NCAA tournament
Sleepers to watch
Five sleeper teams to consider as you fill out your NCAA tournament bracket.
Missouri: Michael Porter Jr.’s lateseason return makes the Tigers one of the most intriguing teams, but his unimpressive outing in the Southeastern Conference tourney — a loss to Georgia — likely will raise questions about their rhythm. Don’t listen to that noise. Porter was able to get some of the rust off in that first game back, and coach Cuonzo Martin has chip-on-their-shoulder players who had to prove themselves without their star freshman. Expect Missouri to make a surprise run.
Florida: Another SEC team, the Gators have a lot of nice ingredients, starting with a dynamic backcourt that can fill it up. Jalen Hudson (15.3 points per game), Egor Koulechov (13.6 ppg), KeVaughn Allen (11.3 ppg) and Chris Chiozza (11.2 ppg, 6.1 rebounds) give coach Mike White a four-guard offense that’ll be tough to stop. Florida had an unexpected SEC tournament exit to Arkansas but before that had statement wins vs. Auburn and Kentucky. Look for UF to outplay its seeding line and perhaps replicate last year’s Elite Eight finish.
Texas Tech: A Big 12 tournament loss to West Virginia in the semifinals and a late-season rough patch — dropping five of seven — might tell a misleading story about the Red Raiders and disguise the potential of a sleeping giant poised for a deep run. Texas Tech is just getting fully healthy and will surely benefit from being battle-tested in the country’s toughest conference. Whichever team draws Texas Tech will be getting a defensively sound opponent. Chris Beard’s group ranks in the top 20 nationally in points allowed (under 65 per game) and field goal percentage defense (40%). Keenan Evans serves as the key, averaging 17.5 points.
Seton Hall: The Pirates, a preseason top 15 team, underachieved for most of 2017-18. No matter. They still have all the dimensions to go on a deep run. This is a veteran group led by great guard play (the three-headed monster of Desi Rodriguez, Myles Powell and Khadeen Carrington) and a double-double machine in Angel Delgado. Seton Hall has started to hit its stride late, and nailbiting losses to Villanova and Butler conceal how much this squad is surging.
Houston: Overshadowed by Cincinnati and Wichita State, potential Final Four teams, the Cougars maybe didn’t get the love they deserved in building a solid all-around tournament profile and finishing tied for second in the American Athletic Conference. Houston has beaten the Bearcats and Shockers and can easily play spoiler against a similarly tough (and better-seeded) opponent. Coach Kelvin Sampson has a veteran group, fueled by Rob Gray (18.1 points and 4.7 assists per game), that uses a deep bench and plays with grit, keys for teams that fare well in March.