NCAA Bracket 2020: Forecasting Potentially Epic 1st-Round Matchups

Buzzer-beaters. Major upsets. Cinderella stories. March Madness is known to have it all.

The best part of college basketball season—and one of the greatest spectacles in all of sports—has nearly arrived, as Selection Sunday for the NCAA men's basketball tournament takes place as soon as March 15. The 68 teams chosen will all have aspirations of winning the national championship, but only one will end the season by cutting down the nets in celebration at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

On Saturday, Utah State and Belmont became the first teams to secure spots in the NCAA tournament by winning their respective conference tournaments. Over the next week, 30 more teams will receive automatic bids by winning conference tourneys. Then the selection committee decides the rest of the field.

Although the complete field is not yet known, it's not too early to start looking ahead to some games that could be the highlights of the opening round of March Madness.

Based off recent bracket projections, here are some potential first-round matchups that could be epic.

Iowa vs. UCLA

Can one of the Pac-12's hottest teams down the stretch stop the Big Ten's leading scorer? We may find out the answer shortly.

Iowa junior center Luka Garza has been one of the best players in the country this season, playing an integral role in the Hawkeyes' success and their likely path to March Madness. He's averaging 23.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game while shooting 54 percent from the floor.

Although Iowa has been inconsistent of late, losing five of its past 10 games, Garza has the potential to take over on any given night, which could bode well for the Hawkeyes.

UCLA was 12-11 after its loss at Arizona State on Feb. 6. But the Bruins reeled off seven consecutive wins thereafter to emerge as a legitimate contender to reach the Big Dance. Although they narrowly lost at USC in their regular-season finale Saturday, they played well during the final month of play.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi has these two teams lined up to face off in his Bracketology. If that happens, then the Hawkeyes and Bruins should have an exciting matchup that could go either way.

Arizona State vs. Xavier

Matt York/Associated Press

If Arizona State had played better of late, it would have the potential to be a top seed in the NCAA tournament. Instead, it will be a mid-tier team that will likely have to face a team like Xavier, which has had past success in March Madness.

The Sun Devils have had some recent struggles, dropping three straight games heading into their regular-season finale. However, they bounced back with a win prior to the Pac-12 Tournament, beating Washington State at home Saturday.

Four Arizona State players are averaging double-digit point totals, led by junior guard Remy Martin's 19.2 points per game.

Xavier has lost four of its past seven games, but it's played well throughout the season, notching a win over Seton Hall and playing Villanova close twice. The Musketeers recorded at least one NCAA tournament win every year from 2015 to 2018, which included a run to the Elite Eight in 2017.

Should it come to fruition, these teams could contest one of the most competitive first-round matchups this year.

Marquette vs. Oklahoma

Aaron Gash/Associated Press

Sometimes in March Madness, one dynamic scorer can power a team to a deep run through the NCAA Tournament.

Marquette senior guard Markus Howard has the potential to be that player this season.

A prolific scorer throughout his college career, Howard is averaging 27.7 points per game, which ranks first in the nation. He led the Golden Eagles to a strong start, although they have lost six of their past seven games. As long as they get back on track, they could be a Cinderella team this year.

Oklahoma has played a challenging schedule, but it has momentum after winning two of its last three regular-season games—quality victories over Texas Tech and West Virginia. The Sooners have a trio of players averaging at least 13.8 points per game, which could make them a strong team this March.

Lunardi is also projecting this first-round matchup, which would be worth watching to see how Oklahoma would fare against an elite scorer such as Howard.