No. 12 Middle Tennessee
Opponent: Minnesota
Not only do the Blue Raiders still have their top two scorers (Reggie Upshaw and Giddy Potts) from a team that pulled off one of the biggest upsets ever against No. 2 Michigan State in the Round of 64 last year, but they've added a star in Arkansas transfer Jacorey Williams, who put up 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest to earn Conference-USA Player of the Year honors.
The new-and-improved Cinderella scored impressive non-conference victories over UNC-Wilmington, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Belmont, then proceeded to bulldoze its way through C-USA, winning all but four games--including all three in the conference tournament--by double-digits. A well-balanced squad (Top 55 in Ken Pomeroy's offensive and defensive efficiency) that takes care of the ball (26th in turnover percentage) and limits opponent possessions (third in defensive rebounding percentage), Kermit Davis' team is going to be an extremely tough out. (Getty)