Unranked Teams That Can Become 2019 March Madness Betting Picks

Unranked Teams That Can Become 2019 March Madness Betting Picks

Sure, while the likelihood is that one of the top national championship contenders will win this season’s national championship, the fact of the matter is that in today’s upset-laden times, just about any team, anywhere, is capable of making a surprisingly deep run in the national championship tournament – or maybe you’ve forgotten all about Loyola-Chicago’s stunning March madness run a year ago.

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With that said, this look at a handful of unranked national championship hopefuls that could become 2019 March Madness betting darlings will give you some fun-filled insight into several teams that could make surprising journeys through this year’s quickly-approaching national championship tournament.

Unranked Teams That Can Become 2019 March Madness Betting Picks

Temple (21-8)

The Owls might be in fourth place in the AAC standings behind nationally ranked Houston, Cincinnati and Central Florida, but I’m thinking Temple has the look of a team that could do some damage if they get into the national championship tournament. A win in their regular season finale against UCF could help their tournament cause, but this is a team that has recorded some decent wins over the likes of Missouri, Davidson, Wichita State and Houston. A March Madness surprise run wouldn’t be all that surprising if Temple gets in!

VCU (24-6)

Virginia Commonwealth is sitting atop the A-10 standings and they simply look dangerous to me. VCU has a so-so offense that averages a modest 71.4 points per game, but VCU is stupendous at the other end of the floor in limiting their opponents to just 61.1 points per game to rank ninth nationally in points allowed. VCU also ranks a fantastic sixth in field goal defense (38.2%) and a jaw-dropping second in defending the three-point shot (27.2%). If they can put some points on the board, the Rams could be a great pick for an upset or three come tourney time.

Wisconsin (20-9)

The Badgers might not be the best team in the Big Ten, but they did manage to beat Michigan once this season and they rank a stupendous 11th nationally in points allowed (61.6 ppg). Wisconsin has a legitimate star in forward Ethan Happ (17.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists) and the kind of defense they play means they could upset anyone if they get into the national championship tournament.

Maryland (21-9)

Maryland is another Big Ten ballclub that is flying under the radar but one that could potentially pull of at least an upset or two come tourney time – if they get in that is. Maryland has a rock-solid defense that limits the opposition to just 65.1 points per game (35th) and the Terps share the ball well, even though they don’t necessarily have a go-to scorer.

Buffalo (27-3)

The Bulls are sitting atop the MAC standings mostly because they have an offense that can score with any team in the nation (85.0 ppg, sixth). Sure, Buffalo doesn’t play any elite competition, but then again, neither did Loyola-Chicago last year and they made an incredible run to challenge for the national championship. Buffalo has three double-digit scorers and a real star in senior combo guard C.J. Massinburg (18.7 ppg).

Toledo (24-6)

While Buffalo is sitting atop the MAC East standings, Toledo is reigning in the MAC West right now. The Rockets are solid at both ends of the floor in averaging 77.8 points per game (61st) and allowing 68.0 points per contest defensively (). The Rockets have won eight of their last 10 games and rank inside the national Top 50 in three-point shooting, free throw shooting, and both, field goal and three-point defense.

Utah State (25-6)

While nationally-ranked Nevada (27-3) has garnered all of the national media attention in the Mountain West this season, Utah State is looking quite dangerous right now, particularly after beating the Wolf Pack 81-76 last weekend. Utah State ranks 43rd in scoring (79.1 ppg) and 57th in points allowed (66.8 ppg), not to mention, 40th in field goal shooting percentage and a stellar 13th in field goal defense (39.3%). Make no mistake about it, the Aggies have the look of a dangerous team that could become March Madness betting darlings.


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