NCAA Tournament: 5 deep sleeper picks to win 2019 national title

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 08: Myles Powell #13 of the Seton Hall Pirates celebrates his shot in the first half against the Butler Bulldogs during quarterfinals of the Big East Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

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RENO, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 02: Cody Martin #11 of the Nevada Wolf Pack looks to fans after easily dunking the ball against the Boise State Broncos at Lawlor Events Center on February 02, 2019 in Reno, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images) /

4. Nevada Wolf Pack

If these sleepers were picked in the preseason, Nevada wouldn’t qualify for the list.

After a run to last year’s Sweet Sixteen, the Wolf Pack looked poised to be the gold standard of mid-majors. They returned almost the entire core of their lineup. The idea of an undefeated season was floated. AP voters named them the No. 7 team in the country entering the year.

Obviously, things did not go to plan. After rolling through a non-conference schedule that looked less impressive by the day (only Arizona State made the NCAA Tournament), Nevada tripped up on three separate occasions in Mountain West play, then again in the conference tournament.

Nevertheless, they still have the same core that opened the season with exceptional expectations.

Caleb Martin averaged 19.2 points per game. Cody Martin averaged 11.7 points per game. Jordan Caroline fell just a few rebounds shy of averaging a double-double for the season.

This team is hungry to prove that last year’s trip to the Sweet Sixteen as a 7-seed – and the hype that accompanied the program afterwards – was valid from the start, justified despite the events that unfolded throughout the year,

The 7-seed (again!) Wolf Pack open against a tricky Florida team on Thursday night.

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