The Five Best Men’s College Basketball Tournament Upsets
March Madness has brought us some of the greatest college basketball moments in history, as well as historical upsets. We’ve seen low seeded schools shock the world and takedown top schools and place their names in college basketball history.
Here are the top five best men’s college basketball tournament upsets of all time. Check the list of the greatest upsets below and see why they stand the test of time.
#15 Santa Clara Defeats #2 Arizona(1993)
In 1993, many experts picked Arizona to go deep into the NCAA tournament. #15 seeded Santa Clara didn’t get the memo and delivered one of the best upsets in men’s college basketball tournament history.
Led by future NBA legend Steve Nash, Santa Clara put together one of the best wins ever by the school. Arizona made crucial errors in the second half, which led to a last-minute surge by Santa Clara.
The small California school shocked the basketball world with a 64-61 win to advance to the next round. Maybe Steve Nash celebrated that win with a delicious Mushroom Chocolate.
#8 Villanova vs. #1 Georgetown(1985 National Championship)
In 1985, the Georgetown Hoyas were an unbeatable juggernaut throughout the season. The Patrick Ewing led Hoyas were picked to have no problems beating #8 Villanova.
It was going to take a perfect game to beat Georgetown and Villanova did just that. They pulled off one of the best men’s college basketball tournament upsets in history.
Villanova played a perfect game shooting 78% in the first half and an astounding 90% in the second half. The Hoyas suffered a shocking 66-64 defeat as Villanova won their first national title.
#15 Norfolk State Defeats #2 Missouri(2012, 2nd Round)
In 2012, the upset of the year went to Norfolk State over Missouri. These two teams were neck and neck to the very end battling it out.
Norfolk State was able to pull ahead thanks to a career best performance by Kyle O’Quinn with 26 points. O’Quinn was able to seal the game in the last seconds with a free throw to win 86-84.
#16 Fairleigh Dickinson Defeats #1 Purdue(2023)
2023 was supposed to be Purdue’s year to shine, but Fairleigh Dickinson had other plans. They topple #1 Purdue to pull off one of the best men’s college basketball tournament upsets ever.
Fairleigh Dickinson was able to keep POTY Zach Edey in check and keep him from taking over the game. The great game plan and tenacious defense led to a 63-58 win for Fairleigh Dickinson.
#16 UMBC Defeats #1 Virginia(2018)
Arguably one of the best men’s college basketball tournament upsets took place in 2018. Nobody even thought UMBC could compete with number one Virginia.
Not only did they compete, they trounced the number one seed in one of the most shocking upsets in history. From the first moments of the game UMBC dominated Virginia.
At one point Virginia was down 20 points and they ended up losing 74 to 54. This was not only one of the most shocking losses, but the biggest loss by a #1 seeded team ever.
