NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament upsets

An upset is a victory by an underdog team. In the context of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, a single-elimination tournament, this generally constitutes a lower seeded team defeating a higher-seeded (i.e., higher-ranked) team; a widely recognized upset is one performed by a team ranked substantially lower than its opponent.

This is the list of victories by teams seeded 11 or lower in the first round and second rounds of the tournament, as well as those by teams seeded 8 or 9 against 1 and 7 or 10 against 2 seeds in the second round, since it expanded to 64 teams in 1985; as these low-seeded teams were automatically paired against higher-seeded teams at the start of the tournament, their opening victories are almost always considered upsets (to date only three teams seeded 11 or lower in the first round won as betting favorites, and only one such team won in the first round as a pick 'em). Most victories by these teams in later rounds were usually against better seeded opponents as well. The list also includes victories by teams seeded 8 or lower in the Sweet 16 (the four regional semifinals), teams seeded 7 or lower in the Elite Eight (the four regional finals), and teams seeded 6 or lower in the Final Four. All teams are listed by athletic brand names they used at the time of their wins, which do not always match those in use today.

The NCAA defines a tournament "upset" as a victory by a team seeded 5 or more lines below its defeated opponent. ^[1]

On March 16, 2018, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Retrievers became the first 16-seed to upset a 1-seed when they defeated the Virginia Cavaliers 74–54 in the first round; ^[2] this was followed by the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights defeating the Purdue Boilermakers 63–58 on March 17, 2023. ^[3]

Most successful low seeds

Best outcomes for low seeds since expansion to 64 teams in 1985:

Seed	2nd Round	Sweet Sixteen	Elite Eight	Final Four	Championship Game	National Champion
No. 16	UMBC (2018) Fairleigh Dickinson (2023)	–	–	–	–	–
No. 15	Richmond (1991) Santa Clara (1993) Coppin State (1997) Hampton (2001) Norfolk State (2012) Lehigh (2012) Middle Tennessee (2016)	Florida Gulf Coast (2013) Oral Roberts (2021) Princeton (2023)	Saint Peter's (2022)	–	–	–
No. 14	numerous (20 teams)	Cleveland State (1986) Chattanooga (1997)	–	–	–	–
No. 13	numerous (25 teams)	Richmond (1988) Valparaiso (1998) Oklahoma (1999) Bradley (2006) Ohio (2012) La Salle (2013)	–	–	–	–
No. 12	numerous (31 teams)	numerous (20 teams)	Missouri (2002) Oregon State (2021)	–	–	–
No. 11	numerous (31 teams)	numerous (17 teams)	Loyola Marymount (1990) Temple (2001) Dayton (2014) Xavier (2017)	LSU (1986) George Mason (2006) VCU (2011) Loyola Chicago (2018) UCLA (2021) NC State (2024)	–	–
No. 10	—	numerous (15 teams)	LSU (1987) Texas (1990) Temple (1991) Providence (1997) Gonzaga (1999) Kent State (2002) Davidson (2008) Miami (FL) (2022)	Syracuse (2016)	–	–
No. 9	—	UTEP (1992) UAB (2004) Northern Iowa (2010)	Boston College (1994) Kansas State (2018) Florida State (2018)	Wichita State (2013) Florida Atlantic (2023)	–	–
No. 8	—	North Carolina (1990) Georgia (1996) UCLA (2002) NC State (2015) Wisconsin (2017) Loyola Chicago (2021) Arkansas (2023)	Auburn (1986) Rhode Island (1998) Alabama (2004)	North Carolina (2000) Wisconsin (2000)	Butler (2011) Kentucky (2014) North Carolina (2022)	Villanova (1985)
No. 7	—	numerous (15 teams)	Navy (1986) Temple (1993) Tulsa (2000) Michigan State (2003) Xavier (2004) West Virginia (2005) Florida (2012)	Michigan State (2015) South Carolina (2017)	–	UConn (2014)
No. 6	—	—	—	Providence (1987)	Michigan (1992)	Kansas (1988)

Best performances by No. 16 seeds

In 2018, UMBC became the first No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in the men's tournament, shocking Virginia 74–54. Before this breakthrough, five other 16 seeds lost by 4 or fewer points:

• While ultimately Murray State lost to Michigan State by 4 points (75–71) in 1990, it was the only No. 16 team to take a game into overtime.
• East Tennessee State lost to Oklahoma in 1989 (1 point, 72–71)
• Princeton lost to Georgetown in 1989 (1 point, 50–49)
• Western Carolina lost to Purdue in 1996 (2 points, 73–71)
• Fairleigh Dickinson lost to Michigan in 1985 (4 points, 59–55)

In 2023, Fairleigh Dickinson became the second No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in the tournament, beating Purdue 63–58.

Lowest-seeded pairings by round

• The lowest-seeded combination in the national championship game is the 2014 pairing of No. 7 seed UConn and No. 8 seed Kentucky. UConn won and became the second-lowest-seeded team to win the tournament.
• The pairing of No. 8 seed Butler and No. 11 seed VCU in the 2011 National semifinals game was the lowest seeded combination to play in a National semifinals game.
• The pairing of No. 8 seed North Carolina and No. 15 seed Saint Peter's in the 2022 East Regional Final was the lowest-seeded combination to play in a Regional Final.
• The pairing of No. 10 seed Providence and No. 14 seed Chattanooga in the 1997 Southeast Regional semifinal was the lowest-seeded combination to play in a Regional semifinal.
• There have been twenty-five Round of 32 matchups between two seeds who had won as the underdogs in the Round of 64: twelve 12-13 matchups, six 11-14 matchups, five 10-15 matchups, and two 9-16 matchups. The seeds add to 25 in each case, which is the lowest possible total for the second round.

Additional low-seed stats

• Villanova in 1985, a No. 8 seed, was the lowest seeded team to win the tournament.
• Penn's 1979 Final Four appearance as a No. 9 seed—out of 10 teams in their region—made them the lowest seed to make the Final Four in the pre-64-team era. ^[4]
• Butler is the only team to make consecutive Final Fours (let alone Championship Games) while not being a No. 1 or No. 2 seed either time (No. 5 in 2010, No. 8 in 2011).
• In 1989, the four 11-seeds swept the first round against their 6-seed opponents. As of 2023 this is the only time that 11-seeds have achieved this feat, and no lower seed ever has. Three out of four 12-seeds have advanced five times, in 2002, 2009, 2013, 2014, and 2019. The 10-seeds also swept the 7-seeds once, in 1999.
• Richmond is the only team to win first-round games ranked as a No. 15, No. 14, No. 13, and No. 12 seed.
• The most Round of 64 upsets over top-3 seeds occurring in a single tournament has been two, which has occurred ten times:
  • 1986, 1995, 2015: Two No. 14 seeds over No. 3 seeds
  • 1991, 1997, 2013, 2016, 2021: One No. 15 seed over a No. 2 seed and one No. 14 seed over a No. 3 seed
    • In 1991, 2013, 2016, and 2021, at least one team of every seed between No. 1 and No. 15 advanced to the round of 32.
  • 2012: Two No. 15 seeds over No. 2 seeds
  • 2023: One No. 16 seed over a No. 1 seed and one No. 15 seed over a No. 2 seed
• 2014 produced the highest total seed differential in an NCAA Tournament, with 128 across all the rounds of play. That is, the sum of seed differences among the 19 games won by lower-seeded teams was 128. This surpassed the previous mark of 111 in 2014, in which 22 games were won by lower seeded teams.
• 2013 was the only tournament to have three teams seeded No. 12 or lower in the Sweet Sixteen: No. 12 Oregon, No. 13 La Salle, and No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast.
• The 2018 South Region was the first region since seeding began in 1979 in which no top-4 seed advanced to the Sweet Sixteen (No. 5 Kentucky, No. 7 Nevada, No. 9 Kansas State, No. 11 Loyola–Chicago).
• Georgetown is the only team to lose in five consecutive tournament appearances against a team seeded at least five spots lower:
  • 2008 (round of 32): No. 10 Davidson 74, No. 2 Georgetown 70.
  • 2010 (round of 64): No. 14 Ohio 97, No. 3 Georgetown 83.
  • 2011 (round of 64): No. 11 VCU 74, No. 6 Georgetown 56.
  • 2012 (round of 32): No. 11 NC State 66, No. 3 Georgetown 63.
  • 2013 (round of 64): No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast 78, No. 2 Georgetown 68.
• In 2021, Houston, a 2 seed, was the first team ever to reach the Final Four by defeating only double-digit seeds—in order, Cleveland State (15), Rutgers (10), Syracuse (11), and Oregon State (12).
• 2021 featured 14 upsets, the most upsets in a single tournament. NCAA defines an upset as 5 seed lines or more between teams. ^[5]

Point spread upsets

Despite numerous instances of early-round tournament upsets, only two No. 1 seeds have lost in the first round to a No. 16 seed. However, while seeding is one way of measuring the impact of an upset, prior to the implementation of seeding, point spread was the better determinant of an upset, and a loss by a highly favored team remains for many the definition of "upset". As the NCAA forbids any association with gambling, and point spreads vary depending on the bookie taking the bets, these are unofficial:

Biggest point-spread upsets since expansion to 64 teams in 1985:

• Fairleigh Dickinson +23.5 over Purdue 63–58 in 2023 ^[6]
• Norfolk State +21.5 over Missouri 86–84 in 2012 ^[7]
• UMBC +20.5 over Virginia 74–54 in 2018 ^[8]
• Santa Clara +20 over Arizona 64–61 in 1993. ^[7]
• Coppin State +18.5 over South Carolina 78–65 in 1997
• Saint Peter's +18 over Kentucky 85–79 in 2022
• Arkansas–Little Rock +17.5 over Notre Dame 90–83 in 1986 ^[7]
• Hampton +17.5 over Iowa State 58–57 in 2001 ^[7]

Biggest point-spread upsets in NCAA championship game history:

• Connecticut +9.5 over Duke, 77–74, in 1999
• Villanova +9 over Georgetown, 66–64, in 1985
• Kansas +8 over Oklahoma, 83–79, in 1988
• North Carolina State +7.5 over Houston, 54–52 in 1983
• Texas Western +6.5 over Kentucky, 72–65 in 1966

Round of 64

This round was called the first round until 2011, when the introduction of the First Four caused the round to be renamed the second round. Starting with the 2016 tournament, it returned to being called the first round. There were eight official first round upsets in 2016, which was the most in tournament history. ^[9]

Detail between each pair of seeds in this section has been updated as of completion of the 2024 Round of 64, representing 156 games played between each pair.

16 defeats 1

There have been 2 games where a 16-seed has defeated a 1-seed (1.28%), in the round of 64, since 1985:

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2018	UMBC	Virginia	74–54 [10]
2023	Fairleigh Dickinson	Purdue	63–58 [11]

15 defeats 2

There have been 11 games where a 15-seed has defeated a 2-seed (7.05%), in the round of 64, since 1985: ^[12]

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1991	Richmond	Syracuse	73–69
1993	Santa Clara	Arizona	64–61
1997	Coppin State	South Carolina	78–65
2001	Hampton	Iowa State	58–57
2012	Lehigh	Duke	75–70
	Norfolk State	Missouri	86–84
2013	Florida Gulf Coast	Georgetown	78–68
2016	Middle Tennessee	Michigan State	90–81
2021	Oral Roberts	Ohio State	75–72OT
2022	Saint Peter's	Kentucky	85–79OT
2023	Princeton	Arizona	59–55

14 defeats 3

There have been 23 games where a 14-seed has defeated a 3-seed (14.74%), in the round of 64, since 1985:

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1986	Cleveland State	Indiana	83–79
	Arkansas–Little Rock [lower-alpha 1]	Notre Dame	90–83
1987	Austin Peay	Illinois	68–67
1988	Murray State	NC State	78–75
1989	Siena	Stanford	80–78
1990	Northern Iowa	Missouri	74–71
1991	Xavier	Nebraska	89–84
1992	East Tennessee State	Arizona	87–80
1995	Old Dominion	Villanova	89–813 OT
	Weber State	Michigan State	79–72
1997	Chattanooga	Georgia	73–70
1998	Richmond	South Carolina	62–61
1999	Weber State	North Carolina	76–74
2005	Bucknell	Kansas	64–63
2006	Northwestern State	Iowa	64–63
2010	Ohio	Georgetown	97–83
2013	Harvard	New Mexico	68–62
2014	Mercer	Duke	78–71
2015	Georgia State	Baylor	57–56
	UAB	Iowa State	60–59
2016	Stephen F. Austin	West Virginia	70–56
2021	Abilene Christian	Texas	53–52
2024	Oakland	Kentucky	80–76

13 defeats 4

There have been 33 games where a 13-seed has defeated a 4-seed (21.15%), in the round of 64, since 1985:

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1985	Navy	LSU	78–55
1987	Xavier	Missouri	70–69
	SW Missouri State	Clemson	65–60
1988	Richmond	Indiana	72–69
1989	Middle Tennessee	Florida State	97–83
1991	Penn State	UCLA	74–69
1992	Southwestern Louisiana [lower-alpha 2]	Oklahoma	87–83
1993	Southern	Georgia Tech	93–78
1995	Manhattan	Oklahoma	77–67
1996	Princeton	UCLA	43–41
1998	Valparaiso	Ole Miss	70–69
1999	Oklahoma	Arizona	61–60
2001	Kent State	Indiana	77–73
	Indiana State	Oklahoma	70–68OT
2002	UNC Wilmington	USC	93–89OT
2003	Tulsa	Dayton	84–71
2005	Vermont	Syracuse	60–57OT
2006	Bradley	Kansas	77–73
2008	Siena	Vanderbilt	83–62
	San Diego	Connecticut [lower-alpha 3]	70–69OT
2009	Cleveland State	Wake Forest	84–69
2010	Murray State	Vanderbilt	66–65
2011	Morehead State	Louisville	62–61
2012	Ohio	Michigan	65–60
2013	La Salle	Kansas State	63–61
2016	Hawaii	California	77–66
2018	Marshall	Wichita State	81–75
	Buffalo	Arizona	89–68
2019	UC Irvine	Kansas State	70–64
2021	Ohio	Virginia	62–58
	North Texas	Purdue	78–69OT
2023	Furman	Virginia	68–67 [13]
2024	Yale	Auburn	78–76

12 defeats 5

There have been 55 games where a 12-seed has defeated a 5-seed (35.26%), in the round of 64, since 1985:

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1985	Kentucky	Washington	66–58
1986	DePaul	Virginia	72–68
1987	Wyoming	Virginia	64–60
1989	DePaul	Memphis State [lower-alpha 4]	66–63
1990	Dayton	Illinois	88–86
	Ball State	Oregon State	54–53
1991	Eastern Michigan	Mississippi State	76–56
1992	New Mexico State	DePaul	81–73
1993	George Washington	New Mexico	82–68
1994	Wisconsin–Green Bay [lower-alpha 5]	California	61–57
	Tulsa	UCLA	112–102
1995	Miami (OH)	Arizona	71–62
1996	Drexel	Memphis State [lower-alpha 4]	75–63
	Arkansas	Penn State	86–80
1997	College of Charleston	Maryland	75–66
1998	Florida State	TCU	96–87
1999	SW Missouri State	Wisconsin	43–32
	Detroit [lower-alpha 6]	UCLA	56–53
2001	Gonzaga [lower-alpha 7]	Virginia	86–85
	Utah State	Ohio State	77–68OT
2002	Creighton	Florida	83–822 OT
	Tulsa	Marquette	71–69
	Missouri	Miami (FL)	93–80
2003	Butler	Mississippi State	47–46
2004	Manhattan	Florida	75–60
	Pacific	Providence	66–58
2005	Milwaukee	Alabama	83–73
2006	Montana	Nevada	87–79
	Texas A&M [lower-alpha 8]	Syracuse	66–58
2008	Villanova	Clemson	75–69
	Western Kentucky	Drake	101–99OT
2009	Wisconsin	Florida State	61–59OT
	Arizona	Utah	84–71
	Western Kentucky	Illinois	76–72
2010	Cornell	Temple	78–65
2011	Richmond	Vanderbilt	69–66
2012	South Florida	Temple	58–44
	VCU	Wichita State	62–59
2013	Ole Miss	Wisconsin	57–46
	California	UNLV	64–61
	Oregon	Oklahoma State	68–55
2014	Stephen F. Austin	VCU	77–75OT
	North Dakota State	Oklahoma	80–75OT
	Harvard	Cincinnati	61–57
2016	Little Rock	Purdue	85–832 OT
	Yale	Baylor	79–75
2017	Middle Tennessee [lower-alpha 7]	Minnesota	81–72
2019	Murray State	Marquette	83–64
	Oregon	Wisconsin	72–54
	Liberty	Mississippi State	80–76
2021	Oregon State	Tennessee	70–56
2022	Richmond	Iowa	67–63
	New Mexico State	UConn	70–63
2024	James Madison	Wisconsin	72–61
	Grand Canyon	Saint Mary's	75–66

11 defeats 6

There have been 61 games where an 11-seed has defeated a 6-seed (39.1%), in the round of 64, since 1985:

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1985	Boston College	Texas Tech	55–53
	UTEP	Tulsa	79–75
	Auburn	Purdue	59–58
1986	LSU	Purdue	94–87OT
1988	Rhode Island	Missouri	87–80
1989	Minnesota	Kansas State	86–75
	Evansville	Oregon State	94–90OT
	South Alabama	Alabama	86–84
	Texas	Georgia Tech	76–70
1990	Loyola Marymount	New Mexico State	111–92
1991	Creighton	New Mexico State	64–56
	Connecticut [lower-alpha 3]	LSU	79–62
1993	Tulane	Kansas State	55–53
1994	Penn	Nebraska	90–80
1995	Texas	Oregon	90–73
1996	Boston College	Indiana	64–51
1998	Washington	Xavier	69–68
	Western Michigan	Clemson	75–72
2000	Pepperdine	Indiana	77–57
2001	Georgia State	Wisconsin	50–49
	Temple	Texas	79–65
2002	Wyoming	Gonzaga	73–68
	Southern Illinois	Texas Tech	76–68
2003	Central Michigan	Creighton	79–73
2005	UAB	LSU	82–68
2006	Milwaukee	Oklahoma	82–74
	George Mason	Michigan State	75–65
2007	Winthrop	Notre Dame	76–64
	VCU	Duke	79–77
2008	Kansas State	USC	80–67
2009	Dayton	West Virginia	68–62
2010	Washington	Marquette	80–78
	Old Dominion	Notre Dame	51–50
2011	Marquette	Xavier	66–55
	VCU	Georgetown	74–56
	Gonzaga	St. John's	86–71
2012	Colorado	UNLV	68–64
	North Carolina State	San Diego State	79–65
2013	Minnesota	UCLA	83–63
2014	Tennessee	UMass	86–67
	Dayton	Ohio State	60–59
2015	Dayton	Providence	66–53
	UCLA	SMU	60–59
2016	Northern Iowa	Texas	75–72
	Gonzaga	Seton Hall	68–52
	Wichita State	Arizona	65–55
2017	Rhode Island	Creighton	84–72
	USC	SMU	66–65
	Xavier	Maryland	76–65
2018	Loyola Chicago	Miami (FL)	64–62
	Syracuse	TCU	57–52
2019	Ohio State	Iowa State	62–59
2021	UCLA	BYU	73–62
	Syracuse	San Diego State	78–62
2022	Michigan [lower-alpha 9]	Colorado State	75–63
	Notre Dame	Alabama	78–64
	Iowa State	LSU	59–54
2023	Pittsburgh	Iowa State	59–41
2024	Duquesne	BYU	71–67
	NC State	Texas Tech	80–67
	Oregon	South Carolina	87–73

Round of 32

This round is called the second round. Occasionally, it is referred to as the regional quarterfinals.

This shows all Round of 32 upset victories by teams seeded 11 or lower, continuing their upset victories from the round of 64. This section introduces additional "meeting criteria of team seeded 5 or more lines below its defeated opponent", being all Round of 32 upset victories by teams seeded 8 or 9 against 1 seeds and by teams seeded 7 or 10 against 2 seeds.

16th seed victories

No 16 seed has won a second-round game. The only 16 seeds to ever reach the second round are the UMBC Retrievers in 2018, who lost to 9 seed Kansas State 50–43, and the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights in 2023, who lost to 9 seed Florida Atlantic 78–70.

15th seed victories

Four of the eleven 15 seeds (36.36%) who advanced from the round of 64 also achieved an upset victory in the round of 32. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses. Due to these results, 15 seeds have a winning record (4-2) against 7 seeds, but have never beaten a 10 seed (0-5).

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2013	Florida Gulf Coast	(7) San Diego State	81–71 [16]
2021	Oral Roberts	(7) Florida	81–78 [17]
2022	Saint Peter's	(7) Murray State	70–60 [18]
2023	Princeton	(7) Missouri	78–63 [19]

14th seed victories

Two of the twenty-three 14 seeds (9.09%) who advanced from the round of 64 also achieved an upset victory in the round of 32. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Seven of the 14 seeds who advanced from the round of 64 lost to 11 seeds in the round of 32. Two of the sixteen 14 seeds who faced 6 seeds advanced to the Sweet Sixteen (12.5%).

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1986	Cleveland State	(6) Saint Joseph's	75–69
1997	Chattanooga	(6) Illinois	75–63

13th seed victories

Six of the thirty-three 13 seeds (18.18%) who advanced from the round of 64 also achieved a victory in the round of 32. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Twelve of the 13 seeds who advanced from the round of 64 faced a 12 seed that had also advanced from the round of 64 due to an upset. Against 12 seeds, 13 seeds are 3-9 (25%). Three of the twenty-one 13 seeds who have faced 5 seeds have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen (14.29%).

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1988	Richmond	(5) Georgia Tech	59–55
1998	Valparaiso‡	(12) Florida State	83–77OT
1999	Oklahoma	(5) UNC Charlotte [lower-alpha 10]	85–72
2006	Bradley	(5) Pittsburgh	72–66
2012	Ohio‡	(12) South Florida	62–56
2013	La Salle‡	(12) Ole Miss	76–74

^‡ Not officially an upset because the teams were separated by only 1 seed line.

12th seed victories

Twenty-two of the fifty-five 12 seeds (40%) who advanced from the round of 64 also won in the round of 32. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Nine of these victories were against lower seeded teams that had also advanced from the round of 64 due to upsets; thus, these nine victories do not count as upsets, and have been grouped here in a table separate from the thirteen upset wins by 12 seeds in the second round. Thirteen of the forty-three 12 seeds who have faced 4 seeds have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen (30.23%).

Defeated a lower seed
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1991	Eastern Michigan	(13) Penn State	71–68OT
1992	New Mexico State	(13) Southwestern Louisiana [lower-alpha 2]	81–73
1993	George Washington	(13) Southern	90–80
2001	Gonzaga	(13) Indiana State	85–68
2008	Western Kentucky	(13) San Diego	72–63
	Villanova	(13) Siena	84–72
2009	Arizona	(13) Cleveland State	71–57
2011	Richmond	(13) Morehead State	65–48
2019	Oregon	(13) UC Irvine	73–54

Second Round upsets
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1985	Kentucky	(4) UNLV	64–61
1986	DePaul	(4) Oklahoma	74–69
1987	Wyoming	(4) UCLA	78–68
1990	Ball State	(4) Louisville	62–60
1994	Tulsa	(4) Oklahoma State	82–80
1996	Arkansas	(4) Marquette	65–56
1999	Southwest Missouri State [lower-alpha 11]	(4) Tennessee	81–51
2002	Missouri	(4) Ohio State	83–64
2003	Butler	(4) Louisville	79–71
2005	Milwaukee	(4) Boston College	83–75
2010	Cornell	(4) Wisconsin	87–69
2013	Oregon	(4) Saint Louis	74–57
2021	Oregon State	(4) Oklahoma State	80–70

11th seed victories

Twenty-seven of the sixty-one 11 seeds (44.26%) who advanced from the round of 64 also won in the round of 32. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Seven of these victories were against lower seeded teams that had also advanced from the round of 64 due to upsets; thus, these seven victories do not count as upsets, and have been grouped here in a table separate from the twenty upset wins by 11 seeds in the second round. Twenty of the fifty-four 11 seeds who have faced 3 seeds advanced to the Sweet Sixteen (37.04%).

Defeated a lower seed
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1989	Minnesota	(14) Siena	80–67
1991	Connecticut [lower-alpha 3]	(14) Xavier	66–50
1998	Washington	(14) Richmond	81–66
2014	Tennessee	(14) Mercer	83–63
2015	UCLA	(14) UAB	92–75
2021	UCLA	(14) Abilene Christian	67–47
2024	NC State	(14) Oakland	79–73OT

Second Round upsets
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1985	Auburn	(3) Kansas	66–64
	Boston College	(3) Duke	74–73
1986	LSU	(3) Memphis State [lower-alpha 4]	83–81
1988	Rhode Island	(3) Syracuse	97–94
1990	Loyola Marymount	(3) Michigan	149–115
2001	Temple	(3) Florida	75–54
2002	Southern Illinois	(3) Georgia	77–75
2006	George Mason	(3) North Carolina	65–60
2010	Washington	(3) New Mexico	82–64
2011	Marquette	(3) Syracuse	66–62
	VCU	(3) Purdue	94–76
2012	NC State	(3) Georgetown	66–63
2014	Dayton	(3) Syracuse	55–53
2016	Gonzaga	(3) Utah	82–59
2017	Xavier	(3) Florida State	91–66
2018	Loyola Chicago	(3) Tennessee	63–62
	Syracuse	(3) Michigan State	55–53
2021	Syracuse	(3) West Virginia	75–72
2022	Iowa State	(3) Wisconsin	54–49
	Michigan	(3) Tennessee	76–68

10th seed victories

Twenty-four of the sixty 10 seeds who advanced from the round of 64 (40%) also won in the round of 32. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Five of these victories were against lower seeded teams that had also advanced from the round of 64 due to upsets; thus, these six victories do not count as upsets, and have been grouped here in a table separate from the nineteen upset wins by 10 seeds in the second round. Nineteen of the fifty-five 10 seeds who faced 2 seeds advanced to the Sweet Sixteen (34.55%).

Defeated a lower seed
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1991	Temple	(15) Richmond	77–64
1997	Texas	(15) Coppin State	82–81
2001	Georgetown	(15) Hampton	76–57
2012	Xavier	(15) Lehigh	70–58
2016	Syracuse	(15) Middle Tennessee	75–50

Second Round upsets
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1987	LSU	(2) Temple	72–62
1990	Texas	(2) Purdue	73–72
1994	Maryland	(2) UMass	95–87
1997	Providence	(2) Duke	98–87
1998	West Virginia	(2) Cincinnati	75–74
1999	Purdue	(2) Miami (FL)	73–63
	Miami (OH)	(2) Utah	66–58
	Gonzaga	(2) Stanford	82–74
2000	Seton Hall	(2) Temple	67–65OT
	Gonzaga	(2) St. John's	82–76
2002	Kent State	(2) Alabama	71–58
2003	Auburn	(2) Wake Forest	68–62
2004	Nevada	(2) Gonzaga	91–72
2005	NC State	(2) Connecticut [lower-alpha 3]	65–62
2008	Davidson	(2) Georgetown	74–70
2010	St. Mary's	(2) Villanova	75–68
2011	Florida State	(2) Notre Dame	71–58
2014	Stanford	(2) Kansas	60–57
2022	Miami (FL)	(2) Auburn	79–61

9th seed victories

Eight of the eighty-one 9 seeds (9.88%) who advanced from the round of 64 also won in the round of 32. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Two of these victories were against a lower seeded team that had also advanced from the round of 64 due to upset; thus, these second-round victories do not count as upsets, and has been shown here in a table separate from the six upset wins by 9 seeds in the second round. Six of the seventy-nine 9 seeds who have faced a 1 seed advanced to the Sweet Sixteen (7.59%).

Defeated a lower seed
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2018	Kansas State	(16) UMBC	50–43
2023	Florida Atlantic	(16) Fairleigh Dickinson	78–70

Second Round upsets
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1992	UTEP	(1) Kansas	66–60
1994	Boston College	(1) North Carolina	75–72
2004	UAB	(1) Kentucky	76–75
2010	Northern Iowa	(1) Kansas	69–67
2013	Wichita State	(1) Gonzaga	76–70
2018	Florida State	(1) Xavier	75–70

8th seed victories

Sixteen of the seventy-five 8 seeds (21.33%) who advanced from the round of 64 also achieved an upset victory in the round of 32. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1985	Villanova	(1) Michigan	59–55
1986	Auburn	(1) St. John's	81–65
1990	North Carolina	(1) Oklahoma	79–77
1996	Georgia	(1) Purdue	76–69
1998	Rhode Island	(1) Kansas	80–75
2000	North Carolina	(1) Stanford	60–53
	Wisconsin	(1) Arizona	66–59
2002	UCLA	(1) Cincinnati	105–1012OT
2004	Alabama	(1) Stanford	70–67
2011	Butler	(1) Pittsburgh	71–70
2014	Kentucky	(1) Wichita State	78–76
2015	NC State	(1) Villanova	71–68
2017	Wisconsin	(1) Villanova	65–62
2021	Loyola Chicago	(1) Illinois	71–58
2022	North Carolina	(1) Baylor	93–86OT
2023	Arkansas	(1) Kansas	72–71

7th seed victories

Twenty-nine of the ninety-six 7 seeds who advanced from the round of 64 (30.21%) also won in the round of 32.

Two of these 7 seeds (Temple in 1993 and Florida in 2012) advanced to the Sweet Sixteen after playing against 15 seeds that also advanced from the round of 64 due to upsets, while four 7 seeds have lost to 15 seeds, meaning that 7 seeds have a losing record against 15 seeds (2-4). Twenty-seven of the ninety 7 seeds who faced 2 seeds advanced to the Sweet Sixteen (30%). This means that 7 seeds have a lower winning percentage in the round of 32 than 10 seeds do.

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1985	Alabama	(2) VCU	63–59
1986	Navy	(2) Syracuse	97–85
	Iowa State	(2) Michigan	72–69
1988	Vanderbilt	(2) Pittsburgh	80–74
1990	UCLA	(2) Kansas	71–70
	Alabama	(2) Arizona	77–55
1992	Georgia Tech	(2) USC	79–78
1993	Western Kentucky	(2) Seton Hall	72–68
2000	Tulsa	(2) Cincinnati	69–61
2001	Penn State	(2) North Carolina	82–74
2003	Michigan State	(2) Florida	68–46
2004	Xavier	(2) Mississippi State	89–74
2005	West Virginia	(2) Wake Forest	111–1052OT
2006	Georgetown	(2) Ohio State	70–52
	Wichita State	(2) Tennessee	80–73
2007	UNLV	(2) Wisconsin	74–68
2008	West Virginia	(2) Duke	73–67
2014	UConn	(2) Villanova	77–65
2015	Wichita State	(2) Kansas	78–65
	Michigan State	(2) Virgnia	60–54
2016	Wisconsin	(2) Xavier	66–63
2017	South Carolina	(2) Duke	88–81
	Michigan	(2) Louisville	73–69
2018	Nevada	(2) Cincinnati	75–73
	Texas A&M	(2) North Carolina	86–65
2021	Oregon	(2) Iowa	95–80
2023	Michigan State	(2) Marquette	69–60

Sweet Sixteen

The Sweet Sixteen are the eight pairs of teams that meet in the Regional semifinals.

15 seeds

One of the four 15 seeds (25%) who advanced from the round of 32 also achieved an upset victory in the Sweet Sixteen, that being Saint Peter’s in 2022. Seed of the team they defeated is in parentheses.

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2022	Saint Peter's	(3) Purdue	67–64 [20]

14 seeds

Although two 14 seeds made it to the Sweet Sixteen, neither of them won their games in this round. In 1986, Cleveland State lost to 7 seed Navy by only a single point.

13 seeds

Although six 13 seeds made it to the Sweet Sixteen, none of them won their games in this round. The closest margin of defeat happened in 1998, when Valparaiso lost to 8 seed Rhode Island by 6 points.

12 seeds

Two of the twenty-two 12 seeds (9.09%) who advanced from the round of 32 also won in the Sweet Sixteen. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Interestingly, with these two victories, a 12 seed has never lost against an 8 seed. ^[21]

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2002	Missouri‡	(8) UCLA	82–73
2021	Oregon State‡	(8) Loyola Chicago	65–58

‡ Not officially an upset because the teams were separated by fewer than 5 seed lines.

11 seeds

Ten of the twenty-seven 11 seeds (37.04%) who advanced from the round of 32 also won in the Sweet Sixteen. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses, showing that four of these were upset victories (separated by more than 4 seed lines).

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1986	LSU	(2) Georgia Tech	70–64
1990	Loyola Marymount‡	(7) Alabama	62–60
2001	Temple‡	(7) Penn State	84–72
2006	George Mason‡	(7) Wichita State	63–55
2011	VCU‡	(10) Florida State	72–71OT
2014	Dayton‡	(10) Stanford	82–72
2017	Xavier	(2) Arizona	73–71
2018	Loyola Chicago‡	(7) Nevada	69–68
2021	UCLA	(2) Alabama	88–78OT
2024	NC State	(2) Marquette	67–58

^‡ Not officially an upset because the teams were separated by fewer than 5 seed lines.

10 seeds

Nine of the twenty-four 10 seeds (37.5%) who advanced from the round of 32 also won in the Sweet Sixteen. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses, showing that four of these were upset victories (separated by more than 4 seed lines).

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1987	LSU	(3) DePaul	63–58
1990	Texas‡	(6) Xavier	102–89
1991	Temple	(3) Oklahoma State	72–63
1997	Providence†	(14) Chattanooga	71–65
1999	Gonzaga‡	(6) Florida	73–72
2002	Kent State	(3) Pittsburgh	78–73
2008	Davidson	(3) Wisconsin	73–56
2016	Syracuse†	(11) Gonzaga	63–60
2022	Miami (FL)†	(11) Iowa State	70–56

^† Not an upset victory, as the 10 seed defeated a lower seed.
^‡ Not officially an upset, as the teams were separated by fewer than 5 seed lines.

9 seeds

Five of the eight 9 seeds (62.5%) who advanced from the round of 32 also won in the Sweet Sixteen. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses, showing that one of these was an upset victory (separated by more than 4 seed lines).

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1994	Boston College‡	(5) Indiana	77–68
2013	Wichita State†	(13) La Salle	72–58
2018	Florida State	(4) Gonzaga	75–60
	Kansas State‡	(5) Kentucky	61–58
2023	Florida Atlantic	(4) Tennessee	62–55

† Not an upset victory, as the 9 seed defeated a lower seed.
‡ Not officially an upset, as the teams were separated by fewer than 5 seed lines.

Elite Eight

The Elite Eight are the four pairs of teams that meet in the Regional Finals.

15 seeds

The only 15 seed who advanced from the Sweet Sixteen, Saint Peter's in 2022, was defeated in the Elite Eight by eight-seed North Carolina, 69-49.

12 seeds

Although two 12 seeds have advanced from the Sweet Sixteen, both were defeated in the Elite Eight: Missouri to second-seeded Oklahoma, 81-75 in 2002, and Oregon State to second-seeded Houston, 67-61 in 2021.

11 seeds

Six of the ten 11 seeds who advanced from the Sweet Sixteen also won in the Elite Eight. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses, showing that five of these were upset victories (separated by more than 4 seed lines). None of those teams would go on to win in the Final Four.

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1986	LSU	(1) Kentucky	59–57
2006	George Mason	(1) Connecticut [lower-alpha 3]	86–84OT
2011	VCU	(1) Kansas	71–61
2018	Loyola Chicago‡	(9) Kansas State	78–62
2021	UCLA	(1) Michigan	51–49
2024	NC State	(4) Duke	76–64

^‡ Not officially an upset, as the teams were separated by fewer than 5 seed lines.

10 seeds

One of the nine 10 seeds who advanced from the Sweet Sixteen also won in the Elite Eight. Seed of the team they defeated is in parentheses, showing that this was an upset victory (separated by more than 4 seed lines). The team did not win in the Final Four.

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2016	Syracuse	(1) Virginia	68–62

9 seeds

Two of the five 9 seeds who advanced from the Sweet Sixteen also won in the Elite Eight. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses, showing that these were upset victories (separated by more than 4 seed lines). Neither team won in the Final Four.

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2013	Wichita State	(2) Ohio State	70–66 [16]
2023	Florida Atlantic	(3) Kansas State	79–76 [22]

8 seeds

Six of the nine 8 seeds who advanced from the Sweet Sixteen also won in the Elite Eight. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses, showing that three of these were upset victories (separated by more than 4 seed lines).

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1985	Villanova	(2) North Carolina	56–44
2000	Wisconsin‡	(6) Purdue	64–60
	North Carolina‡	(7) Tulsa	59–55
2011	Butler	(2) Florida	74–71OT
2014	Kentucky	(2) Michigan	75–72
2022	North Carolina†	(15) Saint Peter's	69–49

^† Not an upset victory, as the 8 seed defeated a lower seed.
^‡ Not officially an upset. as the teams were separated by fewer than 5 seed lines.

7 seeds

Three 7 seeds have advanced to the Final Four. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2014	UConn‡	(4) Michigan State	60–54
2015	Michigan State‡	(4) Louisville	76–70
2017	South Carolina‡	(4) Florida	77–70

^‡ Not officially an upset, as the teams were separated by fewer than 5 seed lines.

6 seeds

Three 6 seeds have advanced to the Final Four. Seed of the team they defeated are in parentheses, showing that two of these were upset victories (separated by more than 4 seed lines).

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1987	Providence	(1) Georgetown	88–73
1988	Kansas‡	(4) Kansas State	71–58
1992	Michigan	(1) Ohio State	75–71OT

‡ Not officially an upset, as the teams were separated by fewer than 5 seed lines.

Final Four

The Final Four are the winners of the four Regional Finals.

9 seeds or lower

No team seeded 9 or lower has ever won a game in the Final Four. Notable close losses include a four-point loss by (9) Wichita State in 2013 to top-seed and eventual champions Louisville, while two other teams lost on buzzer-beating shots: (11) UCLA to (1) Gonzaga, 93-90 in overtime in 2021; and (9) Florida Atlantic to (5) San Diego State, 71-70 in 2023.

8 seeds

Four of the six 8 seeds who advanced from the Elite Eight also won in the Final Four. The seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses, showing that three were upset victories (separated by more than 4 seed lines).

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1985	Villanova	(2) Memphis State	52–45
2011	Butler†	(11) VCU	70–62
2014	Kentucky	(2) Wisconsin	74–73
2022	North Carolina	(2) Duke	81–77

^† Not an upset victory, as the 8 seed defeated a lower seed.

7 seeds

One of the three 7 seeds who advanced from the Elite Eight also won in the Final Four. Seed of the team they defeated is in parentheses, showing that this was an upset victory (separated by more than 4 seed lines).

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2014	UConn	(1) Florida	63–53

6 seeds

Two 6 seeds have advanced to the national championship game. Seeds of the Final Four team they defeated are in parentheses.

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1988	Kansas‡	(2) Duke	66–59
1992	Michigan‡	(4) Cincinnati	76–72

‡ Not officially an upset, as the teams were separated by fewer than 5 seed lines.

National championship

8 seeds

Only one of the four 8 seeds who advanced from the Final Four won the national championship, the lowest seed ever to do so. Seed of the team they defeated is in parentheses, showing that this was an upset victory (separated by more than 4 seed lines).

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1985	Villanova	(1) Georgetown	66–64

7 seeds

The only 7 seed to advance from the Final Four went on to win the national championship. Seed of the team they defeated is in parentheses.

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2014	UConn†	(8) Kentucky	60–54

^† Not an upset victory, as the 7 seed defeated a lower seed.

6 seeds

One of the two 6 seeds who advanced from the Final Four won the national championship.

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1988	Kansas	(1) Oklahoma	83–79

Footnotes

1. Known athletically as Little Rock since 2015–16.
2. Now known athletically as Louisiana.
3. Known athletically as UConn since 2013–14.
4. Known as Memphis since 1994–95.
5. Now known athletically as Green Bay.
6. Although this institution has been known as Detroit Mercy since a 1990 merger, it did not add "Mercy" to its athletic brand name until 2017.
7. Entered the game as the betting favorite in Las Vegas sports books. ^[14]
8. Entered the game as pick'em (even money) in Las Vegas sports books. ^[14]
9. Entered the game as the betting favorite in Las Vegas sports books. ^[15]
10. Known athletically as Charlotte since 2000–01.
11. Known as Missouri State since 2005–06.

References

1. Thamel, Pete (March 22, 2021). "Why this may already be the craziest NCAA men's tournament ever". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
2. Wilco, Daniel (March 17, 2018). "Last perfect bracket busts after UMBC pulls off biggest upset in NCAA tournament history". NCAA.com. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018. UMBC (The University of Maryland Baltimore County) scored the biggest upset in the history of the NCAA tournament, beating top overall seed Virginia 74–54 Friday night, and becoming the first 16 seed to win a game in 136 tries.
3. Camargo, Alberto (March 17, 2023). "16-seed FDU shocks 1-seed Purdue in first round of March Madness". NCAA.com. NCAA. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023. Five years and one day since UMBC became the first 16-seed to beat a 1-seed, FDU pulled off the unthinkable yet again, knocking off 1-seed Purdue in a 63-58 shock upset on Friday. 16-seeds are now 2-150 all-time since the men's tournament expanded to 64 teams.
4. "NCAA Final Four Tournament Seeds" . Retrieved 30 March 2011.
5. "UCLAs win over Michigan". 13 August 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
6. Trotter, Jake (March 17, 2023). "16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson, a 23.5-point underdog, shocks No. 1 Purdue". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
7. Kraemer, Mackenzie; Nelson, Rob (March 16, 2018). "Biggest NCAA tournament upsets of the 64-team era". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
8. "Summary: UMBC vs. Virginia". ESPN.com. March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
9. "NCAA tourney upsets match first-round record". ESPN.com. March 19, 2016. Archived from the original on July 13, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
10. Wilco, Daniel (March 17, 2018). "Last perfect bracket busts after UMBC pulls off biggest upset in NCAA tournament history". NCAA.com. National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved March 18, 2018.
11. Camargo, Alberto (March 17, 2023). "No. 16 FDU shocks No. 1 Purdue in first round of March Madness". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
12. Boone, Kyle (March 17, 2022). "March Madness 2022: Saint Peter's stuns Kentucky, No. 15 upsets No. 2 for 10th time in NCAA Tournament history". CBSSports.com . Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
13. Goodall, Fred (March 16, 2023). "No. 13 seed Furman hands UVA its latest early March exit". Associated Press News. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
14. Lipscomb, Keith (March 17, 2019). "March Madness bracket facts for 2019 NCAA tournament". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
15. Bromberg, Nick (March 17, 2022). "NCAA tournament: No. 11 Michigan rides big second half to win over No. 6 Colorado State". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
16. "2013 NCAA tournament: Bracket, scores, stats, records". NCAA.com. National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved April 7, 2023.
17. "We're tracking upsets in the 2021 NCAA tournament". NCAA.com. March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
18. "Saint Peter's Makes History as First MAAC Men's Basketball Program to Reach March Madness Sweet Sixteen". MAACSports.com. March 20, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
19. Bonagura, Kyle (March 18, 2023). "Princeton takes out Missouri, latest 15-seed to make Sweet 16". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
20. McDaniel, Mike (25 March 2022). "No. 15 Saint Peter's Continues Cinderella Run, Upsets No. 3 Purdue to Advance to Elite Eight". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
21. "Mcubed.net : Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament : : Records by Seed". Archived from the original on 2023-02-27. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
22. Russo, Ralph D. (March 25, 2023). "FAU holds off Nowell and K-State to reach 1st Final Four". The Associated Press. Retrieved March 26, 2023.

See also

• NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament upsets