Upset Alert! Teams that cannot afford a letdown in the Round of 64

Oakland- They've been riding a huge wave of moment but have a tough second round game against West #4 seed Texas. Texas has been in the discussion at making a run for the national championship but has been plagued this year by bouts of inconsistency. As we saw yesterday with St. John's, even a great team can get outclassed by the lower seed, as Gonzaga handily defeated the Southeast #6 seed 86-71.

Texas-San Antonio- Traditionally, 1 v. 16 games are pushovers for the top seeds. However, UTSA played excellent in their opening round win over Alabama State 70-61. Their size will be an issue, especially going up against Naismith candidate Jared Sullinger, but good team defense can offset the size disadvantage. USTA will have to really step up to win this game, but anything can happen. Working for them is a favorable draw to get into the Sweet 16 if they can defeat the #1 overall seed in the tournament.

Virginia Commonwealth- VCU won their opening round game against USC with tenacity, beating the team into submission and essentially forcing the USC coach to throw in the towel. Jamie Skeen and the diminutive Joey Rodriguez proved to be a nuisance to the Trojans, and the smaller VCU outrebounded USC 40-31. Georgetown is of a similar size as USC, but they have a talented squad. It became no secret that Coach Shaka Smart knows exactly what he's doing with his personnel, but can heart defeat talent? Only one way to find out...

Texas A&M- This team was pretty consistent all year, just above mid-pack in the Big 12. The Aggies aren't really a high scoring team, but can make the shots when necessary. Florida State is coming out of arguably the toughest conference in the ACC and performed well in the conference tournament. I won't venture as far as saying that Florida State has the momentum, but they cannot be upset with themselves on how they played late in the season. That quiet confidence can go a long way.

Xavier- They drew Marquette in the second round, a team that seems like no matter how they do in the regular season, they seem to get it together around Tourney time. It's what makes Marquette very dangerous. I don't think Xavier will lose this game, but they will if they expect the Eagles to fall out of the sky for them.

Michigan- I find it hard to believe that Michigan was a #8 seed in the first place, and my lack of confidence in them was only bouyed when they drew Tennessee in the round of 64. Bruce Pearl is a coach on the brink of being fired, but I firmly believe he has the moxie and passion to lead Tenneessee a long way in the tournament. With Scotty Hopson leading the Volunteers, I cannot see Michigan defeating them, regardless of what round the matchup is in.