Busting Brackets
Fansided

NCAA Basketball: Top 20 biggest tournament upsets of all time

By Brock Zimmermann

Mar 24, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; General view of a march madness logo during practice the day before the semifinals of the Midwest regional of the NCAA Tournament at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; General view of a march madness logo during practice the day before the semifinals of the Midwest regional of the NCAA Tournament at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
9 of 21
Next
Mar 17, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; A detailed shot of March Madness logos on chairs in the bench area before a practice day before the first round of the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; A detailed shot of March Madness logos on chairs in the bench area before a practice day before the first round of the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

13. Austin Peay over Illinois – 1987

Austin Peay entered with a record of 16-10 and the Illini entered at 23-7. The Governors were representing the Ohio Valley Conference and Illinois was representing the Big Ten, which was one of the strongest conferences in the nation.

Illinois had won nine of its last 11, with its two losses coming against top-10 teams. They were ranked No. 12 in the country before entering the tournament. Austin Peay battled from a 10-10 record to win six in a row and claim the Ohio Valley Conference title. They won the conference tournament on a last second shot and would follow a similar path against Illinois.

Four players nearly fouled out for the Governors and the Illini had four players in double figures, but Austin Peay managed to pull off one of the biggest upsets in history. The Illini performed better in nearly every offensive category but could not survive the upset bid.

The Governors nailed two free throws with two seconds to go, and like many other teams that were upset, Illinois had an open look to win the game and could not capitalize. The Governors won their first tournament game in 14 years with the 68-67 upset.

Home/NCAA Basketball News