The first round of the NCAA Tournament was a bit chalkier than usual (especially on Thursday), but there were quite a few close games and some notable upsets. Drake fulfilled expectations of their upset potential by taking down No. 6 seed Missouri, while McNeese took advantage of a sluggish Clemson start to hang on and pull off the first 12-5 upset of the year.
Which games have the most upset potential in the Round of 32? Let's take a look at the top upset picks to watch over the next two days of March Madness.
March Madness Upset Picks For The Round Of 32
South Region
No. 6 Ole Miss Over No. 3 Iowa State
Any talk of North Carolina going on a run out of the First Four quickly evaporated when they took the floor against Ole Miss on Friday. Chris Beard's team snapped out of a late-season funk with a dominant effort against the Tar Heels, setting them up nicely for a potential upset of Iowa State on Sunday.
The Cyclones won convincingly over Lipscomb but still have to figure out how to navigate the tournament without star Keshon Gilbert. If the Rebels can play the kind of lockdown defense they displayed against North Carolina they are more than capable of bouncing Iowa State in the Round of 32.
East Region
No. 6 BYU Over No. 3 Wisconsin
The Cougars put together one of the more impressive efforts of the first round of the tournament, handling a strong challenge from a game VCU side that nailed 15 threes and shot 41.3 percent from the floor. BYU won the shootout by knocking down over 50 percent of their field-goal attempts and winning the rebounding battle by nine, giving them plenty of momentum to take into their game with Wisconsin.
The Badgers let Montana hang around for a while before pulling away in the second half, but they will have to win a shootout with BYU to advance. Few teams in the country are playing better than the Cougars, and they will ride their momentum to Newark with an emphatic win over the Badgers.
No. 7 Saint Mary's Over No. 2 Alabama
Defense hasn't been a strong suit for Alabama, but giving up 81 points to Robert Morris (which entered the day with the 171st offense in the country according to KenPom) is a bad look for the Crimson Tide. While Saint Mary's won't light up the nets on most days, they do play at one of the slowest paces of the country to back up a strong defense.
Limiting possessions automatically increases the chance of an upset and Alabama's suspect defense may help Saint Mary's generate a few more baskets than you would expect against a typical opponent. It is much easier to slow a team down than speed them up, so expect this game to be played at the Gaels' pace and present a big upset opportunity down the stretch.
Midwest Region
No. 8 Gonzaga Over No. 1 Houston
Failing to seed teams properly doesn't just punish that team, but also their potential opponents. Gonzaga entered the tournament ranked as a top-10 team by many of the predictive metrics, including KenPom, but the selection committee slotted them on the 8-9 line, where they promptly blew out Georgia to earn a date with Houston.
This game is much harder than Houston deserves as a No. 1 seed, since Gonzaga is loaded with tournament experience and is playing like a team that deserves to be in the top quarter of their bracket. All of the pressure will be on the Cougars as well, allowing the Bulldogs to play free and secure the biggest shocker of the weekend as Mark Few reaches his 10th straight Sweet 16.
No. 12 McNeese Over No. 4 Purdue
It wasn't always pretty for McNeese, which almost blew their upset bid over Clemson in the second half, but Will Wade is set with a dangerous team that should be brimming with confidence against Purdue. The Boilermakers didn't inspire a ton of confidence in their win over High Point, letting the Panthers hang around for a while before pulling away late, so it wouldn't be shocking to see McNeese send Purdue packing.
Both teams have explosive offenses, so McNeese is more than capable of putting up the points necessary to outgun a high-flying Purdue attack. All of the pressure remains with Purdue as well, and if this game is tight late the Cowboys will thrive with some big time clutch baskets to ice an upset.