Everyone loves an upset! With so much parity in college basketball this season, it’s not imaginable that there will be a ton of upsets this season. There are so many great college basketball players, and they all can’t end up at one of the top programs. Let’s take a look at some potential March Madness Betting upsets that could make some huge news in the world of college basketball.
1st round Upsets that May Stun College Basketball Bettors
(15) Cal State-Fullerton over (2) Duke
Remember a few years back when Lehigh beat Duke? This could happen again this season. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know that this is Mike Krzyzewski’s last season and that Duke could catch some breaks along the way, but we just don’t see them getting that far. After Coach K’s final home game at Duke, it was obvious that there is a disconnect between the legendary Coach and his players. Even though they struggled in the ACC Tournament, they still got to the title game, but they were soundly defeated by Virginia Tech. This upset would shock the college basketball world, and it could happen!
(13) South Dakota State over (4) Providence
This could be a trendy pick, as the Jackrabbits come into this one with a 30-4 overall record. Providence limps into the NCAA Tournament after getting beat by 27 points by Creighton in the Big East tournament. Providence has struggled as of late, as they haven’t played nearly as well as they did earlier this year. The oddsmakers are thinking that Providence could be in trouble as well, as they’ve only deemed them a 2.5-point favorite.
South Dakota State is lethal from beyond the arc and has one of the top-scoring offenses in the country. Their style of play will give the more methodical Friars some issues.
(11) Virginia Tech over (6) Texas
This is Chris Beard’s first season at Texas. He has a very athletic roster with a ton of height. Virginia Tech has a lot of talent but didn’t play up to their potential until the ACC Tournament. Mike Young is one of the most underrated coaches in America, and his offense relies on ball movement and shooting the three. If they get behind, they could be in trouble, as the Texas bigs will be hard for them to guard. However, we think they’ll be hitting their three-balls, and they’ll get up big on Texas, and the Longhorns won’t be able to catch up.
(14) Colgate +9.5 over (3) Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a trendy Final Four selection. The Badgers were Big 10 regular season co-champs. Colgate can light it up from beyond the arc, as they have the second-best 3-point shooting percentage in the country. Wisconsin doesn’t shoot the deep ball well, so if they get into a situation where they’re behind, they could be in trouble. It was obvious in their Big 10 Tournament loss to Michigan State that Johnny Davis still isn’t 100% healthy. If he’s not playing at a high level, the Wisconsin Badgers are in trouble. We think Colgate will shoot the lights out and will knock the 9.5-point favorite Badgers out in the first round.