March Madness: 5 biggest questions for mid-majors in 2019 NCAA Tournament

4, Where is the most likely upset to happen from a 13-16 seed?

Logan Butts

I’m going to cheat and pick two here: one 13 and one 14. I think UC Irvine has a great shot to upset Kansas State, especially if Dean Wade is still hurt. For the 14’s, I’m riding with Yale over LSU. The Tigers are in turmoil and Yale as a legit NBA prospect in Miye Oni.

Connor Hope

I would have to go with UC Irvine upsetting Kansas State. Not only is there a location advantage, UC Irvine’s excellent defense may not have to deal with a fully healthy Dean Wade. Kansas State’s offense is already pretty bad, so adding the loss of a star like Wade would probably push Irvine into a serious upset bid.

Stu Luddecke

If Dean Wade is out for Kansas State, I like the UC-Irvine Anteaters’ chances to pull the 13-4 upset. If he’s playing, I think the next most-likely long shot pick is Old Dominion over Purdue. Combine ODU’s defense (#14 in the nation on KenPom in terms of opponent FG%) with Purdue’s reliance on the three-point shot, and it could be a long night for the Boilermakers if they’re cold.

Not only that, but the backcourt combination of Ahmad Caver and BJ Stith (both Seniors) won’t be intimidated by the offensive prowess of a player like Carsen Edwards, whom the Boilermakers run a vast majority of their offensive sets through. Essentially, the Monarchs were tailor-made for this type of upset.

Jason Burgess

To me, it’s UC-Irvine. The Anteaters are a really good defensive team and with the questions surrounding Wade and the Wildcats offensive droughts they can find themselves in. I see UC-Irvine as the most likely 13+ seed to win.