Fansided

5 NCAA basketball teams on upset alert this week: Illinois, Texas on notice

By Mike Phillips

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 10: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini shoots the ball as Donta Scott #24 of the Maryland Terrapins defends during the second half at State Farm Center on January 10, 2021 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 10: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini shoots the ball as Donta Scott #24 of the Maryland Terrapins defends during the second half at State Farm Center on January 10, 2021 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Illinois and Texas are among the NCAA basketball teams on upset alert this week.

The calendar has officially flipped to February and that means we are only four weeks away from the magical month of March. Resumes can be made and broken in February, particularly if you get upset as Missouri did at Auburn last week.

Let’s take a look at five more teams that need to be careful with some tricky road games this week. The focus is heavy on the Big Ten and ACC, which see a lot of good teams hit the road against more desperate conference foes.

Illinois is on upset alert at Indiana

There are no easy games in the Big Ten so finding a way to win consistently in the conference is an impressive achievement. Illinois has done that for the most part, riding the dynamic duo of Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn to an impressive 7-3 start in the conference.

Tuesday night will be tricky for the Fighting Illini as they visit Assembly Hall to take on the Hoosiers, who are just 4-5 in the Big Ten but have a road win over Iowa on their resume. Trayce Jackson-Davis can also be a game-wrecker for Indiana, averaging 20.1 points per game and 8.7 rebounds a night, and a big night from him could power the Hoosiers to a big home victory.

Virginia Tech needs to be careful at Pittsburgh

The middle class of the ACC is a potential minefield of so-so teams that are capable of springing upsets if you aren’t careful with them. Virginia Tech is riding high entering the week, scoring a big upset over Virginia to improve to 7-2 in the ACC, but they have a tricky road game on Wednesday against Pittsburgh.

A three-game losing streak has dulled some of the Panthers’ momentum but they have demonstrated significant improvement to be a competitive conference foe. Forward Justin Champagnie is also a double-double machine, racking up four in his past five games, and he could go off to help an upset like the Blue Devils found out a few weeks ago when Champagnie poured in 31 to help the Panthers topple Duke.

Louisville is on upset alert at Syracuse

The Cardinals fell out of the Top 25 after losing to Clemson, a defeat that didn’t age well after the Tigers were waxed by Duke on Saturday. Victories over Seton Hall and Virginia Tech by a combined three points are propping up Louisville’s resume, which could take a hit if they lose to Syracuse on Wednesday.

The Orange have been heating up, winning three of their past four games, and their trademark 2-3 zone can be a major problem against a Louisville team that shoots just 31.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Cardinals will need to hit plenty more outside jumpers to avoid getting clipped at the Carrier Dome.

Minnesota needs to be careful at Rutgers

A Big Ten team that is trending in the wrong direction is Minnesota, which is coming off a bad loss at Purdue on Saturday. We mentioned the Golden Gophers as a potential upset victim last week and they didn’t disappoint, getting blown out in a 19-point defeat at Mackey Arena.

Minnesota hits the road on Thursday for a trip to the RAC against Rutgers, which has established an incredible home-court advantage over the past two years. The Scarlet Knights enter the week on a three-game winning streak and need to pick up this win to keep building momentum after a mid-January slump knocked them out of the Top 25.

Texas is on upset alert at Oklahoma State

This is a big week for the Longhorns, who play in arguably the Big 12’s Game of the Year on Tuesday against Baylor. That contest should be an emotional one for Texas and could leave them a bit drained as they hit the road on Saturday for a dangerous game against Oklahoma State.

An underrated team in the Big 12, the Cowboys have the best player on the floor in freshman sensation Cade Cunningham, who returned from a two-game absence to score 21 points (including the game-winning jumper) against Arkansas on Saturday. Cunningham can take over this game and power Oklahoma State to a big upset if Texas comes into the matchup with a bit of a hangover from the Baylor game.

Zion and the 20 best one-and-done's. dark. Next

For more NCAA basketball news, analysis, opinion and features, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.