NCAA Tournament 2015: Potential Upsets to Watch on Sunday's Round 3

Those with successful brackets aren't out of the woods just yet, so don't get too comfy.

Saturday's action was tame, sure, and right now those who rolled with favorites for the Sweet 16 are sitting pretty—unless they liked Villanova.

Just don't expect it to hold up.

Upsets are bound to happen and ruin brackets. The tried and true 12-over-5 rule failed this season, but Sunday's lineup to finish off Round 3 seems akin to a minefield. Several tough matchups line the slate and a handful of teams are on a serious upset alert.

Key Tournament Information

Dates: March 17 to April 6

Channels: CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV

Live Stream: March Madness Live

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• Download the Printable Bracket

• Play the Free Bracket Challenge

Round 3 Sunday Schedule

TIME (ET)	MATCHUP	TV
12:10 p.m.	(7) Michigan St vs. (2) Virginia	CBS
2:40 p.m.	(8) San Diego St vs. (1) Duke	CBS
5:15 p.m.	(7) Wichita St vs. (2) Kansas	CBS
6:10 p.m.	(11) Dayton vs. (3) Oklahoma	TNT
7:10 p.m.	(7) Iowa vs. (2) Gonzaga	TBS
7:45 p.m.	(8) Oregon vs. (1) Wisconsin	truTV
8:40 p.m.	(5) West Virginia vs. (4) Maryland	TNT
9:40 p.m.	(5) Northern Iowa vs. (4) Louisville	TBS

Potential Sunday Upsets to Watch 

No. 7 Michigan St vs. No. 2 Virginia

So far so good for the Virginia Cavaliers, as a recent upset at the hands of North Carolina didn't produce any lingering effects in the team's second-round matchup against Belmont.

There, the Cavaliers rode a strong showing by Malcolm Brogdon and his 22 points to an easy 79-67 victory. The result sets up a much-anticipated date with the No. 7 Michigan State Spartans, winners in 70-63 fashion against Georgia in the second round.

ESPN's Andy Katz puts it best:

There are many reasons to think Tom Izzo's Spartans can pull off an upset, although history doesn't hurt to mention—last year a fourth-ranked Spartans team knocked off top-seeded Virginia.

A repeat might be in the cards.

Michigan State spreads the ball around better, ranking fourth in assists at 17.1 per game. It also bullies most teams on the glass, pulling down 37.7 per contest. The duo of Travis Trice and Denzel Valentine can run with Virginia's guards, while Branden Dawson (12.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game) will give the Cavaliers issues in the paint.

In a gritty defensive matchup between two foes familiar with one another, it's tough to pick against Izzo's team.

Prediction: Michigan State 65, Virginia 63

No. 8 San Diego State vs. No. 1 Duke

Some circles were upset that Duke, ranked fifth in ESPN's RPI rankings, earned a No. 1 seed despite the lack of a regular-season or conference tournament title. 

The Blue Devils somewhat shut the door on those complaints in the second round against Robert Morris, shooting 63 percent from the field as Jahlil Okafor scored 21 points and Quinn Cook one-upped him with 22.

Next up is No. 8 San Diego State, a nightmare matchup for the Blue Devils.

The Aztecs are a defensive stalwart coming off a 76-64 win against St. John's. There, the Red Storm shot a horrific 3-of-17 from deep and the Aztecs won the battle on the glass, 40-32. As CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein explains, what the Aztecs used to hurt the Red Storm can fluster the Blue Devils, too:

While dominant for its offense—the Blue Devils rank second in adjusted offensive efficiency at KenPom.com—Duke may struggle to score against the Aztecs. After all, San Diego State ranks fourth in adjusted defensive efficiency on the same list.

Call it a war of strengths, a potential matchup most eyes gravitated toward upon bracket reveal.

Look for San Diego State's length to fluster Duke on the outside, while Duke's oft-erratic defense struggles with Aztecs junior forward Winston Shepard (11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds per game).

Prediction: San Diego State 62, Duke 58

No. 7 Wichita State vs. No. 2 Kansas

Wichita State isn't a household team just yet, but it might be after an epic encounter with Kansas Sunday.

Epic because the two teams have not met on the hardwood in quite some time, as ESPN Stats & Info points out:

For Kansas coach Bill Self, this isn't just some ordinary encounter, as the team's Twitter account captures:

To be clear, this isn't an ordinary third-round encounter.

Kansas is a great team, ranking third in RPI, even if it does tout a rough-around-the-edges 12-7 record against the RPI Top 50. A second-round dismantling of New Mexico State in 75-56 fashion was impressive.

But the Shockers are no pushover. They're not far behind in RPI at No. 17, and an 81-76 escape of 10th-seeded Indiana showed the team is serious about contention.

Fred VanVleet pushes the Shockers over the top. He dropped 27 points on the Hoosiers and seems to be hitting a roll. Kansas still isn't getting a ton out of star forward Perry Ellis after an injury at the beginning of the month, a star vs. star factor perhaps important enough to decide the game outright.

Prediction: Wichita State 73, Kansas 70

Stats and info are courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.