NCAA Tournament 2015: First-Round Upset Picks to Add to Your Bracket

Filling out an NCAA tournament bracket without upsets is like auto-drafting your fantasy football team. It's boring, and no one will respect you even if you win.

The reason so many people love March Madness is the fact that massive upsets are so common in the opening rounds. Small schools most people have never heard of have a chance to shock the world by defeating established programs.

This year is certain to continue the trend with a number of potential upsets throughout the round of 64. Here is a look at some of the top options you can consider for your own bracket.

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No. 12 Buffalo over No. 5 West Virginia

This has become a trendy pick and for good reason. Buffalo has the talent to play with just about anyone in the nation as Seth Davis of CBS Sports noted:

In fact, the Bulls held halftime leads against both of those teams before falling late. This squad is much better than your typical No. 12 seed.

Still, the biggest issue for West Virginia is the matchup. The Mountaineers succeed thanks to their pressure defense, which forces opponents to turn the ball over, therefore creating easy opportunities on the other end of the court.

According to KenPom.com, West Virginia ranks No. 1 in the nation in defensive-turnover percentage and steal percentage. The problem is Buffalo is a well-coached team behind former Duke star Bobby Hurley. The team doesn't turn the ball over that often, which will limit most of what WVU does well.

The Mountaineers have the talent to make a deep run in this tournament, but the first game won't be easy.

No. 11 BYU over No. 6 Xavier

USA TODAY Sports

BYU will have to get past Ole Miss in the opening-round game for this matchup to be even possible, but the Cougars are a squad capable of making a deep run in this tournament.

They not only have one of the top scorers in the nation in Tyler Haws, but Kyle Collinsworth might be one of the most underrated players in the nation. Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports explains how good he has been:

The high-powered offense should be too much for Ole Miss to handle in the opening round, which would create an intriguing battle against Xavier. The Musketeers have had a strong year in the Big East, but they have had a problem with teams who can spread you out such as Villanova and St. John's.

Although BYU might struggle on the boards in this potential matchup, it still should be able to score enough to win with relative ease.

No. 12 Stephen F. Austin over No. 5 Utah

A year ago, Stephen F. Austin kept the 12-5 upset special alive with a win over No. 5 VCU. The team is now back to the NCAA tournament and ready to have similar success against Utah.

Davis comes through with perfect analysis of the Lumberjacks:

According to KenPom.com, the squad has the 12th-most efficient offense in the nation thanks to an assist ratio that ranks fourth in the country. The team is incredibly unselfish and always seems to make the open pass to get the easy shot.

Just as importantly, Stephen F. Austin simply knows how to win games, earning victories in 28 of the past 29 games. This helps gain confidence in any close battle down the stretch.

Utah is a great defensive team but faded down the stretch with four losses in the final seven games. Delon Wright simply doesn't have a lot of help defensively, leading to this very possible upset.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter. If it's March, I'm talking about pretty much nothing but college basketball.