NCAA Tournament East Region: 3 Potential First Round Upsets

The 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket has officially been released.

As we survey the landscape of the matchups, the East Region has a handful of games that could very well result in upsets. Let’s take a look at three of those potential region-altering games.

No. 12 Liberty vs. No. 5 Oregon (-6.5)

General convention suggests that Oregon may have been overseeded a bit. While the Ducks did get good wins over Alabama and Texas A&M (among others), Dana Altman’s team did also suffer from some volatility during the year. It’s not the deepest team he’s had, and outside of Nate Bittle, there’s not a whole lot of size on this year’s Oregon squad.

The Flames represent a scary matchup from the standpoint they shoot 39.0-percent from three as a team. The three-point shot has become the major equalizer when going up against bigger, more athletic teams. Oregon under Altman is usually very good in the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks are favored to win — and in all actuality should win. However, Liberty’s Taelon Peter (46-percent from three) could be the difference in the Flames pulling the upset.

No. 11 VCU vs. No. 6 BYU (-2.5)

VCU has a rich history in being a thorn in the proverbial sides of bigger programs. This year’s team is no different — and the Cougars should take notice of the Rams as a very big threat. VCU has notched wins this year over the likes of Colorado State, Miami, Boston College, and Loyola Chicago. Guard Max Shulga leads the team in scoring, assists, and steals, and shoots 38.6-percent from three. He will undoubtedly be be the focal point of VCU’s offense.

The Rams will try to slow the tempo down and make things difficult for a BYU team that wants to get up and down with its NBA-centric sets. VCU is a top-30 team according to KenPom, and the grit demonstrated on defense presents a very fascinating clashing of styles.

No. 14 Montana vs. No. 3 Wisconsin (-16.5)

Wisconsin looked like world-beaters against UCLA when the Badgers bombed three after three en route to a Big Ten quarterfinals win. Wisconsin then took out Michigan State before losing a tough game to Michigan in the Big Ten Championship Game. John Tonje and John Blackwell make up one of the best backcourt duos in the country. The Badgers are well-coached, and have a host of role players that all could contribute to a deep March run.

Having said that, Montana is one of those deep sleeper picks to cause a first-round upset. The Grizzlies have won 14 of their last 15 games. They shoot very well as a team — having six guys averaging at least 9.2 PPG. The heavy presence of guards could cause Wisconsin some issues defensively. Additionally, the Badgers are 1-3 in their last four games against double-digit seeds in the NCAA Tournament.