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March Madness is the time of year when upsets can happen because every team in the NCAA Tournament has talent and may do something at an elite level. If one team does something better than another in college basketball, they can ride that to a big upset.
Anyone can be upset as the Virginia Cavaliers found out in 2018 after becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose in the first round of the tournament. With apologies to the First Four, the 2022 edition of March Madness started Thursday with several upsets, including in the first game.
The Michigan Wolverines began March Madness with a 75-63 upset of Colorado State, and the upsets will keep coming.
Many teams could pull off upsets on the second day, but there are certainly some standouts in the group. While these teams are not sleepers that can make a deep run, they can steal a win in the first round.
#3 March Madness upset: No. 14 Colgate over No. 3 Wisconsin
The 14th-raned Wisconsin Badgers (24-7) will be on upset watch when they take on the Colgate Raiders (23-11) on Friday. The Badgers are the better team, but a few key factors give Colgate a strong chance.
Colgate is a veteran team with a combination of size and shooting that creates a matchup problem for anyone in Wisconsin outside of Johnny Davis. The most significant X-factor in favor of the Raiders is that they can outscore the Badgers.
Colgate can shoot 3-pointers better than Wisconsin, can rebound as well as Wisconsin and can physically match Wisconsin. Davis will be a problem for the Raiders. But that does not mean much if the Raiders are scoring more from 3-point range than Davis can score alone.
March Madness is built for teams like Colgate to be competitive with a team like Wisconsin, but Colgate can be more than competitive. This March Madness, Colgate can shock everyone and pull off a major upset.
#2 March Madness upset: No. 11 Virginia Tech over No. 6 Texas
The 25th-ranked Texas Longhorns (21-11) are a team with the ambitions and abilities of an Elite Eight team. But the Virginia Tech Hokies (23-12) can eliminate them before their tournament ever gets going. Virginia Tech, effectively ranked 26th, is coming into the tournament with momentum. Texas is coming into the tournament reeling.
Virginia Tech only made the NCAA tournament because they won the ACC Tournament. That means they have been in tournament mode for weeks.
The mental state of the Longhorns and coach Chris Beard is critical to Virginia Tech's ability to pull off an upset in the first round. If Texas plays at their best, the Hokies could be in danger, but Texas has not been at their best in almost two months. Texas is on a three-game losing skid and is 9-9 since Jan. 8.
Some games in March Madness are about letting opponents beat themselves. Virginia Tech needs to play at the level they brought against Duke in the ACC championship game and allow Texas to implode. Both events will give the Hokies a win over the Longhorns.
#1 March Madness upset: No. 10 Davidson over No. 7 Michigan State
The Davidson Wildcats and their alum Steph Curry will try to beat Michigan State and their alumn Draymond Green. The Golden State Warriors teammates made bets about whose school will win, and the Wildcats have more than enough ability to make it happen.
The Wildcats are the more efficient team, and they are the better shooting team. Perhaps more importantly, the Wildcats have an elite player with extra motivation in the game.
While one player will not win or lose a game, Foster Loyer can be a player Davidson can lean on in the clutch. If Loyer can have a Curry-esque night, Davidson (27-6) can beat Michigan State (22-12) easily. Michigan State is 8-10 since Jan, 15.
In reality, Loyer will have a good game, and Davidson will hit enough 3-pointers to secure an upset and provide Loyer vindication for joining Davidson.
Guess the Lakers players!
