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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LOUISVILLE, KY – NOVEMBER 16: Ernie Duncan #20 of the Vermont Catamounts rebounds against Dwayne Sutton #24 of the Louisville Cardinals in the second half of the game at KFC YUM! Center on November 16, 2018 in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville won 86-78. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

3. Vermont Catamounts

America, welcome to the best kept secret in college basketball.

Fans of the sport are aware of mid-major stars like Mike Daum, Justin Wright-Foreman, and Chris Clemons, none of whom will be seen in the Big Dance this year.

Not enough people are aware of the exploits of Vermont Catamounts star Anthony Lamb.

This season, the junior forward averaged 21,4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He led the America East in scoring and placed in the top five conference rankings for rebounds, blocks, and field goal percentage.

Look no further than his immense impact in the America East Tournament. He dropped 34 points in the quarterfinals, a season-high seven assists in the semifinals, then a well-rounded 28 points and nine rebounds in the final. He was a one man wrecking crew.

He doesn’t have to do it alone. Senior Ernie Duncan averaged 13.8 points per game, draining 42.5% of his 3-point attempts. Sophomore Stef Smith scores as well, averaging 12.3 points on the year.

It was easy to overlook how dominant Vermont was during America East play, but they won all but two games in the league, succumbing both times to UMBC. They avenged those losses with ferocity in the conference championship, dominating last season’s Cinderella by 17 points.

The blood of upsets in the NCAA Tournament courses through this conference. Vermont could be the next to take up that mantle when the 13-seed takes on Florida State on Thursday afternoon.

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