What are the 5 biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history?
The NCAA Tournament has been replete with bracket busters and giant killers since it expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
Here are the five biggest point-spread upsets in the 64-team era:
2023, Fairleigh Dickinson (+23½) over Purdue, 63-58
Fairleigh Dickinson pulled off the biggest upset in 2023 when it beat Purdue as a 23½-point underdog.
The Knights stunned the top-seeded Boilermakers 63-58, becoming the second No. 16 seed to win a game in March Madness.
It was a true David-and-Goliath matchup. Fairleigh Dickinson was the shortest team in Division I. Purdue had 7-foot-4 All-America center Zach Edey, who didn’t attempt a shot in the final nine minutes.
The Knights held the Boilermakers scoreless for more than 5½ minutes down the stretch. They went ahead by five on a 3-pointer by Sean Moore with 1:03 left en route to the historic upset.
2012, Norfolk State (+21) over Missouri, 86-84
No. 15 seed Norfolk State shocked No. 2 Missouri behind a career game from center Kyle O’Quinn, who finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds.
O’Quinn had a chance to take some drama out of the final possession but missed two free throws with 3.8 seconds left. Missouri called a timeout to set up a final play. Guard Phil Pressey got a pretty good look at a 3-pointer for the Tigers just before the buzzer sounded, but it clanked off the back iron.
2018, UMBC (+20) over Virginia, 74-54
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County became the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament when it dominated Virginia in the second half en route to a blowout victory.
The game was tied at halftime before the aptly-named Retrievers — 20-point underdogs — outscored the Cavaliers 53-33 in the second half.
No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament were 135-0 before UMBC’s historic win. Virginia bounced back the next season to win it all.
1997, Coppin State (+18½) over South Carolina, 78-65
No. 15 seed Coppin State had never won a game in the NCAA Tournament — and neither had its Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference — before it shocked No. 2 seed South Carolina. The game was tied at halftime before the Eagles outscored the Gamecocks by 13 in the second half.
Coppin State was coming off a string of blowout losses on the road to more high-profile Division I opponents. It fell to Nebraska by 16, Oklahoma by 24 and Illinois by 36. None of those teams were ranked as high as South Carolina.
1993, Santa Clara (+18½) over Arizona, 64-61
No. 2 seed Arizona went on a 25-0 run to take a 46-33 lead over No. 15 Santa Clara with 15:26 remaining. But the Broncos stormed back to take a 54-53 lead with 2:45 to play.
Freshman point guard Steve Nash made six straight free throws down the stretch to help Santa Clara stave off the Wildcats and become the second No. 15 seed to win an NCAA Tournament game.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.
