Upsets and Cinderellas.
It’s what we love about the NCAA Tournament.
March Madness wouldn’t be aptly titled without the juggernauts being taken down by those schools that have people Googling them.
Which teams will bust up brackets during the 2025 NCAA Tournament?
Here’s five potential first-round upsets.
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More: Five bold March Madness predictions to help your bracket win NCAA Tournament pools
5 men’s March Madness upset picks
Drake over Missouri: The Bulldogs are 30-3 and won the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic in November, beating Miami, Florida Atlantic and Vanderbilt to do so. All those wins, including the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title, got Drake a No. 11 seed. Missouri enters the NCAA Tournament losing five of its last seven, including to the same Vanderbilt team Drake beat on a neutral court.
Colorado State over Memphis: No. 12 seeds have a history of busting brackets. Former Purdue basketball player Ethan Morton scored 11 points in the Mountain West Championship to lead the Rams to an upset over Boise State. Now Colorado State is playing with house money. Penny Hardaway’s only NCAA Tournament win came in 2022 over Boise State. Can Colorado State avenge that for its conference’s sake three years later?
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McNeese over Clemson: This has potential to be the game of the first round. No No. 5 seed wanted to be across the bench from McNeese, which has eight players averaging at least 7 points per game. The Southland Conference is a cake walk, so McNeese got rightfully seeded based on its resume. But that team also gave Alabama, Mississippi State and a really good Liberty team a run for its money in non-conference.
Lipscomb over Iowa State: The Cyclones have made the NCAA Tournament in each of TJ Otzelberger’s four years as head coach. Last season, Iowa State was a basket away from playing UConn in the Elite Eight, but lost to Illinois. The Iowa State star of that Sweet 16 game a year ago, Keshon Gilbert, has been ruled out for this game. Lipscomb shoots – and makes – a bunch of 3s. Perhaps that’s a winning formula for the Bisons.
Yale over Texas A&M: The Ivy League has knocked an SEC team out of the last two NCAA Tournaments. Remember the name John Poulakidas? He had 28 points in Ivy League champion Yale’s stunning upset of Auburn in last year’s first round. He’s scored 25 points or more six times this season and had 23 against Purdue and 22 against Minnesota. Two years ago, Ivy Leaguers Princeton went to the Sweet 16 as a No. 15 seed. Smart kids can hoop, too.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
