Biggest Upsets in March Madness History: Seven Games That Made Their Mark

As the March Madness fun begins with tonight’s First Four games in Dayton, it’s the perfect time to take a look at the biggest upsets in the history of the NCAA Tournament.

Last year, it was relatively tame on the upset front. No. 12 McNeese State defeated No. 5 Clemson in the first round, 69-67. However, Clemson was only a 7.5-point favorite heading into that contest.

That’s not even close to making our list of the biggest upsets in March Madness history.

7 Biggest March Madness Upsets

Only two No. 16 seeds have ever defeated No. 1 seeds. As such, Fairleigh Dickinson and UMBC head the list of our biggest March Madness upsets.

1. No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights 63, No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers 58 (2023)

Closing spread: Purdue -25.5

FDU entered the tournament with the shortest team in the country. The Knights played the role of David by knocking off Goliath Purdue and 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey. FDU became only the second No. 16 seed to vanquish a No. 1 seed.

The Knights beat Texas Southern in the First Four before their monumental upset of Purdue. FDU was led by guard Sean Moore, who finished with a team-high 19 points. Edey had a game-high 21 points in a losing cause.

2. No. 16 UMBC Retrievers 74, No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers 54 (2018)

Closing spread: Virginia -20.5

This upset marked the first time a No. 16 seed ever beat a No. 1 seed. No. 16 seeds had a 0-135 record against No. 1 seeds entering this game. UMBC head coach Ryan Odom, who now coaches Virginia, will forever be linked with this upset.

Virginia entered the tournament as the overall No. 1 seed with a record of 31-2. The Cavaliers held opponents to 53 points a game that season, but the Retrievers managed that output in the second half alone.

Virginia made up for the epic upset by winning the national championship the following year with an 85-77 OT victory over Texas Tech.

3. No. 15 St. Peter’s Peacocks 85, No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats 79 (2022)

Closing spread: Kentucky -18

Kentucky and head coach John Calipari got torched by a hot-shooting St. Peter’s team that hit 85.7% of its free throws and 52.9% of its 3-point attempts.

It marked the first-ever win for St. Peter’s in the NCAA Tournament. Daryl Banks III poured in a team-high 30 points for the Peacocks, who won the game in overtime. Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe finished with 30 points and 16 rebounds.

St. Peter’s then advanced to the Elite Eight with victories over Murray State and Purdue before losing to North Carolina, 69-49.

4. No. 15 Coppin State Eagles 78, No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks 65 (1997)

Closing spread: South Carolina -18.5 to -30

The severity of this upset depended on where you bet on this game. South Carolina was reportedly favored by as much as 30 points at select books.

In any case, Coppin State sealed the upset with a 38-13 run over the final 13 minutes. Danny Singletary‘s team-high 22 points helped the Eagles win their first NCAA Tournament game.

5. No. 15 Santa Clara Broncos 64, No. 2 Arizona Wildcats 61 (1993)

Closing spread: Arizona -20

Steve Nash led Santa Clara to this improbable victory over Arizona and Damon Stoudamire. Nash, then a freshman point guard from Canada, scored 10 points in the win.

Arizona somehow lost after going on a 25-0 run midway through the game.

6. No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 78, No. 2 Georgetown Hoyas 68 (2013)

Closing spread: Georgetown -13.5

In only its second year of NCAA Tournament eligibility, Florida Gulf Coast stunned Georgetown in the opening round and then advanced to the Sweet 16 with a win over San Diego State.

Nicknamed “Dunk City” for its high-flying ways, FGC was led by Sherwood Brown (game-high 24 points) and Bernard Thompson (23 points) in an unforgettable March Madness debut.

7. No. 15 Princeton Tigers 59, No. 2 Arizona Wildcats 55 (2023)

Closing spread: Arizona -14.5

Arizona makes another ignominious appearance on our list after falling to Ivy League member Princeton. Tosan Evbuomwan paced Princeton with 15 points to lead the bracket-busting win over one of the Pac-12’s powerhouse programs.

Ryan Langborg gave Princeton its first lead with 2:03 remaining in the game. The Tigers ended the game on a 9-0 run to get their first NCAA Tournament win in 25 years.