15 Teams That Were Overlooked and Underrated

In sports, things don't always seem to go as planned.

Just when it's near-certain that one team will annihilate their opponent, players on that squad rally together and somehow find a way to win.

I'm not just talking about a shocking upset—because those are merely unexpected circumstances that no one saw coming—but games that, in hindsight, are probably more evenly matched than people want to admit.

We've all heard of bulletin-board material, and these teams seemed to use outside doubt to propel them to victory after being overlooked.

2010-11 Dallas Mavericks

Although the 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks actually won just one less regular-season game (57) than their NBA Finals competition, there weren't many people who believed that they could knock off the Miami Heat.

After all, Miami was made up of All-Stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, pinning three superstars together who many believed were about to embark on a dynasty for years to come.

But the Mavs, weren't going to let it happen.

Led by great team defense, depth and, oh yeah, some future Hall of Famer named Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas shut down James in clutch situations to earn its first NBA title in franchise history, winning in six games.

1990-91 Duke Blue Devils Men's Basketball

Young college hoops fans these days might not remember the UNLV Runnin' Rebels of the late-'80s and early-'90s, but to put it in perspective, they were like the current roster of the University of Kentucky men's team—stacked.

After reaching the Final Four three times in a five-year span, UNLV had built quite the program under the guidance of former head coach Jerry Tarkanian, who used top recruits and an explosive offense to pulverize opponents.

Following an NCAA title during the '89-'90 season, UNLV entered the national championship game against the Duke Blue Devils undefeated and favorited to repeat.

But the Dukies, were ready to shock the world.

Seemingly putting together the perfect game plan, Duke's coach Mike Krzyzewski and his players executed things as well as they could have, ignoring outside noise to win the game 79-77 and capturing the school's first national championship.

Thanks to players like Grant Hill, Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley, the Blue Devils actually turned the tables on college basketball, as they repeat the following year, too.

2012-13 Louisville Cardinals Women's Basketball

Fair or not, there are plenty of us who don't necessarily pay as much attention to the women's NCAA tournament as we do the men's side.

The 2012-13 Louisville Cardinals, though, proved that March Madness is alive and well for both genders.

Entering the tournament as a No. 5 seed, the Cards made an unprecedented run to the national title game, beating powerhouse programs like Baylor and Tennessee, among others, to face the Connecticut Huskies as one of the last two teams standing.

Unfortunately, the magical run didn't end with a championship—as the Louisville men's run did—but the women did prove that there's just as much parity in their tournament too, playing the role of Cinderella quite nicely.

2008 Utah Utes Football

Yes, the 2008 Utah Utes entered the Sugar Bowl against the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide with a perfect, undefeated record, but that didn't prevent them from being 10-point underdogs prior to kickoff.

Failing to get the respect they deserved, the Utes were focused on proving that they too were among the best college programs in the nation, representing their mid-major conference on the national stage.

And in all honesty, there were people who were flat-out scared that this one would get out of hand, and fast.

It did—but not in the way people thought.

Jumping out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead, Utah seemed unfazed by the Tide, moving the ball at ease and showing that they were, indeed, one of the best teams in the nation.

Ultimately winning 31-17, Utah might have been overlooked before the game, but they got everyone's attention once it was over, sending Bama back home with a loss that head coach Nick Saban would rather forget.

2010-11 VCU Rams Men's Basketball

Forced to play in the first round of the NCAA tournament—otherwise known as the play-in game—it was clear that the selection committee wasn't too fond of the VCU Rams in 2011.

Pitting them against the USC Trojans in that first game, the Rams played with a chip on their shoulder from that first tipoff all the way to the Final Four, as they made an improbable run as a No. 11 seed to reach the national semifinals.

Even with each upset, the Rams continued to lack support, as they entered games against the Georgetown Hoyas, Purdue Boilermakers and Kansas Jayhawks perceived as just momentary hiccups in each of their opponents' tournament runs.

Each time, though, the Rams came out victorious, until they met their match in yet another small school, the Butler Bulldogs, in their Final Four game, losing 70-62.

Still, throughout the tourney, VCU continued to prove it was real, yet never got the support from outsiders.

2011-12 Los Angeles Kings

There have been some incredible stories in sports over the years of great comebacks and low seeds defeating high seeds in the playoffs, but never before had fans seen the lowest of seeds actually win the entire thing.

Well, until the Los Angeles Kings did it as a No. 8 seed in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, becoming the first eighth seed in North American professional sports to win a championship.

It was surprising enough to see the Kings beat the Vancouver Canucks in the first round, as they finished as the top team in the entire league during the regular season. But the encore presentation was even wilder, as the Kings defeated the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the Western Conference to reach the Stanley Cup Final, where they beat the New Jersey Devils in six games.

They may have been counted out from the beginning, but the Kings showed that, sometimes, dreams can last forever.

2014 Ohio State Buckeyes Football

What is it about the Ohio State Buckeyes that loves to overcome the odds?

Remember, they defeated the Miami Hurricanes—who had won 34 straight games—back in 2003's national title game, and with their win over Alabama last week to reach the first ever College Football Playoff championship game, proved that they love the underdog card.

Entering as eight-point underdogs, the Buckeyes weren't supposed to have the speed, strength or talent of the Crimson Tide and the mighty SEC.

They proved everyone wrong.

Even with their third-string quarterback at the helm, Ohio State showed early that they were just as talented as the SEC's best, moving the ball up and down the field to the tune of over 280 yards in the first half. After scoring 28 straight points, the Buckeyes took a lead that they never surrendered to earn a 42-35 victory.

In what has to be considered his best coaching job, OSU's Urban Meyer led another team to a national title matchup, which is something that no one would have imagined happening just a week ago.

1999 UConn Huskies Men's Basketball

The 1998-99 UConn Huskies men's hoops team might have been a No. 1 seed in the tournament, but upon entering the national title game against the Duke Blue Devils, they weren't expected to win the thing.

Maybe it was the close calls against the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Ohio State Buckeyes during their run, or the fact that the Dukies had four future top-14 picks in that year's NBA draft—Elton Brand (No. 1), Trajan Langdon (No. 11), Corey Maggette (No. 13) and William Avery (No. 14).

Either way, the Huskies and its pint-sized point guard, Khalid El-Amin, went into their matchup with the Blue Devils with a massive chip on their shoulder, playing the "us against the world" mantra.

And it worked, as the Huskies defeated Duke, 77-74, doing as El-Amin said the team would—shock the world.

2007 New York Giants

Entering the Super Bowl against the undefeated New England Patriots—who were presumed to be destined for history by becoming the first 18-0 NFL team on their way to a Super Bowl title—the New York Giants sat as 12-point underdogs.

They didn't play like they were, though.

Blitzing Pats quarterback Tom Brady all game, the Giants were relentless in pursuit, holding the top offense in the NFL to just 14 points, winning Super Bowl XLII, 17-14 to stun New England and football fans everywhere.

Of course, the team needed a little bit of luck—like David Tyree's catch—but no one can take away the rings that the players have on their fingers, even if they weren't expected to receive them.

2003-04 Detroit Pistons

Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone and Gary Payton. Those were four of the five starters on the 2003-04 L.A. Lakers, who, teamed with legendary coach Phil Jackson, were expected to humiliate the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals.

Oh, but how sports has a way of tricking us.

After stealing home-court advantage from the Lakers with a Game 1 victory, the Pistons might not have relived their glory days of the Bad Boys to intimidate L.A., but they did use a great team defensive strategy to limit Shaq and shut down Malone and Payton.

Rather than just put up a good fight, Detroit flipped the script, winning the title in convincing fashion with a five-game series victory—even if they weren't supposed to.

2005-06 George Mason Patriots

While there have been other Cinderella stories in NCAA tournament history, none had been as crazy as the George Mason Patriots' run during the 2006 NCAA tourney.

Entering as a No. 11 seed, George Mason became the darlings of college hoops by overtaking prestigious programs like North Carolina, Michigan State and UConn, finding itself in the Final Four with other schools that were much more well-known—and somewhat expected to be there.

While the Patriots entered each of their games as an underdog, they were able to grind out wins and make a run that will go down as one of the best ever.

2001 Arizona Diamondbacks

Entering the 2001 World Series, the entire country probably believed that the New York Yankees, amid the tragic World Trade Center attacks, were a team of destiny, compiled to win a championship to uplift both the city and the entire nation.

And while that would have been a tremendous story, the Arizona Diamondbacks wanted to leave their mark by leaving the field as champions.

Even with a payroll that was $28 million cheaper than the high-spending Yanks', the D-Backs used stellar pitching from aces Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, as well as a walk-off, series-ending hit by Luis Gonzalez, to win their first title in franchise history.

New York may have had big names and high salaries, but Arizona proved they were every bit as good, defeating the Yanks in seven games.

1968 New York Jets

Known as one of the biggest events in Super Bowl history, Hall of Fame signal-caller Joe Namath etched his name in history when he boldly guaranteed that his New York Jets would defeat the favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.

And while there have been plenty of athletes who have tried to make the same proclamations as Namath since, Broadway Joe's bold words were the original—and nothing beats an original.

Proving that the AFL was every bit as talented as the NFL—remember, this was just a few years following the merger of the two leagues—the Jets helped change the entire landscape of pro football, instantly making Namath a superstar in the process.

2002 New England Patriots

It is one of the most shocking upsets in Super Bowl history, but the New England Patriots beating the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI was also the beginning of a dynasty that's still going.

A 14-point underdog, the Pats entered the game with a quarterback in Tom Brady who had started just 16 career games. Although he had proved to be magical during the season in which he overtook the starting gig for the incumbent Drew Bledsoe, few thought Brady could lead his team to a title.

Considering the Rams were one of the most dynamic offenses in NFL history, boasting talent at skill positions with Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, "The Greatest Show on Turf" was supposed to bring New England back to earth.

But the Pats silenced the doubters, as kicker Adam Vinatieri nailed a 48-yard field goal as time expired to win the Super Bowl and put Brady on the map.

1982-83 North Carolina State Wolfpack Men's Basketball

Led by two future NBA lottery picks—Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler—the 1982-83 Houston Cougars were expected to run away with the national championship.

As one of the four No. 1 seeds and the supposed top team in the nation, when the Cougs matched up with the Cinderella No. 6 seed N.C. State Wolfpack, there was almost no doubt the group known as Phi Slama Jama would end up on the podium hoisting the trophy.

However, the magic of Jim Valvano and some good luck proved to be more than Houston could handle.

While the Wolfpack's chances may have been bleak before tipoff, they ended up winning when Lorenzo Charles dunked home the winning score in the final seconds, sending Valvano and his players into a rowdy celebration on the floor while leaving the entire college hoops nation picking their jaws up off the floor.