by 5th Annual Kee On Sports NCAA March Madness Pick Em Challenge
It all begins on Thursday, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the biggest tournament of the year!
The office pools are furious and so are the squares as EVERYONE is watching and gambling on the winners and losers.
However, the best part of the first round are the UPSETS! You always want to be that guy at the office or bar who can say, “I told you so”, or, “I called that one!”
So, with that being the case, what are the top 5 best bets for a first round upset this year?
Well, first off, we do not consider a 9 over an 8 an upset, so let’s throw that out right now and hand out the 5 juiciest ones.
In the South
12th Seeded UC San Diego over 5th Seeded Michigan on Thursday at 10pm.
Reason – This seems to be the unanimous one all experts agree on as San Diego is a 30 win team that holds opponents to under 63 points a game. They have the longest winning streak in the nation at 15 and appear to the team no one wants to face in the first round. Michigan plays solid defense but has been riddled by the turnover bug and it could cost them here.
Also in the South
11th Seeded North Carolina over 6th Seeded Mississippi
Reason – This one is simple, North Carolina is playing like a pissed off team right now and showed it by decimating San Diego State in the play in game. The Tar Heels have heard the talk of them not belonging and seem determined to make everyone eat their words. Ole Miss went 10-8 in the SEC and appear to be greatly over seeded here.
In the East
13th Seeded Akron over 4th Seeded Arizona
The Wildcats have two decades straight of early exits as high seeds in this tournament. Every great now and then, the MAC can slip in a Cinderella and with Akron dominating the MAC this year, perhaps this is the year this mid major reaches the second round? I simply don’t trust this Arizona squad.
Expect the Midwest to go Chalk with all 8 top seeds winning.
The Wild West will see two more upsets
12th Seeded Colorado State over Memphis
Reason – The Rams come in on a 10 game winning streak and have a talented senior guard in Nique Clifford to lead them. The Tigers are far too turnover prone to go far, so why not pick them to go out early?
11th Seeded Drake to defeat 6th Seeded Missouri
Reason – Drake is a mid major monster with 30 wins and holding their foes to under 59 points per game. This would be a sizable upset but Drake has the tools to get it done! For Missouri, it is a nice story with the transfers and journeyman coach in Dennis Gates, but they are another 6 seed, like Ole Miss that will underperform.
