NCAA Tournament 2016: Top Sleeper Teams Heading into March Madness

It is always a difficult task to find the teams that are going to get past the round of 32 and make statements in the NCAA tournament.

When a high-level team such as Arizona, North Carolina, Duke, Kansas or Kentucky is in the midst of a memorable season, it's fairly easy to predict that such a program will get to the Sweet 16 or beyond.

However, when trying to predict sleeper teams, it is a major challenge and perhaps a fool's errand. It may be easy enough to pick out a team that has shown signs of excellence at various points in the year, but it is difficult to say that such a team will sustain that excellence through the important games of the NCAA tournament.

This piece will take a look at three sleeper teams that appear to have what it takes to compete in the Big Dance and sustain their play well enough to win at least two games and get to the Sweet 16.

Obviously, the draw that each of these teams gets will be a key factor, and so will injuries. But Providence, Wichita State and St. Joseph's have shown enough talent, athleticism and character to each make a run in the tournament.

Providence

The Providence Friars (22-9, 10-8 in the Big East) have the kind of team that can execute down the stretch and win games in the NCAA tournament.

The combination of head coach Ed Cooley and game-breaking point guard Kris Dunn gives the Friars a smart, cool duo that is capable of identifying opponents' weaknesses and exploiting them when it matters most. 

Dunn is averaging 16.3 points per game, but it is his passing, ball-handling and suffocating defense that make him such a great player at the college level and why he is likely to be a high first-round draft pick this summer and productive in the NBA. Dunn is also averaging 6.4 assists per night, and he received Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors:

Dunn is not a one-man team, as he gets plenty of help from the Friars' leading scorer, Ben Bentil. The 6'9" sophomore forward is averaging 21.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. 

It is going to be tough to stop the Dunn-Bentil combo, especially with the strategic and motivational edge they get from Cooley.

Wichita State

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press/Associated Press

Wichita State of the Missouri Valley Conference knows what it's like to put together a strong run in the NCAA tournament. 

The Shockers were a powerful force in last year's tournament, getting to the Sweet 16, where Notre Dame stopped their run.

Once again, Wichita State (24-8, 16-2 in the MVC) has another strong team. However, it fell short in the conference tournament, so it is also a bubble team as well as a sleeper.

The Shockers should hear their name called by the selection committee on Selection Sunday, and head coach Gregg Marshall's team is clearly battle-tested and hungry.

Wichita State is led by guards Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet. Baker leads the team in scoring this season with an average of 14.2 points per game while collecting 4.8 rebounds per night.

VanVleet, a two-time winner of the MVC Player of the Year award, is second on the team in scoring with an average of 12.0 points per night while averaging better than five assists per game. ShockerHoops.net celebrated VanVleet's second conference POY selection:

VanVleet is never afraid to shoot, and he is one of those rare players whose shooting percentage from beyond the arc is better than his overall shooting (41.2 percent vs. 39.2 percent).

St. Joseph's

Chris Szagola/Associated Press/Associated Press/Associated Press

St. Joseph's (24-7, 13-5 in the Atlantic 10) may have its best team since point guard Jameer Nelson led it in 2003-04. The Hawks are now led by junior forward DeAndre' Bembry, who won Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors, and senior forward Isaiah Miles, who was named the league's Most Improved Player.

Bembry is an outstanding all-around player who is averaging 17.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. The quality playmaker leads St. Joseph's with an average of 4.5 assists per game.

Consistency is the key to his success, as he reached double figures in all 31 games played so far, and he also registered eight double-doubles.

Miles leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 18.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, and the senior has also had a fantastic season shooting the ball, connecting on 52.8 percent of his shots.

Look for this team, along with Providence and Wichita State, to cause problems in the upcoming NCAA tournament.