CBS NCAA Bracket 2012: Analyzing Experts' Most Savvy Round-of-64 Picks

While there weren't many who took Norfolk State to upset Missouri or Lehigh to take down Duke, there were plenty of other upsets to pick in the Round of 64. Thursday's slate of games was mostly chalk, but Friday brought plenty of bracket-busting surprises.

The experts from CBS Sports released their brackets for all to see, and while there is a lot of red ink on a few of them, there were some who escaped to the first weekend of the tourney largely unscathed. Picking upsets in the Round of 64 is never easy, and it isn't for the faint of heart. But some of the experts made some impressive selections.

Here are the three smartest upset picks by CBS' experts.

No. 12 South Florida over No. 5 Temple—Peter Tiernan

After smothering California in the play-in game, the South Florida Bulls entered the Round of 64 on a high note. Despite that, few believed that they could beat the fifth-seeded Temple Owls, as Temple had a strong season in the Atlantic 10 and beat Duke in non-conference play. Despite their strong resume and a lineup full of talented offensive players, though, Temple couldn't overcome the Big East's best defense in the form of the Bulls.

CBS' Peter Tiernan was on the money with this one, as he actually advanced the Bulls to the Sweet 16. With Ohio upsetting Michigan, that seems like a very strong possibility. South Florida doesn't have a particularly good offense, as evidenced by the fact that it was stuck on five points for a good portion of the first half. But great defense can often make up for that. 

No. 12 VCU over No. 5 Wichita State—Gregg Doyel

Despite the fact that they went all the way to the Final Four as a No. 12 seed last season, few were predicting the VCU Rams would do the same this year.  

VCU was saddled with the familiar 12 seed, and it certainly suits the Rams well. VCU upset the fifth-seeded Wichita State Shockers by virtue of a late three-pointer by forward Bradford Burgess, and it continued to display its NCAA Tournament magic.

Many, including myself and several CBS experts, were on the Shockers to advance to the Sweet 16. One expert in particular who still believed in the Rams, however, is Gregg Doyel. Although Doyel did awful in the first round, with an overall record of 18-14, he was right on with VCU and has the Rams advancing to the Sweet 16. With the way the Rams have played in the Big Dance over the past couple years, though, they may be an unstoppable force.

No. 10 Purdue over No. 7 St. Mary's—Jerry Palm

A No. 10 beating a No. 7 certainly isn't the biggest upset in the world since seven seeds traditionally only win about 60 percent of their Round of 64 games, but Purdue wasn't being picked by many to beat St. Mary's. Much of that probably had to do with the fact that the Gaels were considered to be one of the best mid-major teams in the country and were ranked for much of the year, while the Boilermakers were middle of the pack in the Big Ten.

CBS expert Jerry Palm went with Purdue, however, giving him a big advantage over many of his counterparts.

Robbie Hummel-led Purdue was in control for the vast majority of the game, but St. Mary's made a late charge and even took a one-point lead with about 30 seconds to go. The Boilermakers were able to recover, however, proving that their battles in the Big Ten weren't for naught.