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Arizona, UCLA and 5 NCAA basketball teams on upset alert this week

By Mike Phillips

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 01: Jaylen Clark #0 of the UCLA Bruins grabs a rebound in the game against the Colorado Buffaloes at UCLA Pauley Pavilion on December 1, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 01: Jaylen Clark #0 of the UCLA Bruins grabs a rebound in the game against the Colorado Buffaloes at UCLA Pauley Pavilion on December 1, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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The Texas Longhorns and UCLA Bruins are among the teams in danger this week as we break down potential Week 5 college basketball upset picks.

The season is just over a month old and college basketball has seen plenty of dramatic upsets. Three teams featured in last week’s upset alert got tripped up, including No. 1 Duke’s collapse in Columbus as they blew a 13-point halftime lead to unranked Ohio State to drop out of the top spot in this week’s AP Poll.

Who could be staring at the same fate as the Blue Devils in Week 5? Check out this week’s college basketball upset picks for a look at five more programs that could see their fortunes tumble with a poor performance in a dangerous spot.

5 college basketball teams on upset alert this week

No. 13 Tennessee vs. Texas Tech – Tuesday

The Volunteers were on last week’s upset alert list and managed to avoid Duke’s fate by picking up a 15-point win at Colorado. This week brings another stiff non-conference test for Tennessee as they head to Madison Square Garden to take on Texas Tech in the Jimmy V Classic. The Red Raiders have a deep roster and will be angry coming off their first loss of the season at Providence, making this a tricky spot for a Volunteers’ team that doesn’t score a lot against the rugged Texas Tech defense.

No. 7 Texas at No. 23 Seton Hall – Thursday

Things have been pretty quiet for Texas, which has feasted on mid-major cupcakes in Austin since their loss in Spokane to Gonzaga in early November. The Longhorns will get an intense step up in competition as they head to Newark to take on Seton Hall in the Big East-Big 12 Battle. The Pirates already have an upset win over then-No. 4 Michigan under their belts and have the kind of experienced team that could give a still-gelling Texas team fits.

No. 12 Arkansas at Oklahoma – Saturday

Perhaps the most under the radar team in the SEC has been Arkansas, which is off to an 8-0 but hasn’t beaten a team better than Cincinnati (on a neutral floor) yet. The Razorbacks have their first true road game on Saturday in Norman against Oklahoma, which just upset No. 14 Florida on its home floor last week. The Sooners are a dangerous foe here and Porter Moser’s team will look to add to its tournament resume by knocking Arkansas from the ranks of the unbeaten.

No. 4 UCLA at Marquette – Saturday

One thing to watch for in potential upsets is rust from a lengthy break in the schedule. UCLA hasn’t played since last Wednesday after COVID issues in Washington’s program forced a forfeit over the weekend. That layoff could be deadly for the Bruins in a true road game against a Marquette team that has already picked up wins over Illinois and West Virginia this season.

No. 11 Arizona at Illinois – Saturday

The Wildcats have been one of the Pac-12’s most pleasant surprises with Tommy Lloyd taking over a program in turmoil after Sean Miller’s departure and guiding the Wildcats to a perfect 7-0 start. Saturday’s trip to Champaign to take on Illinois is scary since the Fighting Illini have looked like a much different team since Kofi Cockburn returned from a three-game suspension to start the season. Illinois enters the week on a four-game winning streak and is more than capable of knocking off Arizona here.

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