March Madness Predictions and Picks: 3 Tournament Sleepers Who Could Ruin Brackets

The NCAA Tournament has arrived, and this week is one of the best weeks on the sports calendar.

Which sleeper teams should be on your radar for the 2026 Big Dance?

Let's dive in and take a look at three teams who have a chance to bust brackets.

All March Madness odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds and may change after this article is published. Stats come from Bart Torvik and KenPom.

Predictions, Sleepers for March Madness

Clemson Tigers

Clemson plays at a super slow pace and is a quality defensive team. That gives them a fighting chance against anyone, and they can be a bracket spoiler this season.

Per KenPom, the 8 seed Tigers rank 20th in defense and 333rd in adjusted tempo. Those two things can help keep them in games, and if they have a good night offensively, they can beat anyone.

They'll need to play dang good ball to get out of the first weekend because Clemson is actually a 2.5-point underdog to 9 seed Iowa in the first round, and then they'll almost surely run into 1 seed Florida in the second round.

It's a tall mountain to climb, but the Tigers' style makes them a tricky team to play against.

Miami Hurricanes

The 7 seed Hurricanes catch my eye as a team that is capable of busting brackets.

Miami has been playing really well to close the season, losing only three times since January 21, with two of the defeats coming against Virginia. The other loss was at the hands of Louisville, and Miami got their revenge on the Cards by beating Louisville last week in the ACC Tournament.

While KenPom ranks the 'Canes a solid 33rd in offense and 38th in defense, Miami is truly elite on the glass as the Hurricanes own the country's 13th-best rebound rate (55.6%). That is something that can be a huge help in a potential second-round matchup with Purdue -- a team that is 11th in rebound rate and has made a killing on the boards this season.

Before they can worry about Purdue, Miami will need to move past 10 seed Missouri in the opening round. Miami is a slim -132 moneyline favorite in that game (as of Tuesday morning), but KenPom has Miami 21 spots in front of the Tigers.

If the Hurricanes can get past Mizzou, they have the size and athleticism to give Purdue problems.

Georgia Bulldogs

The path isn't easy, but 8 seed Georgia checks some boxes.

Georgia has shown it can beat good teams -- taking down Kentucky, Arkansas and Alabama this season. The wins over UK and 'Bama have come in the past month, so the Bulldogs are playing well at the right time, although their last game was an underwhelming loss to Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament.

In some ways, Georgia is a complete opposite of the aforementioned Clemson -- the Dawgs love to run (16th in adjusted tempo) and can fill it up (16th in offense). Their fast-paced style makes them a high-variance team. While that can be tough to trust over the long haul, it also gives the Bulldogs a high ceiling on any given night.

Something I find appealing about Georgia is that the two teams they'll see this week -- 9 seed St. Louis and (likely) 1 seed Michigan -- are currently struggling a bit. After a 24-1 start, St. Louis has gone 4-4 over its past eight games, and UGA is a 2.5-point favorite over the Billikens.

Georgia beating Michigan is going to be a tougher sell. But Michigan didn't look all that great -- at least compared to their usual standard -- in the Big Ten Tourney, with their two lowest single-game offensive ratings since mid-January coming last week. The loss of L.J. Cason has been a big blow to a bench unit that had been one of Michigan's superpowers.

The Bulldogs have the ability to get out of the first weekend if they hit on the high end of their range of outcomes.

Which March Madness odds stand out to you this year? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.