Sports
The NCAA Occasion is virtually here, with convention tournament play already underway all the arrangement in which by arrangement of Division-I.
With March Madness upon us, it got us pondering— which teams in truth space off the “madness”? And what were the largest underdogs to gain from a level unfold point of view? The use of our NCAA Occasion database, we were in a predicament to safe the ten biggest underdogs to gain a tournament game since 1985— which is the an identical year the mountainous dance expanded to 64 teams.
Every team on the list became once on the very least a 15-point underdog in their matchup, whereas some were as high as 20+ point ‘dogs irrespective of successful outright. Let’s hang a detect:
T-10. Oral Roberts (+15 vs Ohio Sing), 2021
Taking off the list, the 15th seeded Golden Eagles took down 2-seed Ohio Sing in the Spherical of 64 irrespective of being 15-point underdogs. The game became once an absolute thriller, with Oral Roberts squeaking out a 75-72 further time gain. At the time, they were glorious the ninth 15 seed ever to gain a first round game. They were led by Max Abmas and Kevin Obanor, who combined for 59 facets in the upset. Oral Roberts would build it all the methodology to the Candy 16, losing by two facets to Arkansas in that round.
T-10. Princeton (+15 vs Arizona), 2023
Correct three seasons previously, Princeton started a magical plod to the Candy 16 with a extensive gain in opposition to Arizona in a single other 15 vs 2 upset. It became once the Tigers’ first tournament gain since 1998, with Tosan Evbuomwan leading the methodology with 15 facets in a 59-55 gain. Arizona became once contemporary off successful the Pac-12 Occasion, nonetheless Princeton became once in a predicament to help them scoreless for the finest 4:43 of the game. At the time, it marked the third straight year a No. 15 seed received in the first round.
9. Heart Tennessee (+17 vs Michigan Sing), 2016
The 15th seeded Blue Raiders most attention-grabbing lasted till the 2d round in the 2016 NCAA Occasion, nonetheless their 90-81 first round gain in opposition to 2d-seeded Michigan Sing as 17-point underdogs became once one to build in suggestions. The Spartans had glorious captured the Huge Ten Occasion title and entered the tournament with a 29-5 file. Four Blue Raiders scored 15+ facets in the game, with Reggie Usa Jr. leading the methodology with 21. Heart Tennessee became once glorious the eighth No. 15 seed to knock off a No. 2 seed for the reason that 64-team format started in 1985.
T-7. Exiguous Rock (+17.5 vs Notre Dame), 1986
In fair the 2d year of the 64-team format, Exiguous Rock took down a 23-5 Notre Dame team in the first round, changing into glorious the 2d 14-seed ever to hang down a 3-seed. Michael Clarke, Myron Jackson, and Pete Myers every scored over 20 facets for Exiguous Rock in a 90-83 gain. Coincidentally, the first 14-seed to cease so additionally came in the 1986 NCAA Occasion— with Cleveland Sing taking down Indiana as 6.5-point underdogs. Exiguous Rock would hurry on to lose to NC Sing in an further time game the next round.
T-7. Hampton (+17.5 vs Iowa Sing), 2001
Correct the fourth 15-seed ever to hang down a 2-seed, Hampton became once down 11 facets in this game before ending it on a 14-2 plod. They held the Cyclones scoreless for the finest 7:01 of the game, with Tarvis Williams leading the methodology with 16 facets, 13 rebounds and 6 blocks. He additionally hit the shot to present Hampton the lead with 6.9 seconds, which would possibly well cease up being the game-successful bucket at 58-57. The Pirates would hurry on to lose to Georgetown in the next round.
T-5. Coppin Sing (+18.5 vs South Carolina), 1997
Every game up till this point became once determined by single digits. Nonetheless Coppin Sing’s first round gain over South Carolina came by a whopping 13 facets, making them the third 15-seed to hang down a 2-seed and the first to cease so by double digits. Antoine Brockington and Danny Singletary combined for 42 facets and eight steals for the Eagles. They’d hurry on to lose by one point to Texas in the Spherical of 32.
T-5. Saint Peter’s (+18.5 vs Kentucky), 2022
No team on this list made an additional plod in the tournament than the 2022 Saint Peter’s squad, with Shaheen Holloway orchestrating a magical plod to the Elite 8. That plod started off with a gain in opposition to blue-blood Kentucky in a game that ended 85-Seventy 9. The Peacocks turned the tenth 15-seed to gain in the first round for the reason that enlargement to 64 teams in 1985, and additionally handed John Calipari’s his first loss in the gap round of the tournament as Kentucky’s head coach. Holloway & Co. would hurry on to lose to North Carolina in the Elite 8, and to for the time being are the suitable 15-seed to build it that some distance in the tournament.
4. Santa Clara (+20 vs Arizona), 1993
The predominant 20-point underdog to gain an NCAA Occasion game since enlargement in 1985, 15-seed Santa Clara got a three-point victory over Arizona in a 64-61 barn-burner. Steve Nash became once the face of Broncos, nonetheless became once held to 1-of-7 shooting from the ground. Quiet, the future two-time NBA MVP did ample to steer his team to victory— finishing with 10 facets, seven rebounds and 4 assists whereas shooting 8-for-10 on free throws. They turned glorious the 2d 15-seed ever to gain in the gap round, and would hurry on to lose to Temple in the Spherical of 32.
3. UMBC (+20.5 vs Virginia), 2018
Some accept as true with in suggestions this one among the glorious upsets in all of sports historical past, as UMBC turned the first 16-seed to hang down a 1-seed in NCAA Occasion historical past (since enlargement in 1985). To position it into further context, entering the game— 16 seeds were a whopping 0-135 in opposition to 1-seeds. And to further illustrate how unbelievable this upset became once, they are 2-154 entering the 2025 NCAA Occasion. What’s some distance more particular is that the game wasn’t close, as UMBC received 74-54. They’d hurry on to lose to Kansas Sing by seven facets in the next round. The 2018 edition of the tournament became once additionally the first one ever to see every of the cease four seeds in a single location (South) no longer build the Candy 16.
2. Norfolk Sing (+21.5 vs Missouri), 2012
The 2012 NCAA Occasion became once a utterly different one, because it became once the first ever in which two 15 seeds received in the Spherical of 64 in the an identical tournament. Lehigh took down Duke as 12-point underdogs, nonetheless the right shocker came from Norfolk Sing— as they took down Missouri irrespective of being 21.5-point underdogs. Led by future NBA veteran Kyle O’Quinn, the Spartans pulled off an 86-84 victory in a thriller of a game that noticed 22 lead changes in its entirety. The five starters for North Dakota Sing accounted for all 86 facets, and shot 10-of-19 from beyond the arc (52.6%). They’d hurry on to lose to Florida in the next game.
1. Fairleigh Dickinson (+23 vs Purdue), 2023
Earlier we mentioned that 16 seeds were 2-154 in opposition to 1-seeds all-time in the tournament, and that UMBC became once the first team to gain this kind of gain. So which team got the 2d? In 2023, the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights did the unthinkable— taking down a 29-5 Purdue team after barely making the tournament as a First Four participant. The Boilermakers were led by two-time National Player of the Year and future first round make a selection Zach Edey, who carried out that year sixth in Division-I in scoring (22.3 facets per game) and 2d in rebounding (12.9 rebounds per game). Whereas he tranquil carried out with 21 facets and 15 rebounds in the game, the shortest team in all of Division-I that season became once in a predicament to drag off a 63-58 victory. The Knights did no longer even gain their convention tournament that season, losing to Merrimack by one point in the title game. On story of Merrimack would possibly well no longer hang part in the tournament due to an NCAA rule that bans colleges from postseason play for the length of a four-year transition from Division II, FDU became once due to this truth thrust into circulation. Talk about taking support of a chance.
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