Selection Sunday has come and gone, and whether you agree with it or not the NCAA Tournament field is set. With the field selected, many people will now go and fill out their brackets, so we are here to provide some help.
Each and every year there are some double-digit seeds that come out of nowhere and shock the world by making a deep tournament run. This season there doesn't seem to be too many obvious first-round upsets out there, but here are three double-digit seeds that have a chance to make a deep run in the tournament.
Wichita State
It was questionable if Wichita State would even make this year's field after losing in its conference tournament but it made it as the 43rd team in. The Shockers will be in one of the first four games and take on an extremely talented Vanderbilt team, but if they can get by them, they could be a real threat to go deep.
Wichita State is a senior-laden team that has been in the tournament and had success there before. A big reason why it struggled earlier this season was because its star point guard Fred VanVleet was out with an injury. The Shockers missed opportunities for big-time wins due to the absence of VanVleet, but since they have gotten everyone healthy they have played great basketball. The Shockers' road won't be easy because they are looking at a matchup with Arizona. They should they beat Vanderbilt, and it is tough to bet against this team that has surprised everyone so many times in the past.
Northern Iowa
The team that had Wichita State sweating it out on Selection Sunday is Northern Iowa, who beat the Shockers in the Missouri Valley tournament. The Panthers did only finish fourth in the MVC this season and had a stretch in which they struggled big time, but they showed throughout this season that they can be giant killers. The Panthers picked up wins over North Carolina and Iowa State in the regular season, and won 12 of their last 13 games leading up to the NCAA tournament, so they are hot.
Northern Iowa's record may not scare teams, but some of the wins they have picked up (also including two over Wichita State) should. Northern Iowa takes on a good Texas team in the first round, but they have a real chance to win that game and more. Keep your eyes on this team.
Iona
One of the bigger stories coming out of Selection Sunday was the fact that Monmouth did not get an at-large bid out of the MAAC. The reason being? The Iona Gaels. Iona is a team that beat Monmouth twice this season, including in the MAAC championship game. It has a legitimate star in A.J. English and it can keep up scoring with the best teams in the nation.
The Gaels first-round matchup against Iowa State is one of similar styles as both teams like to get up and down the floor. Iowa State has been prone to upsets in the tournament in recent years, though and it could happen again this year. The Gaels got off to a very slow start this season due to some injuries, but they ended the season very strong, winning 12 of their last 13 games. They are coming in hot and are a very dangerous opponent for the Cyclones in round one, and possibly for Purdue in round two.
