Every year there are big upsets in the first round that just destroys our brackets. That unknown team who beats a team you have going to the Elite 8. The thing is, upsets happen every day in every single sport. It is very hard to predict how a team will perform under pressure and when it is crunch time but I have listed a few teams to look out for in the first round.
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In the mid west, you have Buffalo taking on West Virginia in the first round. I think Buffalo shocks everyone and wins this game. West Virginia will have Juwan Staten and Gary Browne back but that does not always guarantee a victory. Sometimes the return of a star player can actually hurt the team. In the absence of greatness, new players will emerge and step up in those case. The team will play differently and will adjust to new ways. When Staten returns, he will give it his all and that might be what brings the Mountaineers down. Staten will be rusty and will be out to prove himself and that is where I think Buffalo will take control and win this game.
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I think Purdue will squeak by in the first round with a narrow victory. Cincinnati can get cold on offense and they rely heavily on their defense when that happens. This is a game where I believe Purdue will shake off the defense and get out to an early lead while Cincinnati hits their cold streak on offense. Purdue has potential to do great things but they are not quite there yet. I believe they will have enough to get past the Bearcats though.
Texas has had most of its struggles against the Big 12 opponents. In this game, they are taking on Butler who is from the Big East. Butler has been very shaky over the past few weeks having issues with their offense and defense. Texas does like to go on big losing streaks but again, that is against the Big 12. I like Texas to pull out the win in this game and end Butlers season.
I have Miss/BYU moving passed the first round with a win over Xavier. I am really pushing for BYU to win and be the team to play Xavier but we will have to wait and see. Either way, I like Ole Miss or BYU to get the win, I just feel BYU will have a better chance of doing so. BYU has a great offense and that will force Xavier to make their shots if they want to beat BYU and I do not think that will happen.
VCU ended up being the 7 seed after winning the title but I think their journey ends in round 1. I like Ohio State to pull the upset here and move on. VCU was very shaky before the conference tournament and they played well to get the win but that will not be good enough for Ohio State. I think this will be a close game but Ohio State pulls out the late win.
My last upset is Davidson over Iowa. Davidson was playing so well and then they hit the conference tournament and just bombed out. They squeaked out a win over La Salle, who outplayed them the entire game but got creamed against VCU. I like for them to turn things around and to get their offense back where it needs to be. This is another game that should be high scoring and a lot of fun to watch. I like Davidson to pull the upset and move on to the second round.
I see only a few major upsets in round 1 but their are some potential upsets in other games. I just think the better teams will win those games even though they may be close. The first round is the hardest and if you can survive it with minimal damage, you may just have a shot to win your bracket. Best of luck