As March Madness arises, underdogs are working behind the scenes to make history and upset the higher seeds.
Underdogs have been upsetting the top seeds for decades now, so be ready for an upset from these lower seeds.
The Drake Bulldogs are coached by Ben Mcollum, who won D-II national championships at Northwest Missouri State. With the help of three key players from his old squad, they have been killing it at Drake.
According to the Athletic, “The Bulldogs are 27-3, including 17-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference, the top mark in the league”.
Looking at the Bulldogs, Drake fits the perfect description of an epic underdog.
That’s not the only team to look out for; the Utah Aggies are coming for the title.
The Aggies’ roster can definitely knock over the top seeds when looking at their stats.
According to the Athletic, “Led by the backcourt of Ian Martinez (17 points per game) and Mason Falslev (14.6 ppg, 6.1 rebounds per game, 3.7 assists per game), the Aggies rank 16th in the nation in offensive efficiency.”
The Aggies can definitely tear up the competition and have a good chance of winning the March Madness Tournament.
But they aren’t just an offense team, they play really efficient defense.
According to the Athletic, “The Aggies force turnovers on more than 20 percent of opponents’ possessions. A good number of those are live-ball turnovers, as their 12.5 percent steal rate ranks 29th in the country.”
This team poses a threat to their opponents, but this isn’t the only team that does.
The UC San Diego Tritons are coached by Eric Olen, and Olen has brought his old teammates to lead this team into the March Madness tournament.
According to the Athletic, “Scouring his old stomping grounds across the country, he brought key players to UC San Diego from smaller programs as far-flung as Azusa, Hawai’i-Hilo and Lynn”.
Coach Olen has brought this team up and has gone from 10 wins to 21 to 26 (and counting) since the 2023 season.
This team is very good, but the VCU Rams are coming for the championship.
The VCU Rams excel in making extra possessions to score the ball.
The Rams aren’t just an offensive team, they are also a defensive team as well.
According to the Athletic, “The Rams rank 25th in the nation in forcing turnovers (21.1 percent) and grab offensive rebounds on 36.5 percent of their missed shots. They add to their variance by taking tons of 3s (47 percent of field-goal attempts, 27th in the nation) while limiting opponents’ long-range shots (35 percent)”.
This team is stacked and can definitely make a run in the March Madness Tournament.
Although these teams are considered underdogs, they can definitely make history and upset the top seeds.
