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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 /
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NCAA Basketball Utah Valley Wolverines guard Justin Harmon Ncaa Basketball Utah Valley At Grand Canyon
NCAA Basketball Utah Valley Wolverines guard Justin Harmon Ncaa Basketball Utah Valley At Grand Canyon /

Utah Valley

Even after losing star Fardaws Aimaq last season and being projected in the middle of the pack in the WAC, the Wolverines have been stunning again this season, looking like a Top 100 team that sits in great shape at 13-3 in conference play. This team won at BYU and Oregon back in December and has mostly taken care of business during the season. They had a very rough road loss to Tarleton State a week ago but are two home wins away from a regular season title and are certainly the favorite to come out of this league.

Utah Valley’s entire starting lineup has been excellent this season. Trey Woodbury (12.8 points a game) has really bounced back after missing most of last season while Justin Harmon (12.9 points a game) has had nice development in his second season. 7’0 center Aziz Bandaogo has been the most impressive, averaging a double-double after two unimpressive years at Akron, while Le’tre Darthard is actually leading the team in scoring at 13.9 points a game, making just under 38% of his 3-pointers.

Even without Aimaq, this is the best shot-blocking team in the nation. Utah Valley doesn’t kill you with their offense, but they’re an impressive rebounding team and they get to the free throw line. They’ll kill you with the small things; they’re not going to knock down 15 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game. If their shooting can get a little hotter, they’re a dangerous first-round matchup for a 4-seed and an extremely impressive turnaround after losing their best player from last season, ever cementing Mark Madsen as a mid-major coach on the rise.

Next. Picking all 32 conference tournament winners. dark

We don’t yet know if any of these teams will even be in the NCAA Tournament; they all still have to win their respective conference tournaments. If they finish that task, each of these teams can be storytellers in March; do you think the next big Cinderella is one of these ten teams or can we expect more surprises in March?

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