CBB Upset Alert, Week 6: Why Tennessee and Michigan need to be careful

The college basketball season entered its sixth week on Monday and almost no one has been immune to the upset bug. A combined 27 ranked teams have lost a game over the past two weeks, including No. 1 Kansas twice last week as well as Kentucky getting upset by Clemson during the SEC/ACC Men's Challenge (a spot we highlighted in this space last week).

Which Top 25 teams are most vulnerable to an upset this week? Read on to find out which squads need to be on upset alert, beginning tonight at the Jimmy V Classic with Michigan.

College Basketball Week 6: Upset Alert Index

No. 14 Michigan

The Wolverines have quietly gotten off to a strong start in Dusty May's first year running the program, surging into the polls at No. 14 after winning eight of their first nine games. The strong ranking came as a result of May challenging his team early in the non-conference portion of the schedule, playing four power conference foes and scoring three wins, including a 25-point victory over a ranked Xavier outfit two weeks ago.

Another non-conference test awaits Michigan at the Jimmy V Classic as they take on John Calipari's Arkansas squad at Madison Square Garden. While there should be a solid Michigan contingent in the building with a lot of alumni based in the New York area, it is still a neutral site tilt against a quality SEC opponent loaded with talent.

The Razorbacks have fumbled a few non-conference opportunities already with losses to Baylor and Illinois, making this game very important for their NCAA Tournament resume. The contest figures to be a high-caliber one and Michigan will need to play their best to avoid getting tripped up at the Garden.

No. 20 Wisconsin

We've been skeptical of the Badgers here at Upset Alert and the chickens finally came home to roost last week as Wisconsin lost twice. While losing to Michigan and Marquette is nothing to be ashamed of, it does raise questions about how good the Badgers actually are since their best win came against an Arizona team that has faded fast.

A road Big Ten tilt against Illinois on Tuesday night is not a good get-right spot for Wisconsin as the Fighting Illini are a very dangerous opponent. Illinois has been in the polls several times this season and its only losses have come in what was essentially a road game against Alabama and an overtime defeat at Northwestern that dropped them from this week's rankings.

The level of dominance that Illinois has displayed at times this season makes them a very dangerous team that is being underrated right now. Wisconsin has yet to show they can beat a quality opponent on the road and this is a very difficult spot to get that first signature road win.

No. 24 UCLA

After a down season in their final Pac-12 campaign, the Bruins appear to be revitalized by their move to the Big Ten. UCLA has ripped off seven straight wins after an opening-week loss to New Mexico, including a buzzer-beating triumph at then-No. 12 Oregon over the weekend to improve to 2-0 in conference play.

The conference games marked the first time that UCLA has played a power conference team this season, a run that will continue as they play former conference rival Arizona on Saturday in a "neutral site" tilt in Phoenix. While the Wildcats may have fallen out of the rankings with a 4-4 record, all four of those losses have come against quality opponents, with the last two in the Battle 4 Atlantis coming to Oklahoma and West Virginia by a combined 12 points.

The crowd will be a strong Arizona contingent in Phoenix and this is arguably the Wildcats' last chance to make up ground for all those losses in non-conference play. Expect an inspired effort from a team that began the season ranked inside the Top 10 and that could bode trouble for a UCLA side that hasn't been quite as battle tested yet.

No. 1 Tennessee

Heavy is the head that wears the crown in college basketball and that mantle now falls to Tennessee, the new No. 1 after being the only team ranked in last week's Top 5 not to lose. The Volunteers are atop the polls for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign, which makes the target on their backs massive as they hit the road Saturday for a road contest against Illinois.

As you've gathered if you're a regular upset alert reader, Illinois is a quality basketball team (who we just spotlighted earlier in this column against Wisconsin) that hasn't gotten enough credit for how dominant they can be. KenPom has the Fighting Illini rated as the 16th best team in the country that is ranked inside the Top 30 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, making this a dangerous opponent for a No. 1 team to face on the road.

Tennessee is more than capable of winning this game as they have demonstrated impressive form early on, with all of their victories coming by at least 15 points. That dominance means that the Volunteers haven't dealt with the pressure of being in a tight game on the road yet, something that could be problematic in Champaign on Saturday afternoon.