5 NCAA basketball teams on upset alert this week: Florida State, Kansas on high alert

Kansas and Florida State are among the NCAA basketball teams on upset alert this week.

This college basketball season has certainly had its fair share of twists and turns without even factoring in the coronavirus. Duke, which was off to a bad start, opted to cancel its remaining non-conference games while Kentucky is 1-4 after a tough loss to Notre Dame on Saturday.

There have also been plenty of upsets along the way, including Arizona State’s shocking blowout loss at home against San Diego State last week. Let’s take a look at five more schools that could be walking into dangerous situations this week, beginning with the Florida State Seminoles.

Florida State should be careful with Georgia Tech

It has been a case of so far, so good for Florida State this season after a 3-0 start. The Seminoles have been battle-tested to date, narrowly topping Indiana in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge while holding off Florida over the weekend in a game that was undoubtedly changed after Gators’ star Keyontae Johnson collapsed on the court early in the contest.

This week brings the start of ACC play for Florida State and a tricky matchup against Georgia Tech. The game is at home but the Yellow Jackets have recovered from a brutal 0-2 start with wins over Kentucky and Nebraska. There is plenty of talent on Josh Pastner‘s team and they are capable of springing the upset if the Seminoles aren’t prepared to play this game.

Kansas could stumble at Texas Tech

There appears to be plenty of evidence that Bill Self has built another loaded team in Lawrence as the Jayhawks are cruising with a 6-1 start. The one loss came in Kansas’ opener against Gonzaga while the Jayhawks have wrapped up the majority of their non-conference slate with six straight wins, including gritty triumphs against Kentucky and Creighton.

This week sees Kansas open Big 12 play with a tough road trip to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech, which is also off to a 6-1 start. Chris Beard’s team hasn’t really been tested yet but is extremely deep. That depth makes them a strong threat to Kansas, which could fall at the Red Raiders for the second time in three years if they aren’t careful.

San Diego State could be in danger against BYU

Everyone will be singing the praises of the Aztecs after what they pulled off in Tempe last week against Arizona State. Despite facing a true road game against a Pac-12 title contender, Brian Dutcher’s Aztecs managed to slow down the high-flying Sun Devils offense and win a true road game by 12 points.

That game was a big statement for San Diego State, which has a dangerous team coming to Viejas on Friday night in the form of BYU. Led by senior guard Alex Barcello, who is averaging 17.8 points per game and also leads the team in assists and field goal percentage, the Cougars can put the ball in the basket while also playing capable defense. This should be a close game and BYU could steal it on the road if the Aztecs have an off night.

Creighton can’t take UConn lightly on Sunday

This game will be a tricky one for Gregg McDermott to prepare his team for thanks in part to UConn’s COVID pause. The Huskies have played just three games to date, but one of those victories came against a solid Pac-12 squad in USC, before shutting down after a positive COVID test.

Creighton does remain one of the Big East’s top teams and a serious threat to Villanova in the conference but UConn will have the opportunity to practice ahead of time and will be well-rested entering this game. Combine that factor with it being a Huskies’ home game and there are signs of serious danger ahead for the Bluejays, who could easily fall on the road to a UConn team capable of making a run to the NCAA Tournament.

Illinois is in a tricky spot traveling to Rutgers

Let’s wrap up this week’s upset alert in the Big Ten with Illinois, which is coming off of a tough road loss at Missouri over the weekend. There is no shame in losing to a rising Tigers’ squad on the road, but it could be a sign that the Fighting Illini won’t just stampede through the Big Ten like some people thought they could.

Illinois will get a game with Minnesota early in the week before traveling to New Jersey on Sunday to take on Rutgers, which has been very difficult to beat at the RAC in the past year and a half. The Scarlet Knights have raced off to a 4-0 start on the strength of its home-court advantage and could make a big statement by knocking off Illinois in Piscataway.

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