5 potential bracket busters to be wary of
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It's not March Madness without upsets and some cruel, cold-blooded heartbreak, and fans shouldn't expect this year to be any different.
The nature of the NCAA tournament, and one of its most endearing qualities, is that anybody can win any game at any time. While the cream usually rises to the top by the Final Four, at least a few high-profile teams are always sent home much earlier than expected.
When considering who to trust in the later stages of your bracket, here are five teams you may want to be cautious about before the madness begins.
1. (1) Kansas - Midwest Region
Kansas doesn't deserve to be considered a complete lock to exit the tournament in the early stages, but if the Big 12 tournament showed us anything, it's that the Jayhawks are closer to the razor's edge than some might think.
The Jayhawks enter March Madness as a No. 1 seed after holding that spot in the national rankings since Feb. 27, largely due to the efforts of Wooden Award candidates Frank Mason III and Josh Jackson. Jackson's one-game absence in the Big 12 tournament due to suspension was not expected to cripple Kansas, but it did. The top team in the country plainly did not live up to the hype without him in the lineup.
Kansas fans likely won't have to worry about losing the services of a star player (aside from injury or foul trouble), but recent history shows the Jayhawks are as susceptible as any other team to one off game - and that's all it'll take to end their tournament.
2. (5) Virginia - East Region
Every so often, a massive underdog only needs a sudden surge of offense to take down the proverbial giant, and Virginia is more vulnerable to this attack than any other team.
Out of 351 collegiate basketball teams, the Cavaliers finished the regular season averaging just 66.6 points per game, tied for 312th in the nation. Luckily, Virginia led the country in points allowed with an average of just 54.9, and Tony Bennett's squad will have to rely on that stinginess if it hopes to reach the upper echelon of the tournament.
Virginia's lack of firepower makes it scary to invest in, and even a single half of less-than-stellar defense could lead to an early departure from the dance.
3. (8) Wisconsin - East Region
Not too long ago, Wisconsin was ranked as one of the top 10 teams in the country. That was before a 2-5 stretch to close the season.
Even worse, Wisconsin's last six losses came against conference opponents not named Purdue or Maryland, which is a black eye on a Badgers campaign that once seemed destined for national championship contention.
A runner-up finish in the Big Ten tournament can be regarded as a reversal of fortune for Greg Gard and his players, but once again, the Badgers were unable to put away a lesser opponent in order to win a game they needed to win.
4. (7) Michigan - Midwest Region
Michigan's recent, unexpected Big Ten title win has the Wolverines entering March Madness on a white-hot winning streak - a streak that will prove to be a red herring for brackets across the country.
Michigan deserves a lot of credit; it justified Tom Izzo's cry to pay more attention to the conference by becoming the lowest-seeded team to ever win a Big Ten tournament. However, Michigan is set to take on Oklahoma State in the first round of the NCAA tournament, which is a tall order given the Cowboys' prolific offense.
The Wolverines are one of the feel-good stories of the year, and rightfully so, but bracketologists may want to think twice about how deep they'll go.
5. (5) Minnesota - South Region
One could argue that Minnesota pulled off one of the biggest turnarounds of the season, but flicking the switch against teams in conference play does not necessarily predict success in the NCAA tournament.
After losing five games in a row and flirting with disaster, the Golden Gophers rhymed off eight consecutive wins, which seems impressive. Look closer, however, and only two of those eight victories came against teams that actually qualified for the tournament - Maryland and Michigan.
Coach Richard Pitino deserves every bit of praise he's received for his impact on Minnesota this season, but with a mostly underwhelming resume of wins and a matchup against Conference USA powerhouse Middle Tennessee, the Gophers are in tough right away with a limited margin for error.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)