18 of their last 19 games, and have a danger, lurking guard by the name of Ben Woodside, who may be one of the most under recognized talents in the NCAA today.

X Factors

They will be facing the third seeded Kansas in what is more of a home game for North Dakota State, then it is for Kansas as the game is being played four hours away in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

North Dakota State is a whopping 15-1 at home. North Dakota State was 0-3 in games against tournament teams.

All three of those games were road games. North Dakota State is money behind the arc, shooting 41 percent three-pointers. They are about shooting 70 percent at free throws though.

What they need to do to win

ND State has got to keep the game close. They have shown that they can shoot the game winning shot, and that is a big motivation for them.

If they can keep it close with Kansas, they could pull the upset. They have definitely got the three-point shooting to keep it close.

Mississippi State Bulldogs (23-12)

The Bulldogs enter the tournament on fire. Winning the SEC Tournament. But their season shows another story. They started red hot. Then hit a sour patch, finishing just above .500 in the SEC they had to win the SEC Tournament to make it into the Big Dance.

They did that by beating a now eighth seeded LSU and No. 9 Tennessee to win the SEC Tournament. This story may sound familiar. Georgia had to win the SEC Tournament to make it into the Big Dance last year.

X-Factors

The Bulldogs are a slightly above average scoring team. Their advantage is under the net. They average seven blocks a game.

Mississippi State has won six games in a row, four of them on the road.

What they need to do to win

Washington is a high percentage shooting team, with a low percentage three-point shooting team. They have one of the best rebounding teams in the nation though. The battle of this game will be won under the net.

If Mississippi State can win the game of rebounding, it should keep Mississippi State close in the game.

Utah State Aggies (30-4)

This team could surprise the nation not once, but maybe even twice.

Utah State will be playing as close as a home game as they could possibly get as the No. 11 seed Utah State Aggies face Marquette in the first round. They started the season 24-1 (wow) and their only loss was against BYU.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?