It's the best time of the year. Every fan has hope about their favorite team making a March Madness run while also hoping to have the best bracket in their friend group.
There's no better feeling than being right about upset picks in your bracket and showing your friend group that you know ball. That's where I want to help you.
There's one region that sticks out when looking at potential upsets, so let's dive into my NCAA Tournament picks and college basketball predictions for March Madness.
Possible NCAA Tournament Upsets in Midwest Region
My antenna goes up when looking at the Midwest Region.
Michigan is the No. 1 seed and should cruise to the Round of 32. But there are three double-digit seeds that I like in this region.
No. 10 Santa Clara Over No. 7 Kentucky
Let's start with 10-seed Santa Clara against 7-seed Kentucky.
Since the calendar flipped to 2026, Santa Clara ranks 27th on Bart Torvik, while Kentucky comes in at 32nd.
The Broncos have a bucket-getter in Christian Hammond, who utilizes a unique floater that gives defenses fits.
Kentucky has gone 4-6 in its last 10 games, and the Broncos' style of play can make Kentucky play out of character defensively. That's where the Broncos can pull off an upset.
No. 10 Akron Over No. 5 Texas Tech
It seems like every year you can pencil in a 12-seed beating a 5-seed. Last year, it was Colorado State beating Memphis and McNeese State beating Clemson.
This year, Akron is my 12-seed that upsets a 5-seed.
Texas Tech has had huge wins, even initially without JT Toppin. But the Red Raiders have dropped three in a row heading into March Madness, while Akron has won 10 in a row and 19 of its last 20.
Akron's offense ranks eighth in effective field-goal percentage, 12th in 2-point percentage and 14th in 3-point percentage.
Led by Tavari Johnson — who averages 20 points per game — the Zips can shoot their way into an upset over a banged-up Texas Tech team.
No. 13 Hofstra Over No. 4 Alabama
Last but not least, everyone loves a Cinderella story, especially from a team out of left field. That team for me this year is the 13-seed Hofstra Pride.
Hofstra hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since its head coach, Speedy Claxton, was its star point guard 25 years ago.
Since the Pride's five-game losing streak at the end of January, they have gone 11-1 with the nation's best mark in effective field-goal percentage defense.
The Pride are led by junior guard Cruz Davis. He has experience leading the charge in big games, averaging 20 points per contest while scoring 36 points at Pitt and 22 points at Syracuse, both resulting in wins.
If Hofstra can run Alabama off the 3-point line, it's very much live to pull off the upset.
Toughest Path for a No. 1 Seed: Duke
The toughest path goes to the No. 1 overall seed Duke Blue Devils.
With the uncertainty surrounding the health of Pat Ngongba and Caleb Foster, the Blue Devils will be challenged immediately on the first weekend.
Duke's potential second-round opponent, Ohio State, ranks 22nd overall, per EvanMiya. If the Buckeyes beat TCU, Duke will have arguably the toughest second-round game of all 1-seeds in the tournament.
Not to mention, the 2-5 seeds are all led by Hall-of-Fame coaches who have all won a national title.
The good news for Duke fans is that the Blue Devils are battle-tested from their regular-season schedule, playing one of the hardest schedules in the country.
Duke beat Michigan State and Kansas (without Darryn Peterson) in the regular season, but they don't call it March Madness for nothing.
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