NCAA Brackets 2015: Where to Take Your Biggest Gambles

Ladies and gentlemen, it's bracket time.

Selection Sunday is now in the rearview mirror, and while you might still have some questions (UCLA, really??), no amount of complaining is going to change the field of 68. Now, the only thing you have control over is your bracket.

Of course, there's no exact science to this; the madness of March makes some crazy things happen. But there are lower-ranked teams that are surging and higher-ranked teams that have looked pedestrian in recent weeks.

In other words, there are a lot of places in the bracket where upsets look feasible.

That's where this list comes in. I've pin-pointed eight bracket gambles that will pay off this March.

(7) Wichita State over (2) Kansas in the Round of 32

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All right, let's start out at the bottom of the Midwest Region. I see both No. 2 Kansas and No. 7 Wichita State winning their round of 64 games, but then things get dicey.

Wichita State is no stranger to March upsets, and if the two teams do meet, the Shockers will have plenty of motivation to prove they are the best team in the state.

"It feels like a higher power has put together this potential matchup," Jon Rothstein wrote at CBS Sports. "The Shockers have tried and tried to set up a potential home and home series with the Jayhawks over the past few seasons, but have been unsuccessful since Kansas has absolutely nothing to gain from it."

Well, if both teams win their first games, Kansas is going to have no place to hide: Bill Self and the Jayhawks are going to have to face the under-seeded Shockers, who are seventh in the nation in points allowed.

Considering Kansas has lost two of its last four and doesn't exactly have a high-powered offense, I see Wichita State getting the upset and making it to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years.

(15) Belmont over (2) Virginia in the Round of 64

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There have only been seven cases of a No. 15 seed taking out a No. 2 in NCAA history, but three of those upsets have come in the last three years. In fact, in 2012 there were two of them.

If we do see a No. 2 seed get toppled in the round of 64, I expect it to be Virginia in the East Region.

After all, it was Belmont's Taylor Barnette who hit the game-winning shot to upset Murray State in the Ohio Valley championship game, and now Barnette gets to face Virginia, a team he transferred away from in 2013. He'll certainly be motivated to get an upset, as will the rest of his Cinderella-looking squad.

“They’ve got some good players and they’ve been in tough settings and know how to win,” UVA coach Tony Bennett said, as reported by Mike Barber of Richmond Times-Dispatch. “They’re challenging because the way they play, the way they move the ball, the way they spread you, the way they shoot and the soundness that they play with. It’s certainly a dangerous team.”

Add the danger of Belmont to the fact that Virginia has lost two of its last three games and its star player Justin Anderson is still dealing with a finger injury, and you've got a prime formula for a big-time upset.

(7) Michigan State to the Final Four

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As I noted, there are a lot of overrated top seeds in the East Region. 

The region is wide open for a lower-ranked team to make it to the Final Four, and the Michigan State Spartans are the guys to bet on.

The Spartans—who have been to the Sweet 16 the past three years in a row—have found great form recently, as their upset of Maryland in the Big Ten tournament semifinals proved. They have developed into a classic Tom Izzo team throughout the season—tough, selfless and accurate.

If you don't believe me, perhaps you'll believe Mr. March Madness himself.

"It would not shock me at all if they (MSU) were to march and get to the Final Four," Dick Vitale said on ESPN, as reported by Mike Griffith of MLive.com. "That's how much I believe in Tom Izzo.''

With Villanova, Virginia, Oklahoma and Louisville all facing tricky first-week matchups, look for the Spartans to capitalize on their missteps to make a surprise run to Indianapolis. 

(12) S.F. Austin over (4) Georgetown in the Round of 32

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Can S. F. Austin create some March magic again this year? I think so.

Last year S.F. Austin was a No. 12 seed too, and the team upset No. 5 VCU in the round of 64.

This year, not only are the Lumberjacks primed to upset No. 5 Utah in the second round, but I can see them going a step further to take out No. 4 Georgetown in the third round and make it to their first Sweet 16.

Just look at the facts: SFA has only lost one game since November 24. The team dominates with a high-powered offense that is first in the nation in assists, fifth in field-goal percentage and eighth in points per game scored.

Meanwhile, Utah is a paltry 3-4 in its last seven games, while Georgetown doesn't have the defense to handle the Lumberjacks on offense.

If you want to put a Cinderella team into the Sweet 16, make it S.F. Austin.

(14) Georgia State over (3) Baylor in the Round of 64

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Remember Mercer? Last year, the Bears were the No. 14 seed to rock the tournament when they upset Duke. This year, it will be Georgia State in the West Region.

Unfortunately, the Georgia State Panthers had a big injury in the Sun Belt championship game—to their coach, Ron Hunter, who tore his Achilles while celebrating with his son, Panthers star R.J. Hunter.

Luckily, that shouldn't affect how ready they are for the NCAA tournament. Georgia State is a ruthlessly tough team, sitting at sixth in the nation in steals. They have two elite scorers in R.J. Hunter and Ryan Harrow and Kevin Ware, a player who is very eager to make better March Madness memories. 

Baylor has looked vulnerable and offensively challenged in recent weeks and will have a tough time handling the aggression of the Panthers.

(12) Wofford over (5) Arkansas in the Round of 64

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Another No. 12 seed upsetting a No. 5 seed? Count on it. There have been 44 such upsets in NCAA tournament history, including three each of the past two years.

So go ahead and pencil in No. 12 Wofford over No. 5 Arkansas.

While a lot of my analysis has focused on why the underdogs are primed to make an upset—and Wofford is, considering the Terriers upset N.C. State this season—this pick is more about how little Arkansas has impressed me this year. 

In a very poor year for the SEC (except for Kentucky, of course), the Razorbacks made a name for themselves in February by winning seven straight games. But they're 3-3 in their last six, and even though two of those losses were to Kentucky, Arkansas did nothing to pass the eye test in either one of them.

Plus, this is a team that hasn't been to the NCAA tournament since 2008, so it's not like it has an advantage in experience either.

Wofford is on a roll, and I don't think the team is ready to stop winning quite yet.

(10) Davidson to Sweet 16

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There's no Stephen Curry, but that doesn't mean we can overlook Davidson.

The Wildcats had no problem in the Atlantic 10 this year, winning the regular-season crown, and now I suspect they'll make an impact in the Big Dance as well.

The Wildcats are particularly impressive offensively, sitting at third in the nation in assists and sixth in the nation in points scored, with Jack Gibbs and Tyler Kalinoski both averaging over 16 points per game.

To make it to the Sweet 16 in the South Region, Davidson will have to beat No. 7 Iowa and likely No. 2 Gonzaga in the third round, both of which are possible upsets given the team's offensive proficiency.

"Davidson has provided a soothing antidote to the brutish brand of basketball that’s elbowing the sport’s regular season into irrelevance," Pete Thamel wrote on SI.com. "In an era of eye-bleeder games, [coach Bob] McKillop’s attacking, relentless and skilled Wildcats are a splash of Visine."

(4) North Carolina over (1) Wisconsin in the Sweet 16

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If you're looking for a big Sweet 16 upset, might I suggest No. 4 North Carolina over No. 1 Wisconsin in the West Region?

This is a suggestion that would have sounded laughable a mere week ago, but the Tar Heels found their form in the ACC tournament and finally played like the team most thought they would be all year long. Marcus Paige was a danger, Justin Jackson was hitting shots from all over the place and Brice Johnson? He's been nearly unstoppable.

This is a deep and tough team that is feeling a lot more confident after upsetting Virginia and Louisville last week.

North Carolina will face No. 13 Harvard in the second round and then the winner of No. 5 Arkansas vs. No. 12 Wofford (which I expect to be Wofford) in the third round. None of those teams is dynamic enough to rattle the much-improved Heels.

And Wisconsin? Well, the Badgers certainly deserve a top seed after their Big Ten championship, and Frank Kaminsky is just as dangerous as advertised. But they don't have the offense to keep up with a Roy Williams squad that is second in the nation in assists and 16th in scoring.

Look for UNC to make it back to the Elite Eight this year.