Some Sleepers to make the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament
Every year when the brackets are posted, people are looking for some sleepers to make a run in the NCAA Tournament to give them a edge in their pool.
This year I have four teams that are "sleepers" to make a run to the Elite 8, all who are currently outside the top 10 in the AP or USA Today poll.
Nevada - I am a big fan of Eric Musselman out at Nevada and his faced paced offenses keep me up late watching the Wolfpack quite often. I think if they are able to dictate the pace in their tournament games, I think they could surprise a lot of people in March. My concern for them is their inconsistencies at times defensively, but a good stretch on defense could take them to the Elite 8.
Wichita State - Of course if this was 10 years ago this team might surprise you, but Wichita State has become a staple in March and this could be another year where the Shockers make a run. They are very balanced and have been in the top 10 of the standings at multiple times this season. The concern becomes the competition they play all year vs the kind of competition they play in the tournament, but with enough non-conference games against Power 5 schools and some good match-ups within the conference, I think they will be just fine no matter who they play.
Arizona - I would really like for them to find who the true option is down the stretch of games. They have two talented players in Deandre Ayton and Allonzo Trier who both are averaging 19 points per game, but who is the true star? It's like the age old sang in football when you have two starting quarterbacks, you don't have one. This could be true for Arizona, but with all that talent, it is hard for me to believe they wont be in the Elite 8 this March.
West Virginia - As long as the Mountaineers don't have to play Kansas, they should be good in the tournament. Probably the toughest team in the field, West Virginia is coached by a future Hall of Famer in Bob Huggins who has all the tournament experience you could ask for, which will pay dividends for sure in March. They must play the final five minutes of games like they play the first 35 and if they do, this team should be in the Elite 8.