6 Colleges You've Never Heard Of That Might Make The NCAA Tournament

By Shane Transue on March 9, 2016

It’s that time of year again! Yes, March Madness is almost upon us. A time where fans of college basketball gear up to fill out their 68 team bracket.

Many people join in on the fun and fill out their own brackets. Some fans simply make their picks by the college’s name or jersey design and others analyze every aspect of every team. No method more effective than the other.

Both methods, however, are subject to bracket busters. Yes those teams that no one has heard of. The Cinderella teams that often come from conferences outside of the power five and dare to dance with teams deemed out of their league.

These are the teams that ruin otherwise perfect brackets, defy gambling odds making those who bet on them very happy, and the teams that can ruin a championship run for a highly favored team.

So who might be the bracket busters of 2016?

Here are six teams that might make the Madness of 2016 you probably never heard of:

Jameel Warney goes for a lay up over a defender.
(Picture Via: http://www.sbstatesman.com/category/sports/)

1. Stony Brook

Hailing from New York and representing Division I in the American East conference, the Stony Brook Seawolves have never made it to the NCAA tournament. Each of the last three seasons the Seawolves have been knocked off in their conference tournament by Albany.

Led by the American East’s 2016 coach of the year Steve Pikiell, Stony Brook is projected to win their conference and earn their bid to the NCAA tournament. Jameel Warney leads the team in most stats and has put up tremendous numbers in his time at Stony Brook. Only one player has had 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 250 blocks, 200 assists and 100 steals over the last 19 seasons in college basketball.

That player is Jameel Warney.

Could this be the year Stony Brook finally punches their ticket?

Picture via: https://twitter.com/ipfwbasketball

2. IPFW

Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne is located in Fort Wayne Indiana and represents the Summit League conference. The IPFW Mastodons are the current favorites to earn the Summit League’s bid to the dance. If they were to punch their ticket it would be their first appearance in college basketball’s biggest tournament.

Photo Via: http://news.hofstra.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/sports_mbb_teamphoto1111.jpg

3. Hofstra

The Hofstra Pride of Long Island, New York, may be a little more well-known thanks to their four previous NCAA Division I tournament appearances, the latest coming in 2001 where they were defeated in the first round by UCLA. The Pride are the current favorites to earn a tournament bid from the CAA conference.

sportschatplace.com

4. Wagner

Out of Staten Island, New York, Wagner sounds like a college you would think you have heard of. Maybe you have, but chances are you have not. Playing in the Northeast conference, the Wagner Seahawks have made the Division I tournament only one time, in 2003 where they lost to Pittsburgh in the round of 64. They are the favorites to win their conference tournament and earn their second trip to the show.

Picture Via: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8c/Hampton_Pirates_Athletics_Logo.gif

5. Hampton

Like Wagner, Hampton sounds like a school you may find familiar because of their appearance in the 2015 NCAA tournament, but this small school with a little over 4,000 students flies under the radar in Hampton, Virginia.

With five appearances and two tournament wins since 2001, the Hampton Pirates are seasoned in the practices of being an underdog. After losing to No. 1 seed Kentucky last year, the Pirates will look for a deeper run in the tournament.

Streeter Lecka / Getty Images

6. Lehigh

Lehigh, at one point, was virtually unknown. But, after they pulled off an upset over the No. 2 ranked team in the Duke Blue Devils in 2012 they dominated sports news. Representing the Patriot League out of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Mountain Hawks have not been to the dance since their departure in the round of 32 in the 2012 tournament.

 Can Lehigh pull off another bracket buster upset in 2016?   

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