NCAA Brackets 2013: High Seeds That Will Struggle to Victory in Round of 64

Beware of high-seeded schools that face tough, under-rated opponents in the early parts of the NCAA brackets.

Struggling to victory in the round of 64 doesn't provide much confidence later in the tournament, because the stages only continue to increase with difficulty. Factor in the expected number of upsets that occur each year, and we will see higher seeds fall.

That said, now it's just a matter of which ones drop...and when.

The following teams are capable of revealing weaknesses in their opponents and denying the favorites a chance at making a deep run. After all, a high seed that barely edges by early on doesn't have favorable odds to last in March Madness.

Midwest Region: Memphis (No. 6 seed) vs. St. Mary's/Middle Tennessee (No. 11 seed)

Memphis played a weak schedule in the regular season, so don't look too far into their 30-4 record. The Tigers are also getting the winner of a play-in game, and their opponent will either be St. Mary's or Middle Tennessee.

Each is a formidable opponent because Memphis struggles versus solid defenses; St. Mary's allowed an average of just 63.3 points and Middle Tennessee gave up a mere 57.8.

At the same time, the Gaels and Blue Raiders possess the offense to match pace. They will also equal Memphis on the boards, and the Tigers give up 65.1 points per game.

West Region: Wisconsin (No. 5 seed) vs. Ole Miss (No. 12 seed)

Coach Bo Ryan and Wisconsin drew one tough matchup in the round of 64.

Ole Miss enters on a five-game win streak and took the SEC tournament over Florida. Ranking No. 7 in scoring offense at 78.2 points per game, the Rebels are also No. 19 in rebounding (38.8 per game). By contrast, the Badgers get only 66.2 points and 36.9 boards per contest.

Obviously Ryan's team is defensively-oriented, as the Rebels give up more points than Wisconsin's offensive average. The challenge, though, will be to match Ole Miss' pace and control the tempo.

The Rebels will take and put down buckets, so the Badgers have to get the most of each possession.

South Region: San Diego State (No. 7 seed) vs. Oklahoma (No. 10 seed)

The good news for San Diego State is the Mountain West sporting six schools with 20-plus wins. That means it's a deep conference with more talent and increases the Aztecs' strength of schedule for 2012-13.

Along the same lines, however, the Big 12 is quite similar. Oklahoma is fifth in the regular season and was one of five teams with 20-plus victories. And three of the five are ranked in the Top 25: Kansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State.

As for this matchup, the Sooners have the offense to counteract everything from San Diego State. Whether it's scoring, shooting percentage, rebounds or dishing the rock around, Oklahoma will remain with the Aztecs.

On the bright side for San Diego State, the Sooners are not as strong defensively. Keep in mind, though, Oklahoma split with No. 3 ranked Kansas and held the Jayhawks below their scoring average in each game.

East Region: Syracuse (No. 4 seed) vs. Montana (No. 13 seed)

Coach Jim Boeheim and Syracuse received a sneaky draw in the Montana Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies possess the offensive skill set to match the Orange, as Montana connects on 47.4 percent of its shots. In addition, the ability to push the pace and rely on multiple players to score will get the 'Cuse defense moving.

And although the Grizzlies aren't as suffocating on the defensive end, they will generate turnovers to capitalize offensively. Syracuse will definitely find ways to score by moving the ball around and winning inside the paint, but it won't happen immediately.

Expect the Grizzlies to come out patiently to restrict Syracuse's offensive production. The test to limit open shots and take advantage of transition will determine how quickly the Orange pull away.

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