Fansided

20 most shocking NCAA Tournament upsets that put the ‘madness’ in March

By Mike Phillips

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: K.J. Maura #11 and Jairus Lyles #10 of the UMBC Retrievers talk during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Virginia Cavaliers at the Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Retrievers won 74-54. Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** K.J. Macura;Jairus Lyles
CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: K.J. Maura #11 and Jairus Lyles #10 of the UMBC Retrievers talk during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Virginia Cavaliers at the Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Retrievers won 74-54. Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** K.J. Macura;Jairus Lyles /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
10 of 20
Next

11. No. 15 Hampton over No. 2 Iowa State – 2001

  • Hampton wins 58-57

Another 15-over-2 upset comes in 2001 when Big 12 champion Iowa State was shockingly felled by 15 seed Hampton in the Round of 64. This was another order of magnitude type upset, so let’s provide some context here.

Iowa State simply dominated the Big 12, going 13-3 in the regular season to claim the title before losing to Baylor in the conference tournament. Led by future pro Jamaal Tinsley, the Cyclones went 25-5 to earn a no. 2 seed.

Their opponent in the contest was the Hampton Pirates, a team out of the MEAC making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. There were clearly no jitters from the Pirates, who hung tough with Iowa State throughout the contest.

The game came down to the final moments, with Iowa State clinging to a 57-56 lead before Tarvis Williams hit the go-ahead jumper with 6.9 seconds to go. Williams, the MEAC Player of the Year in 2001, would turn out to be the hero as Tinsley went the length of the floor only to see his potential winning layup roll off the front of the rim.

The run wouldn’t go on for Hampton, which was blown out by Georgetown in its next game, but the memories of Williams’ clutch bucket are still a part of March Madness lore.

Home/March Madness