NCAA Basketball Tournament 2016: Predictions for Bracket-Busting Sleeper Teams

The NCAA tournament bracket was revealed on Sunday night, and 68 teams can now officially begin to concoct visions of grandeur and net-cutting in their heads. The allure of the tournament is that it gives the underdogs an opportunity to take on the titans of the game.

When it comes to filling out your bracket, one can't simply go by chalk. Upsets are inevitable. That's why you have a one in 9.2 quintillion chance of filling out a perfect bracket. It's just not that easy. 

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You have to account for the schools that surprise us all, the Cinderella stories that blindside every fan and analyst into ruing the moment they chose against them. 

I'm not a fortune teller, but here are two teams that could come out of nowhere, bust your bracket and make some noise in the tournament. 

VCU Rams

Conference: Atlantic 10

Region: West

Seed: 10

Round 1 Opponent: No. 7 Oregon State

Projected Round 2 Opponent: No. 2 Oklahoma

VCU isn't going to have an easy path to the Sweet 16. Oregon State could very well knock them out in the first round, but the Rams have a more dangerous offense and a far more stifling defense. 

And it's that defense that could very well bust some of your brackets if you're banking on Oklahoma to make the Elite 8 or Final Four. 

VCU ranks ninth in the nation with 8.8 steals per game, and with its press defense, it's imperative that they are active in the tournament. If the Rams are able to force turnovers, they'll be able to control the pace, get out and run on their opposition. 

They did it during the Atlantic 10 semifinals against Davidson on Saturday, via Atlantic 10 MBB:

It's a risky pick to make, especially if the defense is off. It happened in VCU's conference championship game against St. Joseph's in which they gave up 87 points to the Hawks. 

If the defense is on though, VCU will not only get past Oregon State, but it will give Oklahoma and its star guard Buddy Hield a hard time. 

West Virginia proved that a press defense can shut down the Sooners and Hield in the Big 12 semifinals. On Friday night, Oklahoma turned the ball over 21 times, and Hield was held to just six points in 37 minutes on 1-of-8 shooting from the field in a 69-67 loss. 

So keep an eye on the Rams, who play a similar style of defense. On the big stage with millions watching, expect VCU's defense to be aggressive and active for the extent of its stay in the NCAA tournament.

UNC-Wilmington Seahawks

Conference: CAA

Region: West

Seed: 13

Round 1 Opponent: No. 4 Duke

Projected Round 2 Opponent: No. 5 Baylor

UNC-Wilmington's first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2006 won't be greeted with an easy draw. In the first round, it'll meet perennial powerhouse Duke, which is led by Grayson Allen and Brandon Ingram. 

Regardless of the draw, the Seahawks are pretty excited to play Duke, via WWAY Sports:

Most seasons, the thought of UNC-Wilmington even making this a game would be far-fetched. But this year might be different. 

Duke is a team that loves to shoot threes. Its offense is pretty reliant on it, as the Blue Devils average 9.3 three-pointers per game, which is ranked in the top 30 in the nation. In its first 33 games of the 2015-16 season, Duke hoisted up almost 800 threes. 

Allen, Ingram and Matt Jones are all shooting over 41 percent from three, and the perimeter will be a huge focal point for any team playing Duke. 

But UNC-Wilmington could stifle Duke's long-range shooting prowess. The Seahawks three-point defense is solid, allowing just 33.7 percent of their opponents' attempts to go down. 

Duke doesn't have the physicality or size to overpower any opponent, so if the three-ball isn't working, it could be in trouble. While the Seahawks might not go too far in the tournament this year, they could ruin any bracket-filler who thinks the Blue Devils are going the distance. 

Stats courtesy of NCAA.com.