During this series, I have broken down the biggest upsets that have occurred in each round of the NCAA tournament. Now we come to the end as we break down the biggest upsets that have occurred during the Final Four and National Championship.
The No. 5 biggest NCAA tournament Final Four upset was when the Duke Blue Devils defeated UNLV Rebels 79-77 in the 1991 NCAA tournament national semifinal. A year prior, UNLV defeated the Blue Devils by 30 in the NCAA championship game, the biggest blowout in the history of the national championship game. For the 1991 season, the Rebels retained the core of their championship team in future NBA players Stacey Augmon, Larry Johnson and Greg Anthony. They also were undefeated heading into the championship game and had little trouble progressing through the tournament. However, the Duke contained a talented roster themselves in Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill and Christian Laettner. Laettner was the star for the Blue Devils putting up 28 points. The other factor was the Duke got Anthony into foul trouble early and took Augmon out of the game, only allowing six points.
The No. 4 biggest upset was when the Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 83-79 in the 1988 National Championship game. Oklahoma was a powerhouse featuring three superstars and Kansas had one. Oklahoma featured Stacey King, Harvey Grant and Mookie Blaylock, while Kansas had Danny Manning and coach Larry Brown. In this game, one superstar was better than three as Manning finished with 31 points and 18 rebounds to cap off a great collegiate career. The game was close throughout with the game being tied at 50 at half-time.
The No. 3 biggest upset was when the North Carolina State Wolfpack defeated the Houston Cougers 54-52 to win the 1983 National Championship. Houston was a powerhouse coming into the 1983 tournament with future NBA Hall of Famers in Hakeem Olajuwan and Clyde Drexler. Great games aren't defined by statistics, they are defined by moments and NC State's run to the championship was full of buzzer beating shot, but none was bigger than this moment. A 17-2 run by Houston to begin the 2nd half looked to have ended the story, but NC State fought back to tie the with two minutes left. The last designed play was a 30-foot heave by Dereck Whittenburn that glanced off the rim only to be dunked in by Lorenzo Charles. The other standout moment was when NC State head coach Jim Valvano ran onto the court after the play looking to hug as many people as possible.
The No. 2 biggest upset was when the Villanova Wildcats defeated the Georgetown Hoyas 66-64 to win the 1985 National Championship. Georgetown was lead by Patrick Ewing and was poised to win the title, especially against the No. 8 seeded Wildcats, whom Georgetown had already defeated twice during the season. However, Villanova shot 78 percent against the best defensive team in the college basketball even going nine for 10 in the 2nd half. After the game, Georgetown coach John Thompson and the rest of the Hoyas applauded Villanova's performance and showed praise for their opponent rather then hanging their shoulders after the loss. Villanova is still the lowest seeded team to ever with the national championship as a No. 8 seed.
The No. 1 biggest upset was when Texas Western defeated Kentucky 72-65 to win the 1966 NCAA championship. Kentucky was coached by legendary Adolph Rupp and featured All-Americans Pat Riley and Louie Dampier. This team was known as Rupp's "runts" and featured an all white player roster and no player was taller than 6'6". While Texas Western featured the first all African American starting lineup in NCAA championship history. Texas Western exploited Kentucky's lack of size and athleticism and ran on every play. This win resulted in Rupp recruiting the first African American player to the South Eastern Conference and really ushered in change to college basketball.
These are the biggest upsets in college basketball history.
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Monday, March 26, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight Upsets
The Elite Eight has featured some truly memorable performances from underdogs. Teams that win in the Elite Eight vault themselves from cinderella to true title contenders.
The No. 5 greatest upset NCAA tournament Elite Eight history was when No. 3 Marquette Golden Eagles defeated No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats 83-69 in the 2003 NCAA tournament. Kentucky was led by future NBA player Keith Bogans who averaged 16 points per game, while Marquette was led by future NBA all-star Dwyane Wade and current NBA forward Steve Novak. Bogans did his part putting in 15 points, but the this Elite Eight game became a showcase for Wade. Wade put up a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists and Novak also chipped in with 15 points.
The No. 4 greatest upset was when No. 5 Butler Bulldogs defeated No. 2 Kansas State Wildcats 63-56 in the 2010 NCAA tournament. The Wildcats were led by guard Jacob Pullen who averaged 19 points per game. However, Butler featured two future NBA players in Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack who had 22 and 16 points respectively to key the offensive effort. Butler used tough defense to force Pullen off his game, while Pullen did put up 14 points he did so shooting 4-13 from the field. The victory put Butler into the Final Four for the first time in school history. The Final Four was played five miles away from campus, giving the cinderella team basically home court advantage.
The No. 3 greatest upset was when No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth (VCU) defeated No. 1 Kansas 71-61 in the 2011 NCAA tournament. Kansas featured one of the strongest front court in the country Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris. While VCU represented one of the best offensive teams in the country with a furious up tempo offense. Jamie Skeen led the way for VCU with 26 point and placed the game at their pace. The Morris duo also performed well for Kansas as they both had a double-double, but it was not enough. VCU also had the disadvantage of playing an additional game to get to the Final Four, as 2011 was first year that the tournament field had increased from 64 to 68.
The No. 2 greatest upset was when No. 11 Louisiana State University (LSU ) Tigers defeated No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats 59-57 in the 1986 NCAA tournament. The highlight of this game was the defense designed by LSU coach Dale Brown called "The Freak" to become the lowest seed to ever advance to the Final Four. The start of the season did not start well as LSU lost three players: one who quit, one got injured and another failed out, then to make things tougher the team was struck with chicken pox. Yet, Brown overcame it all and got his team to the Final Four. John Williams led the way for the Tigers with 16 points.
The No. 1 greatest upset was when No. 11 George Mason defeated No.1 Connecticut 86-84 in overtime during the 2006 NCAA tournament. Connecticut featured two future NBA players Hilton Armstrong and Rudy Gay, but were unable to overcome George Mason who had already gone through North Carolina earlier on in the tournament. Gay led the way with 20 points. However, coach Jim Larranaga kept his team focused throughout the game and the tournament as all five starters scored in doubles digit with Jai Lewis putting up 19 points. He also made a gutsy decision to keep his starters on the floor for almost the entirety of the game. Gabe Norwood played 19 minutes off the bench, but the rest of the bench played a combined six minutes in a game that went into overtime. The gamble paid off as the George Mason advanced to the Final Four for the first time in school history.
The No. 5 greatest upset NCAA tournament Elite Eight history was when No. 3 Marquette Golden Eagles defeated No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats 83-69 in the 2003 NCAA tournament. Kentucky was led by future NBA player Keith Bogans who averaged 16 points per game, while Marquette was led by future NBA all-star Dwyane Wade and current NBA forward Steve Novak. Bogans did his part putting in 15 points, but the this Elite Eight game became a showcase for Wade. Wade put up a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists and Novak also chipped in with 15 points.
The No. 4 greatest upset was when No. 5 Butler Bulldogs defeated No. 2 Kansas State Wildcats 63-56 in the 2010 NCAA tournament. The Wildcats were led by guard Jacob Pullen who averaged 19 points per game. However, Butler featured two future NBA players in Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack who had 22 and 16 points respectively to key the offensive effort. Butler used tough defense to force Pullen off his game, while Pullen did put up 14 points he did so shooting 4-13 from the field. The victory put Butler into the Final Four for the first time in school history. The Final Four was played five miles away from campus, giving the cinderella team basically home court advantage.
The No. 3 greatest upset was when No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth (VCU) defeated No. 1 Kansas 71-61 in the 2011 NCAA tournament. Kansas featured one of the strongest front court in the country Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris. While VCU represented one of the best offensive teams in the country with a furious up tempo offense. Jamie Skeen led the way for VCU with 26 point and placed the game at their pace. The Morris duo also performed well for Kansas as they both had a double-double, but it was not enough. VCU also had the disadvantage of playing an additional game to get to the Final Four, as 2011 was first year that the tournament field had increased from 64 to 68.
The No. 2 greatest upset was when No. 11 Louisiana State University (LSU ) Tigers defeated No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats 59-57 in the 1986 NCAA tournament. The highlight of this game was the defense designed by LSU coach Dale Brown called "The Freak" to become the lowest seed to ever advance to the Final Four. The start of the season did not start well as LSU lost three players: one who quit, one got injured and another failed out, then to make things tougher the team was struck with chicken pox. Yet, Brown overcame it all and got his team to the Final Four. John Williams led the way for the Tigers with 16 points.
The No. 1 greatest upset was when No. 11 George Mason defeated No.1 Connecticut 86-84 in overtime during the 2006 NCAA tournament. Connecticut featured two future NBA players Hilton Armstrong and Rudy Gay, but were unable to overcome George Mason who had already gone through North Carolina earlier on in the tournament. Gay led the way with 20 points. However, coach Jim Larranaga kept his team focused throughout the game and the tournament as all five starters scored in doubles digit with Jai Lewis putting up 19 points. He also made a gutsy decision to keep his starters on the floor for almost the entirety of the game. Gabe Norwood played 19 minutes off the bench, but the rest of the bench played a combined six minutes in a game that went into overtime. The gamble paid off as the George Mason advanced to the Final Four for the first time in school history.
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen Upsets
While the upsets in the 1st and 2nd rounds of the NCAA tournament are exciting, it is the upsets that occur in the Sweet Sixteen that cement a team's Cinderella status. Teams like Davidson and George Mason have used the Sweet Sixteen to capture the attention of fans nation-wide.
The No. 5 biggest upset in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament was when No. 12 Missouri Tigers defeated No. 8 UCLA Bruins 82-73 in the 2002 NCAA tournament. For a matchup between eight and 12 seeds there was a lot of NBA talent on the court. The Bruins featured Dan Gadzuric, Matt Barnes and Jason Kopono. Jason Kopono was the Bruins leading scorer averaging 16 points per game and provided strong outside scoring, while Barnes provided athleticism and defensive tenacity and Gadzuric provided the strong post presence on both ends of the court. The Tigers also featured future NBA talent in forward Kareem Rush who was the leading scorer for the Tigers averaging 20 points per game. Missouri utilized a smart game plan that focused on running Kopono off the three-point line, while on offense Clarence Gilbert led the way with 23 points. The Tigers win over the Bruins was the first time a 12 seed had ever advanced to the Elite Eight.
The No. 4 biggest upset was when No. 5 Arizona Wildcats defeated No.1 Duke Blue Devils 93-77 in the 2011 NCAA tournament. Duke came into the 2010 NCAA Tournament as the defending champions and looked ready to make another run behind point-guard Kyrie Irving, instead the Wildcats blew out the Blue Devils in about four minutes of game time. Kyle Singler and Irving did their part for Duke accounting for 46 of Duke's 77 points, but not another Duke player scored in double digits. The second pick in the 2011 NBA Draft forward Derrick Williams dominated the game with 32 points and 13 rebounds.
The No. 3 biggest upset was when No. 10 Davidson Wildcats defeated No. 3 Wisconsin Badgers 73-56 in the 2008 NCAA tournament. Wisconsin like most Big Ten teams liked to slow down the pace and play solid defense. Davidson was coming off a huge victory in the second round when they defeated No. 1 Georgtown, thanks to up and coming guard Stephen Curry who was averaging almost 26 points per game. Wisconsin possessed one of the best defensive guards in the country in Michael Flowers and believed that if they could stop Curry, Davidson would go down. Flowers was not able to stop Curry as he scored 33 points. Wisconsin was unable to match the scoring output as there highest scorer Flowers only managed 12 points.
The No.2 biggest upset was when No. 11 Temple Owls defeated No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions 84-72 in the 2001 NCAA tournament. Penn State was led by guard Joe Crispin who led the team with an average of 20 points per game. However, the brotherly duo of Joe and John Crispin only managed to go 6-21 from the field, and the team overall struggled to score as they only managed to shoot 39 percent from the field, thanks to a stifling defense from Temple. Temple was led by guard Lynn Greer who had 21 points.
The No. 1 biggest upset in the history of the Sweet Sixteen was when No.11 Loyola Marymount Lions defeated No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide 62-60 in the 1990 NCAA tournament. Alabama was a front court heavy team led by future NBA player Robert Horry and David Benoit. Horry played well against the Lions putting up 21 points. However, the Lions featured one of the most offensively potent teams in the country leading the nation in scoring that year with an average of 122 points per game. Guard Bo Kimble led the Lions offense by being the nation's leading scorer averaging 35 points per game. Kimble put up 19 points to lead the Lions to the Elite Eight. The most memorable part of this run happened before the NCAA tournament. All-American Hank Gathers died suddenly during the West Coast Conference tournament championship game, while shooting a free throw. Despite the tragedy the Lions were able to make it to the Elite Eight.
The No. 5 biggest upset in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament was when No. 12 Missouri Tigers defeated No. 8 UCLA Bruins 82-73 in the 2002 NCAA tournament. For a matchup between eight and 12 seeds there was a lot of NBA talent on the court. The Bruins featured Dan Gadzuric, Matt Barnes and Jason Kopono. Jason Kopono was the Bruins leading scorer averaging 16 points per game and provided strong outside scoring, while Barnes provided athleticism and defensive tenacity and Gadzuric provided the strong post presence on both ends of the court. The Tigers also featured future NBA talent in forward Kareem Rush who was the leading scorer for the Tigers averaging 20 points per game. Missouri utilized a smart game plan that focused on running Kopono off the three-point line, while on offense Clarence Gilbert led the way with 23 points. The Tigers win over the Bruins was the first time a 12 seed had ever advanced to the Elite Eight.
The No. 4 biggest upset was when No. 5 Arizona Wildcats defeated No.1 Duke Blue Devils 93-77 in the 2011 NCAA tournament. Duke came into the 2010 NCAA Tournament as the defending champions and looked ready to make another run behind point-guard Kyrie Irving, instead the Wildcats blew out the Blue Devils in about four minutes of game time. Kyle Singler and Irving did their part for Duke accounting for 46 of Duke's 77 points, but not another Duke player scored in double digits. The second pick in the 2011 NBA Draft forward Derrick Williams dominated the game with 32 points and 13 rebounds.
The No. 3 biggest upset was when No. 10 Davidson Wildcats defeated No. 3 Wisconsin Badgers 73-56 in the 2008 NCAA tournament. Wisconsin like most Big Ten teams liked to slow down the pace and play solid defense. Davidson was coming off a huge victory in the second round when they defeated No. 1 Georgtown, thanks to up and coming guard Stephen Curry who was averaging almost 26 points per game. Wisconsin possessed one of the best defensive guards in the country in Michael Flowers and believed that if they could stop Curry, Davidson would go down. Flowers was not able to stop Curry as he scored 33 points. Wisconsin was unable to match the scoring output as there highest scorer Flowers only managed 12 points.
The No.2 biggest upset was when No. 11 Temple Owls defeated No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions 84-72 in the 2001 NCAA tournament. Penn State was led by guard Joe Crispin who led the team with an average of 20 points per game. However, the brotherly duo of Joe and John Crispin only managed to go 6-21 from the field, and the team overall struggled to score as they only managed to shoot 39 percent from the field, thanks to a stifling defense from Temple. Temple was led by guard Lynn Greer who had 21 points.
The No. 1 biggest upset in the history of the Sweet Sixteen was when No.11 Loyola Marymount Lions defeated No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide 62-60 in the 1990 NCAA tournament. Alabama was a front court heavy team led by future NBA player Robert Horry and David Benoit. Horry played well against the Lions putting up 21 points. However, the Lions featured one of the most offensively potent teams in the country leading the nation in scoring that year with an average of 122 points per game. Guard Bo Kimble led the Lions offense by being the nation's leading scorer averaging 35 points per game. Kimble put up 19 points to lead the Lions to the Elite Eight. The most memorable part of this run happened before the NCAA tournament. All-American Hank Gathers died suddenly during the West Coast Conference tournament championship game, while shooting a free throw. Despite the tragedy the Lions were able to make it to the Elite Eight.
NCAA Tournament 2nd Round Upsets
Continuing my series on the past NCAA tournament upsets, I will now look at five of the best upsets that have occurred during the 2nd round. While the University of North Carolonia (UNC) has experienced great success in NCAA tournaments they also have faced some horrible upsets that have occurred during the 2nd round, as they appear twice on this list.
The No. 5 greatest upset in NCAA tournament 2nd round history was when No. 14 Cleveland State defeated No. 6 St. Josephs 75-69 in the 1986 NCAA tournament. Cleveland State were already coming off a huge upset over No. 3 Indiana in the 1st round and rode that momentum into the Sweet Sixteen. The Hawks was led by future NBA players Maurice Martin and Wayne Williams. The Hawks struggled in the 1st round to beat No. 11 Richmond, before running into Cleveland State. Ken McFadden led Cleveland State and still holds the school record for career points. McFadden may have had a team high of 23 points, but the key to victory was the performance of Clinton Smith who put up 16 points and 15 rebounds. This was the first time a 14 seed had advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.
The No. 4 greatest upset was when No. 14 UT-Chattanooga Mocs defeated No. 6 Illinois 75-63 in the 1997 NCAA tournament. What made this such an odd upset was how good Illinois had looked in the 1st round as they defeated Southern California 90-77. Kiwane Gerris led the way for Illinois by averaging 19 points and six assists. UT-Chattanooga was able to get the victory due to balanced scoring where five players ended the game in double digits, center Chris Mims led the way with a double-double 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The No. 3 greatest upset was when No. 11 George Mason Patriots defeated No. 3 North Carolina (UNC) Tar Heels 65-60 in the 2006 NCAA tournament. UNC was led by forwards Tyler Hansbrough and Rayshawn Terry. Hansbrough brought tenacity and energy that fueled the team on as he average 19 points and eight rebounds. The key to the upset for George Mason was a good defensive game plan by head coach Jim Larranaga that focused on containing Hansbrough and limited him to 10 points and nine rebounds in the game. On offense, guard Lamar Butler led the way for the Patriots by putting up a team-high 18 points. George Mason was able to stay in the game by getting Hansbrough into foul trouble and keeping the Tar Heels emotional leader off the court. Geoge Mason's Cinderella run did would continue onto the Final Four.
The No. 2 greatest upset was when No. 9 Northern Iowa Panthers defeated No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks 69-67 in the 2010 NCAA tournament. Kansas had a roster that included five future NBA players including Cole Aldrich, Marcus Morris, Sherron Collins, Xavier Henry and Markieff Morris. They also had only three losses on the season, but Northern Iowa was able to bridge the talent gap by play great defense and slowing down the pace. Another key to the upset was Northern Iowa's ability to make plays during the big moments. Guard Ali Farokhmanesh led the Panthers with 16 points and gutsy play. With 35 seconds remaining the Patriots led by one 63-62 with the ball and a chance to run some clock, but Farokhmanesh decided to put end the game right there with a three-pointer that made the score 66-62 and ended the game. If Farokhmanesh had missed the shot he would have given Kansas plenty of time to win the game.
The No. 1 greatest upset in 2nd round NCAA tournament history was when No. 9 Boston College Eagles defeated No.1 UNC Tar Heels 75-72 in the 1994 NCAA tournament. North Carolina featured two future NBA all-stars in Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse, not to mention another solid NBA player Eric Montross who led the way for the Tar Heels with 16 points. Not only did UNC have the edge talent-wise they also had history on their side as UNC during the past 13 seasons had advanced at least to the Sweet Sixteen. Boston College also featured two future NBA players in forward Bill Curley and guard Howard Eisley, while both played solidly it was guard Gerrod Abram that took over. Abram had only averaged eight points per game during the 1993-94 season, but against UNC he put up 21 points to lead all scorers in the game. Overall, Boston College had five players get into double digits which allowed them to keep up with a very talented Tar Heels squad.
The No. 5 greatest upset in NCAA tournament 2nd round history was when No. 14 Cleveland State defeated No. 6 St. Josephs 75-69 in the 1986 NCAA tournament. Cleveland State were already coming off a huge upset over No. 3 Indiana in the 1st round and rode that momentum into the Sweet Sixteen. The Hawks was led by future NBA players Maurice Martin and Wayne Williams. The Hawks struggled in the 1st round to beat No. 11 Richmond, before running into Cleveland State. Ken McFadden led Cleveland State and still holds the school record for career points. McFadden may have had a team high of 23 points, but the key to victory was the performance of Clinton Smith who put up 16 points and 15 rebounds. This was the first time a 14 seed had advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.
The No. 4 greatest upset was when No. 14 UT-Chattanooga Mocs defeated No. 6 Illinois 75-63 in the 1997 NCAA tournament. What made this such an odd upset was how good Illinois had looked in the 1st round as they defeated Southern California 90-77. Kiwane Gerris led the way for Illinois by averaging 19 points and six assists. UT-Chattanooga was able to get the victory due to balanced scoring where five players ended the game in double digits, center Chris Mims led the way with a double-double 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The No. 3 greatest upset was when No. 11 George Mason Patriots defeated No. 3 North Carolina (UNC) Tar Heels 65-60 in the 2006 NCAA tournament. UNC was led by forwards Tyler Hansbrough and Rayshawn Terry. Hansbrough brought tenacity and energy that fueled the team on as he average 19 points and eight rebounds. The key to the upset for George Mason was a good defensive game plan by head coach Jim Larranaga that focused on containing Hansbrough and limited him to 10 points and nine rebounds in the game. On offense, guard Lamar Butler led the way for the Patriots by putting up a team-high 18 points. George Mason was able to stay in the game by getting Hansbrough into foul trouble and keeping the Tar Heels emotional leader off the court. Geoge Mason's Cinderella run did would continue onto the Final Four.
The No. 1 greatest upset in 2nd round NCAA tournament history was when No. 9 Boston College Eagles defeated No.1 UNC Tar Heels 75-72 in the 1994 NCAA tournament. North Carolina featured two future NBA all-stars in Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse, not to mention another solid NBA player Eric Montross who led the way for the Tar Heels with 16 points. Not only did UNC have the edge talent-wise they also had history on their side as UNC during the past 13 seasons had advanced at least to the Sweet Sixteen. Boston College also featured two future NBA players in forward Bill Curley and guard Howard Eisley, while both played solidly it was guard Gerrod Abram that took over. Abram had only averaged eight points per game during the 1993-94 season, but against UNC he put up 21 points to lead all scorers in the game. Overall, Boston College had five players get into double digits which allowed them to keep up with a very talented Tar Heels squad.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
NCAA Tournament 1st Round Upsets
Since it is the NCAA tournament time, I thought it would be a good time to look at a few of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament history. Especially with the big upset that have occurred this year with two No. 2 seeds being ousted in the first round
For this post I will focus on five of the biggest upset that have occurred in the 1st round of the NCAA tournament and in subsequent posts will showcase five upsets in each round of the NCAA tournament.
The No. 5 greatest upset in the 1st round of the NCAA tournament was when the No. 14 Weber State Wildcats defeated No. 3 North Carolina (UNC) Tar Heels 73-70 in the 1999 NCAA tournament. UNC brought a strong inside game to the tournament featuring current NBA center Brendan Haywood where it was believed they would easily overpower the Wildcats. However, the Wildcats responded with a huge performance from forward Harold Arceneaux who put up 36 points against the Tar Heels.
The No. 4 greatest upset was when the No. 15 Coppin State Eagles defeated the No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks in the 1997 NCAA tournament 78-65. The Gamecocks were led by guards Larry Davis and BJ McKie each averaging at least 16 points per game heading into the NCAA tournament. Being a No. 2 seed it was expected that South Carolina would run all over Coppin State. However, the Eagles were the ones who took control of the game thanks to a 20 point performance from Antoine Brockington and surprise contributor off the bench Danny Singletary who had a team high 22 points. This was Coppin State's first NCAA tournament victory and is significant due to how Coppin State reacted after the first half. South Carolina and Coppin State were tied going into halftime, but it was Coppin State that took control of the second half.
The No. 3 greatest upset was when the No. 15 Santa Clara Broncos defeated the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats 64-61 in the 1993 NCAA tournament. The Wildcats were led by future NBA point-guard Damon Stoudamire who averaged 11 points and 6 assists and forward Chris Mills who averaged a team high 20 points per game. Santa Clara had an NBA talent of there own in Steve Nash, while Nash played a role with his 10 points and 4 assists, it was bench contributions that helped the Broncos with the upset. Pete Elsenrich and DeWayne Lewis put up 19 points and 13 points to lead Santa Clara in scoring.
The No. 2 greatest upset was when the No. 15 Hampton Pirates defeated the No. 2 Iowa State Cyclones 58-57 in the 2001 NCAA tournament. The Cyclones were led by former NBA point-guard Jamaal Tinsley who averaged 14 points and 6 assists per game. The Pirates did an excellent job of containing Tinsley and were led by forward Tarvis Williams who put in 16 points, including the most important bucket. With 6.9 seconds remaining, Williams flipped in a 4-footer to secure the upset over the Cyclones. Tinsley would add to the drama as he missed a layup with 1.2 seconds remaining. The only reason that this isn't the No. 1 upset is because Iowa State had stumbled getting into the tournament by losing to Baylor during in the Big 12 tournament semi-finals.
The No. 1 greatest upset in the 1st round of the NCAA tournament was when the No. 15 Richmond Spiders defeated the No. 2 Syracuse Orange 73-69 in the 1991 NCAA tournament becoming the first No. 15 seed to defeated a No. 2 seed in NCAA tournament history. Syracuse was led by a high-scoring front court that featured Billy Owens and Dave Johnson and finished the season ranked No. 6 in the country. Richmond led the entire game thanks to former NBA guard Curtis Blair who led the team with 18 points and 6 assists. This upset in 1991 was just as shocking as Duke losing to Lehigh or Missouri losing to Norfolk State. This upset was also significant due to the media recognition, as this was the first 1st round game to be shown on CBS.
There are still upsets waiting to happen, as a No. 16 has never beaten a No. 1.
Next up will be a look at the biggest 2nd round upsets in NCAA tournament history.
For this post I will focus on five of the biggest upset that have occurred in the 1st round of the NCAA tournament and in subsequent posts will showcase five upsets in each round of the NCAA tournament.
The No. 4 greatest upset was when the No. 15 Coppin State Eagles defeated the No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks in the 1997 NCAA tournament 78-65. The Gamecocks were led by guards Larry Davis and BJ McKie each averaging at least 16 points per game heading into the NCAA tournament. Being a No. 2 seed it was expected that South Carolina would run all over Coppin State. However, the Eagles were the ones who took control of the game thanks to a 20 point performance from Antoine Brockington and surprise contributor off the bench Danny Singletary who had a team high 22 points. This was Coppin State's first NCAA tournament victory and is significant due to how Coppin State reacted after the first half. South Carolina and Coppin State were tied going into halftime, but it was Coppin State that took control of the second half.
The No. 3 greatest upset was when the No. 15 Santa Clara Broncos defeated the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats 64-61 in the 1993 NCAA tournament. The Wildcats were led by future NBA point-guard Damon Stoudamire who averaged 11 points and 6 assists and forward Chris Mills who averaged a team high 20 points per game. Santa Clara had an NBA talent of there own in Steve Nash, while Nash played a role with his 10 points and 4 assists, it was bench contributions that helped the Broncos with the upset. Pete Elsenrich and DeWayne Lewis put up 19 points and 13 points to lead Santa Clara in scoring.
The No. 1 greatest upset in the 1st round of the NCAA tournament was when the No. 15 Richmond Spiders defeated the No. 2 Syracuse Orange 73-69 in the 1991 NCAA tournament becoming the first No. 15 seed to defeated a No. 2 seed in NCAA tournament history. Syracuse was led by a high-scoring front court that featured Billy Owens and Dave Johnson and finished the season ranked No. 6 in the country. Richmond led the entire game thanks to former NBA guard Curtis Blair who led the team with 18 points and 6 assists. This upset in 1991 was just as shocking as Duke losing to Lehigh or Missouri losing to Norfolk State. This upset was also significant due to the media recognition, as this was the first 1st round game to be shown on CBS.
There are still upsets waiting to happen, as a No. 16 has never beaten a No. 1.
Next up will be a look at the biggest 2nd round upsets in NCAA tournament history.
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