March Madness 2013 Bracket: Breaking Down Top Potential Bracket Busters

After having a night to digest the complete bracket for March Madness (printable version here) it's time to start making picks. As always, one thing everybody must be on the lookout for is teams with bracket-buster potential.

These are squads outside the top four seeds capable of making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, busting a massive amount of brackets in the process. In a season where upsets were the name of the game, the 2013 tourney should be no different.

Let's examine three teams that every person filling out a bracket should give a few extra minutes of consideration before picking them to get eliminated. These are the squads that looked dangerous heading into the tournament and also received a reasonable draw.

1. Creighton Bluejays

Creighton drew a seven seed and will play Cincinnati in its first game. The Bearcats are going to be a popular minor-upset pick due to their Big East pedigree, but they have lost five of their last eight games and needed overtime to beat lowly South Florida.

The Bluejays should advance from that matchup and then become a threat to Duke. Led by Doug McDermott, who ranks second in the nation in scoring, Creighton has an extremely efficient offense. The team as a whole shoots 51 percent from the field, top in the nation.

They should be able to give the Blue Devils, who are inconsistent on the defensive end, a game. Should they take over Duke's path, all bets are off and the Bluejays are capable of reaching at least the Elite Eight. That second matchup is the key.

2. Bucknell Bison

The Bison start their journey against Butler, a past tournament Cinderella story. While Bucknell has won seven straight and 12 of its last 13, the Bulldogs have lost three of their past seven and even their wins have been less than convincing.

In other words, it's a very winnable game for the No. 11 seed in the East region. The other thing working in the Bison's favor is having four reliable scorers. Star power is preferable to depth in the tournament, so don't be scared off by their lack of scoring contributors outside the top group.

Mike Muscala, who leads the way at 19 points per game, Cameron Ayers, Bryson Johnson and Joe Willman all average more than 10 PPG and can defend. Those four players are capable of carrying the Bison past Butler and Marquette and deep into the tourney.

3. VCU Rams

Although VCU no longer qualifies as a true sleeper due to its recent tournament success, the Rams are still a potential bracket buster coming from a No. 5 seed. They received a break from the selection committee as their first opponent, Akron, is without suspended point guard Alex Abreu.

As always, the most worrisome thing about the Rams for opponents is their uptempo pace and pressure defense. They force opposing teams to work hard on every possession and in a pressure-packed environment like the Big Dance, that leads to a lot of mistakes.

The combination of Treveon Graham and Juvonte Reddic will cause some serious issues due to their ability to score and rebound. They create a lot of second-chance opportunities, which are vital. The Rams are set up for another impressive tournament showing.

Make your picks for the 2013 NCAA Tournament here with the Bracket Challenge Game.