NCAA Basketball: Top 25 NCAA Tournament upsets since 2000
By Joey Loose
Honorable Mentions
#10 Seton Hall 67, #2 Temple 65, OT (2000 Round of 32)
The Seton Hall Pirates were thrown into an immediate 11-point hole and lost point guard Shaheen Holloway to injury in the game’s opening minutes. The odds were stacked against them to pull the upset, but they played tenacious and pulled out an overtime win.
Reserve guard Ty Shine stepped up and led Seton Hall with 27 points, knocking out the A-10 champion Temple Owls in an upset win.
#13 Vermont 60, #4 Syracuse 57, OT (2005 Round of 64)
The Syracuse Orange were upset in the first round just two years after their first national title. T.J. Sorrentine hit a pair of clutch 3-pointers in overtime, including one from the parking lot.
German Mopa Njila added a career-high 20 points and the Vermont Catamounts outplayed the Orange, willing the win with a slow pace and clutch shooting.
#7 West Virginia 111, #2 Wake Forest 105, 2 OT (2005 Round of 32)
Chris Paul’s college career ending a thrilling double overtime upset loss to a West Virginia Mountaineers team that would come just short of making the Final Four a week later.
Foul trouble killed the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who led by 13 at the half, but couldn’t stop the Mountaineers offense from clawing back into the game. Head coach John Beilein got 29 points from Mike Gansey and 21 from Tyrone Sally in the win.
#8 Butler 71, #1 Pittsburgh 70 (2011 Round of 32)
A year after their run to the title game as a 5-seed, the Butler Bulldogs were just beginning another deep Tourney run. Shelvin Mack led the way with 30 points, spared after fouling Gilbert Brown of the Pittsburgh Panthers with 1.4 seconds left.
Butler won the game late after Matt Howard was fouled grabbing a defensive rebound off a free throw miss with 0.8 seconds left, shattering the hopes of the Panthers fans and players, as he made the first free throw to break the tie.
#7 Wichita State 78, #2 Kansas 65 (2015 Round of 32)
The Wichita State Shockers proved once more that they belonged, pulling away in the second half against their in-state rivals.
Tekele Cotton scored 19 points for the Shockers, while Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker stood out in another big-time game. The Kansas Jayhawks blew an early lead and couldn’t get back into the game, stunned by Wichita State’s shooting.