NCAA Bracket 2011 Predictions: 5 Upsets To Put in Your Bracket

The beauty of College Basketball is the NCAA Tournament. Fans across the country live to fill out brackets and have office pools to see who really has the most knowledge when it comes to basketball.

Unfortunately, Cinderella seems to get in the way of most of our brackets. Every year there are those early-round upsets that throw a twist into everything that most of us thought we knew heading into March.

I have looked over the bracket dozens of times and I have found five upsets that I think could very easily happen.

These are five teams that are seeded 11 or lower that I think can make it into the second round.

No. 13 Oakland over No. 4 Texas

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KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 12: Alexis Wangmene #20 of the Texas Longhorns reacts after a play against the Kansas Jayhawks during the 2011 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament championship game at Sprint Center on March 12, 2011 in Kansas City, Mis

Texas stumbled into March losing four of their last eight games. Momentum certainly isn't on the Longhorns side.

Oakland is a very good team that creates an interesting matchup for Texas. They like to run and push the floor just as much as Texas likes to slow it down and run a set, Utah Jazz style offense.

For those of you that remember the 2007 NBA playoffs when the Jazz played the Warriors might find a lot of similarities in this game. While the Jazz ultimately won the series, it took them five games. In a one game setting, a half-court style team could lose control of the game and get caught up in their opponents style of play.

The team that controls the pace of the game will ultimately be the winner.

I think Oakland can do just that, and they will not be intimidated by Texas. The Golden Grizzlies have already played the likes of Ohio State, Illinois and Purdue this year and won a tough game against Tennessee on the road. Oakland is a dangerous team.

No. 13 Morehead State over No. 4 Louisville

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DAYTON, OH - MARCH 20: Kenneth Faried #35 of the Morehead State Eagles gets a rebound against the Louisville Cardinals during the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the University of Dayton Arena on March 20, 2009 in Dayton,

Kenneth Faired will have a very big game.

The all-time NCAA leader in rebounds is a pro-talent that will have major impact for the Eagles. Faired is the star for Morehead State, but Terrance Hill is also no push over. He is a prolific shooter and a very good defender who, with a hot evening, could propel the Eagles to the upset.

What Louisville has done this year is incredible, and Rick Pitino should be one of the favorites for the Coach of the Year award. Injuries have plagued the Cardinals all year but Pitino has still managed to salvage a more-than-respectable record in the Big East. They will be a tough matchup, but I think that Morehead State can pull it off.

This game might not be one full of highlight reels because both teams are defensive minded. It won't be high scoring, but an upset looms in this matchup.

No. 12 Utah State over No. 5 Kansas State

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BOISE, ID - MARCH 20: Forward Tai Wesley #42 of the Utah State Aggies dunks the ball over forward Lazar Hayward #32 of the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Taco Bell Arena on March 20, 2

The Aggies aren't as upset as Colorado and Virginia Tech, but rest assured that Utah State isn't really happy with the selection committee either. The Aggies were ranked in the top 25 almost all year and finished the season as the WAC regular season and tournament champions.

They didn't deserve a seed on the top line, but a 12 seed is much too low for the Aggies. They will have something to prove this year.

Utah State is lead by Tai Wesley. The big man will hope to have a big game against the front-line of Kansas State.

Kansas State has been an interesting team this year. They have shown glimpses of being the team that everyone thought they would be at some times, but then at others, they have been awful.

If Kansas State doesn't show up to play, they will be catching the first plane back to Manhattan (not the big one).

No. 13 Belmont over No. 4 Wisconsin

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 11: (L-R) Jordan Taylor #11, Jon Leuer #30, Tim Jarmusz #24 and Josh Gasser #21 of the Wisconsin Badgers walk up court against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the quarterfinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament

Simply put, Belmont is a really good team. The Bruins were first in the Atlantic Sun Conference in scoring and defense. They can put up points and prevent teams from getting theirs.

Wisconsin doesn't score like some of the other top teams in the country. This could create problems for the Badgers as they try to keep up with Belmont's scoring. Wisconsin is also a very weak rebounding team, so if Belmont can manage to get some second chance points, I think it will be a short tournament for Wisconsin.

Belmont is a very well-rounded team that doesn't feature one scorer that stands out. This will create problems on the defensive side of the ball for Wisconsin.

I think this is one of the easier upsets to pick.

No. 11 Gonzage over No. 6 St. John's

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LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 07: Demetri Goodson #3 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrates late in the team's 75-63 victory over the Saint Mary's Gaels in the championship game of the Zappos.com West Coast Conference Basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena March

Surprise, surprise right? Gonzaga is primed for another cinderella run this March.

The Zags have tournament experience up and down their lineup. They know how to win during this time of the year, as they demonstrated in the WCC tournament by upsetting St. Mary's.

Steven Gray is the team's leader and leading scorer. He creates problems for any defense and hopes to have a very big game against St. John's.

St. John's have turned a lot of heads this year by beating a number of highly ranked teams. However, when the Red Storm is away from Madison Square Garden they are not the same team. Obviously, the game against Gonzaga is not in the Garden; expect the not-so-good St. John's team to come.

Injuries are a part of basketball and they hit St. John's at the wrong time. Leading rebounder and third leading scorer D.J. Kennedy is gone for the tournament, which certainly creates a void.

All of this combines to make this pick a no-brainer. Go with the Zags.