March Madness Upsets | NCAA Tournament Betting

March Madness Picks from Lenny Del Genio

In his play "Twelfth Night," William Shakespeare commented "...be not afraid of greatness: some men are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them."

We don't care what old Bill says. The five seed is afraid of greatness. It's a team that was ranked at the close of the season; usually, it winds up being a team that underachieved early on in the season or started out well and failed down the stretch. And, for this reason, there's always one five seed that gets booted in the first round. You wouldn't think so - after all, the twelve seed is the red-headed stepchild - but these march madness upsets alway happen.

The twelve seed can be the small conference team that whisked through the conference tournament. Or, worse yet, it can be the sneaky-good big conference team that just didn't get it done during the regular season. Let's take a look at all four twelve-seeds and see who's going to be the Cinderella.

Pittsburgh (5) vs. Kent State (12): While I do see Carl Krauser and the boys maybe being a little tired from the conference tournament, they're a team with senior leadership that has played in a big conference. Kent State comes out of the MAC and was challenged to win their conference tournament. I would be surprised if Pitt lays an egg in this one, especially because this Kent State team really doesn't do anything for me talent-wise. Now, that's not saying that senior leadership is the end-all-be-all. Remember a few years back when South Carolina's senior backcourt was knocked out by Coppin State? Anything can happen. I just don't think it will happen here.

Nevada (5) vs. Montana (12): Not a chance. Nick Fazekas, who I still think is one of the most overrated players in college hoops, is a very good player. When I say "overrated," I mean that he's not as good as you'd think from the billing he gets, not that he's bad. Anyway, against a Montana team that was excited to be seeded twelfth, Nevada will be safe. Fazekas and the boys might get knocked out after one win, but the team that's knocking them out will NOT be the Grizzlies.

Washington (5) vs. Utah State (12): The Pac-10 has a tradition of strong, qualified teams falling apart in the NCAAs. Lute Olson remembers well his team's loss to Santa Clara in the first round, and USC fans can't forget the loss to UNC Wilmington in 2002. Could this happen to Washington? You bet. Utah State has been tested, with a tough loss coming in the conference tourney at the hands of Nevada. And while I like Washington, there's not a whole lot telling me that they're going to sneak across to the other side of this one.

Last, but not least... Syracuse (5) vs. Texas A&M (12): This, my friends, is the big 'un. Syracuse comes out of their conference tournament as a surprise winner. They're like Freddy Krueger in every "Nightmare on Elm Street" movie. The quarterback-lookin' guy thinks he's killed Freddy, and he keeps coming back. The nerd kills Freddy, and he keeps coming back. Over and over, but you can't kill the guy. That was Gerry McNamara in the conference tourney. Syracuse won four games in the conference tournament by eight points! And for one missed shot, they wouldn't have had the chance. This is the game where Syracuse meets its maker, against a tough Aggie team led by Acie Law.

It all sounds good on paper... but there's a reason they call it March Madness. Let the games begin and let's start with NCAA tournament betting!

In his first two weeks at Vegas Experts, Lenny Del Genio has already proven why he is a Vegas Legend! Lenny has dominated the books, winning 20 of 25 CBB Selections! Join him throughout March Madness for all his Guaranteed Selections.