March Madness 2019: Analyzing Underrated NCAA Tournament Contenders

March Madness almost always gets a little bit wild.

It's rare to see the NCAA tournament go the way it's supposed to, as there are always upsets—some larger than others—throughout the 68-team tourney. That's part of what makes March Madness one of the most exciting events in sports.

There was a perfect example of this last year, as No. 11 seed Loyola-Chicago made an incredible run to the Final Four, beating Miami, Tennessee, Nevada and Kansas State along the way. Not only that, but No. 16 seed UMBC upset Virginia in the first round, marking the first time that a No. 1 seed has lost to a No. 16 seed.

Other Cinderella teams over the years have included No. 9 seed Wichita State in 2013, No. 11 seed VCU in 2011 and No. 11 seed George Mason in 2006.

While those teams pulled off major upsets, there can also be surprise teams from higher-ranked seeds, perhaps in the Nos. 4-8 range, that could make an unexpected run through the NCAA tourney. Here's a look three teams that could do that this year.

Auburn

Julie Bennett/Associated Press

Last year, Auburn had a resurgence, going 26-8 while winning its first SEC regular-season championship since 1999 and making its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2003. The Tigers' impressive campaign ended with a second-round loss to Clemson in the NCAA tourney.

Auburn struggled more this regular season. The Tigers are 22-9 with an 11-7 conference record, which earned them the No. 5 seed in the SEC tournament.

However, five of Auburn's losses came against ranked opponents. and the Tigers ended the regular season with an upset victory against No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday.

"Work hard and put yourself in position to make plays," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said after the win, according to Nathan King of the Auburn Plainsman. "The more you do it, the more you become a top-25 program. Everybody in the country knows that Tennessee is a Final Four team. Everybody in the country now recognizes that Auburn is capable of beating, and in fact did beat, a Final Four team."

ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi projects Auburn to be a No. 6 seed. The Tigers could improve upon that, perhaps even bettering their No. 4 seed from last year, if they go on a run in the SEC tourney.

While that may not happen, Auburn could be a dangerous team in the Nos. 5-7 seed range during March Madness.

Marquette

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Sometimes, a star player gets hot at the perfect time and carries his team deep into the NCAA tournament. Think Kemba Walker when he guided No. 3-seeded UConn to the national championship in 2011.

This year, it could be Marquette junior guard Markus Howard.

Howard is averaging 24.9 points per game, sixth-best in NCAA Division I, for the Golden Eagles, who are projected to be a No. 5 seed in Lunardi's Bracketology. Howard notched double-digit points in all but three of his 31 games this season, and he netted a season-high 53 in an overtime win over Creighton on Jan. 9.

Marquette had a rough end to the regular season, losing four straight games to Villanova, Creighton, Seton Hall and Georgetown. So the Golden Eagles have something to prove in the upcoming Big East tournament, in which they are the No. 2 seed.

But if Howard gets hot and Marquette builds some momentum entering the NCAA tournament, anything could happen, as history has shown with elite scorers in the past.

Kansas State

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Kansas is usually the Big 12 team that has the best chance to be a contender during March Madness. But maybe this year it will be Kansas State.

The Wildcats shared the Big 12 regular-season championship with Texas Tech, and it was their first title since 2013. They have never won the Big 12 tournament, but this year, they are the No. 1 seed.

"This is just phase two of our mission," Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said after Saturday's win over Oklahoma, according to Blair Kerkhoff the Kansas City Star. "We have a couple more."

Kansas State ended the regular season with some momentum, winning three straight games, but it split the season series with Kansas, losing to the Jayhawks in the teams' second meeting on Feb. 25.

With the senior leadership of guards Barry Brown Jr. (team-high 15.1 points per game) and Kamau Stokes (10.5) and forward Dean Wade (13.0), this could be the Wildcats' year to make a run in the NCAA tournament.

Lunardi's projects Kansas State to be a No. 4 seed. Perhaps the Wildcats will knock off some of the higher-ranked teams and make a deep run into late March.