The 25 greatest NCAA men’s tournament upsets of the 21st century

Among the many things that makes the NCAA tournament so special are the upsets that put the “madness” in March Madness. Schools you may or may not be familiar with facing a power program and finding a way to shock the world, bust brackets and get the win. It is the best part of the first weekend of the tournament.

The 2000s have been a special time for those upsets. The gap between the teams in the tournament has thinned out due to more talent dispersed throughout the country, the three-point shot, the year-to-year nature of roster building now, and the actual belief you can get it done. Over the last 25 years we’ve seen a major spike in No. 15 seeds toppling a No. 2, mid-majors marching to the Final Four, and we’ve finally seen two No. 16 seeds take down a No. 1 seed, something that had never been done since the tournament expanded in 1985.

In the modern era, when the brackets are released on Selection Sunday, there are no throwaway games. Anybody can win at least one game. Sure, we do still see a lion’s share of blowouts, but we’ve been treated to some all-time upsets. And not all of them happen in the first round anymore.

So, as we celebrate 25 years of NCAA tournaments, let’s look back at the 25 best upsets of the 2000s.

Whenever tournament time rolls around, one of the most replayed scenes come from this upset: Hampton coach Steve Merfield celebrating when one of his players, David Johnson, picks him up and Merfield’s legs are kicking in the air. Hampton trailed 55-44 midway through the second when they began their comeback. The Pirates went on a 14-2 run to end the game, highlighted by Tarvis Williams’ four-foot basket with less than seven seconds left to give Hampton the 58-57 lead. Cyclones guard Jamaal Tinsley missed a layup as time expired, launching the Pirates players, coaches, band and fans into a wild celebration in Boise. It was just the fourth time that a 15th seed beat a 2-seed in the NCAA tournament.

A complete stunner. Kansas began the 2004-05 season as the pre-season No. 1 team and was as high as No. 2 in mid-February before losing five of their last eight heading into the tournament. The Jayhawks had reached the Final Four in two of the previous three years (though both were under former head coach Roy Williams) and had won 21 straight first-round games. Bucknell was having a fantastic season and earned one of the highest seedings in their history. The Bison had a five-point lead late, but mistakes and bad fouls allowed Kansas to go on a 6-0 run to take a 63-62 lead with :25 left. Chris McNaughton banked in a hook shot with 10 seconds remaining to give Bucknell the lead. Wayne Simien’s jumper at the buzzer was off and the celebration was on. Bison guard Charles Lee, who is currently the head coach for the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, scored 15 points in the win.

No. 13 Vermont, a school tucked away in New England, faced No. 4 Syracuse, who had won the national championship just two years earlier, met in Worcester for a game few will forget. T.J. Sorrentine and Taylor Coppenrath became tournament legends with the Catamounts, who toppled the Orange in overtime, 60-57. Sorrentine had struggled all night (he shot just 5-of-20 from the field) but his long three with a minute left in overtime gave Vermont the lead for good. Syracuse, led by 2003 title hero Hakim Warrick and Gerry McNamara, turned the ball over 24 times in an ugly loss.

The 2005-06 Iowa Hawkeyes finished second in the Big Ten and were riding high after winning the conference tournament. Northwestern State dominated the Southland Conference but were heavy underdogs in their #3 vs #14 matchup. Iowa stormed out to an 18-4 lead before cooling off; the Demons went on a 14-0 run over the next 10 minutes to tie the game. The Hawkeyes would jump all over Northwestern State in the second half and rolled to a 54-37 lead with 8:29 left. And just like the first half, the Demons made their comeback run. Northwestern State would end the game on a 27-9 run, culminating in a Jermaine Wallace three from the corner to stun the Hawkeyes, 64-63.

George Mason had beaten Michigan State, North Carolina and Wichita State en route to the Washington Region final against UConn. The Huskies spent the entire season ranked in the top four and with a rash of upsets were viewed as the overwhelming favorite to win the national championship. If you recall, mid-majors reaching the Final Four was a rarity at that time so the Patriots run through the tournament was a shock to the college hoops establishment. Obviously we have seen it more since (Butler, VCU, Florida Atlantic to name a few) but what happened in our nation’s capital that night was celebrated by everyone outside of the Nutmeg State. As good as UConn had been all season, they were ripe for an upset. They were one-and-done in the Big East tournament and had beaten inferior Kentucky and Washington by slim margins. They did have big men Josh Boone and Hilton Armstrong who should’ve been too tough for the much smaller Patriots to handle. But George Mason fought on the boards and eventually they got hot from behind the arc (at one point they made six straight threes). It all looked like it would crumble away when the Huskies made two shots in the final seven seconds to force overtime. George Mason, who was playing just minutes from its campus, closed the deal with an 86-84 victory over UConn, ushering in a new era of mid-major prowess.

Stephen Curry burst onto the national scene by putting up a 40-burger on Gonzaga in the first round of the 2008 NCAA tournament, but the 10th-seeded Davidson Wildcats really opened eyes when they knocked off No. 2 Georgetown in the following round. Georgetown shot very well (63% from the field and 55% from three) while Davidson struggled — missing 22 of 28 threes. Georgetown built a 16-point lead in the second half before turning the ball over and fouling. They turned the ball over 20 times and kept sending the Wildcats to the line (they shot 30 free throws). Roy Hibbert was a non-factor due to foul troubles while Curry went for 30 in the game. Davidson came all the way back with a 37-12 run and stunned Georgetown, 74-70.

Normally when there’s a big first round upset in the NCAA tournament, the higher seed tends to slow the game down, make efficient offensive plays while frustrating the better team. That wasn’t the Ohio Bobcats in 2010. Ohio dropped 97 points on the Hoyas, cruising to a 97-83 win over Georgetown. The Hoyas took an 18-17 lead midway through the first half before Ohio just took over a game. Ohio went on a 19-6 run and really never relinquished their double-digit lead the rest of the way. The Bobcats’ backcourt of Armon Bassett and D.J. Cooper went off in this one — scoring 32 and 23 points, respectively. The two combined to shoot 17-of-29 from the field, including 10-of-18 from three. Georgetown got nice production from Greg Monroe (19 points, 13 rebounds) and Chris Wright (28 points), but not much from anyone else.

VCU was attempting to be the first team to go from the First Four to the Final Four (well, this was the inaugural year of the First Four) in one tournament. The Rams … who used their break-neck style on offense and defense to cause chaos on the court … beat USC in the opening round in Dayton before blowing out Georgetown and Purdue days later. A one-point overtime win over Florida State set the stage for a showdown with top-seeded Kansas in San Antonio. In true upset fashion, the game came down to three point shooting … or in the Jayhawks’ case, lack of three point shooting. VCU’s Jamie Skeen continued his sparkling tournament with 26 points and 10 rebounds and hit four threes (the Rams went 12-of-25 from behind the arc) in the 71-61 win. Kansas struggled, going 2-of-21 from distance and missed 13 of their 28 free throws. The Morris twins, Marcus and Markieff, combined for 33 points and 28 rebounds but guard play is key in the tournament and Kansas’ guards let them down (Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar went for a combined 2-of-16 from the field).

The 2011-2012 Missouri Tigers was coming into the NCAA tournament on a bit of a roll. They won the Big 12 tournament championship (their final year in the conference before moving to the SEC) by an average of 15.7 points and earned a No. 2 seed in the West Region. The Spartans Kyle O’Quinn wasn’t fazed by the Tigers, becoming a tournament star by scoring 26 points and grabbing 14 boards in a 86-84 stunner. O’Quinn was one of three Norfolk State players to score 20 points that afternoon. Missouri’s Phil Pressey and Marcus Denmon each scored exactly 20 points and their combined eight threes kept the Tigers in the game. Norfolk State won the game despite getting zero bench points.

Lehigh guard C.J. McCollum’s message to his teammates may have said it all. The future NBA player remembers telling his teammates, “don’t be celebrating like you’re surprised we won” when they beat No. 2 seed Duke in the 2012 NCAA tournament. McCollum scored 26 points in Lehigh’s tourney beat-down by Kansas in 2010 and he and the Mountain Hawks spent the next two years beefing up their schedule and working towards the next chance in the NCAA tournament. That came in 2012 against a Duke team that had future NBA players Austin Rivers, Seth Curry, and Miles and Mason Plumlee. Mason Plumlee got off to a fast start but Rivers and Curry struggled shooting (they would combine to go 3-of-14 from three). McCollum also struggled from three (2-of-7) but kept attacking the Blue Devils, earning 16 free throws for the game and putting Duke in foul trouble. Lehigh won, 75-70, but didn’t celebrate like any other 15-seed would. They expected to win this game.

Florida Gulf Coast’s 2013 upset of the Georgetown Hoyas was the beginning of a run (and a team) that capitvated a nation. The Eagles, who were known for their “Dunk City” persona, unapologetically brought their high-flying antics and swagger into Philadelphia and outgunned the No. 2 Hoyas, 78-68. FGCU went on a 21-2 run in the second half to blow the game open and gave the young school (the university had just opened 16 years prior and this was their first NCAA tournament game) a major jump onto the national stage. The Eagles weren’t done here, as they would beat San Diego State two days later, becoming the first 15-seed to reach the Sweet 16.

Ivy League schools are no strangers to first round tournament upsets, but Harvard was definitely new to this. The 14th seeded Crimson won their first ever game in the Big Dance when they toppled No. 3 New Mexico, 66-62. This was a really good Lobos team, led by Tony Snell, Alex Kirk and Cameron Bairstow. Snell was held to just nine points, while Harvard guard Laurent Rivard dropped five three pointers and Wesley Saunders scored 18 points in the win. The coaches in this game were also known for shooting: Tommy Amaker and Steve Alford.

It had been nearly 30 years since Mercer had reached the NCAA tournament and they made the most out of their opportunity. It helped that the Bears started five seniors while the Blue Devils were at one of the go-to programs for one-and-dones. Jabari Parker, Rodney Hood and Quinn Cook found some success shooting over the Bears zone defense but struggled inside the arc. Parker’s foul trouble and Hood’s off night kept the game within striking distance. That’s when Mercer went on a 20-8 run to end the game and shock Duke, 78-71. It would be the second time in the last three years the Blue Devils lost in the first round to a double-digit seed. This was also a statistical oddity — Duke had 17 more shot attempts, made 10 more threes and had 13 more offensive rebounds than Mercer but still lost.

Who could forget seeing Georgia State head coach Ron Hunter, who had torn his Achilles celebrating Georgia State’s Sun Belt championship just a week before, falling off his stool when his son R.J. hit to game-winning shot to beat Baylor, 57-56? R.J. Hunter, who was having a rough game up to this point, went off in the closing minutes to stun the Bears. Down 56-44, the 14th-seeded Panthers went on a 13-0 run to end the game. Hunter scored 12 of those 13 points, including two threes — the final one giving Georgia State the lead with 2.7 seconds left and knocking his father off his stool. Great moment for him as a coach and as a father.

UAB has had some tournament upsets before, but this one meant more. For one, the school’s football program had just been disbanded (it came back a couple years later), began the season 4-9, and the Blazers needed to win the Conference USA tournament just to get into the Big Dance. The 14th-seed began their game against No. 3 Iowa State pretty much like how their season went — the instantly trailed 12-2 before going on a 14-4 run and the battling the Cyclones all night. It became a rock throwing contest for much of the day as neither team shot well. UAB’s Robert Brown hit all three of the Blazers three pointers, including a big shot with under a minute left to give them the lead. William Lee hit a jumper with :26 left, then added two free throws to give UAB a three point lead, and holding on for a 60-59 victory.

While certainly a seed upset (this was a 14 vs 3 matchup), Stephen F. Austin felt like they capable of knocking off West Virginia. Both teams relied on defensive pressure — West Virginia led the NCAA in steals per game while SFA presses all game long and led the nation in turnovers forced. The Lumberjacks controlled this one throughout and won going away, 70-56, for their 21st straight win. Thomas Walkup led all scorers with 33 points … mainly on the strength of his ability to not just get to the line (he attempted 20 free throws!) but to make them (he made 19). The difference was the defense: SFA forced 22 Mountaineers turnovers and committed just 7 themselves.

Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine was the top player in college hoops in 2015-2016, but one off night from your star can doom you tournament hopes. That happened to the Spartans in 2016. Valentine scored just 13 points — though he did have 12 assists — as Michigan State had to play catch-up all game long. Middle Tennessee jumped to a 15-2 lead off the tip and never trailed. Every time Sparty made a run, the Blue Raiders would build back their lead. The was the case late as Michigan State got the deficit down to a point with under four minutes left, then went three minutes without a score and Middle Tennessee ended the game on a 13-5 run. Reggie Upshaw Jr. scored 21 points while Giddy Potts added 19 as the Blue Raiders shot 56% from the field for another No. 15 over No. 2 upset.

It finally happened. From 1985 to 2017 we have watched the modern era of the NCAA tournament begin with the note from analysts that no No. 16 team has ever beaten a No. 1 seed. We have had some close calls over the years, but it hadn’t happened. We’ll, in 2018 it finally did.  However, I didn’t look like we thought it would — a plucky underdog sticking around and pulling off a couple plays late to win the game.  No, the UMBC Retrievers absolutely rolled top overall seed Virginia, 74-54, in Charlotte. Virginia won the ACC’s regular season and tournament championship, was 31-2, and the top ranked team in the nation. And while the Cavaliers played poorly in the first half, it was still a 21-21 tie at halftime. Then the second half began where UMBC went on a 17-3 run and never looked back. Virginia … who only allowed 53 ppg all season long … gave up 53 in the second half to the Retrievers and became the first. O. 1 seed to lose to a 16-seed.

Sometimes a mid-major has that one superstar player that can get hot and lead a team to a big tournament upset. Well, No. 15 Oral Roberts had two of those guys. Kevin Obanor scored 30 points and grabbed 11 boards while Max Abmas added 29 points in the Golden Eagles 75-72 overtime win over No. 2 Ohio State. Oral Roberts began the game with a 7-0 run — highlighted by an Abmas logo shot — and fought blow for blow with the Buckeyes all night. Ohio State was game (E.J. Liddell scored 23 points and pulled down 14 boards) as they rallied to take a short lived lead late in the game. Abmas’ two free throws sent the game into OT where he took over, scoring 7 of their 11 points in the final frame.

How many times have we seen a movie, television show, or just your imagination in your backyard of walking to the free throw line, down one, with two shots to take the lead? It was happening in front of a sparse crowd in Indianapolis during the Bubble Tournament of 2021. Abilene Christian’s Joe Pleasant stepped to the line with 1.2 second left and knocked down two free throws to give the 14th-seeded Wildcats the 53-52 victory. It was a wild finish to this game. Down two, Texas’ Andrew Jones knocks down a three from the wing with 14.6 seconds left to give the Longhorns a one-point lead. 5-7 guard Damien Daniels drove to the basket only to have his shot blocked, but Pleasant was there for the rebound and was fouled. He hit the free throws and, fittingly, Abilene Christian stole the inbounds pass to seal the upset. Abilene Christian was one of the toughest defensive teams in the nation and frustrated Texas’ up-tempo offense under Shaka Smart.

Technically 15-seed St. Peter’s first round win over No. 2 Kentucky was a bigger seeded win, what the Peacocks did in the Sweet 16 the following week was more surprising and historic. By the time we get to the regional semifinals, there are no surprises. Purdue had days to prepare for a St. Peter’s squad that had no rotation players taller than 6-8 and no way to deal with 7-4 Zach Edey (we will hear that claim again in a bit).

Instead we got one of the more shocking upsets in tournament history. St. Peter’s held Edey to 11 points and piled up a 67-64 win and became the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite 8. Heck, no No. 14 or No. 13 had ever reached a regional final making this one of the most unlikely Cinderellas ever. The Peacocks season would end two days later St the hands of North Carolina, but this story will be told for decades to come.

In the 1990s, Princeton scared any team that saw they were matched up with them on Selection Sunday. They beat defending champ UCLA in 1996 and UNLV in 1998, and their victory over Arizona in 2023 was their first win since. Speaking of Arizona, this loss made them the first school to ever lose to a No. 15 seed as a No. 2 seed two times (they lost to Steve Nash’s Santa Clara team in 1993). The Wildcats were able to use their size against the Tigers, but the guards let them down (outside of Oumar Ballo and Azolas Tubelis, the rest of the team went 9-of-27). Honestly, no one shot well. The two teams combined to go 7-of-41 from three Down 55-50 late, Princeton went on a 9-0 run to close out the game. Tosan Evbuomwan led the Tigers with 15 points.

When UMBC toppled Virginia in 2018, the anticipation of a No. 16 beating a No.1 seed had been realized. While FDU’s win over Purdue didn’t make that historic claim, it is still the biggest upset in NCAA tournament history. The Boilermakers, led by 7-4 national player of the year Zach Edey, were a 23 1/2 point favorite in this game over a Knights team that had to win a First Four game two nights earlier just to reach this point. FDU didn’t even win their conference tournament — they lost the NEC title game to Merrimack, but earned the automatic bid due to Merrimack’s ineligibility as a transitional program. FDU was also had the shortest roster in Division I and were up against the height of Edey.

This game was different than the UMBC-Virginia game — Purdue actually built a six point lead in the second half before FDU went on an 8-0 run to go ahead. During the clutch moments of this game, FDU made the plays while Purdue continued to miss shots and make mistakes. Down three late, Purdue missed two shots and were forced to foul. The Knights pulled off the 63-58 upset that rocked the tournament.

Auburn was “just” a 4-seed, but they were getting buzz as a team who would make a run to win a national championship. The Tigers were coming off a SEC championship and was a analytics darling. Yale won the Ivy League title in dramatic fashion, with a buzzer beater to beat Brown. The game started as most thought, with Auburn shooting out to a 10-2 lead and flexing their superiority. The Bulldogs kept coming and went on their own little run to start the second half to take a one-point lead before Auburn woke up and built a double-digit lead with under 8 minutes to play. Yale would go on a 12-2 run where six different players scored. John Poulakidas’ three with 2:11 left gave the Bulldogs the lead and Auburn started to fray. Turnovers, fouls, missed shots and missed free throws doomed the Tigers, who fell 78-76. Down two with :09 remaining, Auburn missed all three of their free throw attempts (two by Tre Donaldson, who was a 83% FT shooter), had two layups blocked, then a desperation three brick off the back iron at the buzzer. For the second straight year, an Ivy League school pulls off a first round upset.

The game that ended the John Calipari era in Kentucky. Jack Gohlke, who spent four years in Division II Hillsdale College before spending his super senior season at Oakland, nailed 10 three pointers and poured in a career-high 32 points as the Golden Grizzlies knocked off Kentucky, 80-76. Oakland led most of the game due to hitting 15 of 31 threes and committing just seven turnovers. This would be the second time in three years the Wildcats lost a first round game to a double-digit seed, which angered Big Blue Nation. The grumblings eventually led Calipari to leave for Arkansas weeks later.