March Madness: Struggling teams that will still do well in the 2018 NCAA Tournament

Clemson Tigers

To a lot of amateur bracket fanatics, a team like Clemson jumps out as a group to put on upset alert. This is partially because they lack the historical appeal of teams like Duke and North Carolina, making them much easier to overlook. Also, their loss at Syracuse and struggles to score against Virginia makes them seem like a team far from elite status.

But none of this changes the Tigers’ impressive resume, highlighted by wins over Ohio State and North Carolina. Clemson is sneaky good, which is exactly why they should be feared in March Madness. They don’t have one standout player but instead have the depth that has propelled them to a surprising top 20 ranking in the country.

the Tigers will likely be a five seed and don’t necessarily stand out as the most confident team coming in. But even in their loss to Virginia in the ACC semifinals, they proved to themselves that they can indeed compete with the top teams in the nation.

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Each of these strong power conference teams will be doubted by many due to lack of tournament experience and struggles coming in. But looking at their overall body of work and talent, there is no reason to pick them to exit the tournament early unless their opponent is some sort of unstoppable Cinderella.