Picking the upsets

The Big Dance Begins
By: Ryan Grim

"It's all about the players and the coach, not the name of the college," says Yoni Cohen, press secretary for Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif. and recently declared non-theist) and founder of the first major college basketball blog, yocohoops.com.

Last year, the top five upsets that Cohen predicted came true. Here are his Top Five upsets for this year's tournament, plus a bonus:

-- Take Davidson over Maryland. Davidson's a great rebounding team, and it has the 10th most prolific scorer in the nation and the fifth most prodigious passer. "There's not a lot to like about Maryland," says Cohen, citing inconsistency, poor shooting behind the arc, weak rebounding and lack of spunk.

-- Stanford, an 11 seed, will knock off Louisville, a six. Stanford ought to be higher but its best player, Anthony Goods, now back, has been gone for some crucial games.

-- Creighton, a 10 seed, is taking down Nevada.

-- In the second round, Notre Dame will upset Oregon and Duke will knock off Pitt.

-- Deeper in, Texas will take out North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen.