NCAA Basketball: Top 25 NCAA Tournament upsets since 2000
By Joey Loose
16. #14 Ohio 97, #3 Georgetown 83 (2010 Round of 64)
At any point during the regular season, you would have been laughed at to suggest that the Ohio Bobcats were capable of winning big games in March. They were floundering, losing their first four conference games, eventually ending up 7-9 in MAC play. Head coach John Groce was only just beginning to build this program, but I’m sure this season progressed in a way that even he hadn’t expected.
Ohio won four straight games to win the MAC Tournament in a big surprise, including a pair of games in overtime. Winners of seven of their last eight games, they entered the NCAA Tournament with some momentum, securing a 14-seed.
They traveled to Providence to prepare for the Georgetown Hoyas, a talented team from the loaded Big East, and a team that would pose a larger threat to the Bobcats than a slew of MAC teams.
The Bobcats came out of the gate hitting shots and played the Hoyas close early on. They didn’t know it then, but a 3-pointer by D.J. Cooper halfway through the first half would give Ohio a lead that they would never relinquish.
They were on fire from the field all day and forced Georgetown to make enough mistakes, stopping every run that the Hoyas made to get back into the game. Securing a 12-point halftime lead, the Bobcats lead was never lower than seven points in the second half, as they shocked the Hoyas.
Indiana Hoosiers transfer Armon Bassett led the Bobcats with 32 points, as the team shot 58 pecent from the field, including 13-23 from long distance. Cooper added 23 points and eight assists, as both starting guards made five 3-pointers and shot the ball well. A 28-point outburst from Chris Wright wasn’t enough for the Hoyas, with 18 turnovers (seven by Greg Monroe) being a big factor.
A team under .500 in MAC play powered past a top-25 program like Georgetown, pulling off an extremely surprising upset. Groce’s Bobcats would fall to the Tennessee Volunteers in their next game, but their impact was already felt.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the last we’ve seen of the Hoyas when it comes to upsets, but let’s not undermine what the Bobcats did in 2010. This team went from a dreary MAC team to pulling off 2010’s greatest first-round upset.