Newly minted No. 1 Baylor and a pair of Big East schools are among this week’s potential college basketball upset picks.
The holiday season is approaching and it’s natural for your attention to wander to thoughts of family gatherings or what ugly sweater to wear to the office Christmas party. That mindset is something that can be dangerous in college basketball, where just one slipup can cost a team dearly in March.
Three of the teams spotlighted in last week’s upset alert were victimized by the dreaded upset, including Oklahoma’s 22-point beatdown of previously-unbeaten Arkansas. Who’s on upset alert this week?
Upset alert: Week 6 College Basketball Upset Picks
No. 9 Villanova at Creighton – Friday
The Wildcats have lost three times already this season but there is no shame in falling to the likes of UCLA, Purdue and Baylor, who have spent plenty of time inside the Top 5. Jay Wright’s team begins its Big East schedule on Friday night with a dangerous trip to Creighton, which pulled off an upset last weekend by knocking off BYU at home. Any sort of hangover from the Baylor loss on Sunday could prove deadly for Villanova.
No. 3 Purdue vs. Butler – Saturday
It turns out the top of the poll brought pressure Purdue wasn’t ready to handle as the Boilermakers lost at the buzzer to Rutgers before struggling mightily with an average NC State team in Brooklyn before triumphing in overtime. Purdue will need to get its mojo back quickly for this neutral-site tilt against in-state rival Butler, which is off to a 7-3 start with a road win at Oklahoma on its resume already.
No. 5 Gonzaga vs. No. 25 Texas Tech – Saturday
The Bulldogs look like they’re back after a dominant win against Merrimack last week but are staring at a lengthy layoff after their scheduled game against Washington on Sunday was postponed due to COVID issues within the Huskies’ program.
That layoff could lead to added rust, which could prove problematic in a neutral-site tilt with Texas Tech in Phoenix. The Red Raiders entered the Top 25 after knocking off Tennessee at Madison Square Garden last week and their rugged defense could prove to be frustrating for a high-flying Gonzaga team.
No. 16 Seton Hall vs. Iona – Saturday
This game will also take place on a neutral floor as the Pirates head to Madison Square Garden fresh off a nice two-win week that included an upset win over Texas as well as a satisfying 14-point win over in-state rival Rutgers.
Kevin Willard is set to square off with former boss Rick Pitino’s Iona Gaels here and the matchup is a potential trap game for Seton Hall with Big East play set to start on Monday against St. John’s. Iona has already scored a major upset on the year, handing Alabama its first loss of the year in Orlando, and will be up for this game since a win over the Pirates could really boost their odds of an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament if things go sideways at the MAAC Tournament.
No. 1 Baylor at Oregon – Saturday
The Bears have looked truly dominant on their way to the top of the polls but they haven’t played a true road game yet. That will change on Saturday as Baylor heads to Eugene to take on a slumping but dangerous Oregon team. The Ducks began the year ranked inside the Top 25 and have fallen out thanks to a 3-5 stretch over their past eight games, but Oregon is still very talented and eager to put itself back on the map with an upset of the nation’s top team.
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