One of the best parts of the March Madness event is identifying the lesser-known mid-major teams that can provide that madness and drama. Despite our dedication to this task as prognosticators, there always seems to be a team that pulls the upset that we never saw coming. Here are some teams currently not within the top 25 rankings that could provide the drama in next week’s first round. 

Check out college basketball betting predictions for betting darlings teams that could make things interesting for the 2023 NCAA Basketball Tournament games.

Unranked Teams That Could Become 2023 March Madness Betting Darlings

Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State Game Info | Updated NCAAB Odds
Conference: Big Ten Conference
Where: The Bryce Jordan Center, State College, PA

Currently part of the dreaded “last four in” group, the Nittany Lions have come on really strong at the end of the season to make their case. One thing that is always fun to look at instead of a resume is a team’s potential to make a deep run, and this team has that capability. Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry’s team has some nice wins this season, including Furman, Illinois (2x), Maryland, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, and Northwestern. 

Much of that success has come from the immense amount of perimeter talent that Penn State deploys, led by fifth-year senior Jalen Picket. The one-time Siena Saint has been incredible this season as the only player in the nation averaging 18 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists per contest. Seth Lundy is the second-leading scorer at 14 points per game but can be inconsistent. Camren Wynter has stepped up and shot the ball incredibly well lately to help propel this team into the NCAA Tournament discussion.

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Utah State Aggies

Utah State Game Info | Updated NCAAB Odds
Conference: Mountain West Conference
Where: Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, Logan, Utah

The Aggies are one of the hottest teams in the land, having won eight of their last ten games, including victories over Boise State, Nevada, and New Mexico. For whatever reason, those three teams have received miles more love than the Aggies this season despite all finishing behind them in the Mountain West Standings. 

Ryan Odom’s team is currently a nine seed, according to Haslametrics, and their 13th-ranked offensive efficiency is a byproduct of their incredible balance. The Aggies boast five players averaging at least 10.5 points per contest and four players shooting better than 37% or better from three on more than two attempts per contest. Utah State is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the nation, at over 40% as a group. This team could be a second-weekend club if they can get motivated on the defensive end.

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Furman Paladins

Furman Game Info | Updated NCAAB Odds
Conference: Southern Conference
Where: Timmons Arena, Greenville, SC

The team on this list that is firmly in the field, thanks to their SoCon Postseason Tournament title, Furman, is one of the most underappreciated teams in the nation. The Paladins are an incredibly well-balanced team this season, with four players averaging double figures. Jalen Slawson is one of the best mid-major players in the nation and can out-athlete you in the patin or step outside and drill a triple. He can handle the ball and run the break. 

On the perimeter guard, JP Pegues averaged only 12 points per contest on the season but dominated the SoCon Tournament by averaging 21 points per contest on nearly 50% shooting from the field. We have yet to even mention the Paladin’s leading scorer Mike Bothwell who has been the definition of consistent on the season logging only four games with single-digit scoring outputs. This team could be criminally under-seeded in the first round, and if you are seeking a 13th or 14th seed to back, this is the club you have been asking for.

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I’ve read enough, now I have to place my bet, what do I do?

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Previous Betting News

When March Madness is over, only one team will have risen to the top to become the National Champion in college basketball. Given how this season has gone, it’s more than fair to say that we are going to be heading into the tournament with no clear favorite standing out. There are a handful of teams with a legitimate shot at winning it all, but there are also a few fringe teams who might head into the tournament and do some damage. It is those unheralded, unranked schools that we are going to be looking at here. Things may change once the final bracket is released on Selection Sunday, Match 11, but for now, we have 4 unranked teams that might make some noise once the March Madness betting action begins.

Unranked Teams as Possible 2018 March Madness Betting Darlings

Missouri Tigers

The SEC was brutal this year, with only 6 of the 14 teams finishing with a conference record above .500. The Missouri Tigers were one of those teams, and they landed in that spot by finishing the regular season strong, winning 7 of their last 10 games.

If you look at some of the bracket projections that are being released, you see that the Tigers are likely to land a #8 or #9 seed in their part of the draw. I think that seeding will give them a decent shot at getting out of the first round and then potentially into the Sweet Sixteen. After that, who knows?

Providence Friars

The Providence Friars finished the regular season with a 19-12 record, and while they were more than a little inconsistent coming down the stretch, they are still a team that has shown that they can spring the upset.

They have massive wins over Xavier and Villanova this season, the later of which was enough to drop Villanova out of the #1 ranking earlier in the year. Their end of season form is a bit worrisome, but if they can get out of the first round, they could have an upset or two up their sleeve for the big guns.

Florida State Seminoles

You can look at the Seminoles 9-9 record in the ACC and write them off, but this is a conference that was totally stacked this season. Florida State had 7 wins against teams in the RPI 1-50 category this season, proving that they are more than capable of going out and beating very good teams.

They are not particularly solid on the defensive side of the court, but average 82 PPG on offense, so they certainly have more than enough firepower to go toe to toe with any team. The Seminoles might just get hot at the right time.

Texas A&M Aggies

The Aggies finished 20-11 on the season and 9-9 in conference play, and they had some pretty big wins along the way, including 7 against RPI 1-50 teams and 5 more against RPI 51-100 teams. They finished the regular season in good form, too, reeling off three straight and winning 7 of their last 10.

They closed out the regular season with a win over Alabama and will play them again on Thursday in the SEC tournament. You like them to get the win there, which could potentially put them in a position to win that tournament. Momentum heading into the tournament is big, and the Aggies might just have it.

Previous Betting News

If you’re gearing up for the quickly approaching March Madness national championship tournament and you’re looking for unranked teams that have the look of value-packed teams that could become March Madness betting darlings, then look no further!

This expert analysis on six unranked teams that all look like they could do some damage could help you cash in big once March Madness gets underway in just over a week. Let’s get started.

Unranked Teams To Become March Madness Betting Darlings

Minnesota (23-8 SU, 18-11 ATS)

Minnesota may be in third place in the Big Ten, but the Gophers re pretty hot, having won eight of their last nine games despite falling to Wisconsin 66-49 this past weekend. The Gophers recorded some impressive wins over desperate Maryland and Michigan last month and narrowly beat the Badgers in their 78-76 overtime loss against Wisconsin on Jan. 21, not to mention a solid 91-82 overtime win over No. 16 Purdue on Jan. 1.

Minnesota limits the opposition to just 69.0 points per game (90th) while ranking a stellar 16th in field goal defense (39.6%) and 15th in three-point defense (30.8%). The Gophers share the ball and have four players that average double figures in scoring and two more that put up at least 8.1 points per game.

Wichita State (30-4 SU, 18-12-1 ATS)

Wichita State got off to a slow 9-3 start after a dozen games as they broke in a bunch of new and mostly inexperienced players, but the Shockers are back in the national spotlight after winning their last 14 games and 20 of their last 21 games overall.

I know the Shockers don’t play the best competition in the world while competing in the Missouri Valley Conference, but Wichita State has already proven that their level of competition doesn’t mean they can’t play with college basketball’s ‘big boys.’ Besides, with the Shockers ranking a stellar 22nd nationally in scoring (82.1 ppg) and an equally impressive 16th in points allowed (62.4 ppg).

Oklahoma State (20-11 SU, 16-9-1 ATS)

Oklahoma State is in fifth place in the Big 12 and they’ve lost two straight in falling to Iowa State and Kansas, but the Cowboys had won 10 of their previous 11 games while beating nationally-ranked West Virginia and Baylor along the way.

Oklahoma State ranks a stupendous ninth in scoring nationally (85.6 ppg), 15th in three-point shooting (40.3%) and fourth in free throw shooting (78.7%). The Cowboys also have a legitimate pair of stars in the backcourt in Juwan Evans (18.7 ppg) and Jeffrey Carroll (17.3 ppg) that makes them scary dangerous in my expert estimation.

Dayton (24-6 SU, 9-9 ATS)

The Flyers are in first place in the A-10 and have an elite defense that ranks 47th in points allowed (66.3 ppg), an identical 47th in field goal defense (41.2%) and 56th in three-point defense (32.4%). Dayton has three double digit scorers on the roster, not to mention the Flyers’ top seven scorers all shoot at least 45.0 percent from the field.

Middle Tenn. St. (27-4 SU, 20-10 ATS)

Middle Tennessee may not get much national media attention, but the Blue Raiders should. Middle Tennessee has won seven straight at the time of this writing and nine of their last 10 games overall. The Blue Raiders have a trio of players that average at least 14.1 points per game and rank a stellar 20th in points allowed (63.1 ppg) and even more impressive 15th in field goal shooting percentage (48.7%).

Florida Gulf Coast (26-7 SU, 4-0 ATS)

The high-flying Eagles are back at in again after their thrilling tourney run in 2013. Florida Gulf Coast Eagles has won seven straight games and nine of their last 10 games overall and ranks an impressive 45th in scoring (79.4 ppg) and jaw-dropping fifth in field goal shooting percentage (50.2%). The Eagles are also solid defensively in giving up just 68.8 points per game to rank 86th nationally. Florida Gulf Coast has a true star in leading scorer Brandon Goodwin (18.2 ppg) and a trio of other players that all average double figures in scoring, including forward Demetrius Morant who leads the nation in field goal shooting percentage by making an insane 75.7 percent of his field goal attempts.

Providence (20-11 SU, 20-11 ATS)

Providence may be in fifth place in the Big East conference, but the Friars have gotten hot at just the right time and now have the look of a dangerous ballclub if they get into the March Madness field (they will). Providence has won six straight games while beating No. 15 Butler and previously ranked Creighton during the stretch.

The Friars have won nine of their last 13 games overall and rank an encouraging 49th in points allowed (66.5 ppg) and equally impressive 71st in three-point shooting percentage (37.4%).  Providence has a quartet of double-digit scorers and has the look of a team ready to pull off an upset or two once March Madness gets underway in earnest.