Upsets in March Madness keep people coming back and watching every season. If the higher seed always won, there wouldn't be much excitement for the NCAA Tournament.
However, that isn't how sports work, and every year, some lower-seeded teams make runs. Teams like Fairleigh Dickinson and UMBC have captured America's hearts, while Coppin State and Santa Clara were some of the early Cinderella stories.
One of the only (almost) sure things is that the No. 1 seed advances to the second round, but on two occasions, the No. 16 seed prevailed. The betting world has provided us a way to track the biggest upsets in March Madness history, as the odds can show us who exactly were the biggest underdogs.
It's time to look at the five biggest upsets in March Madness history, ranked. Check out the gallery below to see what was the most shocking upset.
5. Santa Clara vs. Arizona, 1993
It's hard to believe that an 18.5-point underdog can win a game in March. It's even more surprising when that team was on the wrong end of a 25-0 run in that game.
The No. 2-seed Arizona went on a 25-0 run, taking a 46-33 lead with 15 minutes remaining. Santa Clara dominated the rest of the way, as Arizona scored just eight points in the next 13 minutes.
Future NBA MVP Steve Nash hit clutch shots at the end of the game, and Santa Clara held on for a 64-61 victory and became the second No. 15 seed to win an NCAA Tournament game.
4. Coppin State vs. South Carolina, 1997
Coppin State was the first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference team to win an NCAA Tournament game, which made their victory over South Carolina even more surprising. They managed to enter halftime with a tie game, then outscored South Carolina by 13 points in the second half to win 78-65. Coppin State was also an 18.5-point underdog, the same as Santa Clara four years earlier.
3. Norfolk State vs. Missouri, 2012
Norfolk State barely beat Missouri, becoming the first No. 15 seed to upset a No. 2 seed since 2001. Kyle O'Quinn had a massive performance, finishing the game with 26 points and 14 rebounds.
However, he missed two free throws with 3.8 seconds remaining to keep the lead at two points. Missouri had a 3-pointer at the buzzer to win, but Phil Pressey missed the open shot. Norfolk State persevered despite being 21-point underdogs.
2. Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Purdue, 2023
The biggest upset in terms of point spread was Fairleigh Dickinson's victory over Purdue in 2023. FDU were 23.5-point underdogs entering the game but defeated the Boilermakers 63-58. The story was a perfect definition of March Madness, as Fairleigh Dickinson was the shortest team in Division I but went toe-to-toe with Zach Edey.
FDU didn't allow Edey to shoot for the final nine minutes of the game, and they held Purdue without a point for 5 1/2 minutes in the second half. FDU took a five-point lead with a minute left and the rest was history.
1. UMBC vs. Virginia, 2018
UMBC took the world by storm in 2018, becoming the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 in NCAA Tournament history. Like Coppin State, UMBC entered halftime tied with the Cavaliers.
Most viewers expected Virginia to figure out their issues and dominate in the second half, but the Retrievers completely flipped the script. The Retrievers won by 20 points as 20-point underdogs.
UMBC outscored Virginia 53-33 in the second half, ending a run of 135 consecutive wins for No. 1 seeds over No. 16s. The digital age helped UMBC become one of the greatest stories in March Madness history.
The school's athletic department had 5,000 followers on Twitter before the game and had 110,000 by the end of the weekend. UMBC's run was short-lived, as Kansas State topped the Retrievers in the second round.
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