2024 March Madness Sleeper Teams to Consider, Part 1

In today’s article, it understandable that 80% of the country doesn’t really get a true handle on West Coast college basketball. The games finished between 1-2:00 am. The updates get buried in games you’re looking to bet. Not games that ended in your sleep. 

I’ll cover some sleeper teams. The three today are from smaller conferences and don’t get much attention from the press. I can assure you the west coast basketball is alive, fast paced and full of three’s. 

Let’s remember the Final Four of 2023. It consisted of a No. 4 seed, two No. 5 seeds and a No. 9 seed and it is none too early to start trying to figure out which Sleepers to watch out for in the 2024 men's NCAA tournament.

Obviously, matchups are everything when it comes to the NCAA tournament, and we have no clue what sort of draw any of these teams will get—if they make the tournament at all. But teams are ranked in ascending order of how confident we are in saying they will win at least one game, regardless of the hand they are dealt by the selection committee.

I've been promoting the Gaels as a sleeper team on a darn-near annual basis for the past decade, but they haven't made it to the Sweet 16 since 2010. They’re 23-6 and 14-0 in conference play. The Gaels are a strong team. The defense is great. The rebounding is superb. Their snail-like tempo is impossible to speed up. And they've been almost unbeatable for the past two months, winning 15 of their past 16 games.

What we didn't know three months ago was that Donovan Dent would become one of the biggest breakout stars in the country, nearly tripling his scoring average while becoming UNM's primary ball-handler. Or that forward JT Toppin would emerge as arguably one of the 10 best freshmen in the nation. Or that fellow freshman Tru Washington would be so valuable as a sixth man, particularly with his ball-hawking skills on defense. There's no question they have the goods to make a deep run. We already knew about Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. from last season, when they averaged a combined 36 points per game. We also knew about Nelly Junior Joseph, the big man who transferred from Rick Pitino at Iona to Richard Pitino at New Mexico. That trio alone made the Lobos an intriguing preseason candidate to reach the dance. New Mexico is just loaded with dudes who can ball. You've been warned. Look out for the Lobos.

Grand Canyon was the pick to become this year's Cinderella team.

And at the time, we had no clue how good Tyon Grant-Foster would be. The former JUCO transfer has been GCU's brightest star, averaging 19.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and better than one assist, steal and block per game. More predictably, returnees Ray Harrison and Gabe McGlothan have also been excellent, combining for close to 30 points and 11 rebounds per game after leading the 'Lopes to a No. 14 seed in last year's dance. The 'Lopes are no joke, undeniably better than they already had been in recent years. If GCU gets a seed in the Nos. 11-13 range, though, it could knock off any team currently in the mix for the Nos. 3-6 seed lines.

Be sure to check back for more sleeper teams that will have success and be under the radar.