NCAA Basketball: Biggest upsets of the 2019-2020 season so far
By Ryan Kay
8. Nebraska 76, Iowa 70
Nebraska
Net Ranking 168
Ken Pom Ranking 135
Iowa
Net Ranking 26
Ken Pom Ranking 15
The Nebraska Huskers defended their home court and defeated in-conference play the Iowa Hawkeyes 76-70. On paper, losing on the road in the Big Ten is not a huge deal. However, the Cornhuskers are a team who lost to UC Riverside 66-47 at home as well as losing again on their home court to Southern Utah. Nebraska is 7-11 and in second from last place in the Big Ten. Iowa, on the other hand, has quality wins over Michigan, Texas Tech, Syracuse, and Maryland. The Hawkeyes missed a golden opportunity to climb the ladder in the Big Ten standings with this loss but Iowa is still at this point of the season a lock to make the NCAA tournament.
9. California 61, Washington 58
California
Net Ranking 148
Ken Pom Ranking 186
Washington
Net Ranking 47
Ken Pom Ranking 45
The California Golden Bears beat the Washington Huskies 61-58 win in their in-conference PAC 12 match up. Washington on hand, has a very impressive win such as they are the only team in the country who has currently beat Baylor. On the other hand, they have struggled in PAC 12 play with losing four of their last six conference games. However, the Huskies should not have lost to California who early in the season lost to Santa Clara and San Francisco.
The Cal Golden Bears are currently 8-10 on the season compared to the Huskies of Washington who are 12-7 and in contention to compete for a spot in the NCAA tournament. Washington like Iowa should have won their winnable conference game even though it was on the road. However, the Huskies can overcome this upset if they begin to win more consistently in PAC 12 play moving forward.
10. Stetson 63, South Carolina 56
Stetson
Net Ranking 310
Ken Pom Ranking 311
South Carolina
Net Ranking 98
Ken Pom Ranking 95
The Stetson Hatters came into Columbia, South Carolina and pulled a major upset over SEC opponent South Carolina by defeating them by a score of 63-56. On paper per the Net and Ken Pom rankings, this is a huge upset in college basketball this season that not too many causal basketball fans know about. Stetson is a team that had lost four straight games prior to playing the Gamecocks are 9-11 overall on the season.
South Carolina has had a roller coaster of a season but surprisingly had won two road games at Clemson and Virginia before being upset by the Hatters at home. The Gamecocks recently have won their last two games beating ranked Kentucky and winning on the road at Texas A & M. South Carolina if they want to make a post season tournament can not slip up and get upset like they did on their home court against Stetson.
And One (#11) Florida A&M 70, Iowa State 68
Florida A&M
Net Ranking 275
Ken Pom Ranking 304
Iowa State
Net Ranking 82
Ken Pom Ranking 63
The Florida A&M Rattlers shocked a lot of college basketball fans when they went to Ames, Iowa and defeated Big 12 opponent Iowa State by a final score of 70-68. For the Rattlers this was a huge monumental victory for them as their victory over Iowa State was their first victory over a Power 5 opponent in school history.
Florida A&M was 0-72 vs. major conference opponents over the last 20 seasons. The Cyclones of Iowa State are not having a good season on the court but to lose to Florida A & M was inexcusable. Iowa State having beaten teams like Seton Hall and Alabama should not have lost to the Rattlers. However, the season is long and the Cyclones look to improve moving forward.
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Honorable Mentions
Omaha 85, Washington State 77
Pennsylvania 81, Alabama 80
Hofstra 88, UCLA 78
Radford 67, Northwestern 56
Boston University 78, South Carolina 70
Ball State 65, Georgia Tech 47
Merrimack 71, Northwestern 61
UC Riverside 66, Nebraska 47
Western Kentucky 86, Arkansas 79
Miami of Ohio 71, Bradley 55
Charlotte 67, Wake Forest 65