Five Potential NCAA Tournament Upsets To Watch For

Move aside Christmas: This is officially the most wonderful time of the year. The 2009 NCAA Tournament is upon us, and basketball holiday is ready to take center stage.

That means the likes of Blake Griffin, Tyler Hansbrough, and Super Ty, Mr. Terrence Williams and The Mighty Sam Young are ready to make that championship run.

Never has the tournament seemed so ultra-competitive and parity so spread across the board, and the conference tournaments showed us that whether you are a one seed or a 16, you have a chance.

Who expected the O.J Mayo-less Trojans to win the PAC-10 title? How about Syracuse to beat UConn in an epic six-OT classic that left anyone with a pulse salivating? Florida State to beat North Carolina?

In this era of sports that saw the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl, we've come to expect upsets. It's now the norm.

The George Mason's and Davidson's out there are expected to compete with the top schools and make that huge upset possible every time they meet up.

Duke hasn't made noise in the tournament in what seems like forever, and they can thank Eric Maynor and VCU for sinking them last season. In other words, they better watch their backs with that huge red target back there.

Duke isn't the only top-tier school that has that thing on their back. All of the one seeds will travel through their fields watching over their shoulder for that potential dreaded upset.

They happen every year, but this year just feels more electric. I can just see a one seed holding their faces between their clutched fingers, holding back tears in disbelief and anger at a 1-3 point loss to a team that they weren't supposed to lose to.

Theoretically, no one seed is supposed to lose since they are the best in the field, and last season it was a little disappointing to see three out of four top seeds advance to the final four.

Davidson and Stephen Curry, who missed the tourney this season, were the darlings of 2008 as they fought their way to an Elite Eight match-up with eventual champ Kansas, in which they were one Steph Curry shot from winning.

Who will get hot this season? Who will turn it on at just the right time?

Ladies and Gents, I introduce you to the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

The upsets will undoubtedly come, and I've cooked up five potential ones to look for in this year's field.

Hope you read this before filling out that office pool bracket.

5. 12 Arizona Wildcats over 5 Utah Utes- Midwest First Round

Okay let's be honest with ourselves: the Arizona Wildcats do not deserve to be in this 65-team field.

They finished with under 20 wins at 19-13, only .500 in a weak PAC-10 this season, lost five of their final six games and were defeated by double digits at the hands of Arizona State.

I'm taking them over the fifth seeded Utes.

There's something magical about the Cats wanting to win for the retired Lute Olson, and what better team to draw than the the Utes from the Mountain West.

Chase Budinger will be locked and loaded, and the Utes won't have an answer for double-double machine Jordan Hill.

Luke Nevill will get some numbers for Utah, but that 'Zona defense will stifle and win, 64-59.

4. 12 Wisconsin Badgers over 5 Florida State Seminoles- East First Round

One observation I had watching the ACC this season: I do not like the Florida State Seminoles. Not in a sense of hating, but the style they play. They are a slow starting team, as evidenced against Duke in the ACC tourney final, and they only have 1 scorer.

Toney Douglas leads the team with a 21.3 average, but the next under him is C Solomon Alabi with 8.5 PPG.

That's a perfect recipe for that Badgers defense.

Nobody on the Noles team averages over 3 assists per game, and Wisconsin is a very solid defensive team.

Florida State will rely on Douglas' scoring and Alabi and Echefu's rebounding, but Wisconsin will counter with Marcus Landry and guard combo Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon.

Wisconsin will force Douglas into too many bad shots, and ultimately into State's demise with a final score of 57-51.

3. 11 VCU over 6 UCLA- East First Round

This is another upset I expect out of the East region. VCU showed us how lethal they were last season, and star guard Eric Maynor is the turbo engine that drives them.

He is a very potent double-threat, averaging 22.4 PPG and over six assists per contest. He will rise his NBA draft value in this tourney, and it starts with an upset over UCLA.

The Bruins have never seemed so primed for upset, as they haven't exactly dominated a lackluster PAC-10 conference. The combination of Shipp and Collison hasn't been quite what was expected, and they give up too many points.

A 10-point loss to the Trojans in the PAC-10 tournament was ugly, and if they don't rebound and defend better they'll be on an early flight to Cali.

Maynor will win the match-up against Collison, and VCU's Larry Sanders will have a good game against UCLA's front line. VCU wins it 66-57.

2. 12 Western Kentucky over 5 Illinois- South First Round

The Big Ten is easily the boringest BCS conference to watch, and I've dreaded watching the Illini after Deron Williams' squad lit it up.

I don't feel there's any strong team out of this conference but Michigan State, and no Big Ten team outside of them will make it to the Sweet 16.

The Hilltoppers drew a very beatable five seed in Illinois, and A.J Slaughter and the boys smell blood. We haven't seen much of Western Kentucky, but they will turn into a story after defeating Illinois.

Illinois comes in losing three of their last four games, and didn't look very good in a loss to Purdue. They're a scrappy team under Bruce Weber, and their hustle keeps them in games.

Demetri McCamey will have problems with Slaughter, and Mike Davis will get more than he expects from Hilltopper forward Sergio Kerusch as Western Kentucky will ease a little of the state's pain with the Wildcats missing the tourney with a win, 71-63.

1. 10 Maryland over 7 California- West First Round

I barely consider a 10 beating a seven a huge upset, but in this case it would be. Maryland comes in after a nice run in the ACC tourney, in which they kicked Wake Forest' arse's.

That was the win they needed to get in, and after a season that saw their legendary coach Gary Williams get into hot water over his job, the Terps get in and draw the overachieving Golden Bears.

I'm not excited about any PAC-10 team this season, and Cal is an inconsistent team that can look good one game and bad the next.

They looked a little lost in a loss to USC, a 6 seed that dominated the PAC-10 tournament. Jerome Randle is a nice player, and so is Patrick Christopher.

Those two will keep them in any game, but I'm not enamored with any player on their front line.

Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes will make the back court match-up close to even, and I like F Landon Milbourne's hustle and rebounding.

Maryland has a defense that can keep you under 65 points in wins, and with Cal's shot-oriented guards, I see the Terps forcing them into some misses and taking the game, 64-57.

Those are the five upsets I'll be watching for in the NCAA Tournament's first round. Don't blink your eyes too much, because the 09 tourney will be classic, I promise.