Three SEC teams on upset alert in first round of NCAA Tournament

The madness has officially arrived as 68 teams prepare for battle in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. While some squads are better equipped than others to avoid the first-round upset, others cannot say the same.

The SEC, which got a Division I-leading 10 teams into the Big Dance — seven of which are the higher seed in their first-round matchups — is not immune to getting bounced early, either.

Although a loss from any of these three teams would come nowhere close to the biggest upsets in the tournament's history, they could find themselves watching the rest of tournament from home if they are not careful.

No. 4 Alabama (vs. No. 13 Hofstra) 

The Crimson Tide (23-9, 13-5 SEC) have a first-round date with the 13-seed Hofstra Pride (24-10, 12-6 CAA), which may not immediately stand out as a potential upset. However, if you dig a little deeper, Alabama better be careful in this one.

While Alabama leads the country in scoring (91.7 PPG), it is dealing with a familiar problem after it was announced on Monday that its second-leading scorer Aden Holloway (16.8 PPG) had been arrested.

Not only is that hanging over the Crimson Tide's shoulders, but their high-octane offense will have to deal with Hofstra's 317th-ranked adjusted tempo, per KenPom. If the Pride can pull the upset, it will likely be due to guards Cruz Davis (39.9%) and Preston Edmead (38.3%), who each shoot better than 38 percent from long range.

No. 5 Vanderbilt (vs. No. 12 McNeese)

The Commodores (26-8, 11-7 SEC) are coming off a runner-up finish in the SEC Tournament on Sunday, but should not get ahead of themselves against 12-seed McNeese (28-5, 19-3 SLC).

The Cowboys have been in this position before after upsetting five-seed Clemson last season. McNeese has forced the second-most turnovers per game this season (16.9), so it is certainly not out of the question that it can pull off another stunner.

Vanderbilt can put up points in a hurry with sophomore guard Tyler Tanner (19.1 PPG) leading the charge. However, the Commodores have a bad habit of fouling and they do not want to let McNeese hang around any longer than they have to. If that is the case, they could be ripe for an upset against a program that is no stranger to the big stage.

No. 7 Kentucky (vs. No. 10 Santa Clara)

The Wildcats (21-13, 10-8 SEC) have dealt with injuries and have had a tendency to play from behind all season. As a result, they find themselves in a vulnerable position against 10-seed Santa Clara (26-8, 15-3 WCC), which is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996.

One of Kentucky's issues all season has been defending the three, which was something that also plagued it in its most recent first-round losses to 15-seed Saint Peter's in 2022 and 14-seed Oakland in 2024. That will need to be the focus again against a Broncos team that attempts the 22nd-most triples per game (29.2).

Santa Clara only makes 34.6% of those shots, but you would expect the majority of them to fall if the Broncos are getting open looks. Therefore, Kentucky's focus should not only be on getting off to a fast start, but also preventing Santa Clara from finding a rhythm from deep if it wants to avoid another early exit.