Ranking the eight No. 15 vs No. 2 upsets in March Madness history

3. Hampton: 58, Iowa State: 57 (2001)

Back in 2001, the Iowa State Cyclones entered March Madness as one of the teams that many considered to be a favorite to win it all. Led by a trio of stars headline by future NBA player Jamaal Tinsley, the Cyclones were primed to make a deep run through the tournament. Little did Iowa State know, though, that the Hampton Pirates—even at a lowly No. 15 seed—had much different plans for the Cyclones’ future in March.

Hampton jumped out to an early lead and were up by four points at halftime. However, the more polished and more touted team in Iowa State was able to re-secure the advantage in the second half and, as the clock ticked below two minutes left in the game, the Cyclones looked as if they were on the verge of putting the Pirates away. They must have thought they had it in the bag, though, because they let Hampton climb right back into it. While Iowa State was held scoreless over the last two minutes Hampton scored twice, including a Tarvis Williams go-ahead lay-up with just over five seconds left on the clock to go up by one.

Hampton was able to bother Tinsley on the potential game-winner, a shot that ultimately missed to lift No. 15 Hampton to the next round. With the effort that the Pirates showed in that final stretch of the game on both ends in a matchup where they were at a severe disadvantage, this upset being at No. 3 on this list is an easy call.

Next: No. 2 Florida Gulf Coast over Georgetown