2015 Sweet 16 Expert Predictions: Top National Title Sleepers in the Sweet 16

2015 Sweet 16 Expert Predictions: Top National Title Sleepers in the Sweet 16: The first weekend of the 2015 NCAA tournament bracket has come and gone, and if your pre-tournament dark horse picks to win the national title have already been eliminated, you can always hit the reset button before the Sweet 16 begins Thursday. Granted, you won’t be able to land as great of odds as you could before the start of March Madness, but there are still some quality teams getting longer odds that are worth taking a chance on. With that in mind, here is a closer look at three teams that could make a run at the national title and deliver you a big payoff in the process.

Louisville Cardinals (25/1): The East Region of the NCAA Tournament Bracket has certainly opened up a bit with top-seeded Villanova and second-seeded Virginia going down. No team remaining in the region has an overwhelming offense, and if there is one thing the Cardinals can do, it is win low-scoring, defensive battles. After all, Louisville ranks 16th in the country in points allowed and sixth overall in defensive efficiency. Meanwhile, the Cardinals do have the trio of Terry Rozier, Wayne Blackshear and Montrezl Harrell so they aren’t completely without weapons on the offensive end. Throw in the Rick Pitino factor, and there is no team remaining in their region that Louisville can’t beat. Plus, the Cardinals took Kentucky to the wire earlier in the year before falling 58-50, but even in the loss, Louisville’s ability to keep any game against any opponent close was evident. Defense always travels, and the Cardinals could ride their elite defense to a surprise national title.

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North Carolina Tar Heels (33/1): The road to a national title certainly wouldn’t be easy. In fact, there is a very real possibility that the Tar Heels would have to go through Wisconsin, Arizona and Kentucky just to reach the title game. However, North Carolina is on par with all those teams in terms of overall talent and athleticism, but up until now, the Tar Heels have been unable to consistently play up to their potential. The good news for Roy Williams’ bunch that it doesn’t matter that they have failed to close out potential wins against top opponents all year as long as they get the job done over the next few games. Keep in mind that we are talking about a team that ranks 17th in scoring, 27th in field goal percentage and second in both rebounding and assists. The Tar Heels have a dynamic point guard in Marcus Paige, a freakish athlete on the wing in Justin Jackson and size to spare in the frontcourt with Brice Johnson, Kennedy Meeks and J.P. Tokoto. Sure, they could lay an egg at any moment, but at their best, the Tar Heels have a roster capable of winning a national title.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (33/1): Although they have landed in the unfortunate Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament Bracket with top-seeded Kentucky, the Fighting Irish can do one thing that not many teams in the country can do – score the basketball efficiently. Led by the backcourt duo of Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton, Notre Dame ranks 12th in the country in points per game and second in field goal percentage. The Fighting Irish also have four players averaging more than 12.0 points per game and five players that can beat opponents from beyond the arc. During the regular season, Notre Dame’s victims included Michigan State, North Carolina State, Duke, North Carolina and Louisville, and all five teams happen to be playing in the Sweet 16. When they are rolling offensively, this team can out-gun any team out there. They have a puncher’s chance in any matchup.