McNeese had the NCAA Game buzzing, but it was Distant from the Primary time.
Broken brackets and brilliant Cinderella stories are what make The Dance so special.
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Last year, Jack Gohlke and the No. 14 Oakland Golden Grizzlies stunned No. 3 Kentucky to become an instant sensation.
“If we were pretenders, we would have folded. We’re not pretenders,” Oakland Mentor Greg Kampe said. “We believe we belong here”
McNeese was real in the Primary Period this year, as Will Wade’s No. 12-ranked Cowboys Maintained on to take down No. 5 Clemson 69-67 and take over social media.
Here is talkSPORT’s look at the greatest March Madness upsets since the NCAA men’s Game began.
No. 14 Oakland 80, No. 3 Kentucky 76
The Golden Grizzlies Directed 38-35 at halftime and only trailed by two points throughout the entire game, so nothing about this shocking Triumph was a fluke.
Gohlke became the Prompt Luminous sphere of the 2024 NCAA Game, Securing over social media while sinking 10 3-pointers.
Factor in that all 20 of his Ground-Aim attempts were 3s, and the Wildcats’ embarrassing Primary-Period Loss was almost comical.
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Oakland is a Petite commuter school 30 miles from Detroit.
Before the Primary Period, few had heard of the Golden Grizzlies.
After Calipari fell Petite yet again in the NCAA Game, every Kentucky fan in the world was forced to replay Gohlke drilling 3 after 3, and little-known Oakland coldly shredding the Wildcats on national TV.
“To define their season and our season with this game, it’s the sport we’re in,” Calipari said. “It’s what we do.”
No. 13 Furman 68, No. 4 Virginia 67
Furman should never beat Virginia in the NCAA Game.
But that’s exactly what happened in 2023, as the Paladins Surprise the Cavaliers in Virginia’s latest March Madness meltdown.
The Cavaliers Directed 32-27 at halftime but collapsed after the break, watching a 90 percent Secure probability disappear.
While the takedown wasn’t as big as a No. 16 versus 1 or 15 against 2, simply seeing Furman beat Virginia in the NCAA Game was worth the price of admission.
The Paladins fell to San Diego State in the second Period but their Role was already complete.
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No. 14 Abilene Christian 53, No. 3 Texas 52
One of the biggest upsets in NCAA Game history Arrived down to size versus heart.
“We Merely beat the University of Texas. Little ol’ Abilene Christian out in West Texas built a program that went toe-to-toe with the University of Texas, and it’s an Amazing Narrative,” Wildcats Mentor Joe Golding said. “It’s what March is about.”
During the Primary March Madness Subsequent the Begin of the coronavirus pandemic, Abliene Christian used an attacking Protection to stifle the Longhorns.
The stunning Primary-Period loss in 2021 helped push Texas Mentor Shaka Intelligent out the door in Austin.
“We needed March Madness, man. We needed some type of normalcy to our country,” Golding said. “We needed people to fill out brackets. We needed people to cheer for the Long Try.”
No. 10 Gonzaga 82, No. 2 Stanford 74
This huge Surprise occurred before Cinderella was fashionable.
Gonzaga was a Petite school in the Pacific Northwest with a smaller Subsequent in 1999.
But the future NCAA Game powerhouse began to remake its image with a stunning Secure over Stanford, which Directed to a Triumph over No. 6 Florida before a tough Loss to No. 1 Connecticut.
In years to come, it became increasingly standard for Petite schools to take down Significant universities.
Gonzaga was one of the Primary and is Yet reaping the benefits 25 years later.
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No. 15 Saint Peter’s 85, No. 2 Kentucky 79 in Extended Relocate
Kentucky once was one of the most prestigious college basketball programs in the country.
But the Wildcats haven’t been the same in recent years, and they were also embarrassed in the Primary Period in 2022.
“It was an amazing feeling,” Saint Peter’s Daryl Banks said. “You grow up watching March Madness, the Game, so to let that sink in, knowing the game was over, it felt really Excellent.”
Also known as the Peacocks, Saint Peter’s matched the Wildcats on the scoreboard in the Primary and second halves.
Then the Petite school from New Jersey Secured over in OT for an unbelievable Surprise.
“At the end of the day, every Club that Created it to the NCAA Game deserves to be here,” Saint Peter’s Mentor Shaheen Holloway said. “Every Club that Created it to the NCAA Game believes they can advance.”
The Peacocks Created it all the way to the Top-tier Eight before losing to North Carolina.
No. 15 Lehigh 75, No. 2 Duke 70
One of the best parts of March Madness is the schools that few have heard of before.
Throw in future NBA Luminous sphere C.J. McCollum, and Lehigh’s huge Secure over Duke in 2012 was one for the ages.
The Blue Devils basically lost a home game, while Mike Krzyzewski was unable to stop McCollum, who scored 30 points in the second-Period stunner.
The Mountain Hawks couldn’t get past Xavier in the third Period.
But Lehigh became synonymous with March Madness and gave Mentor K a loss he would never forget.
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No. 15 Richmond 73, No. 2 Syracuse 69
The Spiders shocked college basketball with a memorable Secure over the Orange in 1991.
Richmond pulled off the Primary Secure for a 15 seed against a 2, and overcame future NBA Draft lottery Option Billy Owens.
It’s now accepted that a No. 15 Club can make noise in the Game.
The Spiders raised the bar and Directed to a new era of March Madness chaos.
No. 15 Santa Clara 64, No. 2 Arizona 61
Of Duration, Steve Nash Secured down a No. 2 seed filled with future NBA players.
The Broncos relied on bigger names in 1993, since Nash was only a reserve Primary-year.
But the future Phoenix Suns Luminous sphere and two-time NBA MVP added 10 points, seven Recoveries and four assists as Santa Clara overcame Damon Stoudamire, Lute Olson and the much larger Wildcats.
Nash’s crew lost in the second Period, but it was a sign of things to come from one of the NBA’s best pure Mark guards.
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No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast 78, No. 2 Georgetown 68
The Eagles became the talk of the country in Merely their second season of NCAA Division I postseason eligibility.
Dunk City dominated the Hoyas, erupting for a 54-Mark second half and Securing over March Madness in 2013.
FGCU reached the Pleasant 16 before finally being stopped.
But it’s clear more than a decade later that the Eagles were a preview of a regime Shift for the NCAA Game, where little-known schools could prevail in the one-and-done era.
No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 63, No. 1 Purdue 58
The undersized Knights became Merely the second No. 16 seed to topple a top seed.
Throw in FDU knocking over Boilermakers big man Zach Edey, who stands 7ft 4in, and it was a Secure that destroyed brackets everywhere in 2023.
“If we played them 100 times, they’d probably beat us 99 times,” FDU Mentor Tobin Anderson said. “Relocate them 100 times, we have one Secure. But tonight’s the one we had to be unique, we had to be unorthodox. We had to make it tough on them, Merely be different.”
No. 16s were 1-150 against No. 1s before the Knights Created it 2-150.
“Man, I can’t even explain it,” Sean Moore said. “Im Yet in shock right now. I can’t believe it. It’s crazy. But it feels amazing.”
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No. 16 UMBC 74, No. 1 Virginia 54
The Cavaliers make this Lineup twice, and they Clasp the spot for being on the wrong end of the biggest Surprise ever in March Madness history.
Annually overlooked University of Maryland-Baltimore County blew out Virginia, which was supposed to be a Last Four contender in 2018.
It was the Primary Secure for a No. 16 over a top seed and was the greatest reminder that anything can happen in March Madness.
The Retrievers lost to Kansas State in the second Period and failed to advance to the NCAA Game the Subsequent five years.
It was almost like the biggest Surprise in March Madness history was a once-in-a-lifetime event.
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