It’s weird that this was thought of as a particularly not-great team at Duke when you consider that the Blue Devils had eight future NBA players on their roster. The Blue Devils had finished the season at 27-7 and were expected to brush aside No. 15 seeded Lehigh as a No. 2 seed in the First Round.
Lehigh played the upset bid perfectly. They never let Duke get on a big run, keeping the game close until sneaking ahead near the end. It helped the Mountain Hawks that their future NBA star C.J. McCollum was on fire throughout. He poured in 30 points on his own as the nation got a glimpse of the star he would become.
The Arkansas Razorbacks managed to make it to the Elite 8 and take out the betting favorite to win the NCAA Tournament, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, in the process. The No. 1 overall seed, Gonzaga, lost to a No 4. seed after the Razorbacks beat them 74-68.
All is right with the world, however (well, I guess unless you're a fan of the Hogs); the Razorbacks lost to 2 seeded Duke, 78-69, in the Elite 8.
This was part of a time period where Kansas kept finding a way to lose in the tournament to teams with names starting with a B. The Jayhawks started the season hot and were 20-1, showing they were worthy of their preseason No. 1 ranking. The wheels fell off a little down the stretch, however, with Kansas having lost five of eight as the tournament loomed.
A sweet hook shot by Chris McNaughton with just over 10 seasons left put the No. 14 seed Bison up by a single point, with just over 10 seconds left. Future NBAer Wayne Simien had a chance to win it for KU, but his jump shot was short and the upset complete.
It’s rare that a lower seed—especially in a No. 15 versus No. 2 matchup—comes out on top in bench scoring. That is exactly what happened here, though, as the Eagle bench was on fire throughout their stunning upset of the Gamecocks.
The bench scoring ended 40-17 in favor of Coppin State, as the Eagles powered to a 13-point upset of a team that they were supposed to have no chance of beating. In a game where neither team could shoot the three-point shot (they combined to go 6-of-33 from distance), it was the moxie of Coppin State in getting to the foul line down the stretch that made the difference.
It will forever be known as the game that made legendary ESPN analyst D. Vitale stand on his head. This game between the No. 14 seeded Governors and No. 3 seeded Illini was tied at the half. That is when Dickie V made the claim that he would stand on his head if Austin Peay pulled out the victory.
A pair of free throws down the stretch from Tony Raye after a 7-point Austin Peay lead had dissolved saw the underdogs’ claim victory. Vitale, ever the generous sport, traveled to Austin Peay’s campus to complete his forfeit within a year.
Here’s a game legendary head coach Bob Knight would have liked to have back. His No. 3 sledded Indiana Hoosiers were massive favorites over the No. 14 seeded Cleveland State. The Vikings played a fast offensive style that was unlike anything that Indiana had seen that year in the Big Ten.
While Cleveland is clearly not a state, this team was a blast to watch. They reached the Sweet 16 before falling to a Navy team led by NBA all-timer David “The Admiral” Robinson.
If you’re going to advance as the ninth No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2 seed, then your best players need to play well. This overtime victory for the Golden Eagles over the Buckeyes was almost entirely powered by the duo of Max Abamas and Kevin Obanor.
Ohio State seemed to have no answer for either player, let alone both, as they combined for 59 of the 75 points scored by ORU. Neither came off the floor at any time during the 45-minute game, and yet Oral Roberts somehow still had the energy to take down No. 7 Florida in the Second Round two days later.
Kansas has a history of bowing out early as a higher seeded team, and this 2010 Second Round contest against Northern Iowa was one that looked like trouble for the No. 1 overall seed from the very first tip.
This game is best remembered for one iconic shot. Breaking the press up by one point and with about 30 seconds left in the game, the ball found its way into the hands of Ali Farokhmanesh on the right wing. The smart play was to eat up time before going for the shot, as the clock wound down. Instead, Farokhmanesh stopped, set his feet, and delivered a dagger of a three-pointer with a shot he never should have taken in the first place. It was the very definition of March Madness.
Iowa State had a future NBA star at point guard in Jamaal Tinsley, but his last-second lay-up to win the game bounced off the rim, sending Hampton fans into hysterics. The No. 15 seed took the lead on a four-footer from Tarvis Williams with just seven seconds left, and that was enough for the Pirates of the Mid-Eastern Conference to shock a legitimate Big 12 power.
The interesting aspect of this upset was that it included a big comeback. Hampton was down by nine points with under seven minutes to play. An eight-point run left the score at 57-56, and the winning basket meant that the Cyclones didn’t score for the last seven-plus minutes of the game.
The Blue Raiders became the eighth 15 seed to take out a 2 seed as they used a balance scoring attack to keep the Spartans off-balance for the duration of the contest. What makes this upset so shocking was the fact that the Michigan State has a reputation for being a great tournament team—and this squad was hot having come into the NCAA Tournament on the back of a Big Ten Tournament Championship.
Larry Izzo was unable to coach his veteran-laden Spartans to a win, and a lot of that had to do with the poise of MTSU. The Blue Raiders never looked intimidated by the occasion, just playing their usual brand of basketball in a huge upset win.
One of the all-time “no, no, no, yes!!!” shots in NCAA Tournament history was the key to Vermont taking down No. 4 seed Syracuse back in 2005. The No. 13 seeded Catamounts had taken the game to overtime and were up by a point with about 1:10 left on the clock. That’s when T.J. Sorrentine decided that the offensive set had no flow and drilled a three from somewhere between the top of the arc and half-court.
The “From The Parking Lot” call from Gus Johnson, an excitable man at the best of times, elevates this one to another level.
North Carolina just didn’t lose in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament; the Tar Heels had gone 19 years without losing, no matter their seed. Then Weber State came along as a No. 13 seed and took down this No. 3 seeded North Carolina team.
The Tar Heels walked into a trap set entirely by Harold “The Show” Arceneaux. Arceneaux scored 36 of Weber State’s 76 points, dropping rainbow jump shot after rainbow jump shot as North Carolina had no idea how to defend him. The Tar Heels had a home run throw to the top of the arc for a potential last-second win, but that pass was intercepted, and the Wildcats advanced.
A good way to key an upset is to have your starting five shoot over 60% from the field. That’s exactly what happened here, as the Spartans got 20+ points from three of those starters (who as a group also managed to shoot 62.5% from the three-point line). In most failed upsets, the lower seed starts hot and cools off. Norfolk State simply never did.
It was tough on the Tigers, a team that had grown into the season and was looking like a real threat to make some noise in March. By the end it was the Spartans that stole the show.
This was the game that announced Gonzaga as a player on the national level, a stage the Bulldogs have never left. The No. 2 seeded Cardinal was expected to have few problems with a team from the West Coast Conference, but the Bulldogs had recruited and developed a team under Mark Few that was capable of big things.
Gonzaga has found its way into the March Madness field every year since this win. That includes multiple trips to the Final Four and a handful of Elite Eight appearances. Not bad for a private Jesuit university with an enrollment of just over 7,000.
This must be on the list because it’s one of the most iconic upset finishes of all time. Down by two with 2.5 seconds on the clock and inbounding from under their own basket, the Crusaders were done. Valpo head coach Homer Drew called a play that involved a floated pass about three-quarters the length of the court, a touch pass in mid-air to a player streaking down the sideline near the arc, then a three-pointer shot with basically no time to set the shooter’s feet.
It worked. The ball was smuggled to Homer’s son, Bryce Drew, and he nailed the three that has been played so many times in upset package over the years. Bonus fact: Bryce Drew is currently the head coach at Grand Canyon University after stints at Valpo and Vandy.
This upset proved just about anything is possible in March. Richmond became the first No. 15 seed to ever take down a No. 2 seed. Facing the Big East regular-season champions, Richmond did everything possible to contain Syracuse star Billy Owens and his 23.3 points per game.
The plan was to change defense often. The Spiders flipped from zone to press to man-to-man and Syracuse could never get comfortable. Richmond pulled ahead by 10 in the second half—in a game where blowouts elsewhere meant that around 25 million watched the upset be completed when the buzzer sounded.
A score line you simply won’t see repeated in March Madness ever again (barring some serious rule changes) saw No. 11 Loyola Marymount bomb No. 3 Michigan with a 34-point win back in 1990. That would be a 34-point win despite Michigan scoring 115 points.
The Lions were driven by pure emotion here after consensus Second-Team All-American Hank Gathers collapsed and died during their WWC Tournament Semifinal against Portland. A team with one of the fastest offenses in the history of the sport, Loyola Marymount made it to the Elite Eight before losing to an all-time great UNLV squad.
This one got ugly for Santa Clara at the midpoint of the game when the Wildcats went on a 25-0 run that should have put them out of sight. Instead, the Broncos clawed their way back into this one and eventually came out as winners by three points. It was just the second time that a No. 15 seed had beaten a No. 2 seed, and Santa Clara was able to thanks to a point guard who didn’t miss foul shots down the stretch.
It does help as a No. 15 seed to have a lightly recruited Canadian playing point who would go on to win back-to-back NBA MVPs (ironically in Arizona with the Phoenix Suns). Steve Nash was 6-of-6 from the line when the Broncos needed him most.
The highest seeded upset you will ever see. Duke was a No. 2 seed, but the Blue Devils were given no chance against a UNLV team that was an absolute machine. The Runnin’ Rebels were 34-0 and hadn’t lost a game since the previous February. They were loud, cocky, and good enough to back it up.
Duke, however, was out for revenge after being battered by UNLV 103-73 in the 1990 Championship Game. Coach K master class saw Due win this one before outpacing Kansas by seven to win the national title. UNLV goes down as perhaps the best-ever squad not to win the championship.
There is slowing tempo to upset rhythm, and then there is what the No. 13 Tigers did to the No. 4 Bruins in this 1996 encounter. Princeton ran the type of high IQ, backdoor, cut-heavy offense you would expect and wound the shot clock down as deep as possible on every possession before attempting a basket.
The frustration in UCLA’s play was obvious, with the Bruins missing cutters behind them in the lane at crucial moments while trying to force tempo. That’s how Princeton broke a tie game with 10 seconds left for a memorable win.
There had been upsets before, but this one felt different. George Mason had already taken down a No. 6 and a No. 3 before a classic battle between up-and-coming small conference schools in the Sweet Sixteen against Wichita State.
A win over the Shockers saw the Colonials facing No. 1 seeded UConn in the Elite Eight. The Patriots shot 50% from the three-point line to stun the Huskies in overtime, making head coach Jim Larranaga a household name overnight. It also became the first small conference program to reach the Final Four in 27 years.
The first year the tournament expanded to 64 teams was the year that the lowest seeded team to date has won March Madness. The Georgetown Hoyas were led by future a future No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft—Patrick Ewing—and the defending champions were expected to crush No. 8 seeded Villanova who had defied the odds to reach the championship game.
The Wildcats’ offense started hot and never slowed down. Villanova was able to negate the Hoyas’ size to sink 78.6% of their shots. That’s a staggering number and remains the best team percentage ever in a single tournament game.
It seems like the Georgetown Hoyas love to be on the wrong end of an upset. The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles had only been a Division 1 basketball program for two seasons, and in 2013 they took March Madness by storm in their first-ever tournament appearance.
The team just seemed like so much fun as they flew around for dunks and blocks with an exciting style of play that’s sometimes lacking at the serious end of the season. The Hoyas were a good defensive team that year, but this remains the biggest margin of victory ever by a No. 15 over a No. 2.
It’s hard to overestimate just how good Houston was in 1983. This was a team led by Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, a couple of players that combined to appear in 22 NBA All Star Games. The Cougars were all about running with their offense and the nickname “Phi Slamma Jamma” was one that fit perfectly.
The No. 6 seeded Wolfpack only snuck into the Big Dance after winning the ACC Tournament with victories over a pair of Top 5 teams in North Carolina and Virginia. That they won the title on an alley-oop dunk (on a missed three) after slowing down Houston for the entire game is a sign that the universe loves its basketball.
Going into this one, the vast majority of the country, even those that watch college basketball regularly, had little clue what a St. Peter’s was. There was no way the No. 15 seed out of Jersey City would have any chance against a Blue Blood like No. 2 Kentucky and their roster of elite recruits who could all be playing in the NBA already.
The 19-11 Peacocks weren’t even supposed to win the Metro Atlantic tournament, yet they managed to go shot-for-shot with Kentucky before outlasting the Wildcats in overtime. A win over No. 7 Murray State in the Second Round showed that this Cinderella was more than a one-trick pony.
Even with recency bias in place, there is no way any result shocked college basketball like this one. No. 1 seeds winning against No. 16 seeds in the First Round was just a given. This was the 136th time that a No. 1 and a No. 16 had gone at it, and no one gave UMBC a chance. Virginia was a defensive monster and had lost two games all season by a total of just eight points.
Then UMBC blew their doors off. It was a performance of epic proportions where the 20.5-point underdog not only beat the No 1 seed but outclassed them in every aspect of the game.
