Top 12 Greatest NCAA March Madness Upsets of All Time — Sports Top 10 List

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Top 12 Greatest NCAA March Madness Upsets of All Time

March Madness was made for moments like these — when a small school nobody expected shocks a powerhouse, or an underdog keeps winning until the whole country is watching. From the first-ever No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1, to Cinderella runs that reached the Final Four, these are the greatest upsets in NCAA Tournament history. Think you know which one stands above the rest? Cast your vote — or be the first!

202680 viewsMar 15, 2026 Updated Oct 3, 2026

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#1
UMBC 74, Virginia 54 — 2018 (16 over 1)
On March 16, 2018, the University of Maryland Baltimore County — a 16-seed that had never won an NCAA Tournament game — defeated #1 overall seed Virginia 74-54, the largest margin of victory in a 16-vs-1 game in tournament history and the first time a 16-seed had ever defeated a 1-seed in the 64-team era. Virginia had allowed fewer than 55 points per game all season; UMBC scored 74. Jairus Lyles scored 28 points, Maryland's Jalen Hill added 17 boards, and Virginia's possession-based "Pack-Line" defense — which had never been exposed so completely — was rendered inert by UMBC's shooting efficiency. The game produced the most shared sports moment on social media in NCAA Tournament history at that time.
source: wikipedia
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#2
NC State Wins 1983 Championship — "The Wolfpack Miracle"
Jim Valvano's North Carolina State Wolfpack entered the 1983 NCAA Tournament as a 6-seed with a 17-10 record and proceeded to win six games in six days — all by narrow margins, several in overtime — to win the national championship over Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler's Houston Cougars, the most heavily favored team in tournament history. State won their final eight games of the season by a combined 5 points. Lorenzo Charles caught a half-court air ball and dunked it at the buzzer for the final score of 54-52. Valvano ran across the court looking for someone to hug, creating college basketball's most enduring image.
source: wikipedia
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#3
Chaminade 77, Virginia 72 — 1982 (The First Major Upset)
On December 23, 1982, Chaminade University of Honolulu — an NAIA school with 800 students — defeated the #1-ranked Virginia Cavaliers (featuring Ralph Sampson, the best player in the country) 77-72 in the Mainland Classic in Honolulu. Chaminade had a roster of players who worked jobs during school. The upset produced no bracket drama (it was not an NCAA Tournament game) but is considered the most shocking defeat in college basketball history and inspired the Maui Invitational tournament that brings top programs to Hawaii annually. Virginia's Sampson went on to be the #1 overall pick; Chaminade never played him again.
source: wikipedia
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#4
Hampton 58, Iowa State 57 — 2001 (15 over 2)
Hampton University, a historically Black university and 15-seed from the MEAC conference, defeated Iowa State 58-57 on March 15, 2001, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament — one of the cleanest upsets in tournament history, decided by a single point. Hampton's David Johnson scored 19 points and guard Tarvis Williams hit the go-ahead shot with 23 seconds remaining. Iowa State, led by Marcus Fizer (the 4th pick in the 2000 NBA Draft), was a double-digit favorite. Hampton's run ended in the next round, but the 15-over-2 victory remains among the tournament's most celebrated moments of pure bracket chaos.
source: wikipedia
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#5
Villanova 66, Georgetown 64 — 1985 Championship
Rollie Massimino's Villanova Wildcats, a #8 seed, defeated the defending champion and #1 overall seed Georgetown Hoyas — featuring Patrick Ewing and coached by John Thompson — 66-64 in the 1985 national championship game, shooting 78.6% from the field (22-of-28), the highest field goal percentage in championship game history. Villanova needed to shoot nearly perfectly to beat Georgetown's dominant defense, and they did. Ed Pinckney led the way with 16 points and 6 rebounds. The game is universally cited as the greatest championship game ever played and stands as the last time a #8 seed won the national title.
source: wikipedia
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#6
George Mason's 2006 Final Four Run
George Mason University, a #11 seed from the CAA conference that required a play-in game just to enter the tournament, defeated Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State, and Connecticut — all higher seeds — to reach the 2006 Final Four, the greatest sustained upset run in tournament history. They defeated UNC, the #1 overall seed in the tournament, in the Elite Eight. Coach Jim Larranaga's team had no top-100 recruits and no NBA draft picks on its roster. George Mason's run prompted the NCAA to expand the tournament field from 64 to 68 teams, explicitly to allow more mid-major programs the bracket opportunity.
source: wikipedia
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#7
Oral Roberts 75, Ohio State 72 — 2021 (15 over 2)
Oral Roberts University, a 15-seed from the Summit League with the most vertically integrated sports budget in college basketball, defeated Ohio State 75-72 in overtime on March 19, 2021, then defeated Florida 81-78 two days later — becoming only the second 15-seed to win two NCAA Tournament games. Max Abmas scored 29 points against Ohio State and 20 against Florida, demonstrating an offensive consistency that higher-seeded teams could not contain. ORU's Sweet 16 appearance forced every bracket holder in America to reconsider whether mid-major conferences were producing NBA-caliber talent.
source: wikipedia
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#8
Princeton 43, UCLA 41 — 1996 (13 over 4)
Princeton University, running their deliberate backdoor-cut offense at a pace that made shot-clock officials check their watches, defeated UCLA 43-41 in a first-round game that is considered the definitive validation of slow-it-down tactical basketball against superior athletic competition. Princeton held UCLA — featuring J.R. Henderson and Cameron Dollar — to 41 points and executed the backdoor cut nine times in the final six minutes. Coach Pete Carril's final game at Princeton produced the most analytically discussed upset in tournament history and validated the "Princeton offense" as a legitimate weapon against elite recruits.
source: wikipedia
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#9
Saint Peter's 2022 Elite Eight Run (15 over 2)
Saint Peter's University, a 15-seed Jesuit school from Jersey City with 2,500 students and a $3.5 million athletics budget, defeated Kentucky (2-seed), Murray State (7-seed), and Purdue (3-seed) to reach the Elite Eight of the 2022 NCAA Tournament — the first 15-seed to reach the Elite Eight in tournament history. Coach Shaheen Holloway's team played with a defensive intensity and late-game composure that neutralized rosters of significantly superior individual talent. Daryl Banks III averaged 16.5 PPG across three tournament victories and became the tournament's most unexpected star.
source: wikipedia
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#10
Loyola-Chicago's 2018 Final Four Run (11 over 3)
Loyola-Chicago, an 11-seed featuring 98-year-old team chaplain Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt as their most famous supporter, defeated Miami, Tennessee, Nevada, and Kansas State to reach the 2018 Final Four — the first double-digit seed in the Final Four since LSU in 1986. Clayton Custer hit the buzzer-beater against Tennessee, Marques Townes was the offensive engine, and Sister Jean's pregame prayers and postgame press conferences became the tournament's dominant human-interest story. Michigan State eliminated them in the Final Four, but Loyola's run is the most beloved sustained Cinderella story in modern tournament history.
source: wikipedia
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#11
Norfolk State 86, Missouri 84 — 2012 (15 over 2)
Norfolk State, a historically Black university and 15-seed from the MEAC, defeated Missouri 86-84 on March 16, 2012, in the closest first-round upset since Hampton in 2001. Kyle O'Quinn scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds against Missouri's SEC-caliber frontcourt. The victory came two hours after Lehigh defeated Duke in the same day's most-discussed upset, making March 15-16, 2012 the most bracket-destroying 48 hours in tournament history. Norfolk State became only the sixth HBCU to win an NCAA Tournament game and the first since Hampton in 2001.
source: wikipedia
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#12
FDU 84, Purdue 78 — 2023 (16 over 1)
Fairleigh Dickinson University, a 16-seed from the NEC conference, defeated Purdue — the 1-seed and #1 ranked team in the country — 84-78 on March 17, 2023, becoming only the second 16-seed in history to defeat a 1-seed after UMBC's 2018 win. Sean Moore scored 19 points for FDU, Grant Nelson added 16, and Purdue's 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey — the national player of the year — was neutralized by FDU's physical help defense. The upset occurred five years after UMBC's historic win, suggesting that 1-vs-16 upsets, once theoretically impossible, have become an every-five-years tournament reality.
source: wikipedia

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Frequently Asked Questions About March Madness Upsets

Has a 16-seed ever beaten a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament? Yes — exactly once in the modern bracket era. In 2018, UMBC defeated Virginia 74–54, becoming the first 16-seed in history to beat a 1-seed in the men's NCAA Tournament.

What is considered the greatest upset in March Madness history? Most analysts point to UMBC over Virginia in 2018, since no 16-seed had beaten a 1-seed in the previous 33 years of the 64-team bracket. However, Villanova's 1985 championship win as an 8-seed — shooting 79% from the field against No. 1 Georgetown — is often called the greatest individual game performance in tournament history.

What does 'Cinderella team' mean in March Madness? A Cinderella team is a low-seeded school that advances far beyond expectations, often reaching the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, or Final Four. George Mason (2006), Loyola-Chicago (2018), and Saint Peter's (2022) are three of the most celebrated recent examples.

Which seed causes the most upsets in March Madness? 11-seeds have historically produced the most consistent first-round upsets and deep runs, having reached the Final Four multiple times. They are widely considered the most reliable 'upset seed' to watch each year.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the biggest upset in NCAA March Madness history?

The biggest upset is widely considered #16 seed UMBC's 74-54 victory over #1 seed Virginia in 2018, the first and only time a 16-seed has beaten a 1-seed in the men's tournament.

Which upsets are most commonly ranked in the top 10?

Common entries include UMBC over Virginia (2018), #15 Lehigh over #2 Duke (2012), #15 Norfolk State over #2 Missouri (2012), #14 Cleveland State over #4 Indiana (1986), and #13 Valparaiso over #4 Ole Miss (1998).

Has a #16 seed ever beaten a #1 seed since UMBC's upset?

No, as of 2025, UMBC's 2018 win remains the only instance of a #16 seed defeating a #1 seed in men's NCAA March Madness history.

What is the highest-seeded team to reach the Final Four?

The highest seed to reach the Final Four is #11 VCU in 2011 and #11 Loyola Chicago in 2018, but neither won the championship.