College basketball upset alert: Why Michigan State and UCLA need to be careful in Week 9

College basketball had a light week surrounding the Christmas holiday so upset alert took a one-week hiatus. It was an appropriate break since only 12 games involving ranked teams were on the schedule and no major upsets occurred, unlike in Week 7 when Kentucky got blown out by 20 points at Madison Square Garden against an unranked Ohio State team who will be featured in this space in the coming words.

With conference play set to kick off in full gear after the calendar flips to January tomorrow, which ranked teams from this week's AP Top 25 should be on upset alert? Read on to find out, starting with Penny Hardaway's Memphis Tigers.

Which college basketball teams should be on upset alert in Week 9?

No. 21 Memphis

The Tigers have been bouncing in and out of the Top 25 since they made their big statement in Maui with a run to the final that included wins over UCONN and Michigan State. While there have been some dominant performances in the mix for Memphis since then, including a 17-point victory against Ole Miss on Saturday, they have also lost at home to Arkansas State by 20 and played tight games against Virginia and Clemson.

Thursday's American conference opener sees the Tigers hit the road against Florida Atlantic, which is trying to re-establish its presence as a bubble team after Dusty May left for Michigan following last season. Offense hasn't been an issue for the Owls, who average 84.8 points per game (which ranks inside the Top 30 nationally), but their inconsistency on the other end of the floor has led to some disappointing losses as part of their 7-6 record.

Going on the road in league play is never easy and if the Owls are knocking down their shots this could be a dangerous spot for Memphis. There is no question that the Tigers are more than capable of winning a shootout if it comes to that but overlooking Florida Atlantic could lead to a damaging loss for Memphis as league play begins.

No. 18 Michigan State

One of the last legendary coaches of the early 2000s still roaming a college sideline is Michigan State's Tom Izzo, whose Spartans are riding the longest active streak of NCAA Tournament appearances with 26. While expectations weren't high for the Spartans entering the year, Izzo's team has quietly raced into the polls on the strength of a 10-2 start with its only losses coming to Kansas in the Champions Classic and Memphis in the Maui Invitational.

Michigan State is currently tied for the Big Ten lead at 2-0 in conference play but have a road test on tap as they head to Columbus on Friday night to take on the Buckeyes. The 9-4 record that Ohio State is carrying into this game is deceptive since the Buckeyes have played one of the most difficult non-conference schedules in the country, with three of their losses coming to potential tournament teams in Auburn, Pittsburgh and Texas A&M.

The Buckeyes have also demonstrated the ability to take down top competition, such as their season-opening road win at Texas and the aforementioned blowout of Kentucky in mid-December. That experience, along with the backing of their fans, could make this a very difficult spot for the Spartans to walk into and pick up a win.

No. 15 UCLA

One of the most impactful results from Week 8 was UCLA's win over Gonzaga in the first-ever college basketball game at the Intuit Dome, helping Mick Cronin's team further bury their disappointing final Pac-12 campaign. The Bruins are off to an 11-2 start this season and tied with the Michigan schools atop the Big Ten, and their two losses have come by a combined ten points to New Mexico in Week 1 and North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic.

Saturday's win over Gonzaga was a statement for UCLA, which is now off a week before they hit the road to take on Nebraska in a conference tilt. This will be a long trip for the Bruins against a strong Nebraska team that has already won at Creighton and played Saint Mary's down to the wire in a three-point loss during the non-conference portion of the season.

Pinnacle Bank Arena offers a strong home-court advantage for the Cornhuskers, who have gone 25-1 in Lincoln since the start of last season. Guard Brice Williams has been a walking bucket for Nebraska, averaging 19.1 points per game while shooting 51.7 percent from the floor, and if he goes on a heater the Cornhuskers could hand the Bruins their first conference loss as a Big Ten member.