The 50 Biggest Upsets in March Madness History

NCAA Tournamentdoes the DougieupsetbracketMarch MadnessGonzagaCinderellaThe 50 Biggest Upsets in March Madness History

50. They Shootin'! (2010)

Score: #14 Ohio 97, #3 Georgetown 83

How do you go from being the ninth-best team in a shitty mid-major conference (yes, the ninth-best team!) to upsetting one of the best teams from one of the best conferences in the country in the first round of the NCAA Tournament? You shoot the lights out (13-for-23 from behind the three-point line) and keep it moving!

49 Tiger Style (2002)

Score: #12 Missouri 93, #5 Miami 80

There's nothing particularly shocking about the #12 seed knocking off the #5 seed in the NCAA Tournament (in fact, you'll only see two of them, including this one, mentioned on this list) but thanks to the hot hand future NBA baller Kareem Rush had in this game—and in every game that Mizzou played in this tourney—the Tigers managed to advance all the way to the Elite Eight before taking an L to #2 Oklahoma.

48. Kidd's Play (1993)

Score: #6 California 82, #3 Duke 77

We know, we know. You love to see the Dukies go down. So we've got plenty of upsets featuring Coach K's bunch on this list, starting with this upset that saw Jason Kidd drop 11 points and 14 dimes to help put Bobby Hurley's Duke career to bed. Ayo, Blue Devils: Go to hell!

47. Badger Ball (2000)

Score: #8 Wisconsin 66, #1 Arizona 59

Slow shot-clock draining sets, very little fast-breaking, 17 passes before anyone was allowed to take a shot. If it wasn't for Gilbert Arenas running all over the place for 'Zona, this shit would have looked like an outtake from Hoosiers. But, hey, we guess that's what the Badgers were going for and it worked, so who are we to second-guess it?

46. The Triple OT Thriller (1995)

Score: #14 Old Dominion 89, #3 Villanova 81

The third time is the charm! After failing to put away the Wildcats in regulation as well as the first and second overtimes, OD finally got the job done in the third to send Kerry Kittles and the 'Cats home crying.

45. We're Not in Kansas Anymore (1998)

Score: #8 Rhode Island 80, #1 Kansas 75

Before they finally won it all in 2008, "Kansas loses in the first round of the NCAA Tournament" was the safest bet in the Big Dance. Word to Roy Williams.

44. The Miners Strike Gold (1992)

Score: #8 UTEP 66, #1 Kansas 60

And when Kansas did manage to win in the first round (thanks to a matchup against a #16 seed), they just went ahead and lost in the second round to a team coached by Don Haskins, a guy who was patrolling the sidelines in the 1960s. SMFH.

43. The Bradley Beatdown (2006)

Score: #13 Bradley 77, #4 Kansas 73

Yeah, we think you get the idea by now. Sorry, Jayhawk fans. We'll do you a favor and leave your crippling '05 loss to #14 Bucknell off the list if you forgive us. (And because we only have but so many slots!)

42. The Cardinal Feels Blue (2000)

Score: #8 North Carolina 60, #1 Stanford 53

Let's put it this way: Mark Madsen (hard to believe this guy got into Stanford, huh?) had nothing to dance about after the Cardinal squandered their first No. 1 seed in school history in the second round of the tournament.

41. Hoosier Daddy, Dukies? (2002)

Score: #5 Indiana 74, #1 Duke 73

"We messed up a lot of brackets," Indiana coach Mike Davis said after the game. "Just tear 'em up, throw 'em away." Coooooooold-bloooooooded!

40. Roll Tide! (2004)

Score: #8 Alabama 74, #1 Stanford 70

Stanford lost in the second round for the fifth time in six years in 2004. So basically, they were the Kansas of the West during the late 1990s and early 2000s (oops, was that another shot at the Jayhawks?).

39. The Mountaineers Move a Mountain (2005)

Score: #10 West Virginia 111, #2 Wake Forest 105

Forwards Tyrone Sally and Mike Gansey helped the Mountaineers score 84 points in the second half and overcome a 13-point halftime deficit against Chris Paul's Demon Deacons. We have no fuckin' idea who either of those guys are today—but we're pretty sure the second half they put together is one of the reasons we still have to sit through "One Shining Moment" at the end of every tournament.

38. Wasted Talent (1994)

Score: #8 Boston College 75, #1 North Carolina 72

Senior center Eric Montross? Diaper dandy forard Rasheed Wallace? Sharp-shooting guard Jerry Stackhouse? The only thing this Tar Heels squad was missing was the ghost of Michael Jordan—and a W over a Boston College squad that they definitely should've handled in the second round of the tournament.

37. The Catamount Catastrophe (2005)

Score: #13 Vermont 60, #4 Syracuse 57

A catamount is defined as a medium-sized feline, such as a puma or a lynx. Or a basketball player who can shoot the goddamned lights out when the spotlight is on. Just ask Jim Boeheim.

36. A Triple-Digit Tribute (1990)

Score: #11 Loyola-Marymount 111, #6 New Mexico State 92

Anyone who thought the Lions got a free pass to the tourney because of the unfortunate death of Hank Gathers during the 1989-1990 season got a rude awakening in the first round. Just imagine what might have happened if Gathers had still been around to play that day...

35. The Inside Game (1987)

Score: #6 Providence 88, #1 Georgetown 73

After losing to the Hoyas once in the regular and once in the Big East Tournament, the Friars went away from their strength (three-point shooting) and instead pounded the ball in the paint to catch Georgetown off guard. It worked and they put them away easily. "I think we saw Providence one time too many," legendary coach John Thompson said after the game. We think so, too.

34. To Kill A Mockingbird? (1997)

Score: #14 Chattanooga State 73, #3 Georgia 70

Here's a mascot matchup no one saw coming: The Mockingbirds (WTF?) against the Bulldogs. And guess who won? Yeah, don't feel bad. We didn't guess right, either.

33. To Hell and Back (2004)

Score: #9 UAB 76, #1 Kentucky 75

UAB called their style of play "40 minutes of Hell." And that's exactly what they delivered to the Wildcats—and everyone who picked them to go to the Final Four. FML.

32. Respect the Admiral (1986)

Score: #7 Navy 97, #2 Syracuse 85

Thanks to a favorable schedule, the Orangemen got to play the equivalent of a home game in the second round at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. And that woulda been great if David Robinson wasn't one of the guys on the away team.

31. Get Lost! (2006)

Score: #14 Northwestern State 64, #3 Iowa 63

You should never lose a tournament game to a school that you need to use a GPS, MapQuest, AND Google to find on a map. Just sayin'.

30. Tobacco Road Tears (1979)

Score: #9 UPenn 72, #1 North Carolina 71

Playing in Raleigh, N.C. in front of a large contingent of Tar Heel fans, UNC became the second team from the state (Duke was the first) to get upset in the first round of the 1979 tournament. As a result, the locals dubbed it "Black Sunday." Oh, cry us a fuckin' river!

29. Slow and Steady Loses the Race (1996)

Score: #5 Mississippi State 60, #1 Connecticut 55

After fast-breaking the shit out of teams during the regular season, the Huskies moved like molasses in their third-round matchup against Mississippi State—and got their asses handed to them. Not even Jesus Shuttles...we mean, Ray Allen could speed up the ungodly slow pace of the game and help the Bulldogs from busting our brackets.

28. The Tar Heel Tragedy (1999)

Score: #14 Weber State 76, #3 North Carolina 74

Shout out to Lumberjacks coach Ron Abegglen for keeping it 100 with us after the game. "I think the players had more confidence than I did," he said. "I was a nervous wreck out there and I just tried to stay out of the way." 'Cause that's exactly what we wanted to hear after our chance of winning the office pool went down the tubes. Sigh.

27. Eagle Eyed (1997)

Score: #15 Coppin State 78, #2 South Carolina 65

Just to help put this in perspective: Coppin State was a 30 (!) point underdog before this game started. THIRTY points! Bless the poor souls who put their kids' college fund on South Carolina and had to live with themselves afterwards.

26. The Birth of Big Baby (2005)

Score: #4 LSU 62, #1 Duke 54

Awwwww. Glen "Big Baby" Davis made J.J. Redick cry. And, sorry Dukies, but we couldn't have been happier.

#25. Alonzo Mourning

Shot: "Little Brother, No More"

Game: Game 4, 1993 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

Date: 5/5/1993

Alonzo Mourning was pretty good at basketball, but he spent much of his rookie season in Shaquille O'Neal's shadow. Zo however, was the only one to make the playoffs and Shaq certainly couldn't have nailed this clutch jumper that put the creaky Celtics down for good, giving the Hornets their first playoff series victory.

25. Fourth Time's the Charm (1986)

Score: #11 LSU 59, #1 Kentucky 57

Kentucky beat LSU three times during the 1985-1986 season and the Tigers were missing three key players from their rotation thanks to injuries and academic issues. Easy W, right? Wrong. LSU toppled Kentucky on their way to becoming the lowest-seeded team to ever make it to a Final Four. Did they have #tigerblood in their veins or what?

24. The Shot (1998)

Score: #13 Valparaiso 70, #4 Mississippi 69

Get ready to see Bryce Drew's game-winning three-pointer 1,647,365 times over the course of the next three weeks. Fortunately, it still looks just as unbelievable today as it did back in '98.

23. Lights Out (1994)

Score: #10 Maryland 95, #2 UMass 85

The best way to overcome a 10-point deficit against a team seeded eight slots higher than you in the NCAA Tournament? Shoot 70 percent in the second half and 60 percent for the game. The Terrapins could've beat the '94 Celtics shooting like that.

22. Panther Pride (2010)

Score: #9 Northern Iowa 67, #1 Kansas 65

It took us until the last minute of Northern Iowa's second game in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, but we are proud to say that we finally learned the correct way to pronounce "Farokhmanesh." What up, homie!?

21. If At First You Don't Succeed... (1980)

Score: #8 UCLA 77, #1 DePaul 71

These days, we're pretty sure DePaul fans (anyone? anyone? Bueller?) would take a second-round "upset" against UCLA any day of the year. Back in 1980, this was a travesty...

20. Pick Yourself Up and Try Again... (1981)

Score: #9 St. Joseph's 42, #1 DePaul 41

Okay, so that loss to UCLA in 1980 was a fluke. Hell, the Bruins had Kiki freakin' Vandeweghe on their team! But, losing to...St. Joe's? This can't be life!

19. Um, Try Again? (1982)

Score: #8 Boston College 82, #1 DePaul 75

Yeah, this was a pretty wack time to be playing for, cheering for, or just being associated with DePaul. Then again, if they only know what the program would look like 30 years later...

18. Run 'N Stun (1986)

Score: #14 Cleveland State 83, #3 Indiana 79

Before UAB's "40 minutes of Hell," there was Cleveland State's "Run 'N Stun." And it sure stunned the shit out of Bobby Knight and the Hoosiers, who had a tough time keeping up with the Vikings in this one.

17. The Original Cinderella Story (1999)

Score: #10 Gonzaga 82, #2 Stanford 74

Thanks to the 'Zags, every team with at least one dude who can shoot the rock (Dan Dickau! Richie Frahm! Adam Morrison!) has a chance to spoil the Big Dance for someone out there. And it all started here.

16. Little Rock, Big Upset (1986)

Score: #14 Arkansas-Little Rock 90, #3 Notre Dame 83

Anytime ESPN analyst/former ND coach Digger Phelps gets a little too pissy in his analysis of a team's performance, we want to show him the tape from this game. 'Cause for one day in 1986, the luck of the Irish ran out for you, dude. And it got ugly.

15. Backdoor Bonanza (1996)

Score: #13 Princeton 43, #4 UCLA 41

43-41!? Zzzzzzzzzzzzz....Oh, sorry. Wake us up when it's time to talk about the next game.

14. Red Hot Curry (2008)

Score: #10 Davidson 74, #2 Georgetown 70

Did Stephen Curry have the greatest clutch shooting performance in NCAA history in this game? Is having a snowball fight with pitching great Randy Johnson a bad idea? Word to Geico, the answer is...Hell yes!

13. Pirate Attack (2001)

Score: #15 Hampton 58, #2 Iowa State 57

The image of Hampton player David Johnson carrying his coach Steve Merfeld halfway across the court as he pumps his fists like he's auditioning for a part in Jersey Shore might be the greatest image in NCAA Tournament history. And we're not even kidding.

12. Giant Killers (2006)

Score: #11 George Mason 86, #1 Connecticut 84

Billy Packer criticized the NCAA committee for allowing George Mason into the field of 64 as an at-large team. And George Mason responded by going to the Final Four. Karma's a bitch, Billy. And that bitch hates you!

11. Rock Chalk Jayhawk (1988)

Score: #6 Kansas 83, #1 Oklahoma 79

Eventual #1 NBA draft pick Danny Manning led the Jayhawks to one of the biggest upsets in NCAA championship game history. Go figure. A Kansas team that's got some heart!

10. The Original Upset (1956)

Score: Canisius 79, North Carolina State 78

This game was played so long ago...they didn't even bother seeding teams. Or taking photos. Or providing much info about what actually went down during the contest. But according to Google, it happened and everyone was shocked when a small school from—*checks Google again*—Buffalo, N.Y. knocked off the Wolfpack. That's why than 50 years later, the mascot still has something to smile about.

9. Nash and Burn (1993)

Score: #15 Santa Clara 64, #2 Arizona 61

Who comes into the NCAA Tournament with a #15 seed—and Steve fucking Nash as their point guard? GTFOH! Then again, maybe this L is what the Wildcats get for underestimating a 6'3" point guard from Canada back in '93.

8. The Governors' Ball (1987)

Score: #14 Austin Peay 68, #3 Illinois 67

Dick Vitale was so disgusted that teams like Austin Peay were being allowed into the NCAA Tournament in the mid-1980s that he vowed to stand on his head if the Governors beat the Illini. They did—and he did. Yes, we're seeeeeeeeeeeerious, baby!

7. Spider Men (1984)

Score: #12 Richmond 72, #5 Auburn 71

Richmond's 1984 NCAA Tournament team didn't have a superhero on their team like Auburn did with Charles Barkley. But they still managed to squeak out a one-point victory after leading by 17 at halftime. And it would hardly be the first splash they'd make in the NCAA Tournament.

6. The Spiders Eat the Orange (1991)

Score: #15 Richmond 73, #2 Syracuse 69

The 1991 Richmond team is the reason you've seen more than half of the upsets listed here on TV. 1991 was the first year CBS paid for the rights to broadcast the first round of the tourney and—after the Spiders beat the Orange to become the first #15 seed to ever beat a #2 seed—it solidified the idea to continue showing the first round in its entirety. Basically, it's because of Richmond that you need to have a "Boss Button" handy on your computer during the first round of the tourney now. God bless those Spiders!

5. Wade's World (2003)

Score: #3 Marquette 83, #1 Kentucky 69

Every now and again, a guy comes out of nowhere to takeover an NCAA Tournament. Dwyane Wade was that guy in 2003 and, in this game against Kentucky, he recorded just the fourth triple-double (29 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) in NCAA Tournament history. Not bad for a guy almost nobody knew when they tourney tipped off.

4. Revenge is Sweet (1991)

Score: #2 Duke 79, #1 UNLV 77

Is a #2 seed beating a #1 seed really an upset? If you consider that Duke lost by 30 in the championship game in 1990 and was expected to lose by the same type of margin in this game the following year, then yes. We can't even hate—Duke fan or not, this was epic.

3. Black and White (1966)

Score: Texas Western 72, Kentucky 65

Most important college basketball game of all-time? Maybe. But behind all the sociopolitical aspects of this game (Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp openly admitted to not recruiting black players, while Texas Western featured five black players in their starting lineup) this was also an upset—in the championship game, no less!—that opened a lot of eyes throughout the country.

2. The Wolfpack Steps to Phi Slamma Jamma (1983)

Score: #6 North Carolina State 54, #1 Houston 52

Jim Valvano is running around in heaven right now...STILL trying to find someone to hug. Ayo, Hollywood: Why hasn't this been made into a movie yet?

1. David Knocks Off Goliath (1985)

Score: #8 Villanova 66, #1 Georgetown 64

Eff baseball. If you want to watch a "perfect game," catch this matchup one day on ESPN Classic and pay close attention to the way the overmatched Wildcats handled Patrick Ewing and the Hoyas. It's about as close to perfect as you'll ever see a team play. And in our eyes, it made for the biggest upset in college hoops history.