After the 2023 NCAA Tournament resulted in San Diego State making the final and Florida Atlantic making the Final 4, it's natural to wonder which teams in this year's field of 68 could be poised to shock the nation and go on a similar run.
As you go about the process of filling out your bracket with the hopes of winning money off of your friends and family, take a deeper look at the Drake Bulldogs as a team with potential to pull off an upset or two and make an impressive run in the tourney.
Drake was a solid team all season long, but they weren't really on the radar to make the NCAA Tournament with Indiana State having such a strong season in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Usually a league that earns just one bid to the tournament, it was long assumed that Indiana State would take the automatic qualifying spot by winning the conference tournament.
That turned on its head two weeks ago, when a red-hot Drake team built up a huge lead and held off a furious rally to beat the Sycamores and take their spot in the bracket.
On Selection Sunday, Drake was assigned a 10-seed in their region and a matchup against 7-seed Washington State.
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NCAA Tournament Dark Horse: Drake Bulldogs
KenPom Ranking: 51
NET Ranking: 47
Best Wins: vs. Nevada, 3-0 vs. Bradley, two wins over Indiana State
Drake is back in the tournament, and they were a trendy pick to pull off an upset last year as a 12 against a 5, but they were lined up against a Miami team that made a surprising run all the way to the Final 4.
The draw against Washington State is a much friendlier one this year, and it could serve as a springboard to another possible upset for the Bulldogs.
Drake is a deadly team when it comes to shooting three-pointers, led by leading scorer Tucker DeVries (36.4 percent) and his running mate Atin Wright (41.2 percent).
As a team, Drake is 33rd in the country in three-point percentage, and they put them up at a high volume, which makes them a scary opponent in the setting where a long hot stretch from beyond the arc can end your season.
Both Drake and Washington State are good at taking care of the ball, ranking inside the top 100 in the country in lowest turnover rate, but Drake is a bit better in that regard.
Washington State has seen quality players and coaches in the PAC-12 during the season, but I'm not sure they're going to have a structural defensive answer for Tucker DeVries. The back-to-back MVC Player of the Year will be a massive X-factor in this game.
If Drake gets going from beyond the arc, the Cougars would also have a hard time going blow-for-blow with the Bulldogs in that regard, as they have just two reliable perimeter shooters.
Senior forward Isaac Jones will be the key for the Cougars avoiding the upset with his interior play, as his rebounding prowess could be an advantage over what Drake has an offer. Washington State will need him at the top of his game to avoid the upset.
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