March Madness is underway, and a few upsets are expected over the next few days.
Auburn is among those programs on upset watch, as the No. 4 seed Tigers open the NCAA Tournament on Friday by facing No. 13 seed Yale in Spokane, Washington. CBS Sports’ Larry Hartstein does not foresee that happening, as he feels that Auburn is the least likely No. 4 seed to get upset in round one.
Using the betting market, Hartstein ranked each No. 4 vs. No. 13 matchup in this season’s NCAA Tournament. He gives Auburn the best chance of avoiding an upset due to its success against teams listed in quads 2-4.
The Tigers rank in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Coming off their SEC Tournament championship, they had a strong case for a No. 3 seed. They don’t lose to lower-tier teams either, going 24-0 against opponents from Quads 2, 3 and 4. Yale needed an 8-1 run in the last 23 seconds to defeat Cornell in the Ivy League final. The Bulldogs will acquit themselves well, but they’re 0-3 against Quad-1 teams and will be overmatched here.
Fellow in-state team Samford has the best chance of upsetting No. 4 Kansas according to Hartstein. Vermont over Duke is next and Charleston over Alabama is No. 3.
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