2018 March Madness Predictions: Round of 32 Upset Specials for Saturday

2018 March Madness Predictions – Round of 32 Upset Specials for Saturday: The first day of the NCAA Tournament is in the books, and it wouldn’t have been March Madness without an upset or two. Of course, the Cinderella stories don’t stop after the opening wave of games, and looking ahead to the Round of 32, there are golden opportunities for underdogs to keep dancing. Check out my top upsets for the NCAA Tournament for Saturday’s Round of 32 action.

2018 March Madness Predictions: Round of 32 Upset Specials for Saturday

No. 13 Buffalo over No. 5 Kentucky

Buffalo had lost to pretty much every tournament-caliber team it had faced this year, including South Dakota State and St. Bonaventure, but that didn’t stop the Bulls from running DeAndre Ayton and Arizona right off the court. In the Round of 32, they’ll be facing a Kentucky team that has had its issues scoring the ball, and the Wildcats are downright awful from beyond the arc. For the year, Kentucky is shooting 35.4 percent on its 3-pointers and less than 70 percent as a team from the foul line. Meanwhile, Buffalo’s offense ranked sixth in the country in scoring during the regular season, so the scoring outburst against Arizona wasn’t necessarily a fluke. The Bulls have also hit 344 3-pointers on the year, and Kentucky didn’t even sniff 200 makes from deep. Granted, the Wildcats use their length and athleticism to get after teams on the offensive end, but if the Bulls take care of the ball, there is no reason they can’t keep this one close and have a shot at another upset, especially if Kentucky has one of its colder nights shooting the ball.

No. 11 Loyola-Chicago over No. 3 Tennessee

Yes, it took a 28-foot, game-winning shot to send Loyola-Chicago to the Round of 32, but the Ramblers showed exactly why they might not be done dancing. Facing a Miami team that was averaging nearly 74 points per game, the Ramblers controlled the pace, took quality shots and outlasted the Hurricanes in a lower-scoring affair. Loyola-Chicago is one of the best teams in the country and controlling tempo, and because the typically take and make high-percentage looks, the Ramblers can dictate the pace against just about any team. In fact, the picked up a win over Tennessee’s conference rival Florida, holding the Gators to just 59 points. The Volunteers are going to have their work cut out for them, and I expect this game to come down to the final few possessions. Don’t be surprised if the Ramblers grind their way to a Sweet 16 appearance.

No. 8 Seton Hall over No. 1 Kansas

It’s not uncommon for at least one of the No. 1 seeds to fall before the second weekend, and the Jayhawks should be very worried. They looked shaky, at best, in a win over No. 16 Penn in their opener, and big man Udoka Azubuike managed to play just three minutes. His knee is not healthy, and that means Kansas is going to be without its best interior defender against an offense that just put up 94 points. Plus, the Pirates have played one of the tougher schedules around, and they have been playing well leading up to the NCAA Tournament. In the final six games, they beat a surging Providence team and came within a point of knocking of Villanova. Kanas has been playing a more up-tempo style this year to generate some offense, but the Pirates have the firepower to match up. If the Jayhawks have anything less than a strong shooting performance, Seton Hall could pull the upset.

You can get expert 2018 NCAA Tournament picks and 2018 NCAA Tournament predictions this month from NSAwins.com’s top handicappers plus a pre-filled downloadable and printable 2018 NCAA Tournament Bracket to help you win your office pool!