5 men's March Madness upsets to expect in the 1st round, including 1 each region
5 men's March Madness upsets to expect in the 1st round, including 1 each region
When it comes to double-digit seeds pulling off first-round upsets in the NCAA men's tournament, none have done it more than 11-seeds over 6-seeds, contrary to those popular picks from 12-5 matchups. Even in 2024, three 11-seeds won to outdo the two wins by 12-seeds.
I again expect 11-6 to be a source of upsets in the first round of 2025 March Madness, but this time around I think the 12-seeds come out on top after getting a head start from No. 12 Colorado State being favored over No. 5 Memphis. These are my favorite upset picks for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Odds via BetMGM
SURVIVOR POOL: Free to enter. $2,500 to win. Can you survive the madness?
South Region: 12 UC San Diego over 5 Michigan
The Tritons have a top-15 offensive and defensive rating, a veteran-laden team and they shoot the lights out from three. There's a reason this spread is so small.
East Region: 12 Liberty over 5 Oregon
Liberty limits opponents to 63 points per game, 40 percent shooting from the field and 28% from three, while shooting a high clip from deep itself. If the Flames get hot, Oregon could have a hard time keeping up while trading twos.
East Region: 11 VCU over 6 BYU
VCU has incredible length across its lineup that contributes to a disruptive defense that could make things tough for a BYU team that already prefers to stand around the 3-point. Freshman Egor Demin will have a ton of pressure to create open shots for the Cougars.
Midwest Region: 13 High Point over 8 Purdue
What we have here is a high-powered High Point offense against an underwhelming Purdue defense. Between Kezza Giffa, Kimani Hamilton, D'maurian Williams and other scorers in that Panthers rotation, Matt Painter's squad is not going to have an easy time avoiding another early exit after losing to a 16-seed in 2023.
West Region: 11 Drake over 6 Missouri
At 19 points per game (and 39 minutes!), Bennett Stirtz is an absolute bucket for the Bulldogs. It's hard to feel good about Missouri coming up with a plan to stop him and Drake fresh off four losses in their last five games where they gave up an average of 95 points in the losses.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
A strategy for pacing out your bets on Belmont Stakes day
It's a cliché, but betting — especially on Belmont Stakes day — is a marathon, not a sprint. Becoming a profitable handicapper is not just about picking winners and finding an edge. A pillar of success in betting is managing two things — your bankroll and your emotions. We'll start with bankroll management. Your bankroll refers to the amount of money you have allocated for betting. In other words, the amount of money you would be comfortable losing. For some people, that number could be high. For others, it could be quite low. Bet with your head, not over it. When it comes to a day such as the Belmont Stakes, bankroll management becomes even more important because, in all likelihood, you're going to want to have some scratch in your pocket to bet the headliner at 7:04 p.m. That means you're going to essentially have two separate pools of money: one for the Belmont Stakes and one for the undercard, which gets underway at 10:45 a.m. and features seven other stakes races. It's a magnificent day for railbirds, but it can get spoiled quickly if you're not in control of your impulses. And what makes this day of racing especially tricky for those who may struggle with keeping their emotions in check when it comes to betting is that there is a really tempting 'chase' opportunity in the Belmont Stakes. The 2025 Belmont is headlined by two clear favorites, No. 7 Journalism (8-5) and No. 2 Sovereignty (2-1). Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty gets a bath on June 6, 2025 in preparation for Saturday's Belmont Stakes. Getty Images There will be plenty of casual punters who will plan on ending their day with a big bet on one or both of these horses. If you've been betting long enough, you know this feeling. Perhaps it was on Day 1 of March Madness or the first Saturday of the college football season, but we've all dealt with the temptation of chasing a day of losses with one final bet on a 'sure thing' late in the night (it's why Hawaii football games attract an unusually large number of bets during the fall). Nobody wants to be lectured about betting, or see someone get on their soapbox, but any seasoned gambler will say that resisting the urge to chase their losses was a huge step in the right direction. For the purposes of using a round number, let's say you have a bankroll of $200 for Saturday. Immediately, you should decide how much of that you want to leave for the Belmont Stakes. Mike Repoli is the owner of Uncaged who is running in Saturday's Belmont Stakes. Jason Szenes / New York Post Sticking with the round numbers, we'll put $20 aside for the Belmont (along with stashing away any profits from earlier wins), allowing us $180 to gamble with on the full menu of races leading up to the main event. But there's also a chance you're going to want to be a part of the Mandatory Payout Pick 5, which begins with the Jaipur (Race 9, 4:08 p.m.) and wraps up with the Belmont Stakes. By entering the Pick 5, you not only give yourself a shot at a life-changing amount of money, but you'll also have action on each race, so long as you're still in it, without having to bet anymore. We can put $54 aside for the Pick 5, which allows you plenty of room to build a decent ticket, and leaves you with $126 to bet on the rest of the races. It's not the most exciting part of the game, but mapping out a strategy like this before you enter the gates Saturday will go a long way in helping you walk out feeling like a winner.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
UConn Makes Personal Announcement About Dan Hurley on Thursday
UConn Makes Personal Announcement About Dan Hurley on Thursday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. UConn wrapped up the 2024-25 season with a 24-11 overall mark and a 14-6 Big East record, placing third in conference play. Advertisement The Huskies, under seventh-year head coach Dan Hurley, entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 8 seed and narrowly fell to Florida, the eventual national champion, by a 77-75 margin in the second round. Despite not defending their national title, UConn remains at the peak of college basketball, on and off the court. On Thursday, UConn Men's Basketball took to X to celebrate that "Andrea Hurley was honored earlier this week with the Saint Clare Award at the Franciscan Life Center Sports Banquet. A tremendous honor for the First Lady of UConn Basketball!' This post, while brief, highlighted a personal milestone for Coach Hurley's wife, Andrea Hurley. The Saint Clare Award, presented at the 39th Annual Franciscan Sports Banquet and Silent Auction on June 3, recognizes women who embody Christian values through athletic involvement and community service. Advertisement Hurley has been lauded for weekly visits to Hartford Children's Hospital, her work with Make-A-Wish Foundation and her support of the Husky Ticket Project, which provides tickets to underserved youth. UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley and Jayden Ross (23).© David Butler II-Imagn Images Hurley has long been a fixture behind the scenes of the Huskies' program. A graduate of Seton Hall, she met Dan (Hurley) while both were students, marrying him in 1997 and raising two sons: Danny and Andrew, the latter of whom was on UConn's 2023 and 2024 championship teams. Following the 2024 title, Dan opted to sign a six-year, $50 million extension with UConn that runs through 2029. Related: Duke Announces Exciting News on Cameron Boozer's Dad Related: 6-foot-11 College Basketball Recruit Makes Final Decision This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Auburn Sends Message to Bruce Pearl Assistant After Big Career Announcement
Auburn Sends Message to Bruce Pearl Assistant After Big Career Announcement originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Under Bruce Pearl's guidance, the Auburn Tigers finished with a 32-6 overall record and a 15-3 mark in Southeastern Conference play last season, earning the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and reaching the Final Four for the second time in program history. Advertisement Along the way, Auburn captured the Maui Invitational title, secured its sixth SEC regular-season crown and was ranked No. 4 in the AP poll by season's end. As the team prepares for another deep run in 2025-26, Pearl announced on Friday that Ian Borders, a key member of his staff since 2018, would be elevated to assistant coach for the men's program. Shortly after, Auburn took to X to celebrate the milestone, posting simply, "Much deserved 👏" in recognition of Borders's steadily expanding role. Borders arrives at his new role with a well-rounded resume. A 2007 graduate of the University of Louisville, Borders added two more degrees from Western Kentucky (2010, 2015) and completed a master's in sport management at Florida State in 2017. Advertisement He started in coaching as an assistant at South Oldham High School (2010-15), then moved up to the Division I ranks as a graduate assistant under Leonard Hamilton at Florida State (2015-17) before taking on video coordination duties at Little Rock (2016-18) and Auburn (2018-23). In his first season on The Plains, Borders oversaw video operations during Auburn's magical run to the 2019 Final Four, where the Tigers became the only school to knock off Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina in consecutive NCAA Tournament games. Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Donnan-Imagn Images He then transitioned to Director of Scouting and Recruiting, where he helped Auburn compile three straight 25-win seasons (2018-2021). Advertisement In his new capacity as assistant coach, Borders will add player development, scouting and recruiting duties to his portfolio. By rewarding a coach who has labored behind the scenes for seven seasons, Pearl reinforces a culture of loyalty and earned opportunity. Related: UConn Makes Announcement About Dan Hurley's Wife on Thursday Related: Duke Announces Exciting News on Cameron Boozer's Dad This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
