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.
Who is the first number one seed to lose to a number 16 seed?
| 2018 NCAA tournament South Regional First Round |
|---|
| Spectrum Center, site of the game |
| UMBC Retrievers | Virginia Cavaliers |
|---|---|
| (24–10) | (31–2) |
| 74 | 54 |
| Head coach: Ryan Odom | Head coach: Tony Bennett |
| AP : NR Coaches : NR | AP : 1 Coaches : 1 |
Who is the first number one seed to lose to a number 16 seed?
| 1 | 2 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UMBC | 21 | 53 | 74 |
| Virginia | 21 | 33 | 54 |
| Date | March 16, 2018 |
|---|---|
| Arena | Spectrum Center |
| Location | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Favorite | Virginia by 20.5 |
| Referee(s) | Tim Nestor, Tony Greene, and Todd Austin |
| Attendance | 17,943 |
| United States TV coverage | |
| Network | TNT |
| Announcers | Jim Nantz , Bill Raftery , Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson |
| Nielsen Ratings | 2.0 (national) U.S. viewership: 3.533 million |
On March 16, 2018, during the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, the University of Virginia (Virginia; also UVA) Cavaliers and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Retrievers played a college basketball game at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Retrievers met the Cavaliers, who were ranked 16th in the South regional bracket and first overall in the NCAA Tournament. Virginia and UMBC contended for the opportunity to meet the ninth-seeded Kansas State Wildcats, who had already defeated Creighton earlier in the day. The Retrievers upset the Cavaliers 74–54, becoming the first No.16 seed in NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament history to overcome a No.1 seed.
It was only the second occasion in the history of collegiate basketball, after No.16 Harvard beat No.1 Stanford in the women’s tournament 20 years ago. Additionally, UMBC won its first NCAA Tournament game in school history. Virginia entered the game as a 20.5-point favorite, making UMBC’s triumph the second-largest upset in NCAA Tournament history in terms of point spread, after only Norfolk State’s shock of Missouri in 2012, when Missouri was a 21.5-point favorite.
Has a No.16 seed ever defeated a No.1 seed?
No.13 seeds – 1994 Texas A&M; 2005 Liberty Marist, 2007 Only one team seeded No.14 or higher has ever won a game in the NCAA Women’s Tournament. Harvard was the first No.16 seed to ever defeat a No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, 20 years before to UMBC’s upset of Virginia on the men’s side.
When did a 16 seed defeat a 1 seed?
Has a No.16 seed in the NCAA Tournament ever defeated a No.1 seed? We are now in March. Over the course of the next two weeks, every team will compete in their conference tournament to earn an automatic bid to the and, for teams that are likely already in, to improve their credentials for a higher seed.
Below is a historical overview of the 1 vs.16 seed clash. All-time, No.16 seeds are 1-143. According to NCAA.com, just 15 games between No.1 and No.16 seeds have been decided by 10 points or fewer. Aside from the greatest college basketball upset, the last close game between a 16 seed and 1 seed was in 2014, when the 1 seed won 68-59.
However, in 2018, the UMBC Retrievers stunned the world with their dominating victory against the top-seeded Virginia Cavaliers.
How often has a No.15 seed defeated a No.2 seed in the NCAA tournament?
March Madness history of 15 seed vs 2 seed matchups – Ten 15 seeds have defeated two seeds in the history of the NCAA tournament. Prior to 2022, 15 seeded had a record of 9-135 versus 2s, a 6.25 victory percentage. Here are every instance in which it has ever occurred.
| Year | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Richmond def. Syracuse | 73-69 |
| 1993 | Santa Clara def. Arizona | 64-61 |
| 1997 | Coppin State def. South Carolina | 78-65 |
| 2001 | Hampton def. Iowa State | 58-57 |
| 2012 | Lehigh def. Duke | 75-70 |
| 2012 | Norfolk State def. Missouri | 86-84 |
| 2013 | Florida Gulf Coast def. Georgetown | 78-68 |
| 2016 | Middle Tennessee def. Michigan State | 90-81 |
| 2021 | Oral Roberts def. Ohio State | 75-72 |
| 2022 | Saint Peter’s def. Kentucky | 85-79 |
A few other details: A quarter of the contests have been decided by single-digit margins, about double the percentage of No.16 seeds. Louisiana Monroe and Belmont have the most No.15 seed appearances since the tournament’s expansion, as both teams have four appearances in that position.
Which 15 seed was the first to defeat a 2 seed?
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:
In what season did Duke fall in the opening round?
1955 Against Villanova, 1 of 10 This was Duke’s first appearance in the NCAA tournament, and they were eliminated in the first round. Harold Bradley led his club to a record of 20-8. In the first round, the Blue Devils played Villanova and disappointed their supporters by losing by by one point at Madison Square Garden.
