March Madness 2019: 10 most likely first-round upsets in the NCAA Tournament

Upsets are the lifeblood of the first weekend of March Madness. Which lower seeds are the most likely to open with upset victories?

The NCAA Tournament would not be nicknamed March Madness if it wasn’t, well, mad. And what makes it mad? The sheer number of upsets that happen every single year.

There’s just something special about the Big Dance that lends itself to these kind of upsets. Whether it’s a mid-major program looking to prove themselves, a star player who takes over a game, a bad matchup, or just an off night, the only thing guaranteed about the NCAA Tournament is that there will be a number of unexpected results.

That’s the tough thing about upsets – you know they’re coming but don’t know where they’re going to come from.

Some might be fairly obvious. Loyola-Chicago was a very good last year many picked to win their opening round matchup against Miami, and they did (and then a few more games after that).

However, in the same region, UMBC became the first No. 16 to ever beat a No. 1 seed in Virginia. No one saw that result coming (and if you say you did you are a liar).

There aren’t going to be any No. 16 seeds pulling upsets this year (I don’t think), but given how crazy the college basketball season has already been, there should be more upsets than normal in this weekend.

And don’t forget, Sports Illustrated Realtime Brackets is the first bracket game that lets college basketball fans switch their picks, in exchange for points, between and during live tournament games to keep their brackets alive all month long. Sign up now!

As you decide which of those upsets to pick as you’re filling out your bracket, here are the 10 most likely upsets to in the NCAA Tournament’s first round.