NCAA Tournament 2013 Bracket: Upsets to Watch for in Every Region

Bracket predictions will be a very hot topic over the next few days.

Following the release of the NCAA Tournament schedule (printable version here), brackets are no doubt being filled out right across the country (and around the world). As always, there's going to be a great deal of differing opinions surrounding several matchups this year.

Yet whilst we'll leave the arguing about whether Duke are Final Four candidates or not for another time, what we most need to focus on is upsets. For it is upsets that often leave us with a ruined bracket—upsets that we will be desperate to avoid in our predictions this year.

Read on to see some the top upsets to watch for in every region.

Midwest Region

With both the top-two seeds in Louisville and Duke very strong across the board, look for upsets to come through some of the mid-range games in the early rounds.

Oregon have a great chance to knock off Oklahoma State in the round of 64, as could Valparaiso when they take on the No. 3 seed Michigan State.

Valpo are one of the top shooting teams in the country, and when they get hot, could take down even the strongest of opponents in the tournament this year.

Look for either of those teams to challenge early, and perhaps walk away with a shocking second-round upset that will surely ruin many people's brackets.

Biggest upsets to watch: Oregon, Valparaiso

West Region

Very different to the Midwest, the West region seems to be the weakest region as a whole this year—leaving plenty of room for potential upsets.

Gonzaga are no lock as the No. 1 seed, and whilst they should move through Southern comfortably, they could struggle in the next round against Pittsburgh or Wichita State.

Mississippi could also do the same in their second-round game against Wisconsin, with a streaking Ole Miss more than capable of running riot here.

Both Belmont and Iowa State are great teams shooting the ball, and whilst they'll come into the round of 64 as lower-ranked seeds, look for them to possibly earn big wins in the opening few rounds and shoot down a number of brackets in the process.

Biggest upsets to watch for: Pittsburgh (third round), Iowa State, Belmont

South Region

Some interesting prospective upsets coming out of the South this year, with plenty of low seeds possessing the offensive skill needed to topple big teams.

Northwestern are the nation's top scoring team this year, and whilst that might have come against weaker opposition, it's hard to completely rule out a team averaging 81 points per game from challenging the No. 3 seed Florida.

The same goes for Minnesota, whose dominance on the boards this year will definitely give them a great chance to take down their opponent.

San Diego State should also win through comfortably against Oklahoma, and in doing so, set themselves up for a possible win against the No. 2 seed Georgetown. The Hoyas are strong, but do lack creativity at times on offense and could run into trouble in the round of 32.

Biggest upsets to watch for: Minnesota, San Diego State (third round)

East Region

Davidson headlines a number of strong contenders for upsets in the East this year, with their 17-game winning streak no doubt giving them the confidence to thrive in the tournament this year—even against No. 3 seed Marquette Golden Eagles.

Colorado also has the potential to knock off No. 7 seed Illinois Fighting Illini, given their ability to dominate from beyond the arc. If they can make their shots early and keep the pressure on Illinois, then the Buffaloes' offense could end up pulling out an upset win here.

Biggest upsets to watch for: Davidson, Colorado

Make your picks for the 2013 NCAA Tournament here with the Bracket Challenge Game, or print out your 2013 March Madness bracket here.

Any upset predictions for March Madness this year?

Comment below or hit me up on Twitter:  Follow @dantalintyre