Brian Bahr // Getty Images Every year, sports fans are consumed with March Madness and the thrill of the upsets that make–or break–their brackets. Television commentator Brent Musburger wedded the NCAA tournament with the moniker during the 1982 men’s edition, describing upsets with a phrase used for Illinois’ state high school basketball tournament. It stuck, and now, every year, amateur bracketologists try to predict which teams will author Cinderella stories by taking down the big programs in the bracket. March Madness matchups rely on seeding. To get into the Big Dance, a team must win its postseason conference tournament or be one of the 36 best at-large teams, as determined by the selection committee. The NCAA divides the 68 teams into four regions, with each group ranked from #1 to #16 based on several factors, including their performances during the regular season and postseason tournaments. Since full seeding began in 1979, the NCAA has yet to complete the impossible task of sorting teams accurately, as every year has featured multiple upsets. ATS.io compiled a ranking of the biggest men’s March Madness upsets since 1982 using Sports Reference data. Upsets were defined as wins by teams seeded five or more slots lower than their opponents and ranked according to seed difference. The difference between the squads based on Sports Reference’s simple rating system, which rates teams based on average point differential and strength of schedule, broke ties. 2023 ties for 3rd-highest number of upsets in March Madness history ATS.io Upsets have been a factor at every March Madness, but big upsets with seed differences of 10-plus are occurring more frequently. Nineteen of those 40 major upsets have occurred since 2010, and changes within the NCAA may be a factor. In 2018, the governing body altered its rules around student-athlete transfers, abolishing the requirement that players who change schools must sit out a year. This change allows teams to bring in experienced talent and get immediate results. New name, image, and likeness rules that took effect in 2021 have also changed the game for schools’ recruiting efforts, as students can choose–or transfer to–the programs that provide the best opportunities to capitalize on their talents financially. Gameplay is also evolving, with smaller, faster teams finding success on the perimeter of the court against taller teams that rely on their size to dominate in the paint. #10. Richmond beats Syracuse (1991) Focus on Sport // Getty Images – Seeding difference: 13 – SRS difference: 15.29 – Final score: 73-69 Richmond made history in the first round of the 1991 tournament when they became the first #15 seed to topple a #2 seed. Even though Syracuse had won the Big East easily, they didn’t show up for this game. The Spiders led the entire time, and though the Orange got close in the final two minutes, a missed 3-point shot and a botched rebound put Richmond junior Curtis Blair on the free-throw line, and he sank the game-clincher. Richmond’s Cinderella story was short-lived–they lost to #10 seed Temple in the next round, 77-64. #9. Coppin State beats South Carolina (1997) Al Bello // Getty Images – Seeding difference: 13 – SRS difference: 16.30 – Final score: 78-65 A small, historically Black university in West Baltimore, Maryland, relatively unknown Coppin State embodied the very nature of a Cinderella team when it took on the SEC regular-season champions. South Carolina, considered a Final Four team, may have thought this would be an easy win, but the Eagles deemed it at least an even match. They’d played plenty of bigger programs, and just making the Big Dance required two overtime wins in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament. The score was a tie at halftime, but the Gamecocks pulled ahead in the second half. The Eagles clawed back, took the lead with 6:12 remaining, and dominated the rest of the game to become the first MEAC team to win a tournament game. Coppin State’s Danny Singletary and Antoine Brockington were the game’s top scorers with a combined 42 points, while South Carolina star Larry Davis was held to just one field goal–which he didn’t make until the final minute. The Eagles’ Cinderella story ended in the next round when a huge comeback stalled, and they lost by 1 point to #10 seed Texas. In 2022, ESPN released a one-hour documentary called “On & Coppin” that looked at the Eagles’ season and stunning tournament win. #8. Oral Roberts beats Ohio State (2021) Andy Hancock // Getty Images – Seeding difference: 13 – SRS difference: 16.52 – Final score: 75-72, OT The first round of the 2021 tournament had seven upsets–the biggest being #15 Oral Roberts’ takedown of #2 Ohio State in overtime. The Golden Eagles did have Max Abmas, the top scorer in Division I, with 24.2 points per game. However, teammate Kevin Obanor bested him here with 30 points to Abmas’ 29. The Buckeyes didn’t help themselves with 16 turnovers to the Golden Eagles’ six. Ohio State also made just five of 23 attempted 3-pointers–including two misses in the final seconds that could have sent the game into double overtime. After an 81-78 win over #7 seed Florida in which Obanor and Abmas combined for 54 points, Oral Roberts almost upset its way into the Elite Eight but lost to #3 seed Arkansas 72-70. #7. Saint Peter’s beats Kentucky (2022)
Biggest March Madness upsets since 1982
