March Madness Sleepers 2016
It's Selection Sunday and the participants in the 2016 NCAA tournament have officially been announced. College basketball fans and media analysts across the nation will spend the next three days deciding how best to fill out their brackets, but after Sunday's release, fans will be poring over the top-seeds in each region and potential sleepers that could make a deep run in the tournament. March Madness officially tips off with the First Four games on Tuesday, and while most official brackets don't start picks till after the First Four, HNGN is breaking down the top seeds and sleepers in each region.
East Region: The North Carolina Tar Heels are arguably the best and hottest team in college basketball heading into the tournament, and clearly deserved a one seed after winning both the ACC tournament and the regular season ACC Title. The Tar Heels were the best team in the best conference in all of college basketball, and head coach Roy Williams will look for his team to continue that success. The Xavier Musketeers received the second seed in the East Region, and will be looking to rebound after losing to Seton Hall in the semifinals of the Big East tournament. The Kentucky Wildcats were placed as fourth seed in the East and should be considered the team with the best chance to knock off the top-seeded Tar Heels.
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The sixth seed Norte Dame Fighting Irish could be a team to watch out for as well. Despite being crushed by North Carolina in the ACC Tournament, they have proven throughout the year they can play with the top teams in the country.
South Region: The Kansas Jayhawks are the number one overall seed in the NCAA tournament, and rightly so - they won both the Big 12 regular season title and the Big 12 Conference Tournament. The Villanova Wildcats were placed second in the South Region, and despite a strong season they weren't given a one seed likely due in large part to falling short against Seton Hall in the Big East Championship. The top-seeded Jayhawks should be the favorite in this bracket, but two sleepers to watch out for are the sixth-seeded Arizona Wildcats and the ninth-seeded UConn Huskies.
The Huskies finished the season strong running through the American Athletic Conference tournament and are historically known for playing their best basketball in March. The Wildcats fell to the eventual Pac-12 Champion Oregon Ducks in overtime in the tournament's semifinal round, but head coach Sean Miller has been known to get the most out of his players in the NCAA tournament.
Midwest Region: The Virginia Cavaliers may have been the biggest surprise with a one seed on Selection Sunday, as they fell short against the East Region's top-seeded Tar Heels in the ACC tournament championship. The Cavaliers are led by a group of upperclassmen, many that are looking to finish their college careers with a special run through the NCAA tourny. The Spartans drew the second seed in the Midwest Region and head coach Tom Izzo's team should be considered the favorite in this bracket after leading the Spartans to a Big Ten Championship in the conference tournament.
Izzo is considered one of the greatest coaches in the sport of college basketball and currently has one of the best players in the country in Denzel Valentine. The 11th-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs and 10th-seeded Syracuse Orange could be potential sleepers in the Midwest Region, although Gonzaga may have an easier road to the Sweet 16, as the Orange would likely have to play the Spartans should they get past seventh-seeded Dayton.
West Region: The Ducks are playing their best basketball late in the season and have earned themselves a one seed in the West after crushing Utah in the Pac-12 Championship, 88-57. The Ducks are rolling into the tournament hot, but have a tough two seed in their Region with the Oklahoma Sooners. Naismith Player of the Year contender Buddy Hield is arguably the best player in all of college basketball, and will look to lead the Sooners deeper in the tournament after reaching the Sweet 16 last year.
The Duke Blue Devils landed a four seed in the West Region and should be a team to keep an eye on as they could easily make a run in this bracket. Green Bay landed the 14th seed and has a difficult matchup against the Texas A&M Aggies, but could be a potential bracket buster and could provide an exciting game in the first round on Friday.