Every year at least one No. 12 seed upends a No. 5 seed, and the majority of bracket-pickers have caught on to this trend. The problem is that No. 5 seeds are often very talented squads that either dealt with adversity during the season, or just have one or two major flaws. This means that with the right matchups they can go pretty far.
Picking the right No. 12 seed is supremely satisfying, but picking the wrong one might be disastrous. Here are the four No. 12 seeds in the 2015 Big Dance, and which one will be the best pick.
Buffalo Bulls (23-9, 12-6 MAC)
The Bulls only have one senior on the roster, so leaning on veteran leadership won't be an overriding storyline with them. This team has a good offense-they ranked 28th in Division I with 75 points per game, and are spearheaded by two perimeter players averaging more than 15 points.
Junior forward Justin Moss is the straw that stirs the drink, averaging 17.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. His partner in crime is Shannon Evans, a sophomore guard who averages 15 points a game and is third on the team with a 37.5 percent mark from beyond the arc.
Defensively the Bulls don't stand out, but they crash the offensive boards well and are adept at getting to the free throw line.
The Bulls will face West Virginia on March 20 on TNT at 2:10 p.m.
Wofford Terriers (28-6, 16-2 Southern)
The Wofford Terriers relied on their defense this year to achieve a 16-2 mark within their conference. They allowed 59.8 points per game, a Top 30 mark in Division I.
Offensively, they spread the love. Senior guard Karl Cochran paces them with 14.6 points, but only two other players crack double-digits on a nightly basis. The Terriers also are not very deep; only seven players get major minutes, so surviving so many battles in a short span this March may be tough because of the defense they will need to play.
On the plus side, even though Wofford doesn't score much they don't turn it over either. That could help them slow the pace of the game, and keep them in it even if shots are not falling.
Wofford will face Arkansas on March 19 at 9:50 p.m. ET on TNT.
Wyoming Cowboys (25-9, 11-7 Mountain West)
Wyoming's record doesn't knock your socks off, but this is a hard-nosed defensive unit that allowed just 56 points per game, the eighth-best mark in college basketball this season. The Cowboys are senior-laden, and 6'8 forward Larry Nance is their do-it-all leader, putting up 16.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
Wyoming's Achilles heel is 3-point shooting. At 32 percent from beyond the arc as a team, the Cowboys cannot afford to fall behind early because coming back from big deficits is a chore.
Wyoming will face Northern Iowa on March 20 at 1:40 p.m. ET on TBS.
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (29-4, 17-1 Southland)
The Lumberjacks will take Division I's ninth-best offense in terms of points per game into this 12 vs. 5 matchup, and will strike fear into any opponent because of their explosive capability from beyond the arc. Stephen F. Austin drills 38 percent of their treys, the 32nd-best mark in the country. They also have experience trying on the glass slipper, having upset No. 5 VCU in last year's Dance.
This year's group shoots well, has tourney experience, and has four seniors leading the way.
Stephen F. Austin will face Utah on March 19 at 7:27 p.m. ET on truTV.
You've got to have at least one 12 over a five, so this year the best bet is Stephen F. Austin. They have previous experience, they can shoot the lights out, and they won't waver if Utah gets out early because of their veteran leadership. None of these four 12-seeds should be counted out, but the Lumberjacks have the best shot at advancing.
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