2014 March Madness Picks & Predictions: Top Sleeper for Each Region

2014 March Madness Picks & Predictions: Top Sleeper for Each Region: When it comes to picking a national champion for the 2014 NCAA tournament, history says that sticking with teams seeded fourth or higher is the way to go. However, the Final Four is a different story. Lower seeds have been crashing the party on a regular basis lately. George Mason, Butler, VCU and Wichita State are just a few of the Cinderella stories that have cut down the nets and reached Final Four since 2006. With that in mind, it probably isn’t a bad idea to bet on at least one lower seed reaching Arlington this year, and here is a closer look at one dark horse from each region that could get the job done.

South Region: New Mexico Lobos (12/1)

The Lobos are the No. 7 seed in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament Bracket, but they head into the Big Dance on a 15-2 stretch and fresh off a Mountain West tournament title. Meanwhile, New Mexico fared well against tougher competition, losing to Kansas on a neutral site but beating Cincinnati at home and winning two of three meetings with San Diego State. The Lobos also have all the ingredients to make a run in the March. Senior point guard Kendall Williams provides experience and scoring in the backcourt, and Cameron Bairstow and Alex Kirk form one of the best frontcourt combos in the country, combining for 33.9 points, 16.1 rebounds and 4.2 blocks. With its size inside and Williams’ perimeter scoring, New Mexico has no trouble getting quality looks in a half-court setting. The Lobos are built to handle the slower pace that the NCAA tournament tends to create, and their road to the Final Four is somewhat manageable. After a second-round meeting with Stanford, New Mexico is looking at a likely matchup with a Kansas team that will be missing Joel Embiid and a meeting with a slumping Syracuse team. A year after being one of the biggest busts of the NCAA tournament, the Lobos could be one of the biggest surprises.

East Region: Cincinnati Bearcats (16/1)

Cincinnati is undersized and lacks perimeter scoring, but the Bearcats play with relentless intensity on the defensive end and are allowing the sixth-fewest points per game. They also have a go-to scorer in senior Sean Kilpatrick, who is averaging 20.7 points per game. Cincinnati’s path to the Final Four is far from a walk in the park with Michigan State, Virginia and Iowa State among the higher seeds in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament Bracket. However, their nasty defense is sure to give the fifth-seeded Bearcats a puncher’s chance in every game. After all, Cincinnati finished the year on a 20-4 tear with all four losses coming to opponents that finished the regular season ranked in the Top 25, including three by a combined nine points. Meanwhile, the Bearcats beat several tournament-bound teams during the year, including Nebraska, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Memphis and Connecticut. If Kilpatrick is dialed in offensively, Cincinnati’s defense can take care of the rest.

West Region: Baylor Bears (14/1)

They will be the No. 6 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament Bracket, and the Bears head into the tournament winners of six of their final seven games, reaching the finals of the Big 12 tournament in the process. Despite some rough patches throughout the season, the Bears are actually a fairly balanced basketball team, especially now that point guard Kenny Chery is playing well. Meanwhile, the physical Cory Jefferson and versatile Isaiah Austin form a formidable frontcourt combo, and Brady Heslip is an excellent perimeter shooter. Baylor’s depth isn’t great, but with higher seeds like Arizona, Wisconsin and San Diego State in their reason, the Bears don’t really have to worry about getting run off the court by a high-powered offense. Baylor definitely has some flaws, but they landed in a region with few teams that can expose their flaws.

Midwest Region: Kentucky Wildcats (12/1)

The Wildcats are the No. 8 seed in the loaded Midwest Region of the NCAA Bracket, and with Wichita State, Michigan, Duke and Louisville among the heavyweights lurking, it is going to take a team with some serious talent to get through to Arlington. Fortunately for Kentucky, the talent is there. Julius Randle is a force in the post, Willie Cauley-Stein is a defensive X-factor, James Young is a reliable perimeter scorer and the Harrison twins can be electric with the ball in their hands. Granted, chemistry has been a huge issue for the young Wildcats all year, but they played well in the SEC tournament, pushing the top-ranked Florida Gators to the limit in the title game before falling by just a point. If Kentucky can figure things out for just four games, a Final Four trip could be in the cards.

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