March Madness 2015: Upset Picks to Fill out on Printable NCAA Brackets

Rob GoldbergMar 16, 2015

If all the top seeds won in the NCAA tournament, it wouldn't be called March Madness.

The biggest reason for the event's popularity is the propensity for upsets. The first weekend features 96 games being played over a four-day period, many of which will see little-known squads shock the world with surprising results.

For those looking to fill out brackets, don't be afraid to pick a few lower seeds to pull off some early upsets. If you want to be bold, here are some potentially surprising results that could occur in the first weekend.

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No. 13 UC Irvine over No. 4 Louisville

Mar 13, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; UC Irvine Anteaters guard Aaron Wright (32) yells at UC Irvine Anteaters center Mamadou Ndiaye (34) during the second half against UC Santa Barbara Gauchos of the semifinals in the Big West Conference Tournament at Honda Ce

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There is one big reason you should pay attention to UC Irvine this week, and his name is Mamadou Ndiaye. Steve Berkowitz of USA Today explained why:

Although he has played in only 14 games this season, the giant center makes an impact on both ends of the court. He has made a nice tandem in the post alongside Will Davis II, who leads the team in both scoring and rebounds.

Meanwhile, Louisville has struggled offensively lately while failing to top 60 points scored in six of its past seven games. Without point guard Chris Jones, the offense relies too much on individual plays from Terry Rozier and Montrezl Harrell, which is not a consistent way to put up points.

The Anteaters should then be able to pass Louisville on the scoreboard with their inside presence and 39 percent shooting from three-point range. The Cardinals might cause problems with their defensive pressure, but UC Irvine has the talent to pull off the upset.

No. 7 Michigan State over No. 2 Virginia

Mar 15, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine (45) reacts after a made basket against the Wisconsin Badgers during the first half in the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Caylo

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Virginia has to be extremely upset with its bracket after being in position for a No. 1 seed throughout the season. With a loss to North Carolina in the ACC tournament semifinals, however, the Cavaliers dropped to the No. 2 line and are now faced with a potentially devastating second-round matchup.

While Michigan State is not quite the team that beat Virginia in the Sweet 16 a year ago, this is an extremely talented bunch that is clearly peaking at the right time. Tom Izzo has a knack for getting his teams to play their best in March, and the Spartans showed this is once again the case by coming within overtime of a Wisconsin upset in the Big Ten tournament finals.

The key in this matchup will be the play of Virginia guard Justin Anderson.

“We need him, no doubt,” Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett said of the junior after the recent loss, via John Feinstein of The Washington Post. “He’s rusty. That’s obvious. I thought tonight he was a little bit better on defense. He made progress. We have to hope he’ll be ready to go next week. We all have to be ready next week.”

After missing about a month with a finger injury and then an appendectomy, he hasn't made much of an impact in two games. This ineffectiveness will be huge for the Cavaliers on both ends of the court as the Spartans find a way to pull off the upset.

No. 7 Wichita State over No. 2 Kansas

ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 7: Ron Baker #31 of the Wichita State Shockers goes for a lay up against Justin McCloud #15 and Deontae Hawkins #23 of the Illinois State Redbirds during the MVC Basketball Tournament Semifinals at the Scottrade Center on March 7, 20

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On the topic of teams ready to complain about their seed, Wichita State might have legitimate beef. ESPN's John Gasaway gave his thoughts on the matter:

The Shockers went to the Final Four two years ago and last season had an undefeated regular season before falling to Kentucky in the round of 32. Key players like Ron Baker, Fred VanVleet and Tekele Cotton have contributed to both of these teams and are still making an impact on the current one.

VanVleet is a composed point guard who knows how to take care of the basketball, which will help the team navigate through all levels of the NCAA tournament.

This is not good news for Kansas, which made it through an incredibly difficult schedule with a Big 12 title but clearly doesn't have the consistency of past Bill Self teams. Players like Wayne Selden and Kelly Oubre can take over games, but they can also disappear at times.

In what will likely be a close game, you have to side with the experience of Wichita State.

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