March Madness 2013 Bracket: Power Ranking Potential 12 vs. 5 Upsets

It is never much of a surprise when No. 12 seeds upset fifth-seeded opponents in the NCAA tournament. With the parity on display in college basketball this year, it's bound to happen in 2013's version of March Madness.

As highlighted by Taylor Bern of the Las Vegas Sun, the perceptive underdogs beat their higher-seeded opponents in this situation 34 percent of the time despite the massive gap.

As you fill out your brackets ahead of Thursday's action, check out these power rankings to find out how likely the respective 12 seeds will pull the typical trick.

4. (12) Akron Zips vs. (5) Virginia Commonwealth Rams

Due to the arrest of Zips starting point guard Alex Abreu back on March 7, the odds have been stacked against Akron. However, the Zips persevered and won the Mid-American Conference tournament, taking down last year's Sweet 16 upstart Ohio University in the final.

As impressive as Akron's resilience is and as well as it played prior to Abreu's departure, this VCU squad simply isn't losing its first game against an undermanned team.

The Rams have faced stiff competition in the Atlantic 10 conference all year long, and Shaka Smart's defense is simply outstanding. No squad attacks more aggressively than VCU, and the patented, havoc-wreaking full-court press will overwhelm Akron.

Abreu would have helped immensely in that regard. The ray of hope for the Zips comes in the form of their size advantage. As good as Juvonte Reddic has been for the Rams on the inside, the rest of the Rams' lineup is relatively small.

Meanwhile, the Zips have seven-footer and leading scorer Zeke Marshall, who should thrive in this matchup.

It just won't be enough, because Akron's Carmelo Betancourt will be more turnover-prone in this stressful environment, and the Rams unquestionably have more offensive firepower with Treveon Graham, Reddic and three-point specialist Troy Daniels.

3. (12) Ole Miss Rebels vs. (5) Wisconsin Badgers

Mercurial star guard Marshall Henderson leads a high-octane offense for the Rebels that scores just over 78 points per game. Ole Miss was on the bubble entering the SEC tournament, but rattled off three consecutive wins to gain an automatic NCAA bid.

The Badgers were defeated by Ohio State in a predictably defensive slug fest in the Big Ten title game.

Clearly, something will have to give in his massive contrast of styles, and the scales should tip in the Badgers' favor. The methodical pace with which Bo Ryan's squad plays should stagnate the Rebels' explosive attack.

Marshall Holloway is a force to be reckoned with in the paint, which should help the cause. The problem is that Henderson is simply not efficient enough of a shooter to truly devastate Wisconsin, who will likely throw Traevon Jackson at him to tenaciously defend and force him out of rhythm.

This clash will be a nice change for the Badgers, as they've endured an extremely arduous conference schedule in the nation's best league.

It's just not a good matchup for the Rebels if they are unable to run, and Wisconsin will be able to control the pace and ultimately come away with a relatively easy victory.

2. (12) Oregon Ducks vs. (5) Oklahoma State Cowboys

The Ducks hail from the rather weak Pac-12, which is part of the reason they were seeded so low. That said, this is one of the more balanced offensive teams in the tournament. 

As Adam Jude of The Oregonian reports, talented freshman PG Dominic Artis is 100 percent healthy after a stress fracture in his foot kept him out for five weeks. The team chemistry improved throughout the conference tournament, where the Ducks eventually won the final against regular-season champion UCLA.

E.J. Singler is the catalyst for Oregon, and the Ducks also have a great rebounder inside in Arselan Kazemi that should give the Cowboys headaches. This team is playing with outstanding momentum and looks more like the squad that started the 2012-13 campaign with a strong 17-2 record.

Then again, this Oklahoma State team sports one of the best perimeter trios in the country.

Freshman stat-sheet stuffer Marcus Smart is a likely top pick in the impending NBA draft. Markel Brown is the team's leading scorer, but Le'Bryan Nash has shown the ability to explode, as he did in a 28-point effort against TCU.

This showdown should be extremely close and high-scoring. The oddsmakers at Bovada have this as the closest game with respect to the spread, and it seems feasible that the Ducks could get it done.

It will be the team-oriented style of Oregon clashing against the spontaneously creative, deep backcourt of Oklahoma State. In crunch time, though, it will come down to whoever can get it done in an isolation situation. For that reason, the Cowboys must be given the benefit of the doubt.

1. (12) California Golden Bears vs. (5) UNLV Rebels

California doesn't enter this game in particularly good form, having lost its most recent game to a sub-.500 Utah team and the one before that to Stanford. Meanwhile, UNLV put up a good fight against New Mexico in the Mountain West tournament.

As with many things in life, though, this game is all about location, location, location. Unfortunately for the Rebels, the opening game's in San Jose's HP Pavilion.

Higher-seeded teams should be protected from having a disadvantage in terms of the court, but that was simply the luck of the draw for UNLV.

What will help is that the Rebels beat the Golden Bears by one point earlier in the season, and sensational freshman Anthony Bennett will be the best player on the court.

The Rebels also rebound the ball extremely well and also share the ball extremely well. These teams faced each other earlier in the season, with UNLV winning by one point at Berkeley.

Not to be discounted, though, is the dynamic backcourt that California has, consisting of Allen Crabbe and Justin Cobbs. Both can put up big points in any given day, and they will both need to perform extremely well for the Golden Bears to have a chance.

This should be a tight contest, especially with 2012 AP All-American honorable mention Mike Moser being an X-factor, as ESPN's Jason King alludes to.

He can be dominant, but a dislocated elbow the last time the Rebels faced California derailed his junior season. Since his return, he hasn't been the same double-double machine he was a year ago and has been largely inconsistent.

The dynamic that Moser brings to the rotation could be problematic. Although none of the 12 seeds seem like a surefire bet to come out on top, the Golden Bears emerge as the best candidate to pull the upset.

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