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

2018 March Madness Predictions: Round of 32 Upset Specials for Sunday: If the first day of March Madness was wild, then Day 2 was absolutely historic. The No. 1 overall seed, the Virginia Cavaliers, not only became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed, but they were completely run off the court by UMBC, a team that lost to Albany by a score of 83-39 earlier this year.

While it’s safe to say we won’t see another upset of this magnitude for quite some time, the upsets in this NCAA Tournament aren’t finished by any means. Check out a closer look at my favorite upset picks for Sunday’s Round of 32 action.

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

No. 10 Butler over No. 2 Purdue

Yes, the Boilermakers led from start to finish in a win at Butler earlier this year, but the Bulldogs had an atrocious shooting performance in the first half of that game, managing just 19 points. Butler is too good of an offense team to shoot that poorly again. More importantly, Purdue just lost senior center Isaac Haas for the rest of the NCAA Tournament to a fractured elbow. Granted, Haas didn’t have a big role in Purdue’s win over Butler earlier this year, but his presence inside is part of the Boilermakers’ identity on offense and defense. It’s hard to lose a key player at any point in the season. It can be crippling to lose one with just one day to prepare for a do-or-die game. If the Bulldogs can punch Purdue in the mouth early, the Boilermakers might not be able to recover.

No. 7 Nevada over No. 2 Cincinnati

Nevada pulled off a heck of comeback to get past Texas, and the Wolf Pack’s up-tempo, 3-point-barage style could pose a problem for Cincinnati. Few teams in the country will grind it out on the defensive end quite like the Bearcats, but while they are better on offense than in recent years, they are still an average offensive team and don’t have players who can consistently create their own offense. On the flip side, Nevada has a top 20 scoring offense and four players averaging more than 13 points per game. If the Wolfpack are hitting from beyond the arc at a decent clip, the Bearcats could struggle to keep pace. Cincinnati’s defense could carry the day, but this is a dangerous matchup for the No. 2 seed.

No. 7 Texas A&M over No. 2 North Carolina

This isn’t a bad North Carolina team by any means, but it is lacking the offensive firepower of the recent groups, especially from the perimeter. The Tar Heels make up for it with overall athleticism and dominating performances on the glass, but while the Aggies are lacking in a lot of aspects, rebounding prowess and athleticism aren’t among them. In fact, Texas A&M ranks in the top 5 nationally in rebounds. The Tarheels aren’t going to be able to out-run the Aggies in a transition game, and if North Carolina has one of its rougher shooting nights, they aren’t going to be able to count on offensive rebounds and second-chance points to bail them out. March Madness is all about matchups, and this could be a rough one for the defending champs.

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!