Every year, a total of sixty five basketball teams participate in the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Championship, and every season, there is at least ...
Every year,
a total of sixty five basketball teams participate in the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Championship, and every season, there is at least one Cinderella squad that managed to beat one or more big names, though regardless of how many top teams they beat, these are the teams most people enjoying rooting for. And since upsets are one of the big reasons why March Madness is so preeminent, here we have our very own list of the the top five in the history of the NCAA.
Five: Richmond vs. Syracuse / Final Score: 73-69
Event: First round of the 1991 season
2 years ago Richmond pulled off an upset, and as a 15th seeded team, they knew the odds were against them, as no team in such position had ever come up with a victory on a tourney match. The Spiders managed to acquire an early lead that they kept during the whole game, while Syracuse was close at times but never represented a threat for Jim Boeheim’s guys.
Four: Princeton vs. UCLA / Final Score: 43-41
Event: First round of the 1996 season
When this match took place, UCLA was the current defending NCAA hoops champion, while Princeton was coming to this match after losing some close tourney games in its previous 4 appearances; they however, had very good offensive men, which truly made the difference. Gabe Lewullis gave the Tigers the victory thanks to a backdoor layup after a pass from Steve Goodrich, and UCLA’s Toby Bailey missed the shot that could had put things even in the scoreboard.
Three: Duke vs. UNLV / Final Score: 73-77
Event: National semifinal game of 1991
In the previous match for the national title game, Nevada defeated the Blue Devils by thirty points, and this time, Duke was expected to be no rival for the Las Vegas squad, whom were coming from 45 straight wins and with their 4 top players in full form. However, Duke’s defensive men were a headache for the Runnin’ Rebels. Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley played their best hoops, with Laettner dipping the last two free throws of the game to give his team the lead for good.
Two: Villanova vs. Georgetown / Final Score: 66-64
Event: National Championship game of 1985
Patrick Ewing led the Hoyas to the 1984 title, and they seemed to be headed the same way, especially against the Wildcats, whom they had beaten 2 times in the season, but Villanova surprised, and were head to head with Georgetown the entire match. At the end they won the game and managed to become the lowest seeded squad to ever win the title.
One: North Carolina State vs. Houston / Final Score: 54-52
Event: Championship game of 1983
NC State had loss ten matches during the regular season and they weren’t expected to make it as far as they did, while the Cougars, with players such as Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon were considered as the top-ranked squad in the country, coming to this game after 25 straight victories. But The Wolfpack had plans of their own, and played phenomenally, going into half time with the lead and keeping overall control over their rival, giving them a victory that meant the team’s second NCAA title.
