Joshua Caudill is a writer for CraveOnline Sports, a surfing enthusiast, an unhealthy college basketball fanatic, and an expert on all things Patrick Swayze. You can follow him on Twitter @JoshuaCaudill85 or "like"CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
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March Madness Underdogs
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Wichita State
How can a 34-0 one seed be considered an underdog? Easy. No one respects them. They're not getting any love due to their easy schedule and many are picking Louisville to put them out early.
Why should you root for them?
This isn't too difficult to understand. 40-0 has never been done before. NEVER! No one has finished undefeated in the modern era of college basketball because its almost impossible to do it. We haven't seen an undefeated champion since 1976 Indiana when there were only 32 teams in the dance. Root for the Shockers because we will probably never get a chance to see a team go 40-0. Believe in the impossible and enjoy witnessing it.
Besides, do you want to see all of those other big time programs add another championship trophy to their case or would you want to see this little school grab their first?
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Eastern Kentucky
The Colonels are making their first tournament appearance since 2007 and they're still winless at the 'Big Dance.' The OVC champions received a 15 seed and were matched up against 2-seed Kansas in their first game so everyone is expecting that streak to continue. But know this, folks...the Colonels might just be the next 15th seed to beat a 2 seed. Kansas is without Joel Embiid and that's a killer. EKU ranks 11th in the nation in field goal percentage and 24th in three-point shooting. That's a talented offense, but they also rank 6th nationally in steals. I'm just saying. Don't be surprised.
Why should you root for them?
Because Eastern Kentucky has never won a single NCAA tournament game and to finally win one at the hands of Kansas would be about as big of an upset as you can get. Plus, have you seen the dunks EKU's Marcus Lewis can do?
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Mercer
Mercer handled last year's favorite Cinderella, Florida Gulf Coast, in their conference tournament. They may just pick-up where FGCU left off and shock the world. They take on ESPN's favorite program, Duke, in their first match-up so no one will give them a chance.
Why should you root for them?
Because they start five seniors. They're the opposite of the one and done model that college basketball currently suffers from. But the biggest reason you should root for them is because everyone hates Duke. Unless you went to school there or work for ESPN, you gotta hate them --whether it's the flopping, the biased officiating in their favor, the NCAA's refusal to punish them for their violations, or if you're just sick to death of Dick Vitale never shutting up about them...you gotta hate the Dukies. Mercer might just give us another 2012 Lehigh moment to celebrate.
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Stephen F. Austin
The Lumberjacks are riding a 28-game winning streak and are the epitome of a smart basketball team. Their style is an ode to basketball purists.
Why should you root for them?
For a number of reasons, really. The amount of Stone Cold Steve Austin jokes will be priceless. If they go far enough, he may even do an appearance on CBS. The man did Nash Bridges back in the day so I'm sure he still has connections at the network. But in all seriousness, the Lumberjacks could be fun to root for on their way to a Sweet 16 run. They don't have any stars so it would be awesome to see them knock off VCU, UCLA, and get a chance at Florida.
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North Dakota State
The Bison rank first in the country in field goal percentage. North Dakota State fits the bill of being the yearly 12 seed that knocks off a 5 seed.
Why should you root for them?
Where do we begin? For starters, they have Taylor Braun, a senior prolific scorer who might be the best player you haven't heard of. They're from Fargo, man. FARGO! You've seen that movie. Everyone should be a fan. Plus, these guys are farm strong. There is a good chance that these guys have wrestled a moose before basketball practice. If you can't appreciate that then I don't know what to tell you. There is no hope for you.
