5 NCAA basketball teams on upset alert this week: Could Duke lose again?

The Duke Blue Devils and LSU Tigers find themselves among this week’s most interesting college basketball upset picks.

The top of the college basketball world was really shaken up by some huge upsets. Saturday was a particularly bloody day for top teams as Duke, Kansas, Alabama and Iowa State all lost, leading to some tumbling in the AP Top 25 rankings for those programs this week.

Both the Jayhawks and Cyclones were on our list of potential upset victims last week along with Ohio State, which got tripped up by Indiana at Assembly Hall. Let’s look at five more top programs that could find themselves in danger as we break down the week’s top college basketball upset picks.

Upset Alert: Week 10 College Basketball Upset Picks

Note: All games listed below were on the schedule as of post time. COVID-19 concerns could lead to postponements at any moment.

No. 23 Providence at Creighton – Tuesday

The Friars were another team that suffered an upset last week when they went to Marquette and left Wisconsin with a humbling 32-point loss. Saturday’s win against St John’s was a nice rebound for Providence but they have another tough road trip ahead on Tuesday night against Creighton. The Bluejays already have a home win over Villanova on their resume and could trip up Providence in this spot if the Friars aren’t careful.

No. 12 LSU at Florida – Wednesday

Last week was a banner one for LSU, which swept Kentucky and Tennessee at home to prove their legitimacy as an SEC title contender. The Tigers have to be careful not to get too overconfident after that stretch when they hit the road to take on a dangerous Florida team on Wednesday night. The Gators were ranked at one point this season and are desperate to win after a tough 0-2 start in the SEC, making this game a nasty one for LSU to try and grab on the road.

No. 8 Duke at Wake Forest – Wednesday

Duke has looked sluggish since coming off its COVID pause, letting Georgia Tech hang around for a while in a win before falling to Miami at home over the weekend. Those results aren’t great for a Blue Devils team that has significantly more talent than either opponent and Mike Krzyzewski’s team could lose again if they don’t get their act together against Wake Forest on Wednesday. The Demon Deacons are a tournament-worthy team that knows this home shot at Duke may be their only opportunity to add a significant win to their March Madness resume so this spot is fraught with peril for Duke.

No. 20 Seton Hall at Marquette – Saturday

No Big East road game is easy and Seton Hall could learn this lesson the hard way on Saturday. We already mentioned Marquette, which steamrolled Providence by 32 at home last week, and the Golden Eagles could really add another significant resume boost by taking down the Pirates.

No. 24 Alabama at Mississippi State – Saturday

It has been hard to figure out what to make of Alabama this season, which has already won games against Gonzaga and Houston while losing to the likes of Iona, Davidson, and Missouri. Saturday’s trip to Starkville is dangerous since Mississippi State has the talent to be a tournament team but hasn’t produced the necessary results yet to get out of the 8-9 range. The Bulldogs would love a shot at beating the Crimson Tide and secure the seeding boost that could come with it.

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