Everybody seems to be an expert when it comes to March Madness and the NCAA tournament.
Want to know how well Michigan will do? It’s out there. Want to know how far Michigan State will go? It’s out there. How about a few Final Four picks? Yup.
But how about some first-round upsets for the men’s bracket?
We asked our sports staff: Who is your upset pick for the first round of the NCAA tournament? Because, you know, they’re sports reporters and editors and they’re legally obligated to fill out a bracket in at least 27 states.
For those procrastinators who haven’t filled out their bracket, here’s six first-round upset picks from our NCAA experts.
No. 13 Yale over No. 4 Texas A&M
I’m partial to the Ivy League and the Bulldogs just did this last year as a No. 13 seed, upsetting a different SEC team. Though Danny Wolf is gone, they have a dynamic top 3 including the Ivy’s three-time defensive player of the year in Bez Mbeng. If all goes right, they’ll meet their former teammate again Saturday in Denver.
No. 13 High Point over No. 4 Purdue
The Boilermakers have been trending mostly down ever since losing to Michigan at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, finishing the final seven regular season games 2-5 before exiting the Big Ten tournament thanks to a 86-68 dismantling from the Wolverines. Purdue doesn’t have the same talent level as the last few years but was able to duct tape it together for most of the season. It all comes crumbling down in a loss to high-scoring High Point in the first round. The score: 81-76.
No. 13 Grand Canyon over No. 4 Maryland
Maybe it’s the pride in watching the school that is located just four miles from where I grew up. Grand Canyon University is not in the Grand Canyon; it’s three hours away in west Phoenix and its men’s basketball program has grown rapidly since former Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo pushed it from Division II to the bright lights of Division I 11 seasons ago. They’re a speedy sharp-shooting team that just won its third consecutive WAC championship and they have the speed it takes to give Maryland fits.
No. 13 Yale over No. 4 Texas A&M
Since 2011, there have been 11 upsets in the 4-vs-13 match-up, almost one per year. And while I’m intrigued by some of the other Cinderella possibilities (Grand Canyon over Maryland, anyone?), it’s tough to ignore the match-up issues Yale could pose for the Aggies, who have a great defense but also one of the worst turnover rates in college hoops (18.2%). Yale can rebound, shoot threes and has experience in first-round upsets after taking down Auburn as a No. 13 seed last year. Give me the Bulldogs to take on the winner of Michigan-UC San Diego.
No. 14 Montana over No. 3 Wisconsin
The 14-seed Grizzlies aren’t big, but they can shoot. Their 50.2% field-goal percentage ranks second in the nation. They’re led by a dunkmaster named Joe Pidgen, a grad student who began playing in 2019-20, is at his fourth school and got a waiver to return next season. Montana runs a quirky four-guard offense, which is just enough to throw off tired, upset-prone Wisconsin, the East’s 3-seed. The Griz will beat 6-seed BYU in the second round, but will have their Cinderella story ended by 2-seed Alabama in the Sweet 16. Montana also has the player with the tournament’s best name: Money Williams, who’s named after his dad and has a sister named Mo’Ney.
No. 12 McNeese State over No. 5 Clemson
McNeese State plays with the type of guard-oriented style that leads to success in March, with a defense that ranks top 20 in the country in points allowed. Will Wade has plenty of experience coaching in March and has familiarity with Clemson, his alma mater. Add in the experience from returners Javohn Garcia and Christian Shumate from last year’s team that earned a 12-seed, the Cowboys are set up to win the first NCAA tournament game in school history, and potentially more.
No. 12 Colorado State over No. 5 Memphis
First-round Cinderella: Colorado State. They Rams swagger into the tourney on a 10-game winning streak and look like they know what they’re doing.
