March Madness 2011: 4 Mid-Majors Ready to Break Your Bracket

Upsets are a natural and even welcomed aspect of the NCAA tournament.

With the Big Dance expanding its guest list by four this year, there will be more mid-majors you have never heard of ready to break your bracket.

Here's a quick overview of four teams that could pull off an upset or two.

Morehead State

The Eagles won the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament over the weekend, earning them an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Though they lost to Florida and Ohio State early in the season, Morehead State finished the regular season at 24–9. If they get the right matchup in the first round, Morehead State could pull off the upset.

The combination of Kenneth Faried in the post and Demonte Harper at guard will be hard to defend for most teams. Faried is the team's leading scorer at 17.6 points per game, but is known for his defensive intensity. Faried averages just over 14 rebounds per game, along with 2.4 blocks and two steals. Harper, on the other hand, is a shoot-first guard who can heat up quickly. Morehead State will wind up anywhere between a No. 13 and a No. 15 seed.

Oakland

The Oakland Golden Grizzlies of the Summit League don't play their conference championship game until Mar. 7. If they can beat South Dakota State for a third time this year and get the invite to the dance, Oakland is a sexy pick for an upset.

Oakland is a nightmare to draw in the first round of the one-and-done NCAA tournament because the Grizzlies shoot the ball so well. They shoot almost 50 percent as a team and score about 85 points a game. If the Golden Grizzlies catch fire, they could burn a powerhouse down.

Long Island University

On Wednesday, LIU will play Robert Morris for the North East Conference Championship. Like Oakland, if the Blackbirds make the dance they could be a nightmare if the matchup works in their favor. Led by forward Julian Boyd, LIU is a fast team that loves to get out and run. Boyd is shooting 53 percent from the field because of the easy shots he gets in transition.

Belmont

The Belmont Bruins are officially in the NCAA tournament after they beat North Florida by 41 to win the Atlantic Sun Conference. Belmont has already won 30 games this season. Three out of its four losses came to Tennessee (twice) and Vanderbilt (once) by a total of 19 points. The Bruins are an excellent three-point shooting team and they are deep, playing as many as 11 throughout a game. Constantly changing the lineup makes it difficult for opponents to locate their shooters, leading to open jump shots.

Don't expect these teams to pull a 2006 George Mason, but when filling out your bracket keep them in mind so you know where to expect an upset.