We’re already approaching March. And you know what that means. No, not the overconsumption of green beer amongst sexy Irish co-eds in bustiers. Okay, there is that. But I’m talking about March Madness. The NCAA Tournament. The best three weeks in sports.
Of course you can’t fill out your bracket without knowing who the ‘sleepers’ are. Even though you’ll still lose to your co-worker’s mother-in-law, properly picking the correct Cinderella is all just part of the game. Some team named Gonzaga, George Mason or Florida Gulf Coast is going to make a run, and if you pick them, you got your pool locked up my friend.
Unfortunately, with an undefeated Kentucky team, ‘sleeper’ is a relative term that will be used this season as a way to describe any team that can take down the Wildcats. I apologize if the title of this article was misleading, but let’s be honest with ourselves. We all know Kentucky is the best team in 10 years. Seriously, if you don’t pick them to go to your Final Four you need to go do something else with your life. I hear Bingo is fun.
That all being said, here are the top four teams the experts over at ESPN are raving about right now.
Related: Pushup Basketball Shot Goes Viral
Photo Credit: Getty
Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports.
March Madness Sleepers for Feb
-
Duke
Surprise, surprise. Duke is in it again. But you can't ever count out Coach K, especially when he has a premiere talent like Jahlil Okafor.
Myron Medcalf via ESPN.com -
"It is the Duke that the ACC and the college basketball world should fear. Kentucky wasn't the only team that began the season with nine former McDonald's All-Americans. Duke matched that tally. Jahlil Okafor is arguably the best player in America. Tyus Jones is one of the best point guards in the country. Sure, there would be questions about Duke's ability to handle Kentucky's big backcourt and its talent inside, but Duke's offense would be a handful for Kentucky, too."
-
Gonzaga
Mr. Bracketologist himself makes his case for Gonzaga being a #1 seed -- "Team A" being the Zags.
Joe Lunardi via ESPN.com -
"Team A" is 6-1 against the top 68 teams in the country as ranked by the ESPN Basketball Power Index (BPI). It has defeated No. 23 (neutral court), No. 28, No. 35 (true road game), No. 46 (true road game), No. 53 and No. 58 (true road game).
• Team A's only loss also came on the road, in overtime, against the No. 5 ranked BPI team. Meanwhile its six NCAA-level victories came over opponents with a BPI average of 40.5 (only two of which were played at home)."
-
Villanova
Evidently, people are high on Villanova right now, even though they're already a top 5 team.
John Gasaway via ESPN.com -
"Every season it seems there's a team perched in the top 10 more or less all season long that doesn't really garner the attention such a lofty ranking would normally entail. It appears Villanova fills that role this season.
On paper, it may seem off-base to suggest a team that's ranked No. 6 in the nation is being underrated, and in truth I'm not suggesting Villanova bears comparison with Kentucky. But you know that "everyone else" category that you've set aside for Division I teams not coached by John Calipari? You should probably bump up these "other" Wildcats up a spot or two on that list.
For one thing, Nova has one of the most effective scorers in the country. Which brings me back to that whole 'underrated" thing'"
-
Wisconsin
Frank Kaminsky could be the best player in the country. He's a star. A real PTPer. Jay Bilas knows his stuff. He's not only a college basketball expert, but a lawyer.
Jay Bilas via ESPN.com -
"Despite the loss of Traevon Jackson, the Badgers are rolling on, and have lost to only Duke (in an extraordinary Blue Devils shooting performance) and Rutgers (without Frank Kaminsky). Kaminsky is having a remarkable season, averaging 17.5 points (on only 11 shot attempts), 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists (how many big guys average 2.5 assists?) and 1.6 blocks. In addition, Kaminsky is shooting 54 percent from the field, 41 percent from deep and 77 percent from the line. Remarkable."
