NCAA Tournament 2014 Bracket: Predictions for Bracket-Busting Sleeper Teams
With Selection Sunday behind us, we have officially started the greatest sports event in the world: March Madness. The 2014 NCAA tournament field is set, which means that millions of people around the globe are scrambling to learn about the teams as they fill out their brackets. Invariably, we will all end up pulling our hair out in frustration as some team weโve never heard of upsets our predicted winner early in the tournament. It always happens, so you may as well accept it.
In fact, itโs so certain to happen that you may as well spend some time learning about those sleeper teams that are desperate for their turn to try on Cinderellaโs glass slipper. Itโs highly unlikely that any of these teams will make it to the Final Fourโlet alone cut down the nets at the end of it allโbut they can all make deeper runs than anybody expected and wreck your bracket in the process.
There are various reasons that these teams will exceed expectations. For some, itโs because of the coaches who know how to get the job done in pressure situations and make sure that their teams donโt beat themselves.
For some, itโs because they have a star who can carry the team through multiple rounds of the tournament. Whatever the reason, these teams have the mettle and talent to make you crumple up your bracket and scream in frustration.
Providence
Maybe you donโt think Providence is a true โsleeperโ since it just won the Big East championship by beating Creighton in the tournament final. Perhaps you just think that was a fluke win.
Either way, the Friars are a team with the potential to surprise their opponents. They havenโt been able to consistently play their highest level of defense, but when theyโre locked in itโs incredibly difficult to score on themโas we saw in the Big East final when they held Creighton, one of the best offenses in the country, to just 17 points in the first half.
But the biggest reason why teams should fear Providence is because of guard Bryce Cotton. The senior is hardly physically imposing, standing at 6โ1โ and 165 pounds, but when he gets hot he is an unstoppable scoring machine with the ability to stroke it from downtown or beat his man off the dribble and get to the rack.
Creighton coach Greg McDermott was certainly afraid of Cotton before the championship game, as he told the Associated Press (h/t to ESPN.com):
"I was scared to death of the fact that he didn't shoot it good the first two games because, in my mind, I'm saying, `There's no way Bryce Cotton's having three bad games shooting the basketball in a row,' and that proved to be the case.
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Cottonโs play was the most instrumental factor in the Friarsโ conference championship, and he was rewarded with the Most Outstanding Player award.
With a physical defense that can defend the three-point line well and a prime-time performer, Providence has the chance to upset North Carolina in the first round and keep rolling through the tournament.
Arizona State
The Arizona State Sun Devils are certainly a boom-or-bust sleeper team because of their inconsistency. Some teams are so solid in their play that they arenโt going to dominate teams, and theyโre never going to be blown out.
Thatโs not Arizona State.
Theyโve had disappointing double-digit losses to tournament-caliber teams like Creighton, UCLA and Arizona.
Then again, theyโve also beaten Colorado, Oregon, Stanford and Arizona.
With a solid defense that ranks 27th in the country according to Ken Pomeroyโs advanced ratings, the Sun Devils have the athletes to lock down the opposition, and they have a bona fide star in Jahii Carson.
The sophomore point guard is an electrifying, do-it-all player who averaged 18.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game this year.
A legitimate NBA prospect, Carson will use the tournament as a showcase for his all-around gameโespecially after a disappointing showing against Stanfordโand that means trouble for his competition.
North Dakota State
North Dakota State doesnโt play very good defense, but it is extremely efficient on offense. That is actually underselling it.
The Bison are one of the most efficient offensive teams in the country, and that will pose problems for the Oklahoma Sooners in the second round and for their opponents beyond that:
| Field-Goal Percentage | 50.90% | 1 |
| Points per Shot | 1.43 | 8 |
| Adjusted Field-Goal Percentage | 56% | 9 |
Matt Norlander of CBS Sportsย is very impressed with how the Bison play ball and had this to say about the men from North Dakota State:
"NDSU can score, it can pass, and it makes winning look tough yet easy. A well-built veteran team that's highly unlikely to lose by double digits in the NCAAs. Want to pick 'em to win? You could do a lot worse. Keep an eye out. Saul Phillips' team has been flying under the radar all season for a group that so clearly was the best this conference had to offer.
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The second-round matchup against Oklahoma is a fairly good one considering that it should be a high-scoring affair. The Bison can score with anybody, so they are sure to surprise folks and ruin some brackets in the process.
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