NCAA Basketball: 10 teams with upset potential in 2023 NCAA Tournament

UC Santa Barbara

The preseason favorites who are loaded with talent, UC Santa Barbara currently sits in a three-way tie atop the Big West standings with this last week of regular season play ahead. The Gauchos won the Big West two seasons ago and gave Creighton one tough matchup in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, though that team was a bit different than this current one. If they can prevail in a suddenly tough conference, can they have another performance like that (or better) during March Madness?

Sophomore Ajay Mitchell was Freshman of the Year last year and is building on that with 15.7 points and 4.9 assists a game this year. Former Oregon forward Miles Norris is at 14.1 points a game and was part of the Gauchos’ success from two seasons ago. Seniors Andre Kelly and Josh Pierre-Louis are putting up 9 points a game and provide a spark, with Kelly a former forward in the Pac-12 at California. The rotation also includes a solid shooter in Calvin Wishart and an experienced starter in Ajare Sanni, another leftover piece from the 2021 team.

While this season hasn’t exactly gone as imagined for the Gauchos, they’re still very talented and strong and have played much better on offense and defense this past week. In Mitchell, Norris, and Kelly, they have a talent level beyond the rest of their conference foes and have the veteran experience to legitimately contend for an early upset. It might have to come from a 13-seed or lower this season, but they could shock some people if they play a consistent and clean ballgame, especially if Mitchell has one of his impressive performances under the bright lights.