There are upsets every March, but not all upsets are created equal. Some are so massive, so out of nowhere, that we remember them long after the tournament is over. Below are five such instances from this decade.
Kansas Jayhawks, 2010
With a starting line-up the featured future first round draft picks Cole Aldrich, Marcus Morris, Xavier Henry, future second round pick Tyshawn Taylor, and first team All-American Sherron Collins, Kansas entered the 2010 tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. They won both the Big 12 regular season and tournament. They lost just three games. And then they met No. 9 Northern Iowa in the second round, and Northern Iowa took it all with just two points, 69-67.
Duke Blue Devils, 2012
In one of the most memorable first round upsets in tournament history, the No. 2 seeded Blue Devils were conquered by No. 15 Lehigh, 75-70 … in Greensboro, N.C. Duke was a young, but very talented team, featuring the Plumlee brothers and Austin Rivers. Lehigh was, well, no one had really heard of Lehigh, even though they had one heck of a player in C.J. McCollum.
Missouri Tigers, 2012
And we thought two 14-seeds winning on the first Thursday this year was fun, in 2012, two 15-seeds won in the first round, the second of which was Norfolk State against Missouri. The NSU Spartans were making their first tournament appearance of all time, and took out the 30-win Tigers, 86-84.
Georgetown Hoyas, 2013
The Hoyas entered the tournament as a 2-seed after winning the Big East regular season championship. They were led by forward Otto Porter, a first team All-American and the Big East Player of the Year, who would go on to be the third overall pick in the NBA Draft. But Georgetown ended up by no match for first-timers Florida Gulf Coast. The win sent Dunk City on a magical run to the round of 16, where they lost to Florida.
Villanova Wildcats, 2015
After winning both the Big East regular season and the Big East Tournament, Villanova earned a No. 1 seed and seemed set-up for a run to the national semifinal. N.C. State — considered a bubble team before its run in the ACC Tournament — had other ideas, and took out the Wildcats in the round of 32.
And it’s not over yet: The biggest upsets may still be to come. Reebok is giving you a shot to see the semifinals and the potential greatest stakes yet. So get ready for some broken hearts.
