College basketball upset alert: Why Kentucky and Iowa State need to be careful in Week 10

The start of conference play marks a new beginning for the college basketball season and each week provides teams to make statements via big wins and upsets. Going on the road in league play is never easy, as UCLA learned the hard way with a loss at Nebraska on Saturday, a spot we marked as dangerous for the Bruins in this space last week.

Which teams inside this week's AP Top 25 are in the most danger of an upset in Week 10? Read on to find out, beginning with a potential trap game for Kentucky on Tuesday night.

Which college basketball teams should be on upset alert in Week 10?

No. 6 Kentucky

Fewer teams had a bigger result in Week 9 than Kentucky, who pulled off a 106-100 win over then-No. 6 Florida to make an early statement in SEC play. The Wildcats have had their issues with consistency since point guard Kerr Kriisa went down with a foot injury, and defeating a high-caliber Gators squad is a great sign for their chances of success in a loaded conference.

The high of that win may still be on Kentucky's mind as they hit the road this week to take on Georgia and No. 14 Mississippi State. The matchup with Mississippi State is going to be a big one on Saturday, but overlooking the date with Georgia on Tuesday night would be a bad idea.

The Bulldogs have quietly gotten off to a 12-2 start that includes a non-conference win over St. John's in the Bahamas. With forward Asa Newell and his 15.4 points per game leading the way, Georgia is more than capable of scoring in bunches against a sketchy Kentucky defense and springing an upset.

No. 20 Purdue

After being the class of the Big Ten over the past few years, Purdue is adjusting to a new normal with Zach Edey off to the NBA. The Boilermakers have looked more like a mere contender than a world beater, which is not a bad spot to be in a deep Big Ten, but that also means they should be more vulnerable to upsets than they were when Edey roamed the middle of the paint in West Lafayette.

Thursday's road tilt against Rutgers is a very tricky spot for Purdue to navigate as they have to deal with a very talented Scarlet Knights team that has underachieved to this point of the season. With potential NBA lottery picks Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper on the roster, Rutgers is capable of matching up with anyone if they play to their ability.

Piscataway has also been an unfriendly environment for the Boilermakers of late as last year's win at Jersey Mike's Arena snapped a three-game losing streak in New Jersey dating back to the 2020-21 campaign. Purdue already has a road loss at Penn State in league play and it wouldn't be surprising to see them add another to their ledger in what has become a house of horrors for the Boilermakers.

No. 3 Iowa State

While the SEC's top dogs and Duke have seized the headlines, Iowa State has snuck under the radar into the Top 5 of the AP poll. The Cyclones are 12-1 to start the season and their lone defeat came by a bucket against No. 2 Auburn at the Maui Invitational back in November, setting them up nicely for a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament if they can survive the meatgrinder that is Big 12 play.

The key to success for Iowa State is their explosive offense, which averages 86.6 points per game (good for 12th in the nation entering play on Tuesday), but they will have to win some shootouts against other high-octane attacks in league play. One such test comes on Saturday as they hit the road to take on Texas Tech, which is ranked just behind the Cyclones by averaging 86.5 points per game (good for 13th nationally).

There is also a bit of a trap game factor here as Texas Tech is unranked and Iowa State has a key home date against Kansas on Jan. 15, which could cause them to overlook the Red Raiders. Doing that could be a mistake that results in Iowa State's first loss in nearly two months.