15-seeds have some of the most shocking upsets in NCAA March Madness as they have opportunities to knockoff potential champions while being double-digit underdogs.
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In the 2022 March Madness, the St. Peter's Peacocks made history as the first 15-seed to advance to the elite eight. This was not the first time; however, a 15-seed had advanced through the round of 64 and fans have been shocked every time these major underdogs have won.
In 1985 the NCAA expanded their tournament to a 64-team field. Since then, the 15-seeds have gone 10-138, a putrid record which explains the surprise in their victories. If you are a numbers person that mean 15-seeds would win only sixty-nine out of every one thousand games or a win percentage of .069%.
The first time a 15-seed won in the field of 64 was 6 years after its conception. The Richmond Spiders upset the Syracuse Orange 73-69. This was a big point in NCAA March Madness as it was the biggest upset ever. Just three years earlier, Richmond upset Charles Barkley and the Auburn Tigers, but this upset topped even that matchup. The Spiders went on to lose the next round to Temple by thirteen points, 77-64.
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In 1993, the next 15-seed that surmounted a 2-seed was Santa Clara. The Broncos defeated the Arizona Wildcats 64-61 in a thriller. The Wildcats were the first-ranked 2-seed and their loss at the hands of the Broncos put to bed their championship hopes for the 1992-1993 season. The Broncos moved onto the Round of 32 where they were easily handled by the 7-seeded Temple Owls, 68-57.
When the 1996-1997 season rolled around it had been four seasons since the last 15-seed upended a possible championship run by a 2-seed. In 1997, the Coppin State Eagles easily handled the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Gamecocks were close throughout the first half of the game, but it didn't stay that way. In the final 20 minutes, the Eagles blew the game wide open, winning 78-65. Even though they dominated in their first-round matchup, the Eagles were dispatched by the Texas Longhorns in a tight game. The Eagles were almost the first 15-seed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, but that would have to wait as they lost by the slim margin of only one point, 82-81.
Moving into the 21st century, the first 15-seed vs 2-seed upset was in 2001. That year Hampton defeated Iowa State. The Pirates defeated the Cyclones by a nail-biting final score of 58-57. The Pirates however were easily handled by the Georgetown Hoyas. The Pirates ended their final game of the season down nineteen points, 76-57.
It would be eleven years before the next 15-seed won. But 2012 was no disappointment of a year. It was one of the many years to come where 15-seeds would set records. In 2012, two 15-seeds won their first-round matchups. This has not been repeated in the ten NCAA tournaments since. Firstly, the Norfolk State Spartans beat the Tigers of Missouri, 86-84. This was a shocking upset but did not even come close to what would happen in the South region of the bracket. The second 15 versus 2 upset of the 2012 tournament was Lehigh over Duke. Duke was among the favorites to win the 2012 National Championship, which made their early exit an even more surprising phenomenon. The final score to this stunning outcome was 75-70. Sadly, neither team would advance past the Round of 32. Lehigh fell 78-50 at the hands of Xavier and Norfolk State was demolished 84-50 against the Florida Gators.
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Sports fans didn't have to wait long for more history to be made. Florida Gulf Coast University was the 15-seed in the south region during the 2013 NCAA Tournament and it was their turn at history. The Eagles began their tournament by defeating the Georgetown Hoyas 78-68. Their run did not stop there however as they became the first 15-seed to make the second weekend of March Madness. In their second-round matchup the Eagles defeated the San Diego State Aztecs handily, winning 81-71. Sadly, their magical run came to an end at the hands of another team from the Sunshine State, the University of Florida. The Gators won 62-50. FGCU was the first 15-seed to make the Sweet Sixteen, but they would not be the last.
In 2016 Middle Tennessee State defeated Michigan State. This came as a major upset as Hall-of-Famer Tom Izzo's squad was one of the favorites to win the national championship. The Lightning upset the Spartans 90-81 in a game that was never really in question. The Lightning advanced with hopes of being the second 15-seed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. These hopes came crashing to the ground as they were very easily defeated by the Syracuse Orange, 75-50.
The next major upset was in 2021, the year of the pandemic. In response to the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19, the NCAA Tournament was held in a bubble in Indianapolis and surrounding areas of Indiana. This situation diminished the buzz of this great upset, but it was nevertheless impressive. The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles faced the 2-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes and prevailed. In a game that took extra time to decide the Golden Eagles proved superior taking their victory in the Round of 64 by the score of 75-72. In the next round Oral Roberts again won by a mere three points. This time they knocked off the Florida Gators, 81-78. They finally met their match in the third round when they played the Razorbacks of Arkansas. After becoming the second 15-seed to make the Sweet Sixteen the Golden Eagles were defeated 72-70.
However, the greatest run by a 15-seed occurred during the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The Kentucky Wildcats opened as 18-point favorites over the St. Peter's Peacocks but the people in Vegas could not have been more wrong. Saint Peter's took their game against Kentucky and ended up winning by six, 85-79. Shaheen Holloway's new defensive scheme caused a stumbling block for two top offenses all in the first weekend. Murray State was the next victim of the Peacocks. Saint Peter's controlled the game from start to finish as they eventually beat the Racers by a score of 70-60. The next round was that which cemented the Peacocks in the history books. They played the Purdue Boilermakers in a game that seemed like it might have been their last. However, a late surge by the Peacocks preserved their miracle season and they defeated the Boilermakers 67-64. As the Peacocks season wound to an end so did the magic that caused their run to the Elite Eight. North Carolina demolished the Peacocks 69-49 to end the greatest run ever seen in March Madness.
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Ten teams have etched their names into the history books as the few who have defeated the Goliath 2-seeds. Which teams will be the next in this exclusive and demanding book? Maybe even a 15th seeded national champion someday. Until then we will just have to look back to the great stories provided to us from the past.
great article