NCAA Bracket 2016: Predicting the first round upsets

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Mar 12, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Hawaii Rainbow Warriors guard Roderick Bobbitt (5) reacts during the first half in the championship game of the Big West conference tournament against the Long Beach State 49ers at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 13 Hawaii over No. 4 California

When you look at this matchup, it’s hard to picture a Hawaii team upsetting a young, talented squad like California from the Pac-12. The Golden Bears finished 12-6 in Pac-12 play and 23-10 overall, proving that they were one of the better teams in the conference, earning the third-best overall seed of any team.

Second-year head coach Cuonzo Martin has coached in just one NCAA Tournament before back in 2013-14 when he led Tennessee to the Sweet 16, but his lack of experience in March could spell doom for the Golden Bears.

Not just his lack of experience, but two of his best players — Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb — are true freshmen, making this time of year very worrisome for any program.

Hawaii might just take advantage of a very poor bench of the Golden Bears. Cal has five guys who average in double figures, but then the points drop off dramatically as no one else averages above 3.5 per game.

The Rainbow Warriors are 27-5 and narrowly lost to Texas Tech and Oklahoma this season — both tournament teams — while winning the Big West regular season and tournament title. Their balanced scoring attack might spell the difference in this one.

Watch out for a Cal upset early on.

Next: UNC Wilmington over Duke

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