5 NCAA basketball teams on upset alert this week: Could Alabama get tripped up?

Alabama and Kansas have tough matchups on tap, making them part of this week’s most intriguing college basketball upset picks.

The art of avoiding upsets in college basketball is already hard enough without trying to factor in COVID pauses to the equation. The Omicron surge adds yet another unstable element to the season as teams may be forced to miss games due to positive tests either within their own program or their opponents, leading to layoffs that can create rust, which in turn leads to upsets.

Seton Hall learned this lesson the hard way last week, going 17 days between games due to COVID pauses before losing consecutive contests to Providence and Villanova. Let’s take a look at five more college basketball upset picks for this week, beginning with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Upset Alert: Week 9 College Basketball Upset Picks

Note: All games listed in this post were on the schedule at the time of publication. COVID-19 pauses can impact the college basketball schedule at any time.

No. 15 Alabama at Florida – Wednesday

The Crimson Tide have produced some monster results this season, including wins over Gonzaga and Houston, but have also added questionable defeats to teams like Iona and Davidson to their resume. Nate Oats’ team has yet to win a true road game and their first one in SEC play comes against a dangerous Florida team that has spent time inside the Top 25 already this season. Don’t be shocked if the Gators regain their form by tripping up Alabama.

No. 13 Ohio State at Indiana – Thursday

A COVID pause left plenty of rust for Ohio State on Sunday as they needed overtime to get past Nebraska, one of the Big Ten’s worst teams. The Buckeyes will need to get their groove back ahead of a dangerous road game against a desperate Indiana team coming off a tough loss to Penn State. The Hoosiers are undefeated at Assembly Hall this season and Ohio State will have a very difficult time leaving Bloomington with a win.

No. 10 Michigan State at Michigan – Saturday

Tom Izzo’s team had its own COVID issues this week and managed to go 2-0 despite being shorthanded in both games, an impressive accomplishment with a true road game at Northwestern in the mix. Records go out the window in traditional Big Ten rivalry games, however, and Michigan State is on the road Saturday to take on a talented but underachieving Michigan team. The Wolverines began the season in the Top 10 but have lost five games, making this matchup against the Spartans a potential redemption game in Ann Arbor.

No. 6 Kansas at No. 25 Texas Tech – Saturday

Sometimes a difference in tempo can be all it takes to generate an upset in college basketball. Kansas’ high-flying offense will be put to the test in Lubbock on Saturday as Texas Tech’s stingy defense will attempt to put the clamps on the Jayhawks. The Red Raiders surrender just 58.2 points per game and can put the ball in the basket themselves, making this a very challenging contest for Kansas to win on the road.

No. 11 Iowa State at Oklahoma – Saturday

The good news for Iowa State is that the Cyclones proved they were a legitimate Big 12 contender by giving Baylor everything they could handle in Ames on Saturday. The issue for Iowa State is that the Big 12 is a certified meat grinder that can lead to losing streaks quickly if you aren’t careful. Saturday’s game against Oklahoma is a very tricky spot as the Sooners have been a dominant home team that has already beaten two ranked SEC teams (Florida and Arkansas) on its home floor.

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