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Top 5 Biggest Upsets in March Madness History Ft Oakland vs Kentucky
NCAA tournament in the month of March takes madness to the next level and this year is no different as the tournament has started on a emphatic note.
Millions of fans fill out brackets for the NCAA tournament each year, trying to guess which teams will win it all and have a Cinderella run. Let's look back at the biggest upsets in the history of the men's NCAA tournament as March Madness gets underway.
5. Oakland Grizzlies beats Kentucky
In the biggest upset of this NCAA men's tournament thus far, the No. 14 Oakland Golden Grizzlies defeated the No. 3 seed Kentucky Wildcats, 80-76, thanks to a remarkable 3-point shooting performance by Jack Gohlke.
Oakland's first seven shots of the day were missed, which put them in a bad start. However, it overcame it with a superb 3-point shooting display, making 15 of 31 free throws (including 10 from Gohlke) to defeat the nation's top 3-point shooting team.
With two first-round exits as the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, Kentucky has a 1-3 record in its last three tournaments. This stunning loss is just another disappointing postseason performance for the team.
4. Saint Peter’s beats Kentucky
In the 2022 NCAA tournament, the Saint Peter's Peacocks stunned the entire world by defeating the formidable Kentucky Wildcats, 85-79. When it came to three-point shooting, Saint Peter's was on fire, outshooting Kentucky 26.7% to 52.9%. Doug Edert (20 points and 4 rebounds) and Daryl Banks III (27 points, 5 threes, and 4 rebounds) led the Peacocks.
Oscar Tshiebwe put up a strong 30-point, 16-rebound, 2-block, and 2-steal effort, but it was insufficient to help the Wildcats win.
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3. Oral Roberts beats Ohio State
Oral Roberts had a 17–10 record going into the 2021 NCAA tournament, but everyone was 0-0 going into March Madness, so Oral Roberts took full advantage of their chance to compete in the Big Dance.
In an intense overtime game, the Golden Eagles defeated the Buckeyes 75–72. Max Abmas (29 points, 5 rebounds, 5 threes, 3 assists, and 2 steals) and Kevin Obanor (30 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 threes) led Oral Roberts to the Sweet 16.
2. Fairleigh Dickinson beats Purdue
Coach Tobin Anderson of Fairleigh Dickinson was seen on camera telling his team before this game, "The more I watch Purdue, the more I think we can beat them." It felt like nothing more t than mind games as Purdue was the top seed in the competition that year.
As it happens, he was correct. It was only the second time in NCAA tournament history that a No. 16 seed beat a No. 1 seed when Fairleigh Dickinson defeated Purdue 63-58.
Sean Moore (19 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds), Cameron Tweedy (10 points and 6 rebounds), Demetre Roberts (12 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists), and Grant Singleton (8 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals) led the Knights. Purdue's National College Player of the Year, Zach Edey, led the team with 21 points and 15 rebounds in the defeat. In the end, Florida Atlantic defeated Fairleigh Dickinson in the second round.
1. UMBC beats Virginia
Virginia was the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed, though, and they were on the wrong side of history against UMBC. And UMBC did more than just edge past Virginia—they won this game 74–54. Before the tournament started, Virginia had the second-best betting odds to win the championship but that wasn’t the case once they went up against UMBC.
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