Texas

When filling out brackets, you have to choose your “sleepers” wisely. Do they matchup well against their potential opponents? Have they been challenged this year? Do they have a guy who can take over a game in the final minutes? If can say Yes to all three of these questions, you may have found yourself a sleeper. Here are 5 potential sleepers to consider:

 

Texas Longhorns

Big 12 Conference (24-9, 9-7)

 

Baylor

Kansas

Kansas St

Missouri

Oklahoma St

Texas

Texas A&M

Other (Colorado, Iowa St, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas Tech)

 

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Is Texas the team flush with talent that can play with anyone in the country? Or is Texas the team still searching for role definition that can lose to just about anyone in the country? We saw ample evidence of both answers being "yes" on Monday night but when the game ended Rick Barnes' team beat Oklahoma 87-76 in Austin. Senior Damion James led the way with 24 points and eight rebounds while four other Longhorns (three coming off the bench) reached double figures as well.

Connecticut went into their game against West Virginia back in the NCAA Tournament conversation following wins over Villanova and Temple. But consistency has been a problem for the Huskies all season long, so it can be understood if some expected them to fall to West Virginia at the XL Center. A mediocre rebounding team for most of the season, the Huskies received a far better performance on the glass on Monday night, out-rebounding the Big East's best 37-33 in a 73-62 win.

Jay Wright's Wildcats didn't look their best on Saturday afternoon, falling behind big early on their way to a 103-90 loss at Georgetown. But something changed between that loss at Monday night, with youngsters playing with poise and the Wildcats taking better care of the basketball, and the end result was an 82-75 win over West Virginia to move into a tie for first place in the Big East. In the first half nine different players scored for Villanova with senior Scottie Reynolds being limited by the defense of Devin Ebanks.

A pair of games between ranked teams take center stage on Monday night, with Villanova's trip to Morgantown preceding Kansas taking on Texas in Austin. Jay Wright's team will look to bounce back from their disappointing showing at Georgetown on Saturday and they're going to need to hit the glass with a vengeance in order to beat the Mountaineers. West Virginia averages 15.6 offensive rebounds per game, good for third in the Big East. Of the 795 rebounding opportunities on Mountaineer shots Bob Huggins' team grabs the board 43.3% of the time, tops in the conference.