March Madness 2023 upset picks: Predicting every First Round upset

March Madness Upsets – Midwest Region

No. 13 Kent State over No. 4 Indiana

The Hoosiers looked like a Final Four threat at times this season but their overall inconsistency has left them ripe for an upset. Big Ten teams have also underwhelmed in recent editions of March Madness, making Indiana a prime target to get taken out early in the bracket.

MAC champion Kent State is another explosive offensive team that has a genuine star in guard Sincere Carry who can wreck a game if he gets hot. The Golden Flashes are also battle-tested, having lost to three teams in the field (Houston, Gonzaga and Charleston) by a combined 14 points, so they won’t be afraid of taking on a big dog.

No. 10 Penn State over No. 7 Texas A&M

Penn State played its way into the field with a tremendous finishing kick that saw them nearly win the Big Ten Tournament as a No. 10 seed. Guard Jalen Pickett is the kind of elite scorer who can tilt a March Madness game in his favor and the Nittany Lions are efficient from beyond the arc, knocking down over 38 percent of their three-point tries.

It won’t be easy taking down Texas A&M, which has been one of the nation’s best teams since the calendar turned to January. It will come down to a classic finish but Penn State finds a way to advance and take on Texas in the Round of 32.