Upsets make March Madness what it is, so which of the four No. 1 seeds should fans be banking on bowing out of the NCAA Tournament first?
Looking at the four No. 1 seeds (Duke, Virginia, UNC, Gonzaga) no one would be surprised to see them make the Final Four and any could end up as the national champ without as much as a raised eyebrow.
However, the other three has just a good of a chance to be the kings themselves, which makes pinning down which school will bow out first a bit harder than last year when it was basically Upset City.
While the job will be harder, it has to be done, however, and here are the odds of each No. 1 who has the potential to be the first to be upset this year:
- Gonzaga: 7/3
- UNC: 5/2
- Virginia: 3/1
- Duke: 5/1
Sorry, Bulldog fans, but Gonzaga has the best odds to be tripped up in route to the Final Four. That’s because, out of the three number one seeds, the Bulldog’s road to Minneapolis is the toughest. Gonzaga should breeze out of Round One, but after that, they’ll face either Baylor or Syracuse, two teams that have the potential to knock Gonzaga right out of the Tournament.
Right after Gonzaga is UNC, who should have an easy time beating Iona, but in Round Two, they’ll be matched up with either Utah State or Washington, two teams that the Tar Heels definitely shouldn’t overlook.
Virginia is in a fairly easy bracket, but they have a lot to prove; Duke has the lowest odds to be upset, and that’s no accident. They’re in the easiest bracket, and really shouldn’t have any trouble on their way to the Elite 8, at least.