10 Teams Built to Bust Brackets in the 2022 Men's NCAA Tournament

Although the final weeks before the 2022 men's NCAA tournament are packed with projections for top-ranked teams, the bracket can—and will—change the narratives.

Every year, the wrong matchup sends a few anticipated contenders to an early exit in March Madness. Four weeks out from the Big Dance, we're highlighting the bracket-busting tier of programs that are most often responsible for these upsets.

Your definition of a bracket-buster may be different, but here's ours: Any team labeled a No. 7 seed or higher in the latest Bracket Matrix projections.

The list is ordered alphabetically.

Boise State Broncos

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Armed with a transfer-loaded rotation, Boise State has an experienced group that leans on stout defense.

Only eight programs have surrendered fewer points per game than the Broncos, who've ceded a measly 59.7 this season. Though part of that can be attributed to a slow-tempo preference, Boise State also owns the nation's third-best offensive rebound rate allowed.

Better hit that initial shot, because a second one rarely comes.

As long as the Broncos avoid a deep group of perimeter shooters—they're just 157th nationally from three—the Mountain West front-runners have Sweet 16 potential.

Colorado State Rams

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Not incredible timing for praise of Colorado State! Still, we won't enter panic mode after an ugly 21-point loss at UNLV dropped the Rams to 21-4.

Third-year standouts David Roddy and Isaiah Stevens are the foundation of this roster. Roddy has averaged 19.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists while burying 45.8 percent of his threes, and Stevens has provided 15.2 points and 4.9 assists per game.

Unlike league counterpart Boise State, the Rams are an offense-driven team. They're ninth nationally with a 49.0 field-goal clip, and their 78.8 free-throw percentage is seventh.

CSU lacks an imposing defense. But in a high-scoring game, the Rams would be a dangerous team.

Davidson Wildcats

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If your favorite team is headed for a low seed, awesome! If that roster has any issues defending the perimeter, though, you should probably hope Davidson isn't waiting in March.

Led by Michigan State transfer Foster Loyer, the Wildcats sport a quartet of dangerous long-range shooters.

Loyer attempts 6.0 triples per game and connects at a 43.8 rate, along with Michael Jones (5.0; 44.2), Hyunjung Lee (6.2; 37.0) and Luka Brajkovic (2.4; 42.9). Davidson has knocked down 39.1 percent of its trifectas—the No. 8 mark nationally.

The main negative for the Wildcats is shaky perimeter defense, but their shooters plus an emphasis on preventing second-chance points help minimize that weakness.

Loyola-Chicago Ramblers

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Although three losses in the last 21 days have complicated their resume, the Ramblers will be a thorn if they reach March Madness.

You might not follow the Missouri Valley closely but do recall Loyola's run to the Final Four in 2018. The lone remaining player from that roster is Lucas Williamson, who's the leading scorer and rebounder at 14.0 and 4.7 per game, respectively.

This version of the Ramblers—while similarly slow-paced—leans more on efficient offense than stifling defense.

Williamson, Braden Norris and Tate Hall attempt two-plus threes per game and connect at 41.5 percent or higher. Ryan Schwieger and Aher Uguak are 36.2 percent or better too. Loyola's 38.6 three-point percentage ranks 10th in the country.

Similar to Davidson, the Ramblers are built to take advantage of a team not comparable on the perimeter.

Miami Hurricanes

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Don't get into a bad-shot-making competition with Miami.

While the Hurricanes are 207th nationally in assist rate, they're ninth in turnover rate and 51st in field-goal percentage. Both Kameron McGusty (17.7 points per game) and Isaiah Wong (15.6) are fully capable of creating their own shots.

Miami also has a conventional point guard. Well-traveled Charlie Moore—playing at his fourth college in six years—has dished four assists per game and hit 38.8 percent of his threes.

The 'Canes have unspectacular depth and incredibly poor rebounding, two negatives that might prevent an NCAA bid. But if they maneuver their way into March, even the strongest defense may find itself flummoxed by McGusty, Wong and Moore.

Michigan Wolverines

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As with Miami, Michigan has to actually get there. The Wolverines have posted a 14-11 record and close the regular season with Rutgers, Illinois, Michigan State, Iowa and Ohio State. Their margin for error is becoming awfully thin.

Nevertheless, the leading talent is excellent.

Hunter Dickinson has registered 17.9 points per game, while Eli Brooks has offered 12.4 points and 3.1 assists with a 41.2 three-point clip. Caleb Houstan, DeVante Jones and Moussa Diabate each average nine-plus points too. Few rotations have as much front-end talent as the Wolverines.

The challenge is Michigan doesn't have consistent depth. The above quintet accounted for 80 of the team's 82 points in the upset of Purdue and 72 of 84 in U-M's recent victory over Iowa.

Michigan's story is less about matchups than it is performance; the Wolverines go when these five do.

Murray State Racers

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Murray State has a pesky identity.

Most notably, the Racers are 22nd in offensive rebound rate and 38th in turnover rate. On the opposite end, Murray State ranks 69th and 54th, respectively, in those categories.

Said another way, they're adept at generating second-chance opportunities for themselves but limit yours while controlling the ball yet creating havoc for you. It's no coincidence the Racers are 20th in the country with a 47.9 field-goal percentage.

Murray State is short on perimeter options—especially if Tevin Brown or Justice Hill struggles—and hasn't faced a daunting slate. Both, particularly the latter, are cause for hesitation.

Still, the Racers have the capacity to dominate a game around the rim while minimizing their mistakes.

Seton Hall Pirates

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Seton Hall poses an interesting dilemma: At what point does a trend of close losses become a defining characteristic? In the meantime, does it indicate a regularly competitive team?

The glass-half-full perspective says Seton Hall has victories over Texas, UConn and Xavier—all projected No. 7 seeds or better, according to the latest Bracket Matrix update. Plus, the Pirates have losses of six points or less to Ohio State, Providence, Villanova (twice), Marquette and UConn—all projected No. 6 or better.

Win or lose, Seton Hall is hanging around on the strength of a defense ranked 24th in effective field-goal percentage allowed.

Granted, the half-empty interpretation is a 3-6 record in the above matchups. Throw in the unknown return date for guard Bryce Aiken (concussion), and the Pirates may be without a key contributor.

But it's easy to imagine Seton Hall embraces the "underdog that never goes away" role and springs a couple of upsets in March.

Saint Mary's Gaels

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Between a slow tempo and an active defense, Saint Mary's perimeter group is among the nation's stingiest. Only four teams have yielded fewer three-point attempts per night than the Gaels' 15.7, and no opponent has managed 10 threes in a game.

The tradeoff is a small margin for error on offense, given the limited number of possessions. That hasn't always gone well for Saint Mary's, which is 0-5 when it scores less than 60 points.

Strong defense keeps the Gaels in the game, though.

The matchups are supremely important, but Saint Mary's should be comfortable with a low-scoring rock fight in March.

Wyoming Cowboys

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Wyoming's key players check off a few coveted archetypes.

Graham Ike is a powerful presence at 21.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Hunter Maldonado is a prolific guard averaging 19.6 points and 6.3 assists. Drake Jeffries is a lethal shooter, boasting a 43.1 three-point clip on 6.4 attempts per outing.

Dominant post, dynamic guard, high-volume perimeter weapon—any program in the nation would be eager to build a rotation around that trifecta.

It's no surprise Wyoming is 22-4 because of them.

Similar to Michigan, the Pokes' level of success is strongly tied to the performance of their top players. If an opponent struggles to find answers for two, though, it might be a very frustrating night.

Recruiting information via 247Sports. Statistics courtesy of KenPom.com or Sports Reference unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.