The 5 most shocking results in NCAA March Madness opening weekend history

FDU shocks the world
A time for upsets
Shock results
Saint Peter’s defeats Kentucky, 2019 (5)
Saint Peter's guards turned up
A first March Madness win
Middle Tennessee beats Michigan State, 2016 (4)
Getting it done
'We wanted to win'
Lehigh defeats Duke, 2012 (3)
McCollum masterclass
'They played that well'
Fairleigh Dickinson defeat Purdue, 2023 (2)
Here on a technicality
A miracle
UMBC beats Virginia, 2018 (1)
The manner of victory
Lyles was a standout
FDU shocks the world

16th seed Fairleigh Dickinson shocked the basketball world last week, beating number one seed Purdue in the first round of March Madness.

A time for upsets

The opening round of March Madness is prime time for upsets in the competition, with FDU becoming the second team in the tournament's history to beat a first seed as the 16th seed.

Shock results

After FDU's magical weekend, let's look at the five most shocking upsets in March Madness history.

Saint Peter’s defeats Kentucky, 2019 (5)

15 seed Saint Peter's defeated two-seed Kentucky in the opening weekend of the 2022 March Madness, creating more heartache for 'The Wildcats,' who hadn't won a game in the tournament since 2019.

Saint Peter's guards turned up

Guards Daryl Banks 111 and Doug Edert combined for 47 points in the game, marking a career-high for Banks in the memorable victory.

A first March Madness win

The victory for Saint Peter's was their first-ever win at the NCAA March Madness event. The school is small, with just 3500 students attending the college in Jersey City.

Middle Tennessee beats Michigan State, 2016 (4)

Middle Tennessee State became the eighth team number 15th seed to upset a number two seed at March Madness, toppling Michigan State 90-81 in the opening round of the 2016 tournament.

Getting it done

Middle Tennessee players Reggie Upshaw and Giddy Potts combined for 40 points in the victory, helping complete this incredible feat for the first time since 2013.

'We wanted to win'

According to espn.com, Giddy Potts said, "We wanted to win this game as bad as anybody wanted us to win. We played our (butts) off today."

Lehigh defeats Duke, 2012 (3)

Duke had a roster of eight future NBA players, led by Mason Plumlee, Austin Rivers, and the infamous coach Mike Krzyzewski. However, it wasn't enough to beat 15th seed Lehigh in 2012, who NBA star CJ McCollum led.

McCollum masterclass

The future NBA star showed his class in the game, showcasing the talent the NBA would come to love in the future, dropping 30 points on Duke, helping his side win 75-70.

'They played that well'

According to espn.com, Coach K said, "Tonight's one of those lows. But it wasn't just our doing. They played that well. They played that well. And again, my hat's off to them."

Fairleigh Dickinson defeat Purdue, 2023 (2)

The second most shocking upset was the second time a number 16 seed defeated a number one seed team after FDU defeated Purdue 63-58 last week.

Here on a technicality

FDU is only in March Madness on a technicality, losing to Merrimack in the NEC tournament title game. Still, Merrimack was ineligible because they hadn't fully transitioned into an NCAA Division One school.

A miracle

After bringing in former D2 coach Tobin Anderson, the progression has been monumental, going from a 4-22 season last year to beating the number one seed at March Madness by points spread of 23.5. The largest upset by points spread since 1985.

UMBC beats Virginia, 2018 (1)

The University of Maryland-Baltimore County shocked the sporting world, becoming the first 16th seed to defeat a first seed in March Madness history.

The manner of victory

If a 16th seed beating a first seed wasn't shocking enough, the manner of the victory left the basketball world speechless, with UMBC beating Virginia by 20 points (74-54).

Lyles was a standout

UMBC was led by Jairus Lyles, who dropped 28 points in the game. UMBC scored 53 second-half points, one point shy of the number-one seed's entire total for the game.

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