March Madness 2012: Sleepers Every Elite Team Will Want to Avoid

Every NCAA Tournament you can pinpoint a couple underrated teams the favorites will want to avoid having in their region. These sleeper squads aren't always a threat to run the table and cut down the nets, but they are a tough out that national title hopefuls don't want to see.

Here are three teams that will fall into the dark horse category in 2012.

Florida Gators

Casual college basketball fans are used to seeing Florida as one of the top seeds, but it's not the case this season. Even though the Gators will be ranked a little lower in the bracket, they still have enough talent to make some noise.

What makes Florida so dangerous is the team's ability to play an up-tempo style and knock down three-point shots. The guard trio of Kenny Boynton, Bradley Beal and Erving Walker is averaging nearly seven long-range daggers on their own.

No matter how talented the opponent is, the Gators can beat them if they are having a strong shooting night. While it's tough to survive a six-game journey as a pure jump-shooting team, a top seed could very well end up feeling Florida's wrath.

Murray State Racers

You might not know about Murray State quite yet, but the Racers will be making their presence felt soon enough. They won the Ohio Valley Conference tourney and enter the Big Dance with a 30-1 overall record. Their only loss came to Tennessee State, which they beat two other times, by four.

This isn't just a case of a team taking advantage of a weak schedule, though. Murray State has a road victory over Memphis on its résumé, so anybody who dismisses them as a complete fluke will do so at their own peril.

The Racers have a superstar in Isaiah Canaan and two strong supporting cast members in Donte Poole and Ivan Aska. And, unlike many Mid-Major contenders, they aren't overly reliant on the outside shot. Top seeds will feel much better off letting other teams attempt to eliminate them.

VCU Rams

Last year's Cinderella team is back for another chance at glory. The Rams are enjoying another successful season having recently claimed the CAA's automatic bid into the Big Dance. Now they eagerly await Selection Sunday.

Regardless of their first-round opponent, the Rams will enter March Madness with confidence they can hang with the big boys. That's scary for top seeds, which usually can walk onto the court knowing their Mid-Major opponents aren't as battle-tested.

Bradford Burgess is VCU's main offensive option at 13 points per game, but the team's depth is what opponents should be concerned about. They might not be able to replicate their shocking run, but no elite team wants to risk testing that theory.