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2015 NCAA Tournament: Top 10 Possible First-Round Upsets

By Jacob Rude

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Mar 12, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; (CORRECTS SCORE) Iowa State Cyclones forward Georges Niang (31) has his shot deflected by Texas Longhorns center Prince Ibeh (44)during the first round at Sprint Center. Iowa State won 69-67. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

1. (11) Texas vs. (6) Butler, Midwest Region

Why This Upset Will Happen: It’s widely known that this Texas Longhorns team has been wildly underwhelming this year and have under-performed all season long. However, from purely a talent perspective, Texas is probably a better team, led by freshman forward Myles Turner.

Against a small Butler team, Texas will have a distinct size advantage. Quite simply, if Texas plays as well as the can, not only are they a favorite in this game, but they could be favored in a deep tournament run.

Why This Upset Won’t Happen: My how the tables have turned. Five years ago, it was Butler making upset bids and Cinderella runs, and now we’re calling for them to be upset. Despite the distinct size advantage, Butler have not been effected by it.

Rewind to their game early in the season against North Carolina, who is 2nd in the nation in rebounding. The Bulldogs demolished them on the boards, out-rebounding them 57-40, including 29 offensive rebounds. TWENTY-NINE!

On top of that, there’s no reason to believe Texas will turn things around at this point. Nothing tells us that they can turn it around, and Butler is no team to scoff at. Keep an eye on Roosevelt Jones and Kellen Dunham for the Bulldogs.

Next: 2015 NCAA Tournament: Blueblooded Benefit of the Doubt

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