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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 /
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6. No. 6 NC State over No. 1 Houston – 1983

  • NC State wins 54-52

Let’s take another break from the first round upsets and take a peek at one of the more memorable upsets in championship game history. This one came back in 1983 when NC State stunned Houston at the buzzer to win the title.

The Houston Cougars, featuring future NBA Hall-of-Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, had dominated the sport all year. Better known as Phi Slama Jama, the Cougars entered the title game with a 31-1 record and were heavily favored to beat 6-seed NC State.

Jim Valvano‘s Wolfpack stumbled during the regular season and needed a miraculous run in the ACC Tournament just to get an at-large bid. Once in the dance, NC State again snuck through, scoring three of its first four victories by two points or less to get to the Final Four.

With the championship game at The Pit in New Mexico, NC State caught a break with the altitude interfering with the high-flying Houston offense. Olajuwon had to check out of the contest on several occasions to receive oxygen, helping the Wolfpack keep things close.

The game was tied at 52 in the final seconds when NC State guard Dereck Whittenburg heaved a 30-footer that Lorenzo Charles grabbed and put back for the winning two points. This stunning finish will forever be remembered for the postgame shots of Valvano frantically running around the floor looking for someone to hug.

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