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 /
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19. No. 14 Bucknell over No. 3 Kansas – 2005

  • Bucknell wins 64-53

One of the fun elements of March Madness is seeing small schools get a shot at games with the goliaths of the sport. Perhaps no matchup truly exemplifies this divide than 2005’s first-round matchup in the Syracuse Regional between 14-seed Bucknell and 3-seed Kansas.

Entering the contest, the Jayhawks had gone 23-7 on the season, and they were one of the most dominant programs in college basketball. Kansas ranked among the bluest of the blue bloods, especially since the program was founded by the man who invented the sport, Dr. James Naismith.

Bucknell, on the other hand, was a tiny Patriot League school that was making just its third appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Bison had a solid regular season, but no one expected them to keep things tight with a Kansas team featuring star forward Wayne Simien.

There was no real answer for Simien, who put up 24 and 10 against Bucknell, but the Bison managed to keep the game close until the final minutes. Kansas was up 63-62 with 25.2 seconds left before Chris McNaughton banked in a hook shot over Simien to give Bucknell the lead.

Simien’s tying attempt bounced off the front rim, sealing the upset for a Bucknell squad that featured just five scholarship players and had to borrow a band to play at the arena. The sheer manner in which the things working against Bucknell created a true David toppling Goliath moment, and that is what makes March Madness so fun.

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