Stanford Women's Basketball Ends UConn's Streak: 10 Biggest Upsets Since 2000

1 of 13

HARTFORD, CT - DECEMBER 21: Samarie Walker #11, Maya Moore #23 and Bria Hartley #14 of the Connecticut celebrate a win over Florida State on December 21, 2010 in Hartford, Connecticut. Connecticut set a record with 89 straight wins without a defeat. (Ph

Maya Moore (23) along with Bria Hartley (14)
Jim Rogash/Getty Images

These girls are no longer celebrating. After winning 90 games in a row, the legendary UConn Huskies lost to the Stanford Cardinal, ranked eighth in USA Today's poll, having never lost since 2008 when they, coincidentally, lost to the Stanford team in the Final Four.

Also ironic, when the streak that UConn beat 12 days ago of 88 straight wins set by John Wooden's UCLA team in 1974, the team that defeated UCLA was coming off a football championship, Notre Dame. Stanford, who never lost a lead during Thursday night's game, is going into a one of football championships, the Orange Bowl.

Down to the point! This win by the Cardinal is one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history. We all know that UConn had to lose at some point, but after winning 90 games in a row, who would've thought they wouldn't have lost to a higher ranked team?

College basketball is defined by upsets, and in this piece I will take you back to the other greatest upsets in the past 10 years.

10. Seventh Seed West Virginia Over Second Seed Wake Forest (2005)

Chris Paul (3)
Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images

After going to the Sweet 16 last year, Chris Paul and his Wake Forest team were favorites to get back to that stage, if not go farther.

West Virginia, a team lead by Mike Gansey and Tyrone Sally, finished the first half down 13 points, but came into the second half determined.

The Mountaineers outscored Wake Forest 50-37 in the second half, and when Mike Gansey came alive in overtime, West Virginia went to the Sweet Sixteen.

Scoring 19 of his 29 points in the overtime quarter, Gansey and West Virginia beat Chris Paul and Wake Forest by six after 50 minutes of play.

9. Third Seed Marquette Over First Seed Kentucky (2003)

The Legend Begins

Talk about draft stock soaring in March Madness. Dwayne Wade was still going to be a highly scouted player after leaving Marquette, but his triple-double to defeat highly favored Kentucky shot him into the No. 5 pick to the Miami Heat.

D-Wade recorded just the fifth triple-double in March Madness history. Kentucky was so highly favored that this upset makes the top 10, despite how close in seeding the teams were.

8. Eighth Seed Alabama Over First Seed Stanford (2004)

Josh Childress
Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

In 2000, the last time Stanford was top ranked in March Madness, they lost to an 8 seed, UNC, in the second round.

Deja vu!

In 2004, Josh Childress' Stanford team choked late in the game to lose to another 8 seed in the second round, the Alabama Crimson Tide. Stanford led by 12 after Josh Childress hit a jumper with 11:20 remaining.

The Tide came alive in the last 11 minutes. With six minutes to go, the score was now 53-48 Stanford. Then it was 53-50 after with 5:18 to go. The Tide's point guard, Antoine Pettway hit a three with 4 minutes remaining to cap off a 16-2 run which lead the Tide to victory.

The debate of the article, comment below:

Would Alabama have the same success over Stanford in a college football game on a neutral field?

7. Fifth Seed Indiana Over First Seed Duke (2002)

Carlos Boozer
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

If you don't remember this game, you are probably wondering why it is more of an upset than a #10 over a #2 or an #8 over a #1.

In a game full of familiar names, Jared Jeffries (Indiana), Carlos Boozer (Duke), Chris Duhon (Duke), and Jason Williams (Duke), the top ranked Duke Blue Devils were stunned by a #5 seed, a game from the Elite Eight.

After being top ranked for 84 percent of the season, Duke wasn't stunned for the season to end after this kind of game.

Coach K, Mike Krzyzewski, said, "I'm not stunned. I'm 55 and I need a hip replaced. I coach a game where I know we can lose every time we go on the court."

Well Coach K, you stunned everyone else after this game.

6. Ninth Seed Northern Iowa Over First Seed Kansas (2010)

Ali Farokhmanesh
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

What a name, what a game!

The Kansas Jayhawks had it all going for them. Top ranked, one loss, and a number one seed in March Madness, until Ali Farokhmanesh came along.

Northern Iowa took a lead into the half and then watched it slip over Bill Self's Kansas team. With 34 seconds remaining, Farokhmanesh squared up and swished to take a two point lead, which would be enough to beat the "unstoppable" Jayhawks.

This massive upset didn't even pave the way for the #2 seed to reach the Final Four. Evan Turner's Buckeyes lost by three to #6 seed Tennessee, who ended up losing by a point to Michigan State.

Please tell me if you picked the 5 and 6 seed to play in the Elite Eight. I need a psychic.

5. 14th Seed Bucknell over Third Seed Kansas (2005)

Bucknell, in Pennsylvania, had not won a game in March Madness in the school's century-old history, until they also beat Bill Self's Kansas. As you may have figured out already, Kansas is pretty vulnerable to getting upset in the Big Dance.

Kansas had the last shot with time ticking down. Wayne Simien, former Miami Heat player, missed an open jumper in the final seconds (go to 4:00 on the video) after having 24 points and 10 rebounds prior.

Down went Kansas...

4. 14th Seed Northwestern State Over Third Seed Iowa (2006)

AUBURN HILLS, MI - MARCH 17: A fan of the Northwestern State Demons celebrates the 64-63 upset win over the Iowa Hawkeyes in the First Round of the 2006 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at The Palace of Auburn Hills on March 17, 2006 in Auburn Hills, Mic

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

A game since winning the Big 12 Championship, Iowa was stunned by a 14 seed in the first round. Less than halfway through the second half, Iowa led by as much as 17 points, but that wasn't enough.

After big shots and great defense, Northwestern State had a golden opportunity to reach the second round as long as Jermaine Wallace hit a fadeaway three pointer with seconds remaining and they took advantage of it.

Wallace's three pointer, which he "actually saw it go in through the back of the glass," lead the Demons to one of the biggest upsets since 2000.

3. 10th Seed Davidson Over Second Seed Georgetown and Third Seed Wisconsin 2008

Stephen Curry
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

The entire Davidson run, lead by Del Curry's son and now NBA star, Stephen Curry, was an upset. Davidson came into the tournament playing Gonzaga and beat them by 6 which lead to the big upset, over Georgetown.

Georgetown had been a familiar face to the late rounds of March Madness. Georgetown lost in the year prior's Final Four to Greg Oden's Buckeyes.

When Davidson went into halftime down by 11 points, something must have went off in the mind of Stephen Curry.

A tournament favorite, Curry scored 25 points in the second half after scoring just 5 in the first half, and lead the Davidson Wildcats over the powerhouse Hoyas despite being down 17 at a time.

2. 15th Seed Hampton Over No. 2 Seed Iowa State (2001)

Former Pacer Guard Jamaal Tinsley
Brian Bahr/Getty Images

After finishing 25-6, and 13-3 in the Big 12, Jamaal Tinsley's Iowa State Cyclones began to slip.

After losing to Baylor in the Big 12 Championship, Iowa State went into the Big Dance expecting to slide past a 15 seed, Hampton.

Hampton went into the half leading by 4, and thanks to 38 percent free throw shooting and a low scoring game for Tinsley, the Hampton Pirates stunned the Big 12's best.

1. 11th Seed George Mason Over First Seed UConn (2006)

UConn is back on the list, but not for good reasons.

Lead by Jai Lewis* and Will Thomas, George Mason ruined many 2006 brackets after beating top seed UConn to reach the Four. Rudy Gay's UConn team was reeled into overtime where they lost by just two points.

During George Mason's tournament run, they defeated Michigan State and North Carolina, two teams that were in the Final Four the year before, and after beating UConn, they defeated the past two champions in March Madness.

Interestingly, since I live in New York, Hofstra, a conference rival to George Mason, arguably deserved to make the Big Dance more than the GMU Patriots this season.

*Jai Lewis went on to get signed by the New York Football Giants. After Antonio Gates showed his potential in football after taking Kent State on a basketball run, the Giants gave Lewis a shot to be the next Antonio Gates.

Readers, which game was a bigger upset?

Stanford over UConn last night to end the 90-game streak, or GMU over UConn to go the Final Four?