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Teams on Upset Alert on Saturday in the 2017 NCAA Tournament

Scott PhillipsMar 17, 2017

Thursday's NCAA tournament action only produced two upsets, as most of the favorites moved on to Saturday's round of 32.

That meant less drama and fewer Cinderella stories, but it also means the second round is filled with ideal matchups in which top seeds could get picked off before the Sweet 16.

While the No. 4 vs. No. 5 seed matchups aren't included because they are too close to be considered upsets, there are still five games to keep an eye on Saturday that could produce bracket-altering upsets.

Some of these teams are No. 1 and No. 2 seeds getting their first serious test of the 2017 NCAA tournament, while other teams have to be careful of double-digit seeds who are dangerous after already pulling off an upset on Thursday. 

Gonzaga

1 of 5

No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 8 Northwestern (West Region)

Northwestern is riding high, as the Wildcats have a lot of purple in Salt Lake City cheering on the school's first-time run. The Wildcats' win over Vanderbilt was a nice first-round story, and junior point guard Bryant McIntosh looked like a big-time performer in the win. 

Everything is new and fun for Northwestern, but now it gets a legitimate test in No. 1 seed Gonzaga. The Bulldogs have one of the most balanced and versatile rotations in college basketball this season, and Northwestern might not have enough quality depth to match up with Gonzaga.

But the Wildcats have some scoring pop, as McIntosh has junior Scottie Lindsey and sophomore Vic Law on the wings along with big man Dererk Pardon. If Lindsey gets rolling and Law makes plays on both ends of the floor, then Northwestern could hang in there with Gonzaga and try to steal the game at the end.

The setting for this game shouldn't make Gonzaga feel any better. Salt Lake City is the where the Zags fell to No. 9 seed Wichita State the last time the school had a No. 1 seed in 2013. 

Arizona

2 of 5
Kadeem Allen
Kadeem Allen

No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 7 Saint Mary's (West Region)

Arizona is riding high after winning the Pac-12 tournament with victories against No. 3 seeds UCLA and Oregon in the process. 

Saint Mary's is also a Top 25 team with a veteran lineup of five upperclassmen getting heavy minutes. Jock Landale is a double-double threat and one of the most improved players in the nation, and he will be a factor on the interior. The Gaels also shoot 40 percent from three-point range as a team, and junior Calvin Hermanson is the team's second-leading scorer while knocking them down at 44 percent.

There's also the wrinkle of these teams playing during a closed preseason scrimmage last year. In that competitive scrimmage—which is closed off to the media—the Gaels knocked down 17 three-pointers, per ESPN.com. 

Arizona fans have wanted a crack at West Region No. 1 seed Gonzaga again since getting Allonzo Trier back in the lineup, but the Wildcats have to get past the second-best team in the West Coast Conference first.    

Villanova

3 of 5

No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 8 Wisconsin (East Region)

This doesn't feel like a typical matchup between a defending champion No. 1 seed and a No. 8 seed since Wisconsin has so much NCAA tournament experience.

While Villanova is obviously coming off last season's national championship, the Badgers have made two Final Fours and a Sweet 16 over the last three years, as seniors Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes have won a lot of games in March during their college careers.

When you also factor in how sluggish Villanova looked early on during the Mount St. Mary's win—taking over six minutes to score for the first time—you'll conclude this could be a tough game for the Wildcats.

Villanova is going to have a major advantage on the perimeter with Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo, but the Badgers can counter by going inside with Hayes, Ethan Happ and Vitto Brown.

It's going to be tough for anyone to knock out the Wildcats, but Wisconsin has a knack for big wins in the NCAA tournament.   

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Florida State

4 of 5

No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 11 Xavier (West Region)

Florida State's shaky ending in the first round shouldn't instill a lot of confidence in people. The No. 3 seed Seminoles barely escaped No. 14 seed Florida Gulf Coast in the first round, as they were unsettled down the stretch shooting free throws while also making questionable decisions. 

Facing an even tougher opponent in perennial tournament team Xavier, Florida State should be concerned as the Musketeers appear to have figured things out late in the season.

Over the span of a month late in the season, Xavier only had wins over DePaul. It also lost six games in a row in that stretch. The Musketeers later rallied from that to beat Butler in the Big East tournament and Maryland in the first round of the NCAA tournament, as they appear to have figured things out at the right time. 

The Musketeers are still missing injured guard Edmond Sumner, but junior Trevon Bluiett has been in a groove over the last few games. He is the type of double-figure scorer and streaky perimeter shooter who can take over a game.

With the Seminoles prone to stretches of bad offense while also being a bad free-throw-shooting team (No. 224, per KenPom), they might be susceptible to an upset here. 

Butler

5 of 5

No. 4 Butler vs. No. 12 Middle Tennessee (South Region)

Middle Tennessee has won a first-round tournament game in back-to-back years, and it is hoping to make the second weekend this year with an upset win over Butler.

The Blue Raiders were a No. 15 seed last season when they knocked off Michigan State in the first round before falling to No. 10 seed Syracuse in the next round. 

With a more favorable draw as a No. 12 seed in the 2017 NCAA tournament, Middle Tennessee was impressive during its first-round win over No. 5 seed Minnesota on Thursday.

Talented scorers like junior Giddy Potts and seniors Reggie Upshaw and JaCorey Williams should be evenly matched with Butler's lineup, as both teams will play a lot of veterans in this game.

The Bulldogs have many more quality wins as a Big East program, but they also aren't overwhelming athletically. Butler likely won't pull away from a Middle Tennessee team that is tournament-tested.

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