March Madness teams that are overlooked, underrated and ignored

OK, March Madness mavens, you college hoops fanatics.

It’s about time to get your NCAA Tournament picks in.

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Final answers only, and it should be one and done. As in, each person is allowed only one entry per pool, contest, challenge, etc. That’s it. I’ve had enough of people submitting six or 16 brackets. Because then, you’ve become the human equivalent of NIL money and are simply trying to buy a title.

Whatever.

The first steps in the Big Dance toward a hopeful Final Four appearance have already been taken.

There are two more games today (Wednesday, March 18), but most hoops dreamers will wait until late tonight or into early morning before finalizing their bracket. Remember, though, the first game tips off at 12:15 p.m. ET/9:15 a.m.

There have been analysts and experts all over the web offering their unsolicited advice on how to spot this year’s sleepers, surprises, and possible Cinderellas.

Which means nearly all 64 teams have been thoroughly examined and written about.

But what about the ones hardly mentioned? There are just a few of those squads, but let’s look at four of them, one from each region, that could make a bit of noise and wake people up.

Cal Baptist (East Region, No. 13 seed, KenPom: 107, Barttorvik: 96)

Dec 6, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; California Baptist Lancers guard Dominique Daniels Jr. (1) drives to the basket against Utah Utes forward Josh Hayes (7) during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Player to watch: Dominique Daniels Jr., G, Senior

First-round opponent: No. 4 Kansas

Daniels Jr. is a short (listed at 5-foot-10), tough kid from Compton, Calif.

Check out this dude’s highlights and tell me the quick, savvy senior guard isn’t capable of leading the Lancers to an upset over the Jayhawks.

There’s magic to his game, but he’ll need to be Houdini to escape the suffocating defense Kansas will show him.

Troy (South Region, No. 14 seed, KenPom: 143, Barttorvik: 142)

Trojans Thomas Dowd (1) is handed the trophy following their 77-61 victory over the Eagles during the Georgia Southern vs Troy men’s Sun Belt Conference Championship basketball game at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida on March 9, 2026.

Player to watch: Thomas Dowd, F, Junior

First-round opponent: No. 3 Nebraska

Everyone’s talking about the 26-6 Cornhuskers who have had their best basketball season in program history.

However, Nebraska is winless (0-8) in its NCAA Tournament history. It’s part of the reason the ‘Huskers are only 13-point favorites.

Meanwhile, while Troy’s metrics are, um, not good, the Trojans work hard and are a solid-passing, balanced-scoring squad. As ESPN’s Jay Bilas wrote: “The Trojans won at San Diego State (this season) and lost in triple overtime at USC. Troy can play.”

Troy also has the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year in Scott Cross and a first-team all-conference forward in Thomas Dowd.

St. Louis (Midwest Region, No. 9 seed, KenPom: 41, Barttorvik: 45)

Mar 14, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Saint Louis Billikens center Robbie Avila (21) drives to the basket between Dayton Flyers guard Bryce Heard (10) and forward Jaiun Simon (3) during the first half in an Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Semifinal game at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Player to watch: Robbie Avila, C, Senior

First-round opponent: No. 8 Georgia

Saint Louis began the season 20-1, but they’ve gone just 4-4 in their past eight games. Limping a bit into the Big Dance is never a good thing.

Further, Georgia is the superior team athletically and a great scoring team.

But what the Bulldogs don’t have is Robbie Avila, the Athletic 10 Player of the Year.

The 6-10 versatile big man is great and has even better nicknames: “College Jokic,” Cream Abdul-Jabbar,” Larry Nerd,” and “Milk Chamberlain.” Avila will be very popular with those new to March Madness, just like he was at Indiana State before transferring.

He’ll be the difference in a typically tight, 8 vs. 9 coin-flip game.

High Point (West Region, No. 12 seed, KenPom: 92, Barttorvik: 92)

Mar 20, 2025; Providence, RI, USA; High Point Panthers forward Terry Anderson (0) shoots the ball against Purdue Boilermakers guard Myles Colvin (5) during the first half at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Player to watch: Terry Anderson, F, Senior

First-round opponent: No. 5 Wisconsin

The Badgers are receiving the bulk of attention after nearly knocking off Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.

Wisconsin is almost always good for one win in the NCAA Tournament. The Badgers have been upset in the first round just three times since 2013. But, they were all to No. 12 seeds.

Hello, High Point.

The very high-scoring Panthers gave Purdue fits in last year’s Big Dance, and they’ll do the same against Wisconsin if their 3-pointers are falling.

More solid High Point stats: The Panthers rank fifth in points per game (90), second in turnover margin (+7.1), and fourth in free-throw attempts (26.8).

This is an excellent underseeded team that no team wanted to play.

Conclusion

Mar 18, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard answers questions during a press conference before a practice session ahead of the first round of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

I believe all four of these lower-seeded teams will keep the scores within reason. No blowouts in my mind.

Of all of them, I like High Point to put a serious scare into Wisconsin — Badgers beware — and possibly pull off the classic No. 12 over No. 5 upset.

Since 1985, No. 12 seeds have had a 57-103 record (35.6%) (over No. 5 seeds, and at least one 12-seed has won in 33 of the last 39 tournaments.

Watch out, Wisconsin.

You’ve been warned.

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