Feast Week is here in college basketball and the upset potential is enormous. Although neither of the teams we spotlighted last week fell victim to an upset, the AP Top 25 saw a big shakeup as Florida Atlantic lost a buy game at home to Bryant, dropping from No. 10 all the way to No. 19 as a result.
With a ton of high-end matchups, there is significant upset potential throughout Feast Week. Let's take a look at three potential upset victims, beginning with the darlings of the early season, James Madison.
3 Ranked College Basketball Teams On Upset Alert In Week 3
No. 22 James Madison Dukes (vs. Southern Illinois 11/21)
The Dukes surged into the AP poll last week after their huge upset at Michigan State in Week 1 but James Madison learned that expectations are higher when you have a number in front of your name. Radford gave the Dukes everything they could handle last week but James Madison rallied late to survive and win by three, improving to 4-0 on the season.
The target on James Madison's back will only get bigger going forward and they have a tricky neutral site showdown on Tuesday against Southern Illinois in the Cancun Challenge. The Salukis have a star guard in Xavier Johnson, who is averaging 19.7 points per game while shooting 54.8 percent from the floor, and they know that their NCAA Tournament resume will be significantly enhanced if they can hand James Madison their first loss.
The fact that this game is on a neutral floor will increase the upset potential for Southern Illinois. If the Dukes can leave Cancun without a loss they could have a chance to do some really special things this season.
No. 3 Arizona Wildcats (vs. No. 21 Michigan State 11/23)
One of the season's marquee non-conference matchups has taken a bit of a hit thanks to two early losses for the Spartans, including the aforementioned James Madison defeat. That loss, alongside a defeat against Duke in the Champions Classic last week, has seen Michigan State fall from No. 4 all the way to No. 21 ahead of their Thanksgiving showdown with Arizona in Las Vegas.
The Wildcats have already made their mark on the season with an upset win over the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Nov. 10, signifying that they are the team to beat in the Pac-12 this season. That victory helped springboard Arizona into the Top 3 of the AP poll and they look like they belong there after thrashing their next three opponents at home.
Even though the Las Vegas site will bring more Arizona fans to the contest than Michigan State fans, it is a true neutral site matchup against a Tom Izzo coached team, which is already fraught with peril. The Spartans have played much better since the loss to James Madison and Izzo's team is a deep and talented bunch that will defend hard.
Going into this game with anything less than their best effort will leave the Wildcats vulnerable to getting picked off by the Spartans. A loss to Michigan State wouldn't be a bad one but it is certainly in the realm of possibility given the preseason expectations placed on them.
No. 17 Alabama Crimson Tide (vs. Ohio State 11/24)
The Crimson Tide are off to another fast start, racing out to a 4-0 record under Nate Oats. The feat is impressive since Alabama has had to really retool its roster after a string of key departures, but Oats' ability to recruit strong talent to replace the exiting stars has helped the program maintain its consistent excellence.
Knowing that he had a new roster to blend together, Oats hasn't put together his traditionally tough early non-conference schedule, instead using four home games to give his rotation a chance to gel. Things are about to get more difficult for Alabama in the coming weeks, beginning with Friday's neutral site showdown in Destin, Florida against Ohio State as part of the Emerald Coast Classic.
The Buckeyes already have some SEC experience under their belt as they played Texas A&M to a seven-point margin earlier this month, which will be valuable for their players as they get ready for Alabama. The tempo edge could also go to Ohio State, which will look to slow down a faster-paced Alabama team and limit the number of possessions in the game.
Playing at a slower pace should be a new challenge for the Crimson Tide, who have routinely scored in the triple digits in the early season. If Alabama isn't prepared to grind things out a bit in the half-court offense they could see Ohio State hand them an upset loss.
