March Madness 2012: Under the Radar Programs That Will Make Noise in Tournament

Whatever you want to call it—March Madness, the Big Dance or simply the NCAA Tournament—the college basketball tourney to decide a national championship is simply one of the best times in all of sports on a yearly basis.

Perhaps the most exciting part about the whole thing is watching the upsets and seeing low-seeded small schools upset big-name basketball factories.

Here are a few of those no-name programs that have a chance to shock the world and become a Cinderella story in approximately two weeks.

Seton Hall

The Pirates’ inconsistency may be their Achilles' heel, but if they get hot at the right time they can do some work. They are poised to do some damage in March and have already killed off a few giants, including two then-No. 8-ranked teams Georgetown and UConn.

Seton Hall is either going to be an early first-round exit or make it to at least the Sweet Sixteen because it is a boom-or-bust team all the way.

Creighton

The Bluejays are anchored by a father-son duo in coach Greg McDermott and leading-scorer Doug McDermott.

They have led the team to a 25-5 record this season and scoring 79.7 points per game, good for eighth in the nation.

Despite playing in the Missouri Valley Conference, they have beaten some legitimate programs, including San Diego State, Iowa and Nebraska.

Look for them to be in the Finals of Arch Madness, the MVC tourney, as they prepare to make a solid run through March Madness.

St. Mary’s

The Gaels are another 25-5 team from a small conference that isn’t afraid of anyone.

In 2010, they made a name for themselves as one of the top mid-major programs by knocking out No. 7 Richmond and No. 2 Villanova as a 10-seed in the tournament.

Now they are knocking on the door and about to cause some more chaos in the Big Dance.