Breaking Down 5 Potential Cinderella Squads in the 2015 NCAA Tournament

Valparaiso Crusaders

Speaking of Valparaiso, they have a good shot at an upset in the Round of 64.

Based on nERD, Valparaiso is the best 13 seed in the tournament and Maryland is the worst 4 seed. The Crusaders also have a pretty elite defense, ranking better than 94.4 percent of schools in the country. Their Defensive Rating of 92.4 ranks 17th nationally and 12th in the field of 68.

Vashil Fernandez, a 6'10" senior, has a Defensive Box Score Plus/Minus (8.4) that ranks sixth among all players with at least 20 minutes per game. Fernandez is also third in the country in block percentage, sending back 14.4 percent of two-pointers while he's on the floor.

Maryland gets just 43.6 percent of their points from two-pointers (327th in the country), so his impact could be dampened. Maryland converts on 37.2 percent of shots from beyond the arc, ranking 60th in the country, but if they wind up struggling from outside, they won't have an easy time driving the lane to get the offense flowing.

On the offensive side of things, Alec Peters leads the way. Peters ranks 17th in the country in Offensive Rating (129.0) and Offensive Win Shares (4.5) and is 10th in Win Shares per 40 minutes (.262).

Don't be too shocked if we see a 12 seed take on a 13 seed in the Midwest region.