After that, I would say any game could be on Upset Alert. No #2 seeds are participating in the festivities on Thursday therefore Upsets are bound to happen.
I have heard analysts throw out names like Montana over Syracuse or Davidson over Marquette but I believe the NCAA tournament is relying heavy on Coaching and backcourt play (Point guards).
Therefore, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim and Marquette's under rated head coach Buzz Williams should be able to coach their teams to victory.
A team that hasn't been mentioned on upset alert that contains a strong backcourt and excellent head coach is Michigan State. They face the #14 seeded Valparaiso who they should have no trouble handling.
With that being said, I see a ton of potential upsets on the slate for Thursday.The College Basketball season has been madness already and to think that this trend would come to an end would be silly.
8 vs. 9 games will also not be counted because I don't believe they are truly upsets.
Sorry for the long introduction, now we get down to business.
1.South Dakota State vs Michigan (13-4)
Michigan started off the season with a bang and eventually obtained the #1 ranking in the nation. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, they are trending in the wrong direction. While their season did not spiral out of control like the 2010 Texas Longhorns, the Wolverines did not finish with momentum. With that being said, Michigan still has a National POY candidate in Trey Burke. But on the other side for the Jack Rabbits, South Dakota State has 6 4' guard Nate Wolters. Wolters is a tough guard who puts the ball in the basket. South Dakota State has experience in the tournament (appeared last year) and Michigan is a young team. Michigan fell in the first round last year and their coach, John Belein, only has an 8-7 career record in the NCAA tournament. My alert level would be low but don't be surprised.
My alert level would be at a medium for this matchup. Arizona was another team that began the season undefeated and entered the top 5 ranking at one point. They have excellent players in Solomon Hill and Mark Lyons but the Wildcats are inconsistent. On the other hand, Belmont has tournament experience which is very important come March. They also have a Senior Guard in Ian Clark who average 18 points per game. Arizona very well could breeze through this Belmont team and then beat New Mexico two days later. But, don't be shocked if it's this Belmont team that is defeating Arizona and New Mexico in a span of 3 days.
3. California Golden Bears vs. UNLV Runnin' Rebels (12-5)
UNLV might be in trouble. The Runnin' Rebels reign from the MWC (Moutain West) which has low success in the Big Dance. To augment to the conference's low success level is my disbelief in highly ranked mid major teams. I've never seen a team from a mid major seeded top 5 go very far in the tournament. For some reason, those schools are always the Cinderellas never the favorites. Another reason I don't like St. Louis, New Mexico, or this UNLV team. But in this instance, it is more what I like about Cal than what I don't like about UNLV. If you've never heard of Allen Crabbe and Justin Cobb you will be hearing their names tomorrow night. Crabbe and Cobb are the backcourt for the Bears and combine for 33 points per game. Not only do I think they'll run past the Rebels (no pun intended) but I think they'll shoot the lights out against Syracuse's zone two days later and advance to the Sweet 16. Thanks for reading my Upset Alert picks. Leave your comments below.
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