5 Cinderella Teams That Could Destroy Your NCAA Tournament Bracket

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March Madness is all about the Cinderella story. The giant killer that comes out of nowhere to take down a highly seeded school – and, in turn, completely ruins your meticulously put-together bracket. (Thanks for that little run in 2011, VCU! Really ruined a lot of dreams there.)

With that potential for disaster in mind, we figured it was a good idea to brush you up on this year’s crop of potential bracket busters. This year, teams like Akron, Middle Tennessee State, Bucknell, Boise St. and Valparaiso are expected to crash the dance and surprise the world of college hoops.

Here is a look at why each of these schools has what it takes to make some noise this March.

MTSU (28-4): Marcos Knight and the Blue Raiders took down Ole’ Miss earlier this season and have gone 19-1 in Sun Belt Conference play. If a team can take down Marshall Henderson & Co., they definitely can pull off an upset in the tournament. These guys should fetch a 12 or 13 seed.

Bucknell (27-5): Bison fans have a lot of hope for when it comes to their squad, and it all started with a win over Purdue and their close loss to then #12 Missouri. Bucknell has played spoilers in the past (against Kansas in 2005) and Senior Center Mike Muscala would love to lead the Bison to another upset win. Heading into the Patriot League tournament, Bucknell is expected to be a 13 seed in the tourney.

Boise St. (21-9): The Broncos, who barely lost to Michigan State earlier this season, are led by Anthony Drmic and Junior sharp shooter Jeff Elorriaga. If those two are on, Boise can hang with anyone they get matched up with in the 1st Round. Expect Coach Leon Rice’s team to draw a 10 or an 11 seed.

Valparaiso (25-7): Bryce Drew and his Crusaders took down Murray St. and the Boilermakers earlier this season. Many think that Valpo’s hopes rest on the play of Australian born Forward Ryan Broekhoff and his 43% 3-Point shooting. But Crusader fans are okay with that and think he gives them a chance as a 14 seed to bust some brackets.

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