The best part of March Madness is the upsets. And with the tournament right around the corner, fans should familiarize themselves with a few names that could make some noise when March begins. In earlier articles, we looked at bubble teams and championship contenders. In this article, we'll take a look at a few teams capable of pulling off upsets in the first round of the tournament.
1. Middle Tennessee State.
A name that everyone is familiar with after their upset of Michigan State last year is Middle Tennessee State. The leader in conference USA is again having a great year and absolutely destroyed Vanderbilt in a game earlier in the year.
The fact that MTSU might be able to make the tournament even without winning the conference tournament should have every team that sees them in their first round game terrified.
2. UNC Wilmington.
UNC Wilmington nearly beat Duke in the tournament last year and proved that they can score points with the best teams in the nation. This season they bring back a wealth of tournament experience and would be a tough out for anybody who had to play them in the first round.
3. Vermont.
Vermont has won every single conference game they have played and the team is on an absolute tear right now. They proved that they aren't scared of better competition by playing South Carolina and Butler earlier in the year.
Vermont might not have won, but they're hot enough right now for teams to be scared of playing them in March.
4. Monmouth.
Everyone is kind of over the Monmouth fad, but the team could easily come roaring back in March Madness this year. Justin Robinson is one of the best players in college basketball and the team hits enough threes to hang around with some better teams.
Don't be surprised if Monmouth makes a splash in college basketball brackets this year.
5. UT Arlington.
UT Arlington has an extremely impressive win over St. Mary's this season and hasn't really slowed down since that point. That win will likely help them earn a 12 seed if they win the conference tournament and they will get another chance to upset a team like St. Mary's in the first round.
