Duke nearly joins top March Madness upsets in NCAA Tournament history

No. 1 seed Duke survived No. 16 Siena on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Barely.

Had the Blue Devils lost, they would have joined this notorious list of biggest first-round NCAA Tournemant upsets (a list they’re already on, having list to Lehigh as a No. 2 seed in 2012).

How many of these do you remember?

16-over-1 upsets

No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 63, No. 1 Purdue 58

Fairleigh Dickinson defeated Purdue in just the second instance of a No. 16 seed defeating a No. 1 seed in NCAA tournament history.

Sean Moore (19 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds), Demetre Roberts (12 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists), Grant Singleton (8 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals) and Cameron Tweedy (10 points and 6 rebounds) led Fairleigh Dickinson. Zach Edey, the National College Player of the Year, recorded 21 points and 15 rebounds for Purdue.

No. 16 UMBC 74, No. 1 Virginia 54

Virginia was the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 in NCAA Tournament history, and UMBC pulled off the feat in resounding fashion, punding the Cavaliers, 74-54.

UMBC shot 54.2% from the field and 50% from 3-point range, while the Cavaliers shot 41.1% from the field and just 18.2% from beyond the arc. UMBC was led by Jairus Lyles (28 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists) and Joe Sherburne (14 points, 6 rebounds).

15-over-2 upsets

No. 15 Princeton 59, No. 2 Arizona 55

Only one Princeton player scored in double figures — Tosan Evbuomwan, who finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and a block — but the Tigers were relentless against the Wildcats. Arizona shot just 42.1% from the field and 18.8% from 3-point land. The Tigers held the Wildcats scoreless for the final 4:43 of the contest. Princeton advanced to the Sweet 16, where they lost to No. 6 Creighton.

No. 15 Saint Peter’s 85, No. 2 Kentucky 79

The Saint Peter’s Peacocks shocked Kentucky in the 2022 NCAA tournament. Saint Peter’s caught fire from 3-point range, shooting 52.9%. The Peacocks were led by Daryl Banks III (27 points, 5 threes and 4 rebounds) and Doug Edert (20 points and 4 rebounds). Oscar Tshiebwe had an impressive 30-point, 16-rebound, 2-block, 2-steal performance for the Wildcats. Saint Peter’s Cinderella run continued to the Elite 8, where they lost to No. 8 North Carolina.

No. 15 Oral Roberts 75, No. 2 Ohio State 72 (OT)

Oral Roberts defeated Ohio State in an overtime thriller. Kevin Obanor (30 points, 11 rebounds and 5 3s) and Max Abmas (29 points, 5 rebounds, 5 threes, 3 assists and 2 steals) led the way for Oral Roberts, who advanced to the Sweet 16 before getting eliminated by No. 3 Arkansas.

No. 15 Middle Tennessee 90, No. 2 Michigan State 81

All five of the Middle Tennessee starters scored in double figures, with Reggie Upshaw (21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks) and Giddy Potts (19 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals) leading the charge. Middle Tennessee lost in the second round to No. 10 Syracuse.

No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast 78, No. 2 Georgetown 68

Florida Gulf Coast became the talk of the tournament in 2013 FGCU thanks to their high-flying style of play. Sherwood Brown (24 points, 9 rebounds and 3 3s), Bernard Thompson (23 points, 7 rebounds and 3 3s) and Brett Comer (12 points and 10 rebounds) carried FGCU past Georgetown. Florida Gulf Coast advanced to the Sweet 16, where they lost to No. 3 Florida.

No. 15 Norfolk State 86, No. 2 Missouri 84

Norfolk State defeated Missouri in the opening round of the 2012 NCAA tournament. The Spartans were led by Kyle O’Quinn (26 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks), Pendarvis Williams (20 points, 4 rebounds and 4 threes) and Chris McEachin (20 points and 4 threes). Norfolk State lost in the second round to No. 7 Florida.

No. 15 Lehigh 75, No. 2 Duke 70

C.J. McCollum put Lehigh on his back to take down a loaded Duke team that featured eight future NBA players. McCollum posted 30 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals, lifting Lehigh past the Blue Devils. Gabe Knutson chipped in 17 points and 8 rebounds on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from the field.

No. 15 Hampton 58, No. 2 Iowa State 57

When Hampton defeated Iowa State in the 2001 NCAA tournament, it was a shocker, and the 15-2 upset was still somewhat of a rarity. Tarvis Williams dominated the Cyclones, finishing with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 6 blocks. Marseilles Brown chipped in 14 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds in the win. Hampton lost in the second round to No. 10 Georgetown.

No. 15 Coppin State 78, No. 2 South Carolina 65

Coppin State upset South Carolina in convincing fashion. The HBCU program had never won a game in the NCAA tournament, but became the third No. 15 seed in history to upset a No. 2 seed. The Eagles were led by Terquin Mott (11 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks), Danny Singletary (20 points and 5 steals) and Antoine Brockington (20 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals).

No. 15 Santa Clara 64, No. 2 Arizona 61

Arizona’s roster featured seven future NBA players, but Santa Clara pulled off theupset thanks to Pete Eisenrich (19 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks), John Woolery (10 points, 6 steals, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) and DeWayne Lewis (13 points and 7 rebounds). They also got solid contributions from a freshman guard named Steve Nash, who chipped in 10 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists off the bench.

No. 15 Richmond beats No. 2 Syracuse, 1991

This is the “OG” major upset, the first time a 15-seed pulled off a first-round win. Richmond had shocked the world a few years earlier when they defeated No. 4 Indiana as a No. 13 seed in the 1988 NCAA tournament, so they were no stranger to big upsets. Richmond never trailed, led by Curtis Blair (18 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals), Terry Connolly (14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists) and Kenny Wood (12 points and 7 rebounds).

This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 5:06 PM.