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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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13. No. 11 VCU over No. 1 Kansas – 2011

  • VCU wins 71-61

The 2011 NCAA Tournament will always have an interesting historical reference point. That edition of March Madness was the first to expand to 68 teams, bringing with it the creation of the First Four.

The First Four games would force the last four at-large teams to play in Dayton to earn their place in the main draw. One of the first entrants in the First Four was 11 seed VCU, a controversial choice since many experts felt the Rams hadn’t done enough to merit inclusion in the field.

VCU got out of Dayton by topping USC, following up that performance with wins over Georgetown, Purdue, and Florida State to earn a shot at the tournament’s top overall seed, the Kansas Jayhawks. That edition of the Jayhawks featured the Morris twins, Tyshawn Taylor running the point, and sweet-shooting Brady Morningstar on the perimeter.

Kansas entered the game with a 35-2 record, but that didn’t intimidate VCU, which took control of the game from the jump, building a 41-27 halftime lead. That cushion was plenty for the Rams, who stunned Kansas to complete an improbable run from the First Four to the Final Four.

Having a team go from the First Four to the Final Four in year one gave the new format legitimacy, which the NCAA absolutely loved. Any time a First Four game happens now people always reference VCU as a reason not to count out a deep run from someone playing in Dayton.

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