Every March there are always a few teams that peak at the right time and destroy the brackets of even the most well-informed college basketball fans.
When you consider that the current college basketball season has been as unpredictable as any in recent memory, this year's tournament doesn't figure to be any different.
Last year it was teams like Butler, Northern Iowa, Cornell and Saint Mary's that flew under the radar for most of the season and pulled off some of the biggest upsets come tourney time.
And while the general perception of the teams that are likely to ruin your bracket are that they come from small conferences, have weird mascots and feature players you've never heard of, there's also room for underachieving big-time programs to do the same.
Just last season, it didn't seem like Tennessee or Michigan State were destined to do much in the tournament.
The Spartans entered the dance as a five seed after dropping five of their last 10 games leading up to the tournament and it appeared that this team was slumping at the wrong time.
Tennessee drew a six seed in the same region as Michigan State after the Volunteers endured a 29-point drubbing at the hands of Kentucky in the SEC Conference Tournament. And they still seemed to be carrying around some baggage from the New Year's Day arrests and subsequent suspensions to some of their most important players.
However, both teams put their issues behind them and won three games in the tournament before meeting in the Elite 8. The point is: extremely talented teams that have gone through a few rough patches over the course of a season can still make waves in March if they're playing up to their potential.
As things stand right now, there are no shortage of teams from smaller conferences vying to be this year's Cinderella or of power programs that seem to be on the verge of putting it all together.
So take notice of these 12 teams that have the potential to shake up your bracket should they make it into the tournament.
When you consider that the current college basketball season has been as unpredictable as any in recent memory, this year's tournament doesn't figure to be any different.
Last year it was teams like Butler, Northern Iowa, Cornell and Saint Mary's that flew under the radar for most of the season and pulled off some of the biggest upsets come tourney time.
And while the general perception of the teams that are likely to ruin your bracket are that they come from small conferences, have weird mascots and feature players you've never heard of, there's also room for underachieving big-time programs to do the same.
Just last season, it didn't seem like Tennessee or Michigan State were destined to do much in the tournament.
The Spartans entered the dance as a five seed after dropping five of their last 10 games leading up to the tournament and it appeared that this team was slumping at the wrong time.
Tennessee drew a six seed in the same region as Michigan State after the Volunteers endured a 29-point drubbing at the hands of Kentucky in the SEC Conference Tournament. And they still seemed to be carrying around some baggage from the New Year's Day arrests and subsequent suspensions to some of their most important players.
However, both teams put their issues behind them and won three games in the tournament before meeting in the Elite 8. The point is: extremely talented teams that have gone through a few rough patches over the course of a season can still make waves in March if they're playing up to their potential.
As things stand right now, there are no shortage of teams from smaller conferences vying to be this year's Cinderella or of power programs that seem to be on the verge of putting it all together.
So take notice of these 12 teams that have the potential to shake up your bracket should they make it into the tournament.
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