Jaquori McLaughlin averages 16.2 points and 5.2 assists per game. This is their first tournament appearance since 2011, but UC-Santa Barbara brings an experienced team that has won 20-plus games each of the last four seasons under Joe Pasternack. UC-Santa Barbara (Round 1 opponent: Creighton -6.5): The Gauchos have lost just one game since Jan. That style could make it interesting against Oklahoma State and the winner of Tennessee-Oregon State. That efficient play could easily lead to an upset. Liberty is one of six team in Division I that averaged fewer than 10 turnovers per game. Liberty pulled a 5-12 upset in 2019, and they have the guard play necessary to make a run with Darius McGhee and Chris Parker. Liberty (Round 1 opponent: Oklahoma State -9.5): The Flames have won 12 straight games heading into the Big Dance, and this program is 82-16 over the last three seasons. Sporting News' Bill Bender broke down his nine sleeper teams most likely to pull off an upset in 2021. However, there are always at least a few underseeded teams every year that pull off an upset or two in the first weekend and go on a Cinderella run. If they were, it wouldn't be called March Madness. Upsets in the NCAA Tournament are never easy to predict. Vinnie Iyer: Gonzaga, Michigan, Ohio State, Illinois March Madness upset predictions Matt Lutovsky: Gonzaga, Texas, Baylor, Illinois Ryan Fagan: Gonzaga, Texas, Ohio State, Oklahoma State Mike DeCourcy: Gonzaga, Alabama, Purdue, Illinoisīill Bender: Gonzaga, Florida State, Ohio State, Illinois
#EXPERT BRACKET PICKS FULL#
Here are our experts' picks to reach the 2021 Final Four with links to their full bracket analysis. It wouldn't be enough to just have one expert tell you who they think will win it all, so we got several writers to submit their NCAA Tournament predictions to help you deflect blame when your bracket busts in the first round. You can check out the opening odds for the entire field of 68 here.ġ5 vs.