Relive Top 10 1st-round NCAA upsets
March Sadness has officially set in. The NCAA tournament has been canceled for a full week now and Thursday would have officially tipped off the first round – one of best days in sports. It’s a marathon of 32 games over two days that ignites bracket-busting upsets and endless emotion. All lost. The coronavirus pandemic has left us with only memories of upsets past.
To help you forget that there is no March Madness in 2020 and to commemorate the joy it’s provided sports fans over the years, USA TODAY Sports highlights the 10 best first-round upsets since the tournament expanded in 1985.
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10. No. 15 Hampton beats No. 2 Iowa State (2001). Coach Steve Merfield’s running fist-pumping celebration in the aftermath of the the Pirates’ 58-57 lastsecond win is the stuff of legends. Tarvis Williams nailed a go-ahead shot with 10 seconds left and Cyclones guard Jamal Tinsley had a potential gamewinner rim out as time ran out.
9. No. 14 Mercer beats No. 3 Duke (2014). Five Mercer players scored in double figures as the Bears dismantled a Jabari Parker-led Blue Devils team for a 78-71 win. Of course, the post-win dance moves were just as memorable.
8. No. 14 Georgia State beats No. 3 Baylor (2015). R.J. Hunter’s dagger 3pointer knocked his father, coach Ron Hunter, out of his chair, as the Panthers stunned Baylor 57-56. The elder Hunter was seen in a walking cast in the next round.
7. No. 15 Lehigh beats No. 2 Duke (2012). C.J. McCollum put on a clinic on Duke’s guards and scored 30 points to spearhead an improbable 75-70 upset over a Duke team with Final Four aspirations. In what should’ve been a homecourt advantage game for the Blue Devils (the game was in nearby Greensboro) turned into the crowd cheering for the Mountain Hawks.
6. No. 14 Cleveland State beats No. 3 Indiana (1986). Ken “Mouse” McFadden took the tournament by storm and his 27 points helped carry the Vikings past a Steve Alford-led Hoosiers team. Coach Bob Knight’s postgame locker
room speech must’ve been interesting. Cleveland State went on to reach the Sweet 16.
5. No. 15 Richmond beats No. 2 Syracuse (1991). The Spiders faced tall odds against an Orange team that won a loaded Big East. But coach Dick Tarrant’s team used about five different defenses (press, zone, man) to offset ’Cuse’s firepower. Billy Owens led the way for Richmond with 22 points in the 73-69 win.
4. No. 13 Valparaiso beats No. 4 Mississippi (1998). Bryce Drew drained a buzzer-beating 3-pointer off a perfectly designed full-court play to lift the Crusaders past the Rebels in a 70-69 thriller. His teammates jumping on top of
him afterward in celebration encapsulates what March Madness is all about.
3. No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast beats No. 2 Georgetown (2013). “Dunk City” gave college basketball fans a lovable group of of rim-risers who will forever be etched into tournament lore. FGCU’s 62-50 win over the heavily-favored Hoyas was simply their introduction to the nation, as Andy Enfield’s Eagles went on to knock off San Diego State and reach the Sweet 16 afterward.
2. No. 15 Middle Tennessee State beats No. 2 Michigan State (2016). The Spartans were snubbed of a No. 1 seed by the committee but were still a trendy Final Four pick behind national player of
the year Denzel Valentine. But Kermit Davis’ Blue Raiders came out swinging, jumping out to a 15-2 lead they never relinquished in a 90-81 victory. Giddy Potts (a quintessential March Madness name) poured in 19 points, while Reggie Upshaw led MTSU with 22.
1. No. 16 Maryland-Baltimore County beats No. 1 Virginia (2018). The Retrievers made history by becoming the first No. 16 seed to beat a top seed with a surprisingly dominant 74-54 win over the tournament’s top overall seed. They were fueled by Jairus Lyles’ 28 points and the Cavaliers’ usual stout defense got lit up, with UMBC going 12-for-24 from beyond the arc.