March Madness: 3 First Round Upsets That Could Bust Your Bracket

There's nothing like the NCAA Tournament, and a huge part of what makes March Madness so fun is upsets.

Which first-round upsets should be on your radar for this year's Big Dance?

Let's dive in and take a look at some potential first-round upsets.

All March Madness odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds and may change after this article is published. Stats come from Bart Torvik and KenPom.

March Madness Upsets for the First Round

Northern Iowa (12) vs. St. John's (5)

When looking for an underdog to back, I find it enticing if the team is really good at one end of the floor. Northern Iowa's defense checks that box, and that makes them a tricky matchup for St. John's.

The Panthers own the nation's 24th-best defense, per KenPom. On top of that, Northern Iowa plays at a snail's pace, ranking 363rd in adjusted tempo (third-slowest in D1). Fewer possessions gives Northern Iowa a better chance to hang around against a more talented Red Storm team.

St. John's is a strong team. With that said, they're just 44th in KenPom offense, which could result in tough sledding against the Panthers' D, and it's fair to question just how good the Big East was this season.

Northern Iowa will need to put up a fight on the glass, but I think their combination of slow pace and excellent defense makes them an appealing underdog.

Santa Clara (10) vs. Kentucky (7)

Kentucky heads into the Big Dance in shaky form, and I think they may be ripe for an upset loss against Santa Clara in a game that has a fairly tight spread (3.5 as of Sunday night).

UK is just 4-6 across its last 10 games. They've been hard to trust this season, and they rank outside the top 25 in both offense and defense, according to KenPom.

On top of that, Santa Clara is a darn good team. Going by Torvik's numbers, the Broncos rate out better than Kentucky, with Torvik ranking Santa Clara 28th and the 'Cats 31st.

While Kentucky is limping in the NCAA Tournament, Santa Clara has lost just four times since December 21st. Three of the losses came to Gonzaga, and the other was at St. Mary's. The Broncos avenged the St. Mary's loss by beating the Gaels twice in that span, including once last week at the WCC Tournament.

With two lethal three-point shooters -- Christian Hammond (40.0%) and Allen Graves (41.6%) -- and Kentucky not playing all that well at the moment, Santa Clara can knock off UK.

NC State/Texas (11) vs. BYU (6)

I'm pessimistic about BYU, which has me interested in backing the winner of the NC State-Texas play-in game.

BYU should feel fortunate to have landed a 6 seed. The Cougars rank 33rd overall, per Torvik, and their defense slots in a blah 57th on KenPom. Plus, they're without star guard Richie Saunders due to injury. At one point this year, BYU looked like a legit Final Four threat. They're no longer that type of team and are just 6-9 across their past 15 games.

NC State and Texas sit 34th and 37th overall, respectively, via KenPom. Both are good on offense -- KenPom ranks NC State's offense 20th and Texas' 13th -- and should be able to rack up points on BYU's suspect defense.

Regardless of whether its NC State or Texas who emerges from the play-in clash, BYU -- with star freshman AJ Dybantsa in the fold -- will certainly have the best player on the floor in its opening round game. But Dybantsa can do only so much, and both NC State and Texas are capable of taking down BYU, who is +105 to miss the Round of 32.

Which March Madness odds stand out to you this year? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.