NCAA Basketball: Top 25 NCAA Tournament upsets since 2000
By Joey Loose
14. #14 Bucknell 64, #3 Kansas 63 (2005 Round of 64)
At the beginning of the season, the Kansas Jayhawks were the No. 1 team in the nation. Kansas won their first 14 games and stayed in the top 10 for the entire season, despite a few slip-ups in Big 12 play.
Though they slightly underachieved, the Jayhawks still secured a 3-seed in their second season under head coach Bill Self. Wayne Simien starred all year long, and the Jayhawks were definitely a team many expected to contend for a spot in the Final Four.
Their first-round game would be against the Bucknell Bison, the champions of the Patriot League. A 14-seed hadn’t won a game in six years and neither Bucknell nor any Patriot League teams had pulled off an upset win either. The Bison did possess an impressive road victory over the No. 10 Pittsburgh Panthers, but this was still a very outmatched team.
Bucknell actually got out to a hotter start, though Kansas took the halftime lead with a late run to end the half. Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, they could never take control of the game.
Neither team shot very well from long-range, nor could they pull away in a tight second half. The Jayhawks grabbed the lead late on a pair of free throws by Keith Langford, but Bucknell wasn’t finished.
Chris McNaughton banked a shot over Simien with 10.5 seconds left and the Bison held on defense, securing the monumental upset. For the first time in 15 years, the Jayhawks were beaten in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
For the Bison, they hung tough with one of the nation’s best teams and won the biggest game in program history. Kevin Bettencourt led the Bison with 19 points, despite making just eight of their 31 3-pointers (5-15 from Bettencourt alone). A 24-point, 10-rebound outing wasn’t enough from Simien to lead the Jayhawks to the win.
The Bison did the unthinkable by toppling the Jayhawks, a team usually solid against weaker foes in the NCAA Tournament. They couldn’t take care of the Wisconsin Badgers in the next round, but Bucknell already had its shining moment.