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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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14. No. 1 UConn over No.1 Duke – 1999

  • UConn wins 77-74

It’s time to trigger some bad memories for Duke fans again as their second appearance on the list comes here. This spot is not a first-round upset but actually our first massive upset to come in the national championship game.

The stage was set for a coronation of Duke in 1999, which featured one of the most dominant rosters that Mike Krzyzewski has ever assembled. Headlined by future pros Elton Brand, Corey Maggette and Shane Battier, Duke wiped the floor with its opposition during the regular season, going 32-1.

The lone defeat was by a bucket in December to Cincinnati, and all of America thought that the NCAA Tournament would simply be a formality for the Blue Devils. No one told that to Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun, who led the Huskies to a shocking upset in the national title game.

The Huskies made their first Final Four appearance in 1999, knocking off Ohio State to earn a date with Duke, which at that point was riding a 32-game winning streak. Oddsmakers installed the Blue Devils as 9.5 point favorites, but Connecticut stunned them anyway with a 77-74 victory to give Calhoun his first championship.

In terms of the point spread, this is the largest upset in the championship game in the history of the NCAA Tournament. UConn was a one seed as well, however, so it does lessen the overall impact of the upset just a tad.

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