March Madness 2015: Upset Predictions for Round-of-64 Slate

What would a prelude to the NCAA tournament's round of 64 be without some upset predictions? After all, it's called March Madness for a reason.

It seems as though there's a massively unpredictable upset every year. We need to look back only one year to see a couple of perfect examples, as No. 11 Dayton took down No. 6 Ohio State (the Flyers went on to reach the Elite Eight) and No. 14 Mercer shocked No. 3 Duke. Also, only one No. 5 seed (St. Louis) advanced to the round of 32.

That leads us to the burning question that is asked at this time each year: Which games are the most likely to result in upsets? Well, before you pull out the Sharpie and predict your national champion, let's take a glance at a few bracket-busting predictions.

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

This second-round contest may be one of the most intriguing this year. It pits a great defensive team in Utah against the high-powered offense of Stephen F. Austin. While the Utes may be the more well-rounded of the two squads, they faltered down the stretch, losing four of their last seven games, while the Lumberjacks enter the Big Dance after winning nine consecutive games and 28 of their last 29.

Ranked ninth in the nation in points scored, Stephen F. Austin features a small starting lineup comprised of four guards and a 6'6" forward; however, this team is highly athletic and deadly accurate, and each starter has the necessary range to be a threat from downtown. Simply put, they are difficult to contain.

Thomas Walkup and Jacob Parker are good shooters, boasting field-goal percentages of 57.1 and 52.6, respectively. That's bad news for the Utes, as they've struggled against prolific scoring squads such as Oregon, Arizona and BYU this season.

While Utah does feature one of the nation's best players in Delon Wright, it hasn't received consistent production from its frontcourt. If Wright can't get the necessary support, he may not be able to solely keep up with the Lumberjacks attack.

No. 13 Valparaiso over No. 4 Maryland

This may appear to be an unlikely scenario, but there is reason to consider the Crusaders in an upset win over the Terrapins. It all starts with combating strengths against weaknesses.

Maryland has been able to win close games this season due to fantastic all-around play from Melo Trimble. However, his lack of a consistent supporting cast has plagued the team at times. The Terps' loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament was a perfect example, as only Dez Wells' 10 points accompanied Trimble's 22 in double-digit figures.

Scoring isn't the only issue for Maryland. The Terrapins have been a below-average rebounding team this season as well, and that has shown against squads that are more physical down low. Well, Valparaiso is one such team.

If the Crusaders can win on the inside, they'll be able to limit Maryland's second-chance opportunities while creating more of their own. That will give Valparaiso the advantage, as Alec Peters and the team's sharpshooters will be afforded more scoring chances than the likes of Trimble and Wells. Considering the Crusaders are shooting 37.8 percent as a team from downtown, the end result could be a big upset.

No. 13 Eastern Washington over No. 4 Georgetown

Sure, this one is a bit of a long shot, but it's difficult to bet against the nation's leading scorer in Tyler Harvey. Averaging 22.9 points per game and shooting 47.0 percent from the floor and 42.8 percent from downtown, Harvey drains buckets from everywhere and has the tools to light up the Hoyas' 131st-ranked defense.

At this time of year, one-man shows don't get the job done, but Eastern Washington hardly falls into that category. While the team's offense is centralized around Harvey, 6'8" forward Venky Jois has been phenomenal at times this season, averaging 16.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Having that kind of interior presence forces opposing defenses to stay honest, giving both Harvey and Jois better looks.

Georgetown isn't exactly coming into the tournament with a full head of steam after just barely edging out hapless Creighton before losing to Xavier in the Big East tournament. The loss to Xavier is especially concerning for the Hoyas, as they mustered only 63 points and shot 40.0 percent from the floor against the nation's 202nd-ranked defense.

The Hoyas do have some talented players in D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and 6'10" center Joshua Smith, and they won't be taken down easily; however, if Harvey can get hot early, control the pace and force Georgetown to play faster, Eastern Washington's offense will prevail.