Upsets Loom in NCAA Tournament's First Round

0:00On March 17, the NCAA men's basketball tournament opens Tuesday with the first four games and early predictions point to some surprises. Howard is favored to upset UMBC, thanks to strong wing defense, while North Carolina State edges Texas in a rematch. Lehigh takes down Prairie View with key scoring from NASA Whitlock, and Southern Methodist pulls ahead of Miami of Ohio by dominating the paint. Moving to the East region, Duke and Yukon look like locks as top seeds, but TCU could knock off 8-seated Ohio State with tough front court play, and rebounding. St. John's holds on against Northern Iowa despite the Panther steady back court, and Kansas cruises past Cal Baptist. Meanwhile, 11th seeded South Florida matches of well against Louisville and earns the win. In the South and West, Florida overwhelms as the top seed, but 9th seeded Iowa upsets Clemson in a gritty half-court battle. Vanderbilt handles Mignis's press, and Nebraska beats Troy. Arizona dominates out West, yet Utah State tops Villanova without their key forward, and Wisconsin outshoots High Point.

1:07The Midwest sees Michigan as a heavy favorite over Howard, but St. Louis grabs an edge on Georgia with versatile wings. Texas Tech outsmarts Akron, Alabama, overcomes injury issues to beat Hofstra, and Iowa State wraps up easy against Tennessee State. Upsets like Lee's could shake up the bracket early, expect tight gains and standout performances to define the first round, setting the stage for deeper tournament drama. Made in AI.