History of the No.2 vs. No.15 NCAA Tournament game – According to NCAA.com, since 1985, when the NCAA Tournament field was extended, 15 seeds have a 9-135 record compared to 2 seeds. Five 2-seeds have accomplished an upset since the 2012 NCAA Tournament. In 2021, Oral Roberts beat Ohio State under the direction of Max Abmas and Kevin Obanan. 
- A 2 seed had not defeated a 15 seed since 2016.
- The 2013 victory by Florida Gulf Coast against Georgetown is a noteworthy 15-over-2 upset that practically all college basketball fans should recall.
- The win of the Eagles over the Hoyas, led by head coach Andy Enfield, enthralled basketball fans around the country.
Due to the Eagles’ remarkable agility in the NCAA Tournament, Florida Gulf Coast was dubbed “Dunk City” by fans. Here are the pairings for rounds two through fifteen of the 2022 NCAA Tournament: No.2 Cal State meets No.15 Duke in the West. Fullerton No.2 No.15 Villanova faces No.15 Delaware in the South East Region: No.2 Kentucky vs No.15 St.
Peter’s. No.2 Auburn squares up against No.15 Jacksonville State in the Midwest. Due to Duke and Nova’s history of early tournament eliminations, it is doubtful that a March Madness miracle will occur.2-seed Duke was defeated by CJ McCollum and Lehigh in the opening round of the 2012 tournament. Villanova has historically performed poorly in the first round only as a lower seed and never as a strong favorite.
It may be difficult to find a 15 versus 2 upset on the schedule this year. Villanova is the second-seed with the smallest edge at DraftKings Sportsbook, with 15.5 points.
How often has a 15 seed defeated a 2 seed?
How many 15 versus 2 upsets have occurred? – A victory by a number 15 seed is a rare event in the tournament; this incredible feat has only occurred nine times previously in NCAA history. Saint Peter’s has became the tenth 15-seed to defeat a 2-seed in the opening round. The last time this occurred was the previous year, when Oral Roberts defeated Ohio State 75-72 in overtime.
History of 15-seed shocks against 2-seeds in the NCAA Tournament – Only ten No.15 seeds have ever won a first-round game in the NCAA Tournament, but six of those victories — including two in the same year! — have occurred in the last ten years, and there is a significant explanation for this uptick.
- Prior to the 1991 NCAA Tournament, a number of No.14 seeds had pulled off first-round upsets, but No.15 Richmond’s dramatic upset of No.2 seed Syracuse in 1991 may have been the first really shocking I can’t believe this just occurred upset.
- Steve Nash, the eventual two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, led Santa Clara to a second 15-over-2 upset two years later, while coach Fang Mitchell’s 15th-seeded Coppin State team defeated South Carolina in 1997.
In 2001, Hampton became the fourth 15 seed to win, followed by a gap of more than a decade. On the same day of the 2012 event, two No.15 seeds won their opening-round matches. Norfolk State defeated Missouri, and Lehigh defeated Duke at Greensboro, North Carolina, roughly one hour from the Blue Devils’ campus.
Then it occurred again in 2013 (Florida Gulf Coast) and in 2016 (Florida Gulf Coast) (Middle Tennessee). So, what precipitated this change? Consider the Top Four. In 2011, the NCAA Tournament increased from 64 to 68 participants, adding four additional at-large teams and introducing the First Four games.
The teams with overall seeding 65, 66, 67, and 68 compete for the opportunity to face the No.1 seed. As a result, two teams who would have been 15 seeds prior to the 2011 tournament became 16 seeds. In addition, two teams that would have been 14 seeds became 15 seeds, and so on.
- Observe how this improved the caliber of the teams at the bottom of the seeding list.
- This is how Lehigh, led by future NBA superstar C.J.
- McCollum, beat Duke in 2012 as a 15 seed.
- Middle Tennessee State, a very talented experienced squad, earned a 15 seed after placing second in C-USA during the regular season and receiving the automatic bid with a tournament championship for the conference ranked 20th out of 32 conferences by KenPom.
Prior to expansion, teams of similar level would never have landed in the 15th seed line. Summit League champion Oral Roberts spoiled several March Madness brackets on the opening day of the 2021 NCAA Tournament by upsetting No.2 seed Ohio State, the runner-up of the Big Ten and the sixth overall seed.
The Golden Eagles needed strong performances from Kevin Obanor (30 points on 9-of-21 shooting and 11 rebounds) and Max Abmas to pull off the upset (29 points on 10-of-24 shooting, 5-of-10 3-point shooting, five rebounds and three assists). No other Golden Eagle reached double figures in scoring. A year later, Saint Peter’s stunned the world by repeating the feat, defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 85-79 in overtime with a score of 15 over 2.
Both guard Daryl Banks III and sixth man Doug Edert ended with 20 or more points, with Edert grabbing a crucial rebound late in the game and then coolly converting two free throws. It was John Calipari’s first first-round loss as head coach of the Wildcats, and Saint Peter’s first time advancing past the first round.
| 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 |
| 2012 | Norfolk State | Missouri | 86-84 |
| 2013 | Florida Gulf Coast | Georgetown | 78-68 |
| 2016 | Middle Tennessee | Michigan State | 90-81 |
| 2021 | Oral Roberts | Ohio State | 75-72 |
| 2022 | Saint Peter’s | Kentucky | 85-79 |
MORE:
Has a No.16 seed ever defeated a No.1 seed?
How frequently do No.16 seeds in the NCAA Tournament defeat No.1 seeds? It is the greatest of all upsets, and it has only occurred once. University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s 2018 first-round victory over No.1 Virginia as a No.16 seed was one of the most unexpected upsets in NCAA Tournament history.
— Lukas Weese (@Weesesports) March 25, 2022 One caveat, In 2011, Kansas was the No.1 seed but was eliminated by VCU in the Elite Eight. As the No.3 seed, Connecticut won the national title. In that year’s Final Four, Kentucky (four seed), Butler (eight seed), and VCU also participated (11 seed).
- In 2006, Florida (three seed), UCLA (two seed), LSU (four seed), and George Mason (11 seed) were the last teams standing without a high ranking.
- The Jayhawks started the season with a loss to Bradley as the No.4 seed.
- Before then, the last time there were no No.1 seeds in the Final Four was in 1980, when there were only 48 teams.
In that year, second-seeded Louisville upset eighth-seeded UCLA to win the championship. The highest-seeded teams were Syracuse, LSU, Kentucky, and DePaul. Since the seeding procedure began in 1979, the men’s NCAA Tournament has never been without a top seed in the Elite Eight.
The fact that Kansas is the lone No.1 seed remaining in this year’s Final Four is quite unusual, thus it appears to be a favorable sign for the Jayhawks. There may be one further favorable indicator for KU. The last time there was just one No.1 seed in the Final Four was in 2019, when Virginia won the championship.
This article was first published on March 25, 2022 at 10:32 a.m. Pete has covered a variety of events since joining The Star in 1997, ranging from the World Series to the World Cup. 
Have all four champions ever been No.1 seeds?
Superhuman Strength – 2008 is the only year in which all four No.1 seeds advanced to the Final 4. North Carolina, UCLA, Memphis, and Kansas were those teams. Eight championship games featured a matchup between a No.1 seed: North Carolina defeated Michigan in 1993 Connecticut defeated Duke in 1999.
North Carolina defeated Illinois in 2005. Florida defeated Ohio State in 2007 Kansas defeated Memphis in 2008, Duke defeated Wisconsin in 2015, and North Carolina defeated Gonzaga in 2017. Baylor beats Gonzaga in 2021. North Carolina defeated Michigan in 1993 Connecticut defeated Duke in 1999. North Carolina defeated Illinois in 2005.
Florida defeated Ohio State in 2007 Kansas defeated Memphis in 2008, Duke defeated Wisconsin in 2015, and North Carolina defeated Gonzaga in 2017. Baylor beats Gonzaga in 2021. : 1-Seeds
