16 vs 1 Seed History in March Madness: Revisiting some of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament History
March Madness is all about upsets, and there is no upset like a No. 16 seed versus a No. 1 seed.
Since 1985, when the NCAA Tournament went to its current seeded, 64-team (or a few more now) format, the No. 16 seed over the No. 1 seed is the king of all upsets. By definition, it means that one of the four worst teams in the tournament, generally from a conference most fans never heard of, takes down the top horse.
History of No. 16 seed vs. No. 1 seed upsets in March Madness
For the longest time, it remained hypothetical. But the women's tournament proved it could happen. To this day, no No. 14 seed or No. 15 seed has won a women's tournament game. But in 1998, No. 16 seed Harvard bested No. 1 seed cardinal-football" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Stanford, 71-67, in one of college sports' biggest upsets ever.
Harvard's feat was even more impressive than a men's upset since the top women's seeds play at home. Harvard went to Stanford and beat the Cardinal. For a couple more decades, the men's tournament had no corresponding miracle game.
NCAA No. 16 seeds are 2-152 against No. 1 seeds. When the time came, the 2018 University of Maryland Baltimore County Retreivers were an odd choice to make history.
Coming into the game at 24-10 as champions of the America East Conference, UMBC was a 20 1/2 point underdog to top-seeded Virginia. At 31-2, Virginia was not only a No. 1 seed, they were the No. 1 overall team. UVA did lose standout freshman De'Andre Hunter to a wrist fracture two days before the game.
Virginia utilized–as they still do– a slowed-down style of play that helps even meager foes stay close. And for a half, UMBC did, going to the locker room tied at 21 with the favored Cavaliers. In the second half, UMBC blew Virginia away.
Virginia allowed 53.4 points per game this year. UMBC scored 53 points in the second half. The Retrievers hit a dozen 3-point shots and were led by tiny guard Jairus Lyles, who had 28 points while struggling to stay in the game due to leg cramps. UMBC took an 11-point lead at the first TV timeout of the scond half and won, 74-54.
History repeated itself in 2023. Fairleigh Dickinson went 20-15 in the Northeast Conference. They faced 29-5 Purdue, who was a 23 1/2 point favorite. The Boilermakers featured 7-foot-4 big man Zach Edey, who was the National Player of the Year.
Fairleigh Dickinson hung close from the opening tip, leading 32-31 at halftime. The game continued at that pace, with Purdue pulling within two on a 3-point shot by Fletcher Loyer.
Fairleigh Dickinson didn't flinch, reacting with a 3-pointer by Sean Moore. Purdue had a shot at a tying 3-pointer late, but after a miss, Fairleigh Dickinson won, 63-58.
That win is the largest point-spread upset in NCAA Tournament history. And it's the biggest upset in the short history of No. 16 vs. No. 1 seeds... so far.
Almost upsets: No. 16 seeds vs. No. 1 seeds
In the first year of the modern format, 1985, Fairleigh Dickinson almost made history. They led No. 1 seed MIchigan 26-20 at halftime before losing 59-55. March Madness might not have even been a thing yet, but FDU almost created it.
Something must have been in the water in 1989, because not one but two No. 1 seeds held on for dear life against upset minded No. 16 seeds. Georgetown edged out Princeton 50-49 in a game that is often sited as helping to improve the profile of early rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
In the same season, Oklahoma hung on to sneak past East Tennessee State, 72-71. Also in 1989, No. 1 seed Illinois only won its game by six, 77-71, over McNeese State. If anyone doubted the March Madness bona fides over No. 16 seed, 1989 should have ended that conversation.
In 1990, Murray State made it all the way to overtime before they finally fell to top-seeded Michigan State by a 75-71 margin. Western Carolina took Purdue to the last shot in a 73-71 loss in 1996 in a case of almost March Madness insanity.
Before the UMBC/VIrginia game, the last single-digit No. 16 vs. No. 1 game was in 2014, when Arizona outlasted Weber State 68-59. Damian Lillard's alma mater nearly delivered a March Madness miracle. But until 2018, nobody had broken through the glass ceiling.
Now the question is who will be the third No. 16 seed to take down a No. 1 seed?