OT - who is your biggest tourney upset?

Submitted by Drbogue on
It's that wonderful time of year again. Only this time there's (bite your pinky) $1,000,000,000 at stake. Who is your Cinderella team this year? Dayton, SF Austin, ND State? Let's hear it on this final "can't work til my bracket is done" day.

CoachW

March 19th, 2014 at 10:34 AM ^

New Mexico over Kansas

NDState over Oklahoma

Harvard over Cincy

Kentucky over WSU

Iowa over UMass

Providence over Carolina

St. Joe's over UConn

Bambi

March 19th, 2014 at 10:58 AM ^

I have American over Wisconsin.

American is actually a top 100 KenPom team, which is very good for a 15 seed.

They both play at very slow paces, American the 342nd slowest pace and Wisconsin 274th so that makes it harder for Wisconsin, the more talented team to actually blow American out. American also has the 47th best defense according to KenPom and Wisconsin 58th, so both teams can defend relatively well.

Essentially, I'm expecting a slow, low-scoring, boring game. But the lower the score, the less margin for error Wisconsin has.

American seems like a better Northwestern to me, who Wisconsin lost to at home, so I could definitely see them pulling the upset. Especially since it's Wisconsin, a perenial tournament underachiever.

 

mh277907

March 19th, 2014 at 11:51 AM ^

I hope you're right. If OSU beats UD, the game of basketball may be sent back several decades with the way OSU and 'Cuse have been playing offense recently. That game could very easily be a 38-37 barn burner.

bacon1431

March 19th, 2014 at 11:15 AM ^

Oregon over Wisconsin in the second round I guess. And the winner of St Joe's/UConn over Nova.

If Cuse wasn't playing in Buffalo this weekend, I would have picked Western Michigan over them.

youn2948

March 19th, 2014 at 12:02 PM ^

Definitely have both of them losing first round.

Nebraska over Creighton
Harvard over Cincy
Iowa over Umass
Ohio State over Dayton
ST Louis beating Louisville(made it easier for Michigan to go all way).
 

michclub19

March 19th, 2014 at 12:21 PM ^

Tulsa over UCLA.  Not very much basis other than I think UCLA is the weakest 4 and I wanted to pick someone higher than a 12 seed to win a game.  I feel better thinking about Alford's tourney history.

ChosenOne

March 19th, 2014 at 12:48 PM ^

Western Michigan over Syracuse, because it would amazing. But I their luck runs out against OSU unfortunately. Others are NDST over OU, Iowa/Tenn over UMass, and I've also picked UNC to the Final Four. In my two $ brackets, which are in the same pool, I have Michigan beating FL, and in the other I have Kansas beating Louisville. I'm banking on Embiid coming back with a vengeance, and I will never submit a bracket without Michigan winning it all, because I could never forgive myself if they won and I didn't pick them. 

SGBlue

March 19th, 2014 at 12:53 PM ^

...because it's in my brother's (yes, my little brother's) Final Four Sparty pool. For trolling purposes if nothing else, but it would be crystalline to have another of my alma maters take down MSU this year. Go Crimson!

pinkfloyd2000

March 19th, 2014 at 12:54 PM ^

I watched their final conference tourney game...and was impressed. I have them over VCU in the opening game...but then losing their next one.

I think I've seen enough Cincinnati games this season to safely say that the trendy Harvard over Cincy pick really isn't a good one. I'd stay away from that one. Cincy's offense has been suspect, but I really think their D will shut down most of Harvard's strengths. That said, I can't admit to seeing too many Harvard games this year -- but I think most people are in that same boat.

Hugh White

March 19th, 2014 at 6:03 PM ^

Actually, Harvard played on national television a record 10 times this season (Colorado, Denver, Green Bay, TCU, Rice, UCONN, Dartmouth, Penn, Princeton, Yale).  Plus, I watched the rest of the games via online subscription.   

With that said, I still don't know whether the trendy pick will pan out.  I think there is always a lot of uncertainty as to whether success within the conference will translate to success in the general population.  Plus, Cincy's D plays with aggressiveness that the Crimson have not yet faced.  And Cincy will definitely not overlook them the way New Mexico did.

Harvard is efficient on both sides of the floor, and will certainly be in a position to win.  That's as far as I'm willing to commit.  I guess they'll actually have to play the game.

Bigscotto68

March 19th, 2014 at 1:08 PM ^

Saint Louis will make huge waves, beating Louisville and Kentucky back to back, before bowing out to the maize and blue of course. Also have Nebraska over Creighton, to set up rematch with Wisconsin. Florida defeats U-M on a last second 3, 89-87, insuring the return of Stauskas, et al, to win the title in 2015.

 

Njia

March 19th, 2014 at 1:54 PM ^

Dedicated to the study of the digestive process. I'll pour all available athletic resources into a basketball program just so, one day, I can see the headline:

"Stomach Upset".

/ShowsSelfOut

jericho

March 19th, 2014 at 2:32 PM ^

I did a bracket where I flipped a coin for each game. You'll be interested to know that Western Michigan will win the National Championship this year. There will now be no need to play all the games.

smwilliams

March 19th, 2014 at 2:59 PM ^

Best ones I have are UNC making it to the Final 4 (Point Guards are super important this time of year and Marcus Paige might be the best one in the country), Stephen F. Austin and Nebraska making it to the Sweet 16 (I had toyed with Duke losing to Tennessee and Michigan losing to Arizona State [never trust RICK BARNES in the tournament] and Tennessee going to the Elite 8 but couldn't pull the trigger), and Kentucky beating Wichita State.

Wolverine4545

March 19th, 2014 at 3:08 PM ^

My upsets...

Nebraska Over Baylor

NCST over St. Louis

Iowa/Tenn over UMass

Harvard over Cincy

That's it for the first round.

 

I definetely went out on a limb this year(especially in further rounds), but I don't think it's too crazy....

MGoBlueChip

March 19th, 2014 at 4:20 PM ^

I am a Chippewa, but WMU could shock Cuse and I have Dayton beating Ohio setting up a WMU v. Dayton for a trip to the sweet 16.  On the othe side, I think Nebraska could get by Baylor and Creighton and get to the sweet 16.

GoBluePhil

March 19th, 2014 at 9:38 PM ^

Delaware's colors are blue and yellow and their football team wears the winged helmet. How ironic if State got beat by a team with colors so similar. Little brother beat by the 2nd cousin.