NCAA Basketball Tournament 2019: Predictions for Bracket-Busting Sleeper Teams

No matter how often we analyze the 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament bracket before the start of the first round Thursday, some sleeper teams won't get noticed. 

In 2018, Florida State and Kansas State were the top sleeper teams to make deep runs in the Big Dance, as both advanced to the Elite Eight as No. 9 seeds. 

The potential sleepers for the 2019 edition of March Madness fit a similar mold as power-conference teams who didn't receive as much attention as they deserved throughout the regular season. 

Some of the best sleeper teams capable of busting open brackets are seeded between No. 6 and No. 11, as the favorites typically occupy seeds No. 1 through No. 5 and Cinderella teams take up most of the double-digit seeds. 

2019 NCAA Tournament Bracket

Bracket-Busting Sleeper Teams

Florida 

Mike White's Florida Gators won't receive a ton of attention in their portion of the West Region, as No. 2 Michigan and No. 7 Nevada join them in Des Moines, Iowa. 

The 10th-seeded Gators will be counted out of their first-round showdown with Nevada because everyone remembers how incredible a run the Wolf Pack went on a year ago.

But it would be foolish to discredit the Gators after they upset LSU and came close to knocking off Auburn at the SEC tournament. 

Gary McCullough/Associated Press

Florida, which had to play with a sense of desperation in the last week just to make the field of 68, is more dangerous than you would think, as it pushed LSU to overtime twice and played a handful of close games against other tournament teams. 

Although the Gators only have one player who averages over 10 points per game, they have five other players who average over eight points per contest. 

At its best, Florida can possess as many as five double-digit scorers, as we saw in the SEC tournament victory over LSU. 

If the Gators continue to put together a well-rounded offensive approach, they're going to be a hard team to eliminate in the West Region. 

Washington

Washington enters the NCAA tournament with a lack of attention and a point to prove. 

The No. 9 seed in the Midwest Region won't be seen as a threat to make a deep run because of its 20-point loss in the Pac-12 tournament final to Oregon and the overall weakness of its conference.

While it's understandable to count out the Huskies, we think they're poised to challenge both No. 8 Utah State and the top-seeded North Carolina in Columbus, Ohio.

It all starts on the defensive side of the court for Mike Hopkins' team, as it has one of the best defenders in the nation in Matisse Thybulle. 

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

If Thybulle is able to shut down an opponent's top scorer, Washington's offense is able to open up an advantage on the scoreboard. 

Jaylen Nowell, David Crisp and Noah Dickerson average over 12 points per game, and Dickerson is also a force on the boards. 

The Huskies also have a battle-tested head coach in Hopkins, who spent over 20 years as an assistant at Syracuse. 

Hopkins brought some of the same defensive principles from Syracuse over to the Pac-12, and as we've seen on a few occasions, the zone defense can frustrate even the best teams in the nation. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.