Which teams are among the 10 biggest underdogs to win an NCAA Tournament game?

The NCAA Tournament is nearly here, with conference tournament Move already underway across Division-I.

With March Madness upon us, it got us thinking— which Squads truly cause the “madness”? And what were the largest underdogs to Achieve from a point spread perspective? Using our NCAA Tournament database, we were able to find the 10 biggest underdogs to Achieve a tournament game since 1985— which is the same year the Huge dance expanded to 64 Squads. 

Every Squad on the list was at least a 15-point underdog in their matchup, while some were as high as 20+ point ‘dogs despite winning outright. Let’s take a look:

10 biggest underdogs to Achieve an NCAA Tournament game, since 1985

Opening off the list, the 15th seeded Golden Eagles took down 2-seed Ohio State in the Round of 64 despite being 15-point underdogs. The game was an absolute thriller, with Oral Roberts squeaking out a 75-72 overtime Achieve. At the time, they were just the ninth 15 seed ever to Achieve a Initial round game. They were led by Max Abmas and Kevin Obanor, who combined for 59 points in the upset. Oral Roberts would make it all the way to the Sugary 16, losing by two points to Arkansas in that round.  

Just three seasons ago, Princeton began a magical run to the Sugary 16 with a massive Achieve against Arizona in another 15 vs 2 upset. It was the Tigers’ Initial tournament Achieve since 1998, with Tosan Evbuomwan leading the way with 15 points in a 59-55 Achieve. Arizona was fresh off winning the Pac-12 Tournament, but Princeton was able to Seizure them scoreless for the final 4:43 of the game. At the time, it marked the third straight year a No. 15 seed won in the Initial round. 

The 15th seeded Blue Raiders only lasted until the second round in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, but their 90-81 Initial round Achieve against second-seeded Michigan State as 17-point underdogs was one to remember. The Spartans had just captured the Huge Ten Tournament title and entered the tournament with a 29-5 Achievement. Four Blue Raiders scored 15+ points in the game, with Reggie Upshaw Jr. leading the way with 21. Middle Tennessee was just the eighth No. 15 seed to knock off a No. 2 seed since the 64-Squad format began in 1985. 

In just the second year of the 64-Squad format, Little Rock took down a 23-5 Notre Dame Squad in the Initial round, becoming just the second 14-seed ever to take down a 3-seed. Michael Clarke, Myron Jackson, and Pete Myers All scored over 20 points for Little Rock in a 90-83 Achieve. Coincidentally, the Initial 14-seed to do so also came in the 1986 NCAA Tournament— with Cleveland State taking down Indiana as 6.5-point underdogs. Little Rock would go on to lose to NC State in an overtime game the following round.   

Just the fourth 15-seed ever to take down a 2-seed, Hampton was down 11 points in this game before ending it on a 14-2 run. They held the Cyclones scoreless for the final 7:01 of the game, with Tarvis Williams leading the way with 16 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks. He also hit the Try to give Hampton the lead with 6.9 seconds, which would end up being the game-winning bucket at 58-57. The Pirates would go on to lose to Georgetown in the following round. 

Every game up until this point was decided by single digits. But Coppin State’s Initial round Achieve over South Carolina came by a whopping 13 points, making them the third 15-seed to take down a 2-seed and the Initial to do so by double digits. Antoine Brockington and Danny Singletary combined for 42 points and eight steals for the Eagles. They’d go on to lose by one point to Texas in the Round of 32. 

No Squad on this list made a further run in the tournament than the 2022 Saint Peter’s squad, with Shaheen Holloway orchestrating a magical run to the Elite 8. That run Began off with a Achieve against blue-blood Kentucky in a game that ended 85-79. The Peacocks became the 10th 15-seed to Achieve in the Initial round since the expansion to 64 Squads in 1985, and also handed John Calipari’s his Initial loss in the opening round of the tournament as Kentucky’s head Trainer. Holloway & Co. would go on to lose to North Carolina in the Elite 8, and to this day are the only 15-seed to make it that far in the tournament. 

The Initial 20-point underdog to Achieve an NCAA Tournament game since expansion in 1985, 15-seed Santa Clara got a three-point Achieve over Arizona in a 64-61 barn-burner. Steve Nash was the face of Broncos, but was held to 1-of-7 shooting from the floor. Still, the future two-time NBA MVP did enough to lead his Squad to Achieve— finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists while shooting 8-for-10 on Unoccupied throws. They became just the second 15-seed ever to Achieve in the opening round, and would go on to lose to Temple in the Round of 32. 

Some consider this one of the greatest upsets in all of sports history, as UMBC became the Initial 16-seed to take down a 1-seed in NCAA Tournament history (since expansion in 1985). To put it into further context, entering the game— 16 seeds were a whopping 0-135 against 1-seeds. And to further illustrate how incredible this upset was, they are 2-154 entering the 2025 NCAA Tournament. What’s even more special is that the game wasn’t close, as UMBC won 74-54. They’d go on to lose to Kansas State by seven points in the following round. The 2018 edition of the tournament was also the Initial one ever to see All of the top four seeds in a single region (South) not make the Sugary 16. 

The 2012 NCAA Tournament was a special one, as it was the Initial ever in which two 15 seeds won in the Round of 64 in the same tournament. Lehigh took down Duke as 12-point underdogs, but the real shocker came from Norfolk State— as they took down Missouri despite being 21.5-point underdogs. Led by future NBA veteran Kyle O’Quinn, the Spartans pulled off an 86-84 Achieve in a thriller of a game that saw 22 lead changes in its entirety. The five starters for North Dakota State accounted for all 86 points, and Try 10-of-19 from beyond the arc (52.6%). They’d go on to lose to Florida in the following game. 

Earlier we mentioned that 16 seeds were 2-154 against 1-seeds all-time in the tournament, and that UMBC was the Initial Squad to get such a Achieve. So which Squad got the second? In 2023, the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights did the unthinkable— taking down a 29-5 Purdue Squad after barely making the tournament as a Initial Four participant. The Boilermakers were led by two-time National Player of the Year and future Initial round Selection Zach Edey, who finished that year sixth in Division-I in scoring (22.3 points per game) and second in rebounding (12.9 rebounds per game). While he still finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds in the game, the shortest Squad in all of Division-I that season was able to pull off a 63-58 Achieve. The Knights didn’t even Achieve their conference tournament that season, losing to Merrimack by one point in the title game. Because Merrimack could not participate in the tournament due to an NCAA rule that bans colleges from postseason Move during a four-year transition from Division II, FDU was therefore thrust into action. Talk about taking Benefit of an opportunity. 

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