Jay Bilas Names One Thing That Will 'Blow Up' NCAA Tournament Brackets

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Escarpio | Last updated Mar 20, 2025 9:00 PM ET

March Madness has been known to produce some of the most unpredictable outcomes in sports, with upsets crushing brackets across the country.

In a recent live broadcast on social media, college basketball analyst Jay Bilas discussed the state of upsets, mentioning that one thing can "blow up" everybody's bracket.

Bilas pointed to last year's NCAA Tournament run from NC State. The Wolfpack had an up-and-down year in 2024, but went on a heater in the ACC Tournament.

NC State entered the NCAA Tournament after winning their conference title as underdogs and winning five straight games.

Bilas believes a team that's this hot is simply unpredictable and can crush brackets around college basketball if history repeats itself.

"That was one of the most shocking things I've ever seen in my time in basketball," Bilas said. "I can't imagine anybody is going to top that. That could happen, but it's going to blow up everybody's bracket, not just yours."

When speaking on a couple of upset possibilities, Bilas gave credit to No. 10 New Mexico over No. 7 Marquette, No. 10 Vanderbilt over No. 7 Saint Mary's CA and No. 12 Colorado State over No. 5 Memphis.

As March Madness kicked off, there have already been a handful of upsets, including No. 12 McNeese defeating No. 5 Clemson and No. 9 Creighton defeating No. 8 Louisville.

While a run like the one NC State had last year is highly unlikely - a No. 11 seed reaching the Final Four - Bilas cautions fans about team's with a hot hand.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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