Which teams should be on upset alert for the opening night of college hoops?
The grueling off-season is almost over. After seven long months, college basketball has returned with over 150 games scheduled for opening night.
Most of these games are underwhelming matchups since very few feature two quality teams, but a handful of games standout (Texas A&M vs West Virginia, UCLA vs Georgia Tech, Missouri vs Iowa St).
Even with a buy-game heavy slate, there are always surprises on opening night. Last season was filled with close calls and major upsets that, in hindsight, were a harbinger of things to come.
Pittsburgh’s difficult season started with a narrow 2OT win versus Eastern Michigan. Boston College was shocked by a Nichols State team that was not even ranked in the top 300 of KenPom. Illinois State dropped a game to Murray State that may have kept them from the NCAA Tournament. Penn State lost a buy game to Albany and while the Great Danes were a solid team, it is definitely one that they wished they had back.
However, the biggest upset of 2016 opening night was Wagner knocking off then-No. 18 UConn. UConn’s season unraveled shortly after this stunning defeat as both Alterique Gilbert and Terry Larrier suffered season-ending injuries shortly thereafter.
Not all high major teams are playing cupcakes. Some are playing talented and experienced mid-major squads who will provide a major challenge. These high major teams are definitely susceptible to being upset which is not the ideal way to start your season.
This article will discuss six teams that should be on upset alert for opening night. Each game will be given a rating (high, low, moderate) to evaluate the likeliness of the upset. I have added the preseason rankings from numerous sites to provide a wide range of opinions and context for the potential upsets. I used preseason rankings from the following sites: KenPom, Team Rankings, Sports Illustrated, CBS, and ESPN.