NCAA Tournament: Ranking the Potential #12 vs. #5 March Madness Upsets

Over recent years, some of the most popular upsets in the NCAA Tournament have come when we see the 12 and 5 seeds clash in the Big Dance. It pairs the top mid-majors in the nation up against some shaky power conference foes prone to an early exit. To prepare you for some likely shockers, we rank the potential 12 over 5-seed upsets we could see in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

1. Drake Over Miami

Drake feels like a team that could hold its own in the middle of the pack in the Big East. The Bulldogs have great roster composition led by sophomore Tucker DeVries, a three-level scorer who can quickly fill it up when given a chance. Roman Penn is a fifth-year point guard who is a trustworthy facilitator of the offense in the biggest spots as someone who has seen it all across 137 collegiate career games. The loss of Norchad Omier for Miami in the frontcourt for Miami looms large, and Drake’s Darnell Brodie could take serious advantage of a thin Hurricane frontline.

2. Oral Roberts over Duke

The elite shotmaking of this Oral Roberts team could legitimately give the Dukies fits all night long if their shots are falling. The Golden Eagles have one of the most lethal offenses in college basketball at any level. They might even have better guards in this matchup with NCAA Tournament darling Max Abmas and juniors Issac McBride and Kareem Thompson.

3. VCU over Saint Mary’s

VCU may not be the better team here, but the Rams could bullyball their way to a victory against Saint Mary’s. Ace Baldwin is a stifling guard that could create problems for Logan Johnson and freshman phenom Aidan Mahaney in the backcourt for all 40 minutes. We don’t see this upset taking place, but it would not be surprising for Saint Mary’s to struggle against a physical style of team they may not have seen in WCC play.

4. Charleston over San Diego State

Charleston is one of the top mid-majors in college basketball this season, but San Diego State’s defense is a nightmare to go up against. We saw the Aztecs terrorize Mountain West teams throughout the regular season, and they should cause issues on the offensive end for the Cougars here. If Charleston wants to see this upset out, it’ll have to come from inside the arc, an area where they don’t typically find their scoring.