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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 Tournament Colgate Raiders guard Oliver Lynch-Daniels John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Tournament Colgate Raiders guard Oliver Lynch-Daniels John Reed-USA TODAY Sports /

Colgate

As surprising as it sounds, Colgate is the only true mid-major that has been in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments, and they sure look like they’re heading for a fourth in a row. Matt Langel’s team has the top seed in the Patriot League. While non-conference play wasn’t great, the Raiders’ only loss in conference play was a 1-point loss at American nearly a month ago. They’ve owned this conference for half a decade.

Colgate has five starters that average double-digits, with four of them seniors who’ve been in this position before, including leading scorer Tucker Richardson and leading rebounder Keegan Records. Olivier Lynch-Daniels is 50% from long-range and is a definite sharpshooter while freshman Braeden Smith has fit nicely into the Raiders lineup, helping replace a few of their productive pieces lost last year.

Whether it’s as a 14 or a 15 seed, this Colgate squad has the potential to cause some problems in the Tournament. They almost pulled the upset last season and have a number of those pieces back from last year.  The defense isn’t exactly elite, but they can shoot their way out of any gym and play steady team basketball. One of these years, Langel is going to make his mark on the NCAA Tournament and this year looks as good as any for the Raiders, if they can survive three more Patriot League contests in the tournament.

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