NCAA basketball: Three sleeper picks to win the National Championship

It’s no secret who the contenders are to win the National Championship. How about some teams that fans may not see coming?

In just over a month, four teams will converge on the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas. There, two teams will emerge to battle for the National Championship, the prize of the college basketball season.

It’s what each program in the country has worked towards all season.

With just a week to go in February, and only a week or two remaining in conference play, most teams know where they stand in relation to this goal. Almost 75 percent of the Division I teams will need to win their conference tournament to make the NCAA Tournament.

Moreover, only a handful of teams slated for the Big Dance are good enough to win it all. We’re looking at you, Villanova, Virginia, Michigan State, and maybe Purdue, Duke, and Kansas.

But the NCAA Tournament is famous for producing results that defy expectations. Once the madness of March takes over, there’s no reversing the insanity.

For three times, the insanity doesn’t feel particularly far-fetched. These teams justifiably believe they have a shot at the National Championship. Perhaps they were rated highly at the beginning of the season, only to fall on hard times. Or maybe they feel their core is coming together at just the right time.

No matter the explanation, we’re believers. Besides, where’s the fun in predicting the Wildcats or Spartans to win it all?

Here are three sleeper teams who could find themselves with a National Championship when all is said and done.