2017 March Madness Picks & Predictions: Round of 32 Upset Specials for Sunday

2017 March Madness Picks & Predictions: Round of 32 Upset Specials for Sunday: Prior to the Saturday’s games, I said that the excitement of the NCAA Tournament was just beginning, and the Round of 32 didn’t disappoint. If you read my Saturday upset specials, you know that two of my three picks came through, including the Wisconsin Badgers knocking off the defending national champion and top overall seed Villanova Wildcats. I also had 11th-seeded Xavier knocking of third-seeded Florida State to reach the Sweet 16.

Of course, only half of the Sweet 16 has been set, and the rest of the Round of 32 games will take place Sunday. Sticking with the upset theme, I’ve again highlighted three games where the underdog could come through. With that in mind, check out all three of my upset specials for Sunday’s Round of 32 NCAA Tournament games.

2017 March Madness Picks & Predictions: Round of 32 Upset Specials for Sunday

No. 11 Rhode Island over No. 3 Oregon

The Rams have been firing on all cylinders down the stretch of the season, and now that they are healthy, they look like the team that was getting love in the preseason top 25. What stands out most about Rhode Island is the overall athleticism of the team, and the Rams attacked the rim early and often against Butler, shooting 31 free throws. That same attacking style could prove to be effective against an Oregon team that lost their top shot-blocker, Chris Boucher, in the Pac-12 tournament. Granted, Oregon still has plenty of firepower, but with a key defensive piece missing, the Rams have the athleticism to come out on top in what should be a higher-scoring, up-tempo game.

No. 7 Michigan over No. 2 Louisville

You get the feeling that this Michigan team might really be destined for a memorable tournament run. After coming out of nowhere to win the Big Ten tournament crown, the Wolverines looked to be in trouble against Oklahoma State in the Round of 64. The Cowboys crushed Michigan on the glass and were red hot from the field, but thanks to another monster performance from Derrick Walton Jr., the Wolverines pulled out a 92-91 win. The matchup against the Cardinals figures to be much more of a defensive battle, and right now, Walton looks like the best player on the court for either side. More, importantly, Louisville’s offense has been shaky all yearIn what figures to be a lower-scoring affair, I like Walton to make just enough plays to help the Wolverines stay alive.

No. 10 Wichita State over No. 2 Kentucky

I have said since before the tournament began that I wouldn’t be surprised if Kentucky wins it all, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Wildcats bowed out early. Meanwhile, the Shockers check off a lot of boxes when you start talking about a Cinderella candidate. They are deep and balanced, ranking in the top 25 in scoring and the top 15 in scoring defense. They also rank third in the country in rebounds per game, and connect on 40.5 percent of their 3-pointers as a team. Kentucky has the better athletes, but as explosive as Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox can be, they can also be streaky. The Wildcats have also been lax on the defensive end at times this year. It was just a few years ago that an underseeded Kentucky team knocked off top-seeded Wichita State. This time around, it is the Shockers who are underseeded this time around, and they could end up returning the favor.

You can get expert 2017 March Madness picks and 2017 March Madness predictions this month from NSAwins.com’s top handicappers plus a pre-filled downloadable and printable 2017 March Madness Bracket to help you win your office pool!