Bracket buster: (noun brakit bu' ster) a collegiate basketball team that is not favored to go very far in the tournament. The bracket buster is normally a mid-major squad with a lower rank. Also known as your bracket’s worst nightmare.
A bracket-busting upset is bound to happen in the tournament and the Inside College Basketball crew is here to prepare you for the busting. Your bracket won’t be completely safe from bracket busters, but these tips should help guide you along the way.
WEST
Jon Rothstein
Notre Dame: Their guard play is great, and they have an underrated backcourt duo in Jerian Grant and Eric Atkins.
Alaa Abdelnaby
Wisconsin: They played very well in the Big Ten this year and made home a hard place to get a win for visitors. The Badgers also average 8.5 turnovers per game, so they don’t beat themselves and they have some talented pieces.
SOUTH
Steve Lappas
Oklahoma Sooners: They might have brought in some young players but his three best players are his upper classman Steven Pledger, Romero Osby and Amath M’Baye.
Alaa Abdelnaby
Florida: They now have a full lineup and are healthy again. Will Yeguete is the most important piece because Florida has a hard time rebounding with just Patric Young in there.
EAST
Jon Rothstein
Colorado: If they could beat Miami in the round of 32 they could have a chance. They have one of the best guards nationwide in Spencer Dinwiddie. They also have a lot of interchangeable parts and a great coach in Tad Boyle.
Coach Pete Gillen
Syracuse: This is a team that can do some damage. They have the talent to explode in the tournament.
Alaa Abdelnaby
NC State: At the beginning of the season they were picked to win the entire ACC by many people. Obviously that didn’t happen, but this team is built to play in short bursts. That could happen over the first 48 hours of the tournament.
MIDWEST
Jon Rothstein
Oregon: The Ducks can bust this bracket wide open. This is a nightmare first round game for Travis Ford and Oklahoma Sate.
Steve Lappis
St. Louis: They are a solid team and they never beat themselves. The Billikens make it hard for you to score inside the 3-point line. You’ll get contested jump shots and that’s it.
Coach Pete Gillen
Cincinnati: JaQuon Parker is a lock-down defender and is going to give Doug McDermott from Creighton some problems.
Which teams do you think will bust brackets wide open? Make your voice heard in the comment section below or on Twitter @Hoopsoncbs. You can also follow Adena Andrews on Twitter@adena_andrews.