Every year the NCAA Tournament rolls around and the Madness of March begins to set in once again as the David's of this world do the unthinkable by slaying Goliath's. Now I know that not every NCAA birth has been passed out just yet. However, we've already been provided with more than a few teams that are capable of playing a high level against some of the nation's best for forty minutes. In fact, we've put together a list of the top five teams that we feel right now are capable of advancing in the tournament if they get a nice first round match up. Read below as we help you take out the guesswork this year when deciding on which upsets to select.
| #5Oral RobertsGolden Eagles24-8 | The Golden Eagles are preparing to enter the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. With eight juniors and seniors you can expect this squad to have enough experience to be ready despite being knocked out of the last two NCAA Tournaments in the first round. Oral Roberts had two big-time tests earlier this season, but they fell short on both occasions as they lost at Texas A&M 67-53 and at Texas 66-56. Still, this team's got to feel pretty good about the results from those two games even in losing efforts. What makes this team effective is their ability to execute at both ends of the floor. The Standout player on this team is guard Robert Jarvis (16.1 ppg). However, the Golden Eagles are a complete team in every essence of the word. This unit's refusal to settle for a bad shot on offense not only helps increase their field goal because it wears down defenses, but it also makes the possessions longer and shortens the game against the more talented teams. Whoever gets matched up with the methodical Golden Eagles better not take them lightly. |
| #4Austin PeayGovernors24-10 | The Austin Peay Governors bring a lot of excitement to the court as they average 74.6 ppg and have five players that average double figures in scoring. Unlike Oral Roberts, the Governors have plenty of weapons on offense to give teams trouble. Austin Peay might have lost by 22 earlier this season at Memphis, but they did manage to put up 82 points on the Tigers in that game. Remember, even former #1 Tennessee was only able to score 66 against the stubborn Memphis defense. The Governors also faced Vanderbilt in the opening game of season in which they trailed by just 10 with four minutes to play before going on to lose 81-67. Austin Peay may not play great defense, but if they get a favorable seeding in the NCAA Tournament their offense could be enough to get them into the second round. |
 | #3Siena Saints22-10 | The Siena Saints weren't my pick to come out of the MAAC Tournament when it first started because I honestly thought that Rider was the better team. However, the Saints put it on the Broncs 74-53 and clearly showed that they were the team playing the best ball at the end of the season. Like most small schools, Siena got their chance against some larger programs earlier in the season. The Saints were hammered 102-58 by the Memphis Tigers and barely lost at Syracuse 97-89. However, Siena got had their most impressive win back on November 17th when they beat Standford 79-76. The Saints have three players that average more than 15 ppg, and as a team they average 76.8 ppg. There's no doubt that this club has the ability to score with the upper echelon teams, but the key to their success will be staying under control and taking good shots. |
 | #2Western KentuckyHilltoppers27-6 | The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers have shown throughout the season that they can score plenty of points and compete at the highest level. Plus, the Hilltoppers have one of the best scorers in the nation in Courtney Lee (20.4 ppg.). Lee's not the only threat on this Western Kentucky team. Guard Tyrone Brazelton chips in with 13.3 ppg on the average to make for a pretty solid tandem. Two past game results from this season has to have this squad entering the NCAA Tournament with all kinds of confidence. Earlier this year, WKU lost 74-71 at Gonzaga and 88-82 against Tennessee. Obviously, there's little worry for this team at the offensive end, seeing as they average 76.8 ppg throughout the season. A solid team makeup combined with a standout performer like Lee is bound to cause some problems for whoever they get in the first round of the dance. |
| #1Davidson Wildcats
| Davidson is our #1 cinderella pick right now. I thought about not selecting the Wildcats simply because I believe that they'll end up getting about an 8 seed and that's not much of a surprise if they happen to win their opening round game. However, when I thought about it more it was clear that I had to pick them at #1 because this is a team definitely has the ability to beat any number one seed that they would face in the second round. Plus, I know that most of you out there simply haven't heard of this small school. Davidson has already played and lost to North Carolina (72-68), Duke (79-73), and UCLA (75-63). Despite losing all three games, the Wildcats outscored each one of these massive opponents in at least one half of play. What makes this Davidson bunch so dangerous is not only the fact that they're extremely fundamentally sound, but they also have maybe the best scorer in the nation in sophomore Stephen Curry. Why should the name Curry ring a bell? Well, Stephen's son and former NBA three-point specialist Dell Curry is his dad. The 6'3 Stephen Curry averages 25.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 2.8 apg. It may appear that Curry is the only weapon on the team, but guard Jason Richards almost averages scoring 13 ppg. as well. What makes this team even more dangerous is the 22-game winning streak that they're currently riding. If you're able to bring an All-American talent, a well-coached fundamentally sound team, as well as a 22-game winning streak into any arena you're going to be a major threat to somebody. |
