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The 16 sweetest upsets in Sweet 16 history
Win McNamee/Getty Images

The 16 sweetest upsets in Sweet 16 history

When most people think of NCAA Tournament upsets, they think about the first weekend — 15 seeds beating twos, 14s over threes, even a 16 over a one seed last year. The Sweet 16 is supposed to be owned by powerhouses, and this year that is holding true, with all but one of the participants being a top-four seed. Only Oregon, a 12 seed, has crashed the party. Still, since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, there have been plenty of major upsets on Sweet 16 weekend. With that in mind, let's rank the 16 biggest Sweet 16 and Elite Eight upsets in the 64-team era.

 

16. 1991 Sweet 16: (10) Temple 72 - (3) Oklahoma State 63

1991 Sweet 16: (10) Temple 72 - (3) Oklahoma State 63
Doug Pensinger/ALLSPORT

John Chaney's Owls needed overtime despite the nine-point margin of victory, but they finished the job against the Cowboys. Mark Macon paced Temple with 26 points, and despite a much shorter bench, Temple was able to draw plenty of fouls, get to the line often and bump off Eddie Sutton's Big Eight champion squad. Chaney and Temple were not able to keep the magic going all the way to the Final Four, however, as the Owls fell just short against North Carolina in the next round. 

 

15. 1987 Sweet 16: (10) LSU 63 - (3) DePaul 58

1987 Sweet 16: (10) LSU 63 - (3) DePaul 58
Louisiana State University/Getty Images

LSU entered the 1987 NCAA Tournament as a 10 seed and probably shouldn't have snuck up on anyone, given its Cinderella run the prior season. History repeated itself, however, and after knocking of second-seeded Temple to reach the Sweet 16, the Tigers continued their winning ways with a victory over DePaul. Nikita Wilson, who was ineligible for LSU's 1986 tourney run, paced the Tigers with 24 points, and Anthony Wilson made good use of the three-point line, which made its tournament debut, by hitting three triples. LSU held Rod Strickland to just nine points on the night as part of its winning effort. The Tigers nearly pulled a seismic upset in the next round, falling to eventual national champion Indiana, 77-76.

 

14. 2011 Elite Eight: (8) Butler 74 - (2) Florida 71

2011 Elite Eight: (8) Butler 74 - (2) Florida 71
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Butler wasn't sneaking up on anyone after its 2010 title game tilt with Duke. Still, the Bulldogs only managed an eight seed in the 2011 tournament. They knocked off top-seeded Pitt in the second round, then Wisconsin in the Sweet 16, but they appeared done against Florida, trailing by 11 with 9:25 left. Undeterred, Shelvin Mack led Butler all the way back and helped to force overtime, then he put his team ahead to stay with a three-pointer with barely a minute to go in the game. The win gave the Horizon League champs their second straight Final Four appearance, and they would end up in the title game again, only to fall to Connecticut.

 

13. 2002 Sweet 16: (10) Kent State 78 - (3) Pitt 73

2002 Sweet 16: (10) Kent State 78 - (3) Pitt 73
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

The Panthers were back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in almost a decade, but they were a strong, bruising team, and when they took on the Golden Flashes, they seemed a good bet to make it to the Elite Eight. Trevor Huffman and some guy named Antonio Gates had other ideas. The two combined for 39 points and made countless big plays down the stretch to hold off the Panthers. Huffman's run of fame ended when Kent State lost to Indiana in the next round, but Gates managed to make a pretty nice career for himself — just not on the basketball court.

 

12. 1986 Sweet 16: (11) LSU 70 - (2) Georgia Tech 64

1986 Sweet 16: (11) LSU 70 - (2) Georgia Tech 64
Louisiana State University/Getty Images

Go take a look at the story of the 1986 LSU basketball team, and you'll probably come away thinking that no team in recent history — if ever — has overcome more while advancing all the way to the Final Four. A brief rundown: Star forward Jerry Reynolds left for the NBA, head coach Dale Brown kicked Tito Horford (father of Al) off the team, a few more players were lost to injury or academic ineligibility, and to top it all off the team was hit by a wave of chicken pox midway through the season. Incredibly, despite having to recruit an LSU football player onto the team and severely compromised in terms of overall size, the Tigers made it all the way to the Final Four. This win over Georgia Tech was paced by Don Redden and Derrick Taylor, who combined for 50 of LSU's 70 points in the contest.

 

11. 2017 Sweet 16: (11) Xavier 73 - (2) Arizona 71

2017 Sweet 16: (11) Xavier 73 - (2) Arizona 71
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

One imagines Sean Miller and his team licking their chops after Xavier beat third-seeded Florida State in the second round of the tournament, but if Arizona thought it was in for an easy night's work, it was sorely mistaken. Trevon Bluiett scored 25 points, and Malcolm Bernard and J.P. Macura added 15 and 14, respectively, and the Musketeers pulled off a shocker to advance to the Elite Eight. The game was back and forth throughout, but Arizona had it within its grasp, up by eight with around four minutes to play. Xavier, however, closed the game with a 9-0 run in the final 2:52, and the Wildcats simply could not get clean looks at the hoop. Once Allonzo Trier's final three-point attempt misfired, it was all over, and Xavier had earned its first trip to the Elite Eight since 2008.

 

10. 2016 Elite Eight: (10) Syracuse 68 - (1) Virginia 62

2016 Elite Eight: (10) Syracuse 68 - (1) Virginia 62
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Virginia losing in the NCAA Tournament is sort of a yearly event that everyone gets excited for, but the Cavaliers were the real deal in 2016 and looked every bit the part of a No. 1 seed as they rolled into the Elite Eight. However they, like so many Jim Boeheim opponents, left the game losers, befuddled by Syracuse's 2-3 zone. Things were looking good for Virginia at the half, as it led 35-21, but everything fell apart in the second half. Syracuse got red hot and poured in 47 points, and the Cavaliers had no answers for the Orange. Malachi Richardson poured in 23 points for the Cuse and was the key factor in a stunning, decisive 25-4 run that turned a 54-39 deficit into a 63-58 lead. What made this upset so surprising was not only the nature of the game itself but also the fact that Syracuse barely made it into the tournament to begin with, as it was one of the last teams in the field.

 

9. 2008 Sweet 16: (10) Davidson 73 - (3) Wisconsin 56

2008 Sweet 16: (10) Davidson 73 - (3) Wisconsin 56
Tim Cowie/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images

Stephen Curry got on everyone's radar in the second round of the tournament when he lit up second-seeded Georgetown for 30 points en route to a 74-70 upset. Then he went out and topped himself in this one, going off for 33 points, including six three-pointers, in a rout of the Badgers. The game was tied at the half, but in the second half Wisconsin simply had no answers for Curry. He tortured Bo Ryan's typically stingy outfit with bombs from everywhere, and despite the fact that Wisconsin knew Curry was essentially Davidson's entire offense, it could do nothing to slow him down. Davidson nearly went all the way to the Final Four, falling 59-57 to eventual national champion Kansas in the Elite Eight.

 

8. 2018 Sweet 16: (11) Loyola-Chicago 69 - (7) Nevada 68

2018 Sweet 16: (11) Loyola-Chicago 69 - (7) Nevada 68
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Was this a seismic upset? Perhaps not in terms of the seeds involved, but in terms of sheer unlikelihood, Loyola's run to the Final Four was up there near the top of the heap. So this game definitely warrants inclusion. After trailing 20-8 in the first half, the Ramblers closed on a 20-4 run to take a four-point halftime lead. They were clinging to a one-point lead late in the game when Marques Townes, who had 18 points on the night, buried a three-pointer with 6.3 seconds remaining. Caleb Martin hit a three in response for Nevada, but it was too little, too late for the Wolf Pack, and Townes and his teammates, who put on a layup clinic for most of the game, earned a date with ninth-seeded Kansas State, one that they also won. None of it would have happened, including the Sister Jean hype reaching a fever pitch, without Townes' heroics. 

 

7. 1985 Elite Eight: (8) Villanova 56 - (2) North Carolina 44

1985 Elite Eight: (8) Villanova 56 - (2) North Carolina 44
Villanova University/Collegiate Images/Getty Images

Everyone knows Villanova from its slightly  more famous upset of Georgetown in the national championship game, but the Wildcats wouldn't have made it that far without upending another traditional powerhouse along the way. Rollie Massimino's charges trailed 22-17 at the half but exploded in the final 20 minutes, outscoring the Tar Heels, 39-22, to cruise to a 56-44 win. Only Brad Daugherty made it to double figures for North Carolina, with 17, while four Wildcats achieved the feat, led by Harold Pressley's 15 points. Villanova would go on to beat another two seed, Memphis, in the Final Four before shooting the lights out to best Patrick Ewing and the Hoyas.

 

6. 1987 Elite Eight: (6) Providence 88 - (1) Georgetown 73

1987 Elite Eight: (6) Providence 88 - (1) Georgetown 73
Rich Clarkson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

In 1987 Rick Pitino was a virtual unknown. That didn't last — not after his Friars made it all the way to the Final Four by virtue of their dominant win over top-seeded Georgetown. Billy Donovan went 16-of-18 from the line, pacing Providence with 20 points, and Darryl Wright added 20 of his own. The Friars opened up a 17-point lead after 20 minutes, and the Hoyas never seriously threatened. Providence did an astounding amount of damage at the foul line, going 33-of-38 as a team. The Hoyas went a respectable 17-of-25 in their own right, but the difference at the charity stripe was the difference in the game.

 

5. 2013 Elite Eight: (9) Wichita State 70 - (2) Ohio State 66

2013 Elite Eight: (9) Wichita State 70 - (2) Ohio State 66
Jeff Gross/Getty Images

The Shockers weren't a totally obscure bunch, but no one was expecting all that much from them. Then they beat Gonzaga in the second round and rolled into the Elite Eight to face Ohio State. Behind a balanced attack that saw four players reach double figures, Wichita State opened up a 35-22 halftime lead. Ohio State roared back in the second half, nearly coming all the way back, but Fred VanVleet and Co. were steady and made their free throws late to stave off the Buckeyes. Much like Gonzaga, Wichita's run made it something of a name-brand program, and it has been a regular top 25 team since this run. Eventual national champion Louisville narrowly edged the Shockers in the next round, but since the Cardinals had to vacate their title, we can all pretend that Wichita made the title game. That's how this works, right?

 

4. 1999 Sweet 16: (10) Gonzaga 73 - (6) Florida 72

1999 Sweet 16: (10) Gonzaga 73 - (6) Florida 72
Irwin R. Daugherty/Getty Images

"The slipper still fits!" Gus Johnson's delirious final call is still the most memorable part of this game for many fans. This game was much more than a great line by Gus, though. Gonzaga's win, courtesy of Casey Calvary's tip-in with 4.4 seconds left, put the Bulldogs on the map and started them on a journey that would take them from quintessential Cinderella to legitimate powerhouse. Calvary, Richie Frahm and Matt Santangelo became household names as a result of this win, and the game was a classic example of the three-pointer as the sport's great equalizer. Gonzaga hit 12-of-22 from downtown, compared to Florida's 6-of-24 performance from deep. Given that it was a small school few had heard of, Gonzaga was an underdog team straight out of central casting and played its role with aplomb.

 

3. 1986 Elite Eight: (11) LSU 59 - (1) Kentucky 57

1986 Elite Eight: (11) LSU 59 - (1) Kentucky 57
Louisiana State University/Getty Images

Their win over Georgia Tech meant that LSU had beaten the two and three seeds in the Southeast Region. That left top-seeded Kentucky, a team that had already bested LSU three times that season. The fourth time was the charm for Dale Brown's squad. Led by John Williams' 16 points, four LSU players scored in double figures, and the Tigers punched their ticket to the Final Four with a thriller. Kentucky's Kenny Walker and Roger Harden combined for 32 points on 14-of019 shooting, but the rest of the Wildcats brought next to nothing, combining to shoot 10-of-33 from the field and a mere 5-of-10 from the foul line. With the win, LSU became the first and still only team in tournament history to beat the one, two and three seeds in its region.

 

2. 2011 Elite Eight: (11) VCU 71 - (1) Kansas 61

2011 Elite Eight: (11) VCU 71 - (1) Kansas 61
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Shaka Smart's Rams were good in 2011 but not good enough to avoid an NCAA Tournament play-in game. In fact, there was surprise among members of the team that they even got selected. In any event, VCU beat USC in that game, then went on a shocking run through the tournament that reached its apex when VCU and its "Havoc" press defense wore down and overwhelmed top-seeded Kansas. Jamie Skeen scored 26 points, VCU jumped out to a 14-point halftime lead, and when Kansas cut the deficit to 46-44 VCU never blinked, responding with a 10-2 run to put the game more or less out of reach. The Jayhawks, who came into the game winners of 11 straight, had faced a fairly easy road to that point in the tournament and simply weren't at all ready for what hit them. Ironically enough, after dismantling one of the sport's blue bloods, VCU lost to Butler in the national semifinal.

 

1. 2006 Elite Eight: (11) George Mason 86 - (1) Connecticut 84

2006 Elite Eight: (11) George Mason 86 - (1) Connecticut 84
Win McNamee/Getty Images

There are upsets, and then there is this game. The Patriots topped a few huge names on their way to the regional final — Michigan State in the first round and North Carolina in the second round — before topping Wichita State in the Sweet 16. Connecticut came calling in the Elite Eight, and the Huskies were a powerhouse. They had size and talent at every position, led by Rudy Gay. On paper, it seemed like George Mason was toast. The Patriots rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit and looked poised to win in regulation, but Denham Brown's reverse layup as time expired hung on the rim and fell through. Surely Cinderella wouldn't be able to hang in overtime. Wrong. Jai Lewis, Will Thomas, Folarin Campbell, Lamar Butler and Tony Skinn refused to yield, made huge shots and survived one more buzzer-beating attempt by Brown to shock the world. 

Chris Mueller is the co-host of The PM Team with Poni & Mueller on Pittsburgh's 93.7 The Fan, Monday-Friday from 2-6 p.m. ET. Owner of a dog with a Napoleon complex, consumer of beer, cooker of chili, closet Cleveland Browns fan. On Twitter at @ChrisMuellerPGH – please laugh.

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