Oh, the madness: All the No. 15 seeds that have beaten a No. 2 seed
Saint Peter’s became the 10th No. 15 seed to win a game in NCAA tournament history Thursday night when it shocked second-seeded Kentucky in an East Region game.
Two more No. 15 seeds get a chance for upsets today when Jacksonville State faces off with No. 2 Auburn in the Midwest Region and Cal State Fullerton meets No. 2 Duke in the West Region.
Here is a look at all the No. 15 seeds who won the first round. (Worth noting: Two No. 15s also have won a second-round game.)
2022: Saint Peter’s over Kentucky 85-79
Saint Peter’s defense helped the Peacocks finish second in the MAAC, then win the conference tournament after top-seeded Iona was upset in the quarterfinals. But there was no way the Peacocks had the offense to hang with UK, right? As it turned out, Saint Peter’s had the more free-flowing offense in the game and finished the night shooting 50.9 percent from the field, including 52.9 percent (9-of-17) from 3-point range. The nine made 3-pointers was the Peacocks’ second-highest total of the season. Defensively, they held the much more talented Wildcats to 42.6 percent, including 4-of-15 from beyond the arc.
2021: Oral Roberts over Ohio State 75-72 (OT)
The Golden Eagles won the Summit League as the No. 4 seed and were given little chance against the Buckeyes because their defense was so bad. No matter: G Max Abmas and F Kevin Obanor bombed away from 3-point range (a combined 10-of-22) to lift ORU to the upset. Those two combined for 59 points and 16 rebounds. Ohio State rallied late and missed a shot at the end of regulation that could have won it, then Obanor dominated in the extra period. Ohio State outrebounded ORU 49-32, but the Buckeyes were sloppy and committed 16 turnovers to the Golden Eagles’ six. ORU also upset No. 7 seed Florida in the second round, rallying from a double-digit deficit in the final 10 minutes before falling by two to third-seeded Arkansas in the Sweet 16.
2016: Middle Tennessee State over Michigan State 90-81
MTSU won the Sun Belt tourney as the No. 2 seed and was matched up with a Michigan State team that some thought could win the national title. Oops. The Blue Raiders were the most athletic team and played their free-wheeling style, not bothered by Michigan State’s physicality. MTSU hit 11 3-pointers, and all five starters scored in double figures as it carved up the Spartans’ defense. Michigan State shot 55.6 percent from the field — and lost. MTSU lost by 25 to 10th-seeded Syracuse in the next round, with the Orange zone confounding the Blue Raiders.
2013: Florida Gulf Coast over Georgetown 78-68
The guys from “Dunk City” had their fun at the expense of the Hoyas. Florida Gulf Coast won the Atlantic Sun tournament as the No. 2 seed, then gradually pulled away from Georgetown because of its surprisingly good defense (the Hoyas shot just 37.4 percent) and superior athleticism. The overriding memory from the game is PG Brett Comer tossing an alley-oop pass to Chase Fieler to send the crowd into a frenzy in the final minutes. FGCU beat seventh-seeded San Diego State by 10 in the second round before falling to third-seeded Florida by 12 in the Sweet 16.
2012: Norfolk State over Missouri 86-84
This was Mizzou’s last NCAA appearance as a member of the Big 12, but it became memorable for far more than that. The Tigers took a buzzsaw to the rest of the field in the Big 12 tourney, winning their three games by a combined 47 points. But Norfolk State, which won the MEAC tourney as the No. 2 seed, carved up Mizzou’s defense, with four players scoring in double figures and three scoring at least 20. Future NBA C Kyle O’Quinn had 26 points and 14 rebounds for Norfolk State, which lost by 34 to Florida in the next round.
2012: Lehigh over Duke 75-70
The skinny: Norfolk State’s upset came in an afternoon TV window; this came later that same night. Duke was playing in Greensboro, about 60 miles from its campus. But the Blue Devils had no answer for future NBA star C.J. McCollum, who had 30 points, six rebounds and six steals. Duke was effective in the paint, but was just 6-of-26 from 3-point range. Lehigh, which was the Patriot League champ, lost to Xavier by 12 in the second round.
2001: Hampton over Iowa State 58-57
The skinny: Tarvis Williams hit a 4-footer in the lane with 6.9 seconds left to lift the Pirates to the improbable win. The lasting image is of then-coach Steve Merfeld being carried around by Pirates reserve David Johnson (pictured above), pumping his fists in celebration. Unbelievable-but-true fact: Williams scored on an assist by Marseilles Brown – who was a guard on the Richmond team that won as a No. 14 seed against South Carolina in 1998. Hampton, which was the MEAC champ, lost by 19 to Georgetown in the second round.
(An aside: Merfeld currently is on staff at Creighton; while Saint Peter’s was beating Kentucky on Thursday night, Creighton at the same time was rallying to beat San Diego State in overtime.)
1997: Coppin State over South Carolina 78-65
The skinny: The Eagles won the MEAC tourney as the No. 1 seed but had to survive two overtime games to do so. Against the Gamecocks, coach Ran “Fang” Mitchell’s team took a 55-54 lead with 6:12 left and steadily pulled away down the stretch for the stunner in Pittsburgh. “They took it to us, and we were passive. We should have been a lot more aggressive,” Gamecocks guard B.J. McKie told reporters afterward. Coppin State lost by one in the second round to 10th-seeded Texas.
1993: Santa Clara over Arizona 64-61
The skinny: The Broncos, who won the WCC tourney as the No. 3 seed, overcame a 25-0 run that spanned the end of the first half and the start of the second, then held the Wildcats without a field goal for more than 15 minutes. Santa Clara missed four free throws in the final 7.5 seconds – including two by then-freshman Steve Nash – but still hung on. The Broncos lost by 11 to seventh-seeded Temple in the second round.
1991: Richmond over Syracuse 73-69
The skinny: The Spiders, the CAA champs, never trailed and hit three free throws in the final 21 seconds in ousting Syracuse in College Park, Md. Richmond’s bench outscored Syracuse’s reserves 32-3. The Spiders had 18 assists on 25 made baskets. Richmond, which flummoxed Syracuse with a match-up zone, lost by 13 to 10th-seeded Temple in the second round.