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 team defeating an opponent with a substantially higher seed. The NCAA defines a tournament upset as a victory by a team seeded five or more lines below the opponent that it defeats. ^[1]

This is the list of victories by teams seeded 11 or lower in the First 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. Because these low-seeded teams are automatically paired against higher-seeded teams at the start of the tournament, they are almost always underdogs, and their victories are almost always considered upsets. The list also includes victories by teams seeded 8 or lower in the Sweet Sixteen (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.

Most successful low seeds

The table below lists the best outcomes for low-seeded teams since the tournament's expansion in 1985, sorted by the round in which that team was eliminated.

Seed	Second 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) Lehigh (2012) Norfolk State (2012) Middle Tennessee (2016)	Florida Gulf Coast (2013) Oral Roberts (2021) Princeton (2023)	Saint Peter's (2022)	–	–	–
No. 14	numerous (21 teams)	Cleveland State (1986) Chattanooga (1997)	–	–	–	–
No. 13	numerous (27 teams)	Richmond (1988) Valparaiso (1998) Oklahoma (1999) Bradley (2006) Ohio (2012) La Salle (2013)	–	–	–	–
No. 12	numerous (35 teams)	numerous (20 teams)	Missouri (2002) Oregon State (2021)	–	–	–
No. 11	numerous (35 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 (16 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 (19 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)

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. ^[2]
• 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. ^[3]

Point-spread upsets

Biggest point-spread upsets since 1985

• Fairleigh Dickinson +23.5 over Purdue 63–58 in 2023 ^[4]
• Norfolk State +21.5 over Missouri 86–84 in 2012 ^[5]
• UMBC +20.5 over Virginia 74–54 in 2018 ^[6]
• Santa Clara +20 over Arizona 64–61 in 1993 ^[5]
• 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 ^[5]
• Hampton +17.5 over Iowa State 58–57 in 2001 ^[5]

Biggest championship game point-spread upsets

• 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

Most upset wins

Team	Wins	Years
Richmond	7	1988(2), 1991, 1998, 2011(2), 2022
VCU	6	2007, 2011(4), 2012
Dayton	6	1990, 2009, 2014(3), 2015
UCLA	6	2015(2), 2021(4)
Oregon	5	2013(2), 2019(2), 2024
Gonzaga	5	2001(2), 2011, 2016(2)
Xavier	5	1987, 1991, 2017(3)
NC State	5	2012, 2024(4)

Most upset losses

Team	Losses	Year(s)
Arizona	8	1992, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023
Purdue	7	1985, 1986, 2011, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023
Wisconsin	7	1999, 2001, 2010, 2013, 2019, 2022, 2024
UCLA	7	1987, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2013
Georgetown	7	1985, 1987, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
Syracuse	6	1988, 1991, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2014
Oklahoma	6	1986, 1992, 1995, 2001, 2006, 2014
Virginia	6	1986, 1987, 2001, 2018, 2021, 2023
Missouri	6	1987, 1988, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2025
Duke	5	1985, 2007, 2012, 2014, 2024
Indiana	5	1986, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2001
Marquette	5	1996, 2002, 2010, 2019, 2024
Florida State	5	1989, 1998, 2009, 2011, 2017
Alabama	5	1989, 1990, 2005, 2021, 2022
Kansas State	5	1989, 1993, 2013, 2018, 2019

Round of 64

This round was called the First Round until 2011, when the introduction of the First Four caused it 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. ^[7]

Detail between each pair of seeds in this section has been updated as of completion of the 2025 Round of 64, representing 160 games played between each pair.

16 defeats 1

There have been two games in which a No. 16 seed has defeated a No. 1 seed (1.25%) since 1985:

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2018	UMBC	Virginia	74–54 [8]
2023	Fairleigh Dickinson	Purdue	63–58 [9]

15 defeats 2

There have been 11 games in which a No. 15 seed has defeated a No. 2 seed (6.88%) since 1985:

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 in which a No. 14 seed has defeated a No. 3 seed (14.38%) since 1985:

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1986	Cleveland State	Indiana	83–79
	Arkansas–Little Rock [a]	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 in which a No. 13 seed has defeated a No. 4 seed (20.63%) 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 [b]	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 [c]	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 [10]
2024	Yale	Auburn	78–76

12 defeats 5

There have been 57 games in which a No. 12 seed has defeated a No. 5 seed (35.63%) 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 [d]	66–63
1990	Dayton	Illinois	88–86
	Ball State	Oregon State	54–53
1991	Eastern Michigan	Mississippi State	76–56
1992	New Mexico State [e]	DePaul	81–73
1993	George Washington	New Mexico	82–68
1994	Wisconsin–Green Bay [f]	California	61–57
	Tulsa	UCLA	112–102
1995	Miami (OH)	Arizona	71–62
1996	Drexel	Memphis State [d]	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 [g]	UCLA	56–53
2001	Gonzaga [h]	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 [i]	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 [h]	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
2025	McNeese	Clemson	69–67 [12]
	Colorado State [h]	Memphis	78–70 [13]

11 defeats 6

There have been 62 games in which a No. 11 seed has defeated a No. 6 seed (38.75%) 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 [c]	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 [h] [14]	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
2025	Drake	Missouri	67–57

Round of 32

The Round of 32 is also called the Second Round and, occasionally, the regional quarterfinals. This is the first round in which No. 7 seeds, No. 8 seeds, No. 9 seeds, and No. 10 seeds are able to face teams ranked five seed lines higher than them and is therefore the first round in which these teams may record upset victories.

16 seeds

A No. 16 seed has never won a game in the Round of 32. The only No. 16 seeds to ever reach the Second Round are the UMBC Retrievers in 2018, who lost to No. 9 seed Kansas State 50–43, and the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights in 2023, who lost to No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic 78–70.

15 seeds

Four of the eleven No. 15 seeds (36.36%) who advanced from the Round of 64 also won in the Round of 32. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2013	Florida Gulf Coast	(7) San Diego State	81–71 [15]
2021	Oral Roberts	(7) Florida	81–78 [16]
2022	Saint Peter's	(7) Murray State	70–60 [17]
2023	Princeton	(7) Missouri	78–63 [18]

14 seeds

Two of the twenty-three No. 14 seeds (8.7%) who advanced from the Round of 64 also won in the Round of 32. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

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

13 seeds

Six of the thirty-three No. 13 seeds (18.18%) who advanced from the Round of 64 also won in the Round of 32. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Second Round upsets
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1988	Richmond	(5) Georgia Tech	59–55
1999	Oklahoma	(5) UNC Charlotte [j]	85–72
2006	Bradley	(5) Pittsburgh	72–66

Other Second Round victories
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1998	Valparaiso‡	(12) Florida State	83–77OT
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 fewer than five seed lines.

12 seeds

Twenty-two of the fifty-seven No. 12 seeds (38.6%) who advanced from the Round of 64 also won in the Round of 32. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

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 [k]	(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

Other Second Round victories
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1991	Eastern Michigan	(13) Penn State	71–68OT
1992	New Mexico State [e]	(13) Southwestern Louisiana [b]	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

11 seeds

Twenty-seven of the sixty-two No. 11 seeds (43.55%) who advanced from the Round of 64 also won in the Round of 32. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Second Round upsets
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1985	Auburn	(3) Kansas	66–64
	Boston College	(3) Duke	74–73
1986	LSU	(3) Memphis State [d]	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

Other Second Round victories
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1989	Minnesota	(14) Siena	80–67
1991	Connecticut [c]	(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

10 seeds

Twenty-five of the sixty-two No. 10 seeds (40.32%) who advanced from the Round of 64 also won in the Round of 32. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

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 [c]	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
2025	Arkansas	(2) St. John's	75–66

Other Second Round victories
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

9 seeds

Eight of the eighty-three No. 9 seeds (9.64%) who advanced from the Round of 64 also won in the Round of 32. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

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

Other Second Round victories
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2018	Kansas State	(16) UMBC	50–43
2023	Florida Atlantic	(16) Fairleigh Dickinson	78–70

8 seeds

Sixteen of the seventy-seven No. 8 seeds (20.78%) who advanced from the Round of 64 also won 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

7 seeds

Twenty-nine of the ninety-eight No. 7 seeds (29.59%) who advanced from the Round of 64 also won in the Round of 32. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Second Round upsets
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) Virginia	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

Other Second Round victories
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1993	Temple	(15) Santa Clara	68–57
2012	Florida	(15) Norfolk State	84–50

Sweet Sixteen

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

15 seeds

One of the four No. 15 seeds (25%) who advanced from the Round of 32 also won in the Sweet Sixteen. The seed of the team they defeated is in parentheses.

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2022	Saint Peter's	(3) Purdue	67–64 [19]

14 seeds

A No. 14 seed has never won a game in the Sweet Sixteen. The closest margin of defeat happened in 1986, when Cleveland State lost to No. 7 seed Navy by one point.

13 seeds

A No. 13 seed has never won a game in the Sweet Sixteen. The closest margin of defeat happened in 1998, when Valparaiso lost to No. 8 seed Rhode Island by six points.

12 seeds

Two of the twenty-two No. 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.

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 five seed lines.

11 seeds

Ten of the twenty-seven No. 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.

Sweet Sixteen upsets
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1986	LSU	(2) Georgia Tech	70–64
2017	Xavier	(2) Arizona	73–71
2021	UCLA	(2) Alabama	88–78OT
2024	NC State	(2) Marquette	67–58

Other Sweet Sixteen victories
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
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
2018	Loyola Chicago‡	(7) Nevada	69–68

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

10 seeds

Nine of the twenty-five No. 10 seeds (36%) who advanced from the Round of 32 also won in the Sweet Sixteen. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Sweet Sixteen upsets
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1987	LSU	(3) DePaul	63–58
1991	Temple	(3) Oklahoma State	72–63
2002	Kent State	(3) Pittsburgh	78–73
2008	Davidson	(3) Wisconsin	73–56

Other Sweet Sixteen victories
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1990	Texas‡	(6) Xavier	102–89
1997	Providence†	(14) Chattanooga	71–65
1999	Gonzaga‡	(6) Florida	73–72
2016	Syracuse†	(11) Gonzaga	63–60
2022	Miami (FL)†	(11) Iowa State	70–56

^† Not an upset, as the No. 10 seed defeated a lower seed.
^‡ Not officially an upset because the teams were separated by fewer than five seed lines.

9 seeds

Five of the eight No. 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.

Sweet Sixteen upsets
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2018	Florida State	(4) Gonzaga	75–60
2023	Florida Atlantic	(4) Tennessee	62–55

Other Sweet Sixteen victories
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1994	Boston College‡	(5) Indiana	77–68
2013	Wichita State†	(13) La Salle	72–58
2018	Kansas State‡	(5) Kentucky	61–58

^† Not an upset, as the No. 9 seed defeated a lower seed.
^‡ Not officially an upset because the teams were separated by fewer than five seed lines.

8 seeds

Nine of the sixteen No. 8 seeds (56.25%) who advanced from the Round of 32 also won in the Sweet Sixteen. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1985	Villanova‡	(5) Maryland	46–43
1986	Auburn‡	(4) UNLV	70–63
1998	Rhode Island†	(13) Valparaiso	74–68
2000	North Carolina‡	(4) Tennessee	74–69
	Wisconsin‡	(4) LSU	61–48
2004	Alabama‡	(5) Syracuse	80–71
2011	Butler‡	(4) Wisconsin	61–54
2014	Kentucky‡	(4) Louisville	74–69
2022	North Carolina‡	(4) UCLA	73–66

^† Not an upset, as the No. 8 seed defeated a lower seed.
^‡ Not officially an upset because the teams were separated by fewer than five seed lines.

7 seeds

Ten of the twenty-nine No. 7 seeds (34.48%) who advanced from the Round of 32 also won in the Sweet Sixteen. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1986	Navy†	(14) Cleveland State	71–70
1993	Temple‡	(3) Vanderbilt	67–59
2000	Tulsa‡	(6) Miami (FL)	80–71
2003	Michigan State‡	(6) Maryland	60–58
2004	Xavier‡	(3) Texas	79–71
2005	West Virginia‡	(6) Texas Tech	65–60
2012	Florida‡	(3) Marquette	68–58
2014	UConn‡	(3) Iowa State	81–76
2015	Michigan State‡	(3) Oklahoma	62–58
2017	South Carolina‡	(3) Baylor	70–50

^† Not an upset, as the No. 7 seed defeated a lower seed.
^‡ Not officially an upset because the teams were separated by fewer than five seed lines.

Elite Eight

The Elite Eight are the four pairs of teams that meet in the regional finals. This is the first round in which No. 6 seeds are able to face teams ranked five seed lines higher than them and is therefore the first round in which No. 6 seeds may record upset victories.

15 seeds

A No. 15 seed has never won a game in the Elite Eight. The closest margin of defeat happened in 2022, when Saint Peter's lost to No. 8 seed North Carolina by 20 points.

12 seeds

A No. 12 seed has never won a game in the Elite Eight. The closest margins of defeat happened in 2002, when Missouri lost to No. 2 seed Oklahoma, and 2021, when Oregon State lost to No. 2 seed Houston, both by six points.

11 seeds

Six of the ten No. 11 seeds (60%) who advanced from the Sweet Sixteen also won in the Elite Eight. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Elite Eight upsets
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1986	LSU	(1) Kentucky	59–57
2006	George Mason	(1) Connecticut [c]	86–84OT
2011	VCU	(1) Kansas	71–61
2021	UCLA	(1) Michigan	51–49
2024	NC State	(4) Duke	76–64

Other Elite Eight victories
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2018	Loyola Chicago‡	(9) Kansas State	78–62

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

10 seeds

One of the nine No. 10 seeds (11.11%) who advanced from the Sweet Sixteen also won in the Elite Eight. The seed of the team they defeated is in parentheses.

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

9 seeds

Two of the five No. 9 seeds (40%) who advanced from the Sweet Sixteen also won in the Elite Eight. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2013	Wichita State	(2) Ohio State	70–66 [15]
2023	Florida Atlantic	(3) Kansas State	79–76 [20]

8 seeds

Six of the nine No. 8 seeds (66.67%) who advanced from the Sweet Sixteen also won in the Elite Eight. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Elite Eight upsets
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1985	Villanova	(2) North Carolina	56–44
2011	Butler	(2) Florida	74–71OT
2014	Kentucky	(2) Michigan	75–72

Other Elite Eight victories
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
2000	Wisconsin‡	(6) Purdue	64–60
	North Carolina‡	(7) Tulsa	59–55
2022	North Carolina†	(15) Saint Peter's	69–49

^† Not an upset, as the No. 8 seed defeated a lower seed.
^‡ Not officially an upset because the teams were separated by fewer than five seed lines.

7 seeds

Three of the ten No. 7 seeds (30%) who advanced from the Sweet Sixteen also won in the Elite Eight. 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 because the teams were separated by fewer than five seed lines.

6 seeds

Three of the seventeen No. 6 seeds (17.65%) who advanced from the Sweet Sixteen also won in the Elite Eight. Seeds of the teams they defeated are in parentheses.

Elite Eight upsets
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1987	Providence	(1) Georgetown	88–73
1992	Michigan	(1) Ohio State	75–71OT

Other Elite Eight victories
Year	Winner	Loser	Score
1988	Kansas‡	(4) Kansas State	71–58

^‡ Not officially an upset because the teams were separated by fewer than five 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, 72–71 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, as the No. 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 because the teams were separated by fewer than five 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 [21]

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 [22]

^† Not an upset, as the No. 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 [23]

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. New Mexico State vacated its appearance in the 1992 NCAA tournament due to sanctions from the Neil McCarthy scandal.
6. Now known athletically as Green Bay.
7. 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.
8. Entered the game as the betting favorite in Las Vegas sports books. ^[11]
9. Entered the game as pick'em (even money) in Las Vegas sports books. ^[11]
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. "NCAA Final Four Tournament Seeds" . Retrieved 30 March 2011.
3. "UCLAs win over Michigan". 13 August 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
4. Trotter, Jake (March 17, 2023). "16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson, a 23.5-point underdog, shocks No. 1 Purdue". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
5. Kraemer, Mackenzie; Nelson, Rob (March 16, 2018). "Biggest NCAA tournament upsets of the 64-team era". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
6. "Summary: UMBC vs. Virginia". ESPN.com. March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
7. "NCAA tourney upsets match first-round record". ESPN.com. March 19, 2016. Archived from the original on July 13, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. "No. 12 seed McNeese holds off late Clemson charge to earn first March Madness victory". ESPN. Associated Press. 2025-03-20. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
13. "Kyan Evans and favored No. 12 seed Colorado State beat short-handed Memphis 78-70 in March Madness". ESPN. Associated Press. 2025-03-21. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
14. 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.
15. "2013 NCAA tournament: Bracket, scores, stats, records". NCAA.com. National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved April 7, 2023.
16. "We're tracking upsets in the 2021 NCAA tournament". NCAA.com. March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
17. "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.
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. DeCourcy, Mike (March 29, 2020). "Villanova vs. Georgetown, 1985: Seven things you didn't know about Wildcats' 'Perfect Game' upset". Sporting News. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
22. "Shabazz Napier, UConn too much for Kentucky, seize national title". ESPN. Associated Press. April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
23. "Oklahoma vs. Kansas Box Score, April 4, 1988".

See also

• NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament upsets