2 ranked college basketball teams on upset alert this week

2023-11-14 07:49

In a light relatively week with upset potential, these two teams need to be careful of getting tripped up in difficult matchups.

The first week of the college basketball season usually isn't too eventful in terms of upsets but no one told James Madison that. The Dukes pulled off the season's biggest stunner so far, winning in overtime at No. 4 Michigan State to send shockwaves throughout the sport and land themselves inside this week's AP Top 25 poll.

We weren't so bold to take the Spartans in last week's upset alert column, but we'll take partial credit for putting Saint Mary's on alert because, even though they beat New Mexico, they did drop a home game to Weber State on Sunday. Week 2 is a bit light in terms of true upset potential as most ranked teams are either playing cupcakes or other ranked foes, but two Big East teams are in some danger this week.

2 College Basketball Teams That Should Be On Upset Alert In Week 2

No. 4 Marquette Golden Eagles (At Illinois, Nov. 14)

The Golden Eagles cruised through their opening week but now have to hit the road for their annual Gavitt Tipoff Games matchup. The draw was a tough one for Marquette as they have a true road game against No. 23 Illinois in Champaign.

The Fighting Illini have some solid potential this season and showed some serious grit last week when they staved off an upset bid from Oakland with a late 16-5 run to put the game away. Marquette wasn't really challenged last week, steamrolling Northern Illinois and Rider at home, so they may not be fully prepared for a true road game against a Power 5 foe yet.

No. 5 UConn Huskies (Vs. Indiana, Nov. 19)

Week 1 was easy for the reigning national champions, who stomped Northern Arizona and Stonehill to get off to a fast 2-0 start. Another cupcake awaits the Huskies on Tuesday as they host Mississippi Valley State before heading to Madison Square Garden on Sunday for a neutral site matchup against Indiana in the Empire Classic.

MSG has become a second home for UConn over the years but Indiana has plenty of talent and knows this game could be important to bolstering their at-large hopes for the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers also bring an experienced backcourt with seniors Trey Galloway and Xavier Johnson leading the way, making them a dangerous foe for a reformulated UConn group.