The first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament were filled with upsets. College basketball fans love the tournament, in large part because of the monumental upsets that take place nearly every year.
The 2023 tournament has been something special in that regard. The biggest upset of the first two rounds was provided by little-known and 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson over the top-seeded Big Ten champion Purdue Boilermakers in the opening round.
It was a major shocker that reflected badly on Purdue head coach Matt Painter and his players, but it gave underdog backers something to celebrate. It was only the second time in tournament history that a 16 had defeated a 1.
Other notable first-round upsets included 13th-seeded Furman defeating 4th-seeded Virginia and 15th-seeded Princeton's victory over Arizona.
In the second round, Princeton continued its winning ways with a blowout win over 7th-seeded Missouri, 6th-seeded Creighton topped 3rd-seeded Baylor, 8th-seeded Arkansas defeated top-seeded Kansas and 7th-seeded Michigan State defeated 2nd-seeded Marquette.
There are likely to be more upsets to follow in the Sweet 16, both via the pointspread the seeding. In this feature we look at 3 potential upsets.
Upset 1: No. 7 Michigan State over No. 3 Kansas State
Based on the seeding, the Spartans are underdogs to the Wildcats, but the lone Big Ten representative left in the tournament is a 1 1/2-point favorite in the game at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The Spartans (21-12) were a 4th-place team in the Big Ten and they struggled to win consistently this season. However, Tom Izzo's team often plays its best basketball at tournament time, and that was the case against USC and Marquette in the first two rounds of the tournament.
Tyson Walker and Joey Hauser represent Michigan State's two best offensive threats, but this team is all about toughness, relentlessness and finding a way to get the job done.
The defense clamped down on USC star Boogie Ellis in the first-round win, while the Spartans outscored Marquette 15-8 on second-chance points in the next round.
Kansas State represents a major challenge because the Wildcats have 5-8 point guard Markquis Nowell, and he is capable of causing major problems with his quickness. The Wildcats play a hounding level of defense, forcing 15.8 turnovers per game.
Upset 2: No. 15 Princeton over No. 6 Creighton
The Tigers are hoping to continue their winning ways against the Blue Jays. While FanDuel lists Princeton as a 9 1/2-point underdog, don't expect the Ivy League representative to be intimidated.
Princeton features back-door plays that can cause huge problems for opponents that are not used to facing an opponent that will wait patiently for an opportunity to develop.
The Tigers also play a relentless brand of defense that held Arizona to 27 points below its season average. That defense appeared to get even better against Missouri, preventing clear looks at the basket for 40 minutes.
Ryan Langborg can handle much of the offensive responsibility for Princeton, but he will have to be aware that Creighton big man Ryan Kalkbrenner is an outstanding shot blocker.
Upset 3: No. 9 Florida Atlantic over No. 4 Tennessee
The Owls should have an excellent chance at coming up with an upset in this round because they are a fast-paced team that can light it up from beyond the arc. Tennessee is listed as a 4 1/2-point favorite.
Tennessee's best asset is its dominant defensive play, but Florida Atlantic will put that defense to the test with its depth. None of Florida Atlantic's players average more than 26 minutes a game, so the Owls are not likely to be fatigued at the end of a close game.
Guard Johnell Davis will likely take the big shots for the Owls, as the sophomore from Gary, Indiana is averaging 13.9 points per game.
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