March Madness finally kicks off with its first round, and with that comes upsets. These upsets often deny basketball conventions, with oddsmakers often getting things completely wrong about who will win.
While it is normal to believe the higher-ranked team would come out on top, No. 16 teams have upset No. 1 teams before, such as No. 16 UMBC beating No. 1 Virginia in 2018 and then No. 16 FDU upsetting No. 1 Purdue three years ago.
Unlikely as they might happen, they still do, so here are five very possible upsets that could upend many March Madness brackets:
5 Possible March Madness First-Round Upsets That Could Tear Brackets Apart
No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Miami (Ohio)
The Miami (Ohio) RedHawks have been the Cinderella story this season, going undefeated in the MAC before suddenly losing in the MAC Tournament. They did bounce back with a big win over SMU to be one of the First Four teams, and this sets up a date with Tennessee.
The Vols have had many ups and downs this year, from injury troubles to losing to teams that they should have beaten, and that could propel the RedHawks to the next round.
No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 13 Troy
Another team that has been suffering against teams ranked below them has been the Nebraska Cornhuskers. While they are coming in as the clear favorites against the Sunbelt Conference champs, Troy has shown it can punch up and probably pull off the upset.
The Trojans are in a very good run right now, and their momentum could probably stun the No. 11-ranked team in the country.
No. 5 Texas Tech vs, No. 12 Akron
After losing JT Toppin to a season-ending ACL tear, the Texas Tech Red Raiders have been struggling, losing a majority of their last few games. Toppin was their leading scorer, and they have struggled scoring after losing him. This is how MAC champions Akron could capitalize and pull off the upset.
No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 14 North Dakota State
Michigan State may have had a long winning streak earlier this season, but the Spartans have lost their last two games. Those games are to Michigan and UCLA, but their second loss shows that they can get complacent and lose to teams ranked a lot lower than them. This is what the Bison can pull off, and the Summit League champions are due for a surprise second-round appearance.
No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 South Florida
American Conference champions South Florida has shown that it can hang with the best, and its chance could come against Louisville, which just lost its freshman star, Mikel Brown Jr. to injury. The Cardinals will not have their best player on the court against the Bulls, and this could be welcome news for USF.
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