NCAAB · 1 year ago

Ranking the Buy Game Upsets from Opening Week in College Hoops

David Connelly

Host · Writer

5. Mobile (NAIA) over South Alabama
Any team that falls to a non-Division I opponent must make this list, and that's exactly what South Alabama did the opening night of the season. The Jaguars looked far removed from the team that made the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship game a season ago, falling short to a Mobile team that went just 18-11 in NAIA play in 2022-23.
1. James Madison (+980) over Michigan State
The Dukes undeniably pulled off the most shocking upset of the opening week in the sport. While James Madison entered the season as one of the more intriguing mid-major teams in the nation, it's how high most were on Michigan State entering the season that made this one so surprising.
2. Weber State (+940) over Saint Mary's
The combination of pre-game expectations and in-game drama makes this one such a shock. Not only did Weber State pull this one off as 15.5-point underdogs, but they also trailed by as much as 16 with less than 14 minutes remaining in the second half. The name to remember here is Dillon Jones. The junior forward had 29 points and ten rebounds in the win and is a legitimate All-American candidate.
3. Holy Cross (+1200) over Georgetown
We were aware that the Ed Cooley era at Georgetown would take a bit of time to get running, but even this is beyond the lowest depths anyone expected in year one. This victory for Holy Cross is sandwiched between losses to Siena and Sacred Heart, two schools that rank outside the top 250 in KenPom. It's an embarrassing home loss for any power conference school and one that Cooley will want to forget as soon as possible.
4. Abilene Christian (+450) over Oklahoma State
The Wildcats must have something for taking down Big 12 opponents. It's the second one they've beaten in the past four seasons after taking down three-seed Texas in the NCAA Tournament back in 2021. While the moneyline wasn't outrageous for the Wildcats here, their consecutive defeats since - including a stunning loss to Prairie View A&M - leaves this result more puzzling than when it happened.
5. Mobile (NAIA) over South Alabama
Any team that falls to a non-Division I opponent must make this list, and that's exactly what South Alabama did the opening night of the season. The Jaguars looked far removed from the team that made the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship game a season ago, falling short to a Mobile team that went just 18-11 in NAIA play in 2022-23.
1. James Madison (+980) over Michigan State
The Dukes undeniably pulled off the most shocking upset of the opening week in the sport. While James Madison entered the season as one of the more intriguing mid-major teams in the nation, it's how high most were on Michigan State entering the season that made this one so surprising.

Ranking the Buy Game Upsets from Opening Week in College Hoops

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