Busting Brackets
Fansided

NCAA Basketball: 10 teams with upset potential in 2023 NCAA Tournament

By Joey Loose

The Peacocks gather before the first half in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA tournament at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, March 25, 2022.Ncaa Basketball Ncaa Tournament Saint Peter S Vs Purdue In Sweet 16 Saint Peter S At Purdue
The Peacocks gather before the first half in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA tournament at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, March 25, 2022.Ncaa Basketball Ncaa Tournament Saint Peter S Vs Purdue In Sweet 16 Saint Peter S At Purdue /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 11
Next
Arkansas Razorbacks guard Davonte Davis (4) works against Oral Roberts Golden Eagles guard Carlos Jurgens (11) Kareem Elgazzar/IndyStar via USA TODAY Sports
Arkansas Razorbacks guard Davonte Davis (4) works against Oral Roberts Golden Eagles guard Carlos Jurgens (11) Kareem Elgazzar/IndyStar via USA TODAY Sports /

We are less than two weeks away from getting the actual bracket for the 2023 NCAA Tournament. At this moment, there are a lot of people projecting the field for the Big Dance, though it’s far too early to have a truly accurate picture of who or what to expect in the Tournament. There are still nearly three dozen conference tournaments and a week of regular season action in a number of bigger leagues. We’re ever closer to the NCAA Tournament, but we’re not there yet.

One of the best parts of the NCAA Tournament is the unexpected: those Cinderella stories and improbable runs that teams will embark on and put the madness in March. There have been some incredible moments in the last few years alone, with 15-seed Oral Roberts making the Sweet Sixteen in 2021 and Saint Peter’s taking it a step further last year as the only 15-seed to reach the Elite Eight. There are a plethora of 11, 12, 13, or 14 seeds that make their mark with opening-round upsets.

As we get nearer to that bracket, we get a better idea of the teams that will be making these Cinderella-type runs. Both Oral Roberts and Saint Peter’s were conference tournament champions that were not expected to be there, with the top seeds in their conferences falling short and those two future 15-seeds taking advantage. Right now, we don’t know which mid-major will catch fire and potentially shock the nation in just over two weeks’ time.

However, we’re still going to try to identify potential Cinderella teams. We can’t anticipate who the next Saint Peter’s or UMBC could be, but we’re going to look at ten teams that currently look like they can make some noise in the NCAA Tournament. These are all mid-majors who would get double-digit seeds in the NCAA Tournament, with teams like Saint Mary’s, Florida Atlantic, and the group from the MWC left off as a result. We proceed with a run-through of these ten dangerous mid-majors, any of which could be in the Big Dance, and upend a 3, 4, or 5 seed in the process.

Home/March Madness