March Madness is in full swing and the NCAA Tournament is fast approaching! Selection Sunday is less than a week away and we’ll be filling out brackets before you know it.

Before the Tournament field is finalized, though, we need to start focusing on all the relevant teams from around the country. Let’s take a deep dive into some of the darkhorse teams that could make an under-the-radar run to the Sweet 16 or Final Four this year. 

If you missed it, check out the breakdown of college basketball's top contenders or the biggest upset candidates. Stay tuned for more previews on dark-horse teams and mid-major teams to know. Plus, an in-depth March Madness cheat sheet will be available to download the Monday right after Selection Sunday. It’ll include full breakdowns of all 68 teams officially in the bracket. 

The records, rankings, stats, odds, and projected seeds are all as of March 7th. Also, the odds to win are via the DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing.  

Don't live in a state where you can legally bet? No worries as Fantasy Alarm is partners with and has some incredible deals with some of the top websites for prop betting and parlay contests. Click here to check out all of our offers!

 

 

 

 

  • Projected Seed: 4
  • Record: 24-4 overall; 14-3 in Big East
  • Rankings: 26th in NET; 36th in KenPom; 31st in BPI
  • Odds: 70/1 to win title; 17/1 to make Final Four
  • Notable Wins: Texas Tech, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Seton Hall
  • Notable Losses: Villanova (twice), Marquette
  • Key Players: Nate Watson (senior center); Jared Bynum (junior point guard); Al Durham (senior wing); AJ Reeves (senior wing)
  • Head Coach: Ed Cooley (11th season)
  • Last Tournament Appearance: 2018 – 1st Round loss to Texas A&M as No. 10 seed

Despite being picked to finish seventh in the Big East preseason rankings, Providence surprised everyone with an outright regular-season conference title this season. Ed Cooley has arguably the best team in program history, with this the first-ever Big East crown for the Friars since being an inaugural member in 1979. People may knock them for losing both meetings with Villanova, but the Friars have proven they can beat top teams from other conferences (Wisconsin and Texas Tech). There’s senior leadership up-and-down the roster, Nate Watson being a beast in the paint, and Jared Bynum emerging as one of the Big East’s best point guards. Providence quietly stacked up wins all season long and will be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament. 

 

 

 

  • Projected Seed: 4 or 5 
  • Record: 24-7 overall; 13-5 in SEC
  • Rankings: 20th in NET; 19th in KenPom; 19th in BPI
  • Odds: 50/1 to win title; 12/1 to make Final Four
  • Notable Wins: Kentucky, Auburn, Tennessee, LSU (twice)
  • Notable Losses: Alabama, Tennessee
  • Key Players: JD Notae (senior guard); Jaylin Williams (sophomore center), Au’Diese Toney (senior wing); Stanley Umede (senior wing)
  • Head Coach: Eric Musselman (3rd season)
  • Last Tournament Appearance: 2021 – Elite Eight loss to Baylor as No. 3 seed

Back on January 8th, Arkansas had just lost five of its last six games and started 0-3 against SEC competition. The Razorbacks have since been red-hot with a 14-2 record over the past 16 contests, including impressive wins over Kentucky, Auburn and Tennessee. Even those two losses were by a combined five points to Alabama and Tennessee. This team will enter the NCAA bracket feeling confident it can compete with anyone in the country, and a deep run in the SEC league tournament would be a good sign of things to come. JD Notae is one of the best pure scorers in the country while Jaylin Williams is among the country’s top defensive big men. Eric Musselman’s squad also features plenty of veteran transfers with the competitive experience needed to pull off a string of March victories. 
 

 

 

  • Projected Seed: 2 or 3
  • Record: 24-6 overall; 15-5 in Big Ten
  • Rankings: 21st in NET; 30th in KenPom; 27th in BPI
  • Odds: 50/1 to win title; 12/1 to make Final Four
  • Notable Wins: Houston, Purdue (twice), Iowa, Ohio State, Saint Mary’s, Marquette
  • Notable Losses: Illinois, Ohio State, Providence
  • Key Players: Johnny Davis (sophomore wing); Brad Davison (senior guard); Tyler Wahl (junior forward)
  • Head Coach: Greg Gard (7th season)
  • Last Tournament Appearance: 2021 – 2nd Round loss to Baylor as No. 9 seed

Anchored by the breakout season for Johnny Davis, the Badgers earned a share of the Big Ten regular season title and are looking like a real national championship contender. It’s been a surprising run for a Wisconsin squad that was picked to finish in the bottom-half of the conference back in November. However, not many people saw Davis becoming an All-American caliber player who’s quickly risen up NBA Draft big boards. He’s the type of scorer and playmaker that can carry the Badgers deep into the bracket, much like Kemba Walker did for UConn years ago. The biggest worry, though, is if Wisconsin’s supporting cast can do its part when opposing defenses focus on shutting down Davis. 

 

Are you looking to bet on your favorite school for the 2022 conference tournaments and NCAA Tournament? Check out the Pickswise College Basketball Picks Page before you make your final decisions.

 


 

 

 

  • Projected Seed: 5 
  • Record: 19-12 overall; 9-9 in SEC
  • Rankings: 17th in NET; 22nd in KenPom; 20th in BPI
  • Odds: 60/1 to win title; 12/1 to make Final Four
  • Notable Wins: Gonzaga, Baylor, Tennessee, Arkansas, Houston, LSU
  • Notable Losses: Auburn (twice), Kentucky (twice), Memphis, LSU
  • Key Players: Jaden Shackelford (junior guard); Jahvon Quinerly (junior guard); JD Davison (freshman guard); Keon Ellis (senior wing)
  • Head Coach: Nate Oats (3rd season)
  • Last Tournament Appearance: 2021 – Sweet 16 loss to UCLA as No. 2 seed

Alabama has one of the weirdest Tournament resumes in college basketball this year, and it’s anyone’s guess as to how far it can go. The Crimson Tide boast impressive wins over top-tier squads like Gonzaga, Baylor, Tennessee, Houston and Arkansas. Their fast-paced, high-scoring offense forces opposing teams to keep up and that’s a tall task when the Tide shooters are hot from three-point range. Even still, ‘Bama has suffered some ugly losses to Missouri, Georgia and Iona and have come up short twice against both Auburn and Kentucky. An inconsistent defense is usually what costs Alabama in close-game scenarios when its own scoring can’t get the job done. The top-20 offense, though, makes this a dangerous matchup for anyone in the bracket.  


 

 

 

  • Projected Seed: 5 
  • Record: 21-10 overall; 10-8 in Big 12
  • Rankings: 17th in NET; 15th in KenPom; 17th in BPI
  • Odds: 60/1 to win title; 15/1 to make Final Four
  • Notable Wins: Kansas, Tennessee, TCU (twice)
  • Notable Losses: Gonzaga, Kansas, Baylor (twice), Texas Tech (twice), Seton Hall
  • Key Players: Timmy Allen (senior forward); Marcus Carr (senior guard); Courtney Ramey (senior guard); Andrew Jones (senior guard)
  • Head Coach: Chris Beard (1st season)
  • Last Tournament Appearance: 2021 – 1st Round loss to Abilene Christian as No. 3 seed

A year ago in the Tournament, Texas suffered an embarrassing upset to Abilene Christian in the first round and then parted ways with head coach Shaka Smart not long after. Now Chris Bead is in town and he’s hoping to bring the Longhorns back to national relevancy. Courtney Ramey and Andrew Jones are the main holdovers from last year’s squad, but Beard has rebuilt the roster via some key transfers like Marcus Carr, Timmy Allen and Christian Bishop. There’s no denying the Longhorns’ overall collection of talent that rivals any team in the country while boasting a top-20 defense. It’s a bit worrisome, though, that Beard’s guys have struggled to play consistently and only claim one win over the other top teams in the Big 12 – going 1-5 against Kansas, Baylor and Texas Tech this season. 

 

 

 

  • Projected Seed: 5 or 6
  • Record: 22-8 overall; 13-6 in Big East
  • Rankings: 18th in NET; 20th in KenPom; 18th in BPI
  • Odds: 70/1 to win title; 12/1 to make Final Four
  • Notable Wins: Auburn, Villanova, Marquette, Seton Hall
  • Notable Losses: Villanova, Providence, Seton Hall, Michigan State
  • Key Players: RJ Cole (senior guard); Adama Sanogo (sophomore center); Tyrese Martin (senior wing)
  • Head Coach: Dan Hurley (4th season)
  • Last Tournament Appearance: 2021 – 1st Round loss to Maryland as No. 7 seed

UConn played in the collective shadow of Villanova and Providence in the Big East, but this team has the talent and roster make-up to reel off a few wins or more in the NCAA Tournament. Led by fifth-year senior point guard RJ Cole and one of the country’s best centers in Adama Sanogo, the Huskies have a good balance of top 40 offensive and defensive efficiencies. An early-season win over Auburn shows Dan Hurley and Co. can compete with other top teams in the country as well. Connecticut likely has a bad taste in its mouth from last year’s first-round exit, and the motivation should be there to go further this time around. 

 

 

 

  • Projected Seed: 7
  • Record: 25-6 overall; 14-6 in Pac-12
  • Rankings: 34th in NET; 40th in KenPom; 37th in BPI
  • Odds: 100/1 to win title; 18/1 to make Final Four
  • Notable Wins: UCLA, San Diego State 
  • Notable Losses: Arizona (twice), UCLA
  • Key Players: Isaiah Mobley (junior center); Drew Peterson (senior wing); Boogie Ellis (junior guard)
  • Head Coach: Andy Enfield (9th season)
  • Last Tournament Appearance: 2021 – Elite Eight loss to Gonzaga as No. 6 seed

Despite losing Evan Mobley from last year’s Elite Eight squad, the Trojans have put together an impressive 25-win season with Evan’s brother taking on a bigger role. Big man Isaiah Mobley is a force inside and he’s a candidate for the Pac-12 Player of the Year. It’s not just him, though, as point-forward Drew Peterson is a nightly triple-double threat and Memphis transfer Boogie Ellis adds reliable ball-handling in the backcourt. The lack of good wins will hurt USC’s seeding in the bracket, but this team can make noise like it did a year ago. At least head coach Andy Enfield is no stranger to deep March runs, as he’s now reached the Sweet 16 with two different schools (Florida Gulf Coast in 2013 being the other). 

 

Don't live in a state where you can legally bet? No worries as Fantasy Alarm is partners with and have some incredible deals with some of the top web sites for prop betting and parlay contests. Click here to check out all of our offers!