March Madness is a time for the underdog. Everyone is looking to find that one Cinderella in their bracket pools and when they wager on the NCAA Tournament.
In order to get us in the right headspace for the longshots during the ‘Big Dance,’ let’s go back and reflect on the five biggest gambling upsets in Tournament history.
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2001 - No. 15 Hampton (+17.5) beats No. 2 Iowa State 58-57
Hampton had been a D-1 program for just six years, and this was their first trip to the NCAA Tournament. Well, how about a first impression.
Tarvis Williams put the Pirates up by one with six seconds left, and Iowa State guard Jamaal Tinsley was unable to sink the buzzer beater, prompting one of the biggest upsets in Tournament history.
Hampton was catching a whopping 17.5 points in that game, and they turned it into a slugfest. The team shot 38% from the field and 15% from three, but still put their name in history with the upset.
1997 - No. 15 Coppin State (+18.5) beats South Carolina 78-65
Coppin State finished the game on a 38-18 run to shock the SEC regular season champion South Carolina in the first round of the 1997 NCAA Tournament.
There weren’t any late game heroics in this one, but Coppin State did their damage at the charity stripe, going 28-for-34 from the line to knock off the No. 2 seed Gamecocks.
Another wacky stat from the game was that CSU hit on just two of their 13 three-point attempts. It didn’t mean much though as the Eagles won easy.
1993- No. 15 Santa Clara (+20) beats No. 2 Arizona 64-61
Arizona was a national title contender in 1993. Led by point guard Damon Stoudamire, the Wildcats had higher aspirations than getting into a back-and-forth affair with Santa Clara.
Led by point guard Steve Nash -- sound familiar? -- the Broncos erased a 13-point second half deficit to pull the monumental upset.
This was the first outright victory for a 20-point underdog in NCAA Tournament history and just the second time a No. 15 seed has won in the first round.
Here are the last two minutes of the upset, which included a last second heave from Stoudamire that caught the back rim.
2018 - No. 16 UMBC (+20.5) beats No. 1 Virginia 74-54
This won’t go down as the biggest upset from a point spread perspective, but UMBC’s win over Virginia is an all-time sports moment.
This was the first case of a No. 16 seed beating a No. 1 seed, always thought of as the biggest David vs. Goliath matchup in sports.
Maryland-Baltimore County didn’t just beat UVA though, they dominated them. After going into half tied at 21, the Retrievers took over in the second half as Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers were left scrambling.
Of course, Virginia would right their wrongs the following season, winning the National Championship.
2012- No. 15 Norfolk State (+21.5) beats No. 2 Missouri 86-84
Missouri was seen as a National Title contender heading into the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Led by guard Phil Pressey, Missouri had put together a 30-4 season that included a Big 12 Tournament title.
However, future NBA role player Kyle O’Quinn and the Spartans had other ideas. O’Quinn had a game high 26 points and 14 rebounds as Norfolk State won a shootout against the Tigers.
Both teams were lights out from three, each shooting above 40%, but Missouri's lack of frontcourt depth cost them the game. Norfolk State was able to grab 14 offensive rebounds which proved to be the difference in what stands as the biggest betting upset in NCAA Tournament history.
Reed is a native of New Jersey and graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a die-hard Brooklyn Nets fan and always believes the spread has a chance of covering. You can follow Reed on Twitter @ReedWallach for more commentary.