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One of the main reasons the annual NCAA March Madness tournament is so exciting is because of the shocking upsets no one can predict. Whether you’re a huge school sports fan or want to make that perfect bracket, it’s nearly impossible to predict when these insane March Madness upsets will happen.
Throughout the college basketball tournament, there have been moments that make the sport extremely interesting to watch, including the most unexpected moments you can think of. In this article, we’ll outline three of the biggest March Madness upsets in history, including lower-seeded teams out-performing higher-seeded teams and how the game went.
The biggest upset in March Madness history saw UMBC defeat Virginia, the first time a 16th seed ever toppled a number 1 seeded team. Coming into the 2018 tournament, only one other team was rated higher than Virginia, so this blowout of a result was nothing short of jaw-dropping. Until this point, never in the history of the NCAA tournament had a 16-seeded team beat a 1-seeded squad, much less by such a wide margin, and fans will certainly remember it forever.
The one pertinent fact in this game was that UMBC wouldn’t let Virginia State score, allowing only an 18% success rate from the arc. UMBC’s Jairus Lyles also had an extremely memorable game, netting 28 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Ending with a final score of 74-54, UMBC ended 33 years of 16-seeds getting knocked out in the first round, a feat to remember, making this game one of the biggest March Madness upsets, where only one other game rivals this one.
The second and most recent 16-seed vs.1-seed upset in NCAA March Madness history took place in the first round of the 2023 tournament, where number 16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson would put number 1-seeded Purdue in their place. Although Purdue was not the top favorites this time, Fairleigh would pull off an incredible feat, defeating the soon-to-be 2024 finalists 63-58.
Purdue was the stronger team, with players like National College Player of the Year Zach Edey of height 7 ‘4”, helping the team reach the 2024 March Madness tournament finals. However, this wouldn’t stop Fairleigh Dickinson from going on a run to remember, with players Sean More, Demetre Roberts and Grant Singletons scoring a combined 39 points for the Knights. This game would be one of the most recent biggest March Madness upsets in history, and for good reason.
Richmond became the first #15 seed in tournament history to defeat a #2 seed, setting the stage for future Cinderella stories like the two previously mentioned games. Syracuse, a powerhouse program, was heavily favored, but Richmond’s disciplined play and hot shooting stunned the Orangemen and the basketball world.
First up on the list of March Madness upsets is one of the many 15-seed vs. 2-seed upsets to occur throughout the tournament’s existence, although it happened simultaneously with another 2023 first-round upset between a 16-seed and 1-seed, making the 2023 tournament one to remember.
A number 15-seeded Princeton University would hold 2-seeded Arizona State scoreless throughout most of the game. While it was an extremely defensive match for both sides, the Arizona Wildcats were up by 10 points with only eight minutes left. But, the Princeton Tigers managed to hold out until six minutes left with a game-defining 3-pointer to close it to 51-48. From then on until the end of the game, the Tigers scored nine unanswered points and sealed the game out for one of the biggest March Madness upsets in history.
This wasn’t just an 8-seed beating a 1-seed; it was a David vs. Goliath story in the NCAA Championship game. Georgetown, led by Patrick Ewing, was a juggernaut, heavily favored to win the title. Villanova played nearly perfect basketball, shooting 78.6% from the field, to shock the Hoyas in one of the most improbable national championship victories ever.
While this wasn’t the biggest ever March Madness upset, the stakes and the dominance of Georgetown make it one of the biggest surprises in tournament history.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.