Question of the day: What upsets can we expect this weekend in the NCAA tournament?

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Reporters from around the Tribune family tackle the question of the day, then you get a chance to chime in and tell them why they are wrong.

Shannon Ryan, Chicago Tribune

Thirty-one years ago, an Ivy League team made it to the Sweet 16 -- and kept going to the Final Four. Cornell has several factors working in its favor that show it can do its best imitation of that 1979 Penn team.
Cornell, a No. 12 seed, has already taken out fifth-seeded Temple by 13 points and fourth-seeded Wisconsin by 18 points. Next on the list is a giant challenge in top-seeded Kentucky.

Good thing the Big Red has giants.

The front line has three players at least 6-7, including 7-footer Jeff Foote, to help contend with Kentucky’s dominant post players. They’re also experienced with 10 seniors. Cornell can shoot outside, having entered the tournament leading the nation with 43.4% 3-point shooting.

Ninth-seeded Northern Iowa, fresh off an upset of top-seeded Kansas, has a solid chance to keep rolling and adding to its legacy when it faces fifth-seeded Michigan State, which will be playing without injured point guard Kalin Lucas.

All that adds up to giant upsets.

Andrea Adelson, Orlando Sentinel

Watch out Elite Eight -- here come those huggable, lovable Northern Iowa Panthers. Beating No. 1 overall seed Kansas was just the beginning. Next up is a favorable matchup against banged-up Michigan State on Friday in the Sweet 16.

Spartans coach Tom Izzo says his squad is more like a MASH unit than a basketball team right now. Team leader Kalin Lucas is done with an Achilles’ tendon injury. Guard Chris Allen has a foot injury that limited him to four minutes in the win over Maryland. Raymar Morgan lost part of his tooth in the same game, while Delvon Roe is battling a knee injury.

Tom Izzo is an incredible NCAA tournament coach, but even he is going to have a hard time winning with such a banged up unit. Especially against a team that is feeling supremely confident after such a big win. Northern Iowa is not scared, and Ali Farokhmanesh is fearless. The Panthers epitomize how to play like a team, and how to win like a team. Expect to see the them in the next round.

Kevin Van Valkenburg, Baltimore Sun

At some point, we need to acknowledge that there is no such thing anymore as a mid-major. Have you seen Northern Iowa in this tournament? I’m starting to wonder if the Panthers could have won the Pac-10, which was awful this year, even with Washington’s appearance in the Sweet 16.

Cornell making it this far is such a cute story, but the fairytale is going to end against Kentucky. Northern Iowa, on the other hand, has a legitimate shot at going to the Final Four.

Michigan State can rebound as well as anyone, but the Spartans can’t handle the ball and they aren’t going to shoot lights out like they did against Maryland. Ali Farokhmanesh has been one of the tournament’s most exciting players, and the Panthers aren’t afraid of anything. The Spartans and Buckeyes should be very afraid at this point.

David Teel, Newport News Daily Press

You’re pining for a Final Four of Northern Iowa, Butler, Cornell and Saint Mary’s. You want to see a H-O-R-S-E contest among Ali Farokhmanesh, Shelvin Mack, Louis Dale and Mickey McConnell. Couldn’t get any better for those with a soft spot for the little guy.

Alas, the hunch is this doesn’t happen, that tradition and talent will prevail at all four of this weekend’s regionals, with familiar names such.as Duke, Syracuse, Ohio State and Kentucky heading to the Final Four.

But the most likely “underdog” to emerge is Northern Iowa. The Panthers’ Midwest semifinal opponent, Michigan State, is compromised by Kalin Lucas’ Achilles injury, and neither Ohio State nor Tennessee in the other half of the bracket is imposing. Besides, Northern Iowa got game. Ask Kansas.