March Madness Cheat Sheet: Upset picks, printable bracket

March 13 (UPI) -- Don't be fooled into always taking the higher seed this March when filling out your 2017 NCAA Men's basketball tournament bracket.

More often than not, there are many upsets in the first [full] round of the annual tournament.

Over the years, some of the best upsets you can predict come out of the No. 5 versus No. 12 seed matchups. You are well suited each year to pick one or two 12 seeds to advance to the round of 32. In fact, 2015 was the last time since 2007 that not a single No. 12 seed advanced to the round of 32. Before that, at least one No. 12 seed had advanced in every tournament since 2000, after a 12-year stint of at least one of those four teams advancing.

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While a No. 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1 seed in the tournament, No. 15 seeds have won 8-of-128 all-time matchups against No. 2 seeds. But No. 3 seeds are also no sure thing. In fact, a No. 14 seed has knocked off a No. 3 seed in four consecutive years. No. 14 seeds are 8-60 against No. 3 seeds since 2000.

You should have at least one No. 13 seed winning in your bracket. There has been a 71.8 percent chance of at least one No. 13 seed advancing to the round of 32 since the inception of the tournament. No. 4 seeds are in trouble.

Last year marked just the eighth time in tournament history that a No. 15 seed beat a No. 2 seed when Middle Tennessee knocked off Michigan State.

Don't look for that to happen again this year. But here are the matchups, in order of teams most likely to least likely to get upset this March.

Most Vulnerable No. 5 Seeds

1. No. 12 Nevada beats No. 5 Iowa State

2. No. 12 UNCW beats No. 5 Virginia

3. No. 12 Middle Tennessee State beats No. 5 Minnesota

4. No. 12 Princeton beats No. 5 Notre Dame

Most Vulnerable No. 4 Seeds

1. No. 13 East Tennessee State beats No. 4 Florida

2. No. 13 Winthrop beats No. 4 Butler

3. No. 13 Vermont beats No. 4 Purdue

4. No. 13 Bucknell beats No. 4 West Virginia

Most Vulnerable No. 3 Seeds

1. No. 14 New Mexico State beats No. 3 Baylor

2. No. 14 Florida Gulf Coast beats No. 3 Florida State

3. No. 14 Iona beats No. 3 Oregon

4. No. 14 Kent State beats No. 3 UCLA

Most Vulnerable No. 2 Seeds

1. No. 15 North Dakota beats No. 2 Arizona

2. No. 15 Northern Kentucky beats No. 2 Kentucky

3. No. 15 Jacksonville State beats No. 2 Louisville

4. No. 15 Troy beats No. 2 Duke

Page 1 of UPI Bracket 2017

Contributed to DocumentCloud by Alex Butler of United Press International • View document or read text