Today is the day.
At 10:15 a.m., college basketball fans around the nation will park themselves in front of their televisions for the weekend’s opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. It’s the day that everyone, myself included, looks at their bracket and realizes that they are a failure at life and actually know nothing about college basketball.
OK, maybe not a failure, but the insanity of March Madness starts today, and top teams will start dropping like flies.
Every year in the Round of 64, there are always upsets that will mess up a good portion of people’s brackets. Here are a few matchups that could screw up your own bracket and potentially your life:
Let’s start with the first No. 5 – No. 12 matchup of the tournament — Cincinnati vs. Harvard. To start off, there is always an upset in at least one of the 5-12 games, period. That’s a good enough reason to pick this as a potential upset, but dig a little deeper, and the pick becomes even more enticing.
The Crimson, although competing in a lesser conference, have compiled a 26-4 record, including a 13-1 mark in Ivy League play. No matter what conference you play in, putting together a record such as that is impressive. If that is not enough reason to believe in Harvard, just look at recent history. The Crimson upset New Mexico in last year’s tournament as a 14 seed.
Looking at the Bearcats, they have also assembled an astounding record of 27-6 while playing in the American Athletic Conference. But the Bearcats, who started the season 22-2, have finished the season with a disappointing 5-4 record in their last nine games. Typically, teams that have lost their steam heading into the Big Dance are prime candidates for an upset.
The other matchup that I am looking at as a potential upset Thursday is another No. 5 – No. 12 matchup, St. Louis against NC State. This one, for me, seems to be more of a sure thing than the previous matchup.
The Wolfpack is coming off of a successful ACC Tournament run. Despite not winning the whole thing, NC State knocked off one of the tournament favorites, Syracuse, which may have solidified its spot in the NCAA Tournament. After a rough first half of the season, the Wolfpack has turned things around in the second half, giving the top teams in the conference good challenges. Not only that, but NC State boasts the ACC Player of the Year in TJ Warren, who averages 24.8 points per game.
Adding on to that, the Billikens have not looked like a No. 5 seed as of late. They have lost four of their last five games, including bowing out early in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Look for St. Louis to gain another early exit in this one.
So there’s a little help for your bracket — two potential upsets that have the evidence and numbers to back up my claims. Still, though, don’t listen to me, as it is March Madness. Go with your gut and don’t overanalyze. Upsets will happen, and it’s just a matter of picking the right ones, which is easier said than done.
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