Oregon, which won the Pac-12 Tournament with Arsalan Kazemi (left) and E.J. Singler, is the No. 12 seed in the Midwest and capable of pulling an upset.AP (2) (AP)
UNDERDOGS’ DAY: Led by big man Mike Mascala (far left), Bucknell, the 11th seed in the East, is a high seed to keep an eye on. Oregon, which won the Pac-12 Tournament with Arsalan Kazemi (center) and E.J. Singler (right), is the No. 12 seed in the Midwest and capable of pulling an upset. (AP (2))
It’s inevitable. The upsets are coming.
When the NCAA Tournament begins in ernest tomorrow afternoon, it is an incredibly rare instance when people expect to be stunned, and still, no amount of preparation can cushion jaws falling to the floor. The euphoria cannot be contained, the crestfallen cannot be consoled.
The first whispers change the day. Who is losing? How much time is left? Your second-round sleeper is about to shock the country and you saw it coming, or more likely, panic sets in.
Three more games have started. The beginning of games in Utah bleed into the final minutes in Michigan. The senses are overloaded. You refresh the scores over and over, but the page can’t reload nearly as quickly as the thoughts in your head. You double- and triple-check your bracket. The day has barely begun. It can’t be busted.
And then there’s Friday.
The upsets are coming. It’s just a matter of who, when and where. Why? Because that’s what happens. That’s what makes March Madness great.
Here are some of the best bets to be busting brackets in the second round and beyond:
No. 14 Davidson over No. 3 Marquette: This is as crazy as it will get. Remember, No. 1 seeds are 112-0 and No. 2 seeds are 116-6. No, Stephen Curry isn’t playing, but Davidson has won 17 straight games behind a collection of college’s best closers, with a nation-best 80.1 free-throw percentage as a team. The offense is capable of putting up big numbers and can get hot from outside the arc — a key to any early-round upset — with five players who shoot better than 37 percent on 3-pointers.
No. 12 Oregon over No. 5 Oklahoma State: A bad break for the Cowboys since the Ducks are woefully under-seeded after winning the Pac-12 Tournament. Oregon is 4-1 against ranked opponents this season, have several seniors and have six players averaging at least 8.5 points per game. Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart is a special talent, but the freshman has far too much responsibility against a balanced team that already took down Anthony Bennett and UNLV on the road this season.
No. 11 Bucknell over No. 6 Butler: This pick has been popular and there is good reason why. Bucknell big man Mike Muscala is that reason. The senior averages 19 points and 11.2 rebounds and is the center of a team that only commits nine turnovers per game. Butler coach Brad Stevens isn’t going to battle with the team that went to back-to-back title games and the Bulldogs’ best basketball is behind them, having gone 10-6 since a 16-2 start. Bucknell’s journey could easily continue into the Sweet 16, following a meeting with the Marquette-Davidson winner. Over the last three years, No. 11 seeds are 7-5 against No. 6 seeds.
No. 11 Minnesota over No. 6 UCLA: Minnesota has been up and down all season, but when it’s good, particularly pounding the glass, it can beat any team, as contenders Indiana, Michigan State and Wisconsin can verify. UCLA will be shorthanded, having lost second-leading scorer Jordan Adams to a broken foot on Friday. No. 3 Florida likely awaits in the third round, a team supremely talented, but unbelievably inconsistent, and could be prone to an early exit against Minnesota as well.
No. 10 Cincinnati over No. 7 Creighton: The Blue Jays get a lot of love for a team that suffered five losses in the Missouri Valley Conference. Doug McDermott is one of the best players in the country, but Creighton relies on efficient shooting that can go cold against a tough, physical defense, the kind the Bearcats have employed all throughout Big East play.
howard.kussoy@nypost.com