The Two Greatest March Madness Upsets of All Time

UMBC

In 2018, the whole sports world was shocked. A small school from Baltimore, Maryland, defeated the best team in the country. UMBC won their conference championship that year, going 25-10 in the season. Virginia, on the other hand, lost only three games that year. UMBC came into the game doubtful, but after jumping out to an early lead, they realized that they could compete with this coveted Virginia team. UMBC kept the game close in the first half. The first half ended tied 21-21. In the second half, they caught fire. The game ended in a groundbreaking upset. The final score was 74-54, they didn't just win, they dominated. Jarius Lyles led the team with 28 points. This was the first 16-seed over 1-seed upset ever.

“F-D-U Believe It!”

In 2023, a small school named Farliegh Dickenson University made it to their conference championship game. They kept it close all game but ended up losing in the final moments. They thought their tournament dreams were shattered, but it was soon found out that the team that won was not eligible for the NCAA tournament. This slotted the FDU Knights as a 16 seed set to play the best team in the nation. The Purdue Boilermakers were led by player of the year Zach Edey, a 7 foot 4 inch force. The game was close early, and FDU saw a slim lead for most of the half. The half ended 32-31, FDU leading. Purdue came out of the locker room ready, hitting a three on the first play to take the lead. Purdue was ready to make a run, but FDU came right back soon they led by as many as five points. It remained close the whole game, but good shooting and a limited number of turnovers propelled FDU to victory.