Some are Final Four sleepers. Some are once-sputtering giants. Some are perennial Cinderellas. But all of them, the eight teams featured in this now-annual article, have two things in common: They'll play in the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament, which begins next week. And when their names are read on Selection Sunday, opponents will groan.
That, essentially, is the criteria for this list, which last year identified a finalist and two Sweet 16 surprises. It can be difficult to define, but the goal, as always, is to pick out tourney participants who'll pose a threat disproportionate to what you'd expect from an average team on their seed line.