Five Double-Digit Seeds You Should Consider Picking In Your Tournament Bracket

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Before you delve into our list of teams that could make an unlikely run this year, make sure to sign up for the UPROXX/Yahoo Tourney Pick’em pool. It’s free to enter and pays a cool $4,000 to the winner. The contest uses Yahoo’s standard NCAA Tournament scoring system, the rules of which are here, so familiarize yourself before entering.

The winning bracket in any tournament pool will, of course, need to pick the National Champion correctly, but odds are everyone can hit a few of the Final Four teams. Where you’ll separate yourself from the pack is in the 10-14 seeds, finding the one or two that make it out of the first weekend, or even deeper. To that end, here are some long-shot bracket busters you might want to take to the dance this March:

No. 11 Wichita State

Ah, the dreaded play-in game. Despite being seeded in a play-in for the No. 11 seed against Vanderbilt, the Shockers are no longer the complete underdog they used to be since their run to the Final Four in 2013. But this is far enough removed from that run to be considered a completely different team with hopefully a touch of the experience left to know what big wins require. The Shockers will be riding their defense in the dance. They’re the top defensive team in the country, holding opponents to 59.3 points per game. They’ve got a victory against No. 3 seed Utah, but their biggest hurdle is that they got knocked out of their conference tournament rather early. With an RPI of 47 though, they’ve played enough tough competition on the year to get in and when they do, look for them to present a huge defensive challenge to any opponent.

No. 11 Northern Iowa

Another team that might have a lot more respect this year than in the past is the Northern Iowa Panthers. Given the 11th seed and a date with Texas, the Panthers are entering this year’s tournament much less hyped than last year’s 30-3 squad. But they’ve beat three teams with top-50 RPI ratings this season, including No. 1 seed UNC and fourth-seeded Iowa State. They’re another defensive stalwart, ranked 12th in the nation at holding opponents to 62.9 points per game, and it’s hard to argue with the momentum that comes from a big buzzer-beating win. But let’s be honest: that defense is all they’ve got. They average only 68 points a game, good for 284th in the country. If they can keep the game low though, they’ve got a chance to make some noise.

No. 11 Gonzaga

It’s been a lifetime since the Zags first entered your life; in fact, this year marks the 18th tournament in a row they’ve made. It’s also been a decade since Adam Morrison’s heartbreaking finish to his career. But that just means it’s time for a new class to take over. Seeded 11th with a matchup against the Seton Hall Pirates, the Zags are the rare well-rounded underdog. They’ve only got one RPI top 50 win against fellow WCC conference foe St. Mary’s, but four of their five losses against RPI teams were within 5 points. They’re ranked 48th in points allowed and 28th in points scored per game, again showing their balance. Their biggest strength is on the glass, where they collect almost 40 rebounds per game. With forward Kyle Wiltjer averaging just over 20 points per game, they’ve also got an athlete who can take the big shot when they need it.

No. 10 VCU

Coach Shaka Smart has moved on, but one of his disciples, Will Wade, runs the show now. With an RPI rank of 39, they’re right in the thick of it. Their only two top 50 wins on the year are against conference foes St. Joe’s and St. Bonaventure, but their four top 50 losses were all within seven points, including a heartbreaking one-point loss to seventh-seeded Wisconsin. They’ve got a #10 seed in the dance, facing off against Oregon State squad with Gary Payton II that doesn’t rank in the top 100 in points scored or allowed. Ignore the seeding because this is definitely a winnable game for a team that has no fear of shying from the tournament spotlight.

No. 13 Iona

On the surface, the Gaels don’t look like a high-quality upset pick. Seeded 13th and with no top 50 RPI wins, the easy answer is no. But they’re a different beast than most teams, playing a fast-paced, high scoring offense. This is a team that doesn’t concern itself with defense, and it shows — they’re 227th in the country in points allowed. But they’re 35th in points per game scored, averaging almost 80 a game. That’s a different type of challenge for any coach that might also need to spend time focusing on possible second round opponents. They also face an Iowa State team that ranks 257th in points allowed and 15th in points scored, meaning this first-round match up is going to be a track meet. When it comes to picking upsets, you have to feel good about your chances in a game that’ll probably come down to the final possession.

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