The 15 Craziest Upsets of the College Basketball Season

Upsets are what make college basketball one of the greatest things to watch.

You just never know when they are going to happen. They can be anticipated, they can be predicted, but they are never set in stone until the final buzzer sounds.

There have been some great games this season and as we near March Madness, I think it's about time we take a look back on some of the craziest upsets this season.

Miami Beats #5 Duke

Duke has lost two very big games to two teams from Florida.

Most recently, they weren't able to beat Miami.

Next they look to rebound against rivals North Carolina, but it's no secret that Duke isn't in a good place right now.

Florida State Beats #4 Duke

This was another heartbreaking loss for the Blue Devils.

Freshman Michael Snaer hit the game-winning shot and proceeded to celebrate in front of shocked Duke fans.

I know this can be a touchy subject for some, so let's move on.

Notre Dame Beats #2 Ranked Syracuse

Although the Orange were without Melo, the Irish's win was impressive nonetheless.  

They got the job done by dominating the paint and took complete advantage of the Orange's absence of their big man.

Syracuse's zone does not look the same without Melo standing in the middle, and it didn't take the Irish long to understand this.

Illinois Beats #9 Ranked Michigan State

In one of the lowest scoring games of the season, Illinois was able to knock off Michigan State.

It was an ugly game but a beautiful win for Michigan State.

Indiana Beats #1 Ranked Kentucky

Early on in the season, Indiana was able to take down Kentucky with a three-point basket at the buzzer, giving Kentucky their only loss of the season.

The Wildcats are still ranked No. 1, but nevertheless, this was quite a feat for the Hoosiers.

Oklahoma State Beats #2 Missouri

Before the game, Keiton Page attempted to paint the picture of the fans and students rushing the floor if they were able to beat Missouri.

I guess it served as enough motivation, because he and his teammates proceeded to knock off the then-No. 2 team in the country.

Florida State Beats #3 North Carolina

Florida State has had two very impressive wins over both Duke and North Carolina.

However, they did not just beat NC, they demolished them by almost 40 points—37 to be exact.

They picked the Tarheels apart from beginning to end, and ran them off the floor.

One of the most impressive wins by any team this season.

Davidson Beats #11 Kansas

Davidson played Duke very well only a month before they matched up against the No. 11 team in the country. 

However, they did not come out with any intensity in the second half against the Blue Devils.

Intent on playing a complete game, Davidson was able to beat a very athletic and talented Kansas team by controlling the second half and playing some very smart basketball down the stretch.

Tennessee Beats #14 Florida

It seems as though many of the top ranked teams in the country came into this season unprepared and lost some early games.

The Gators dropped their first game of the season to a Tennessee team that had no business being on the court with them.

A shocked Florida team tried to make a panicky push at the end of the game, but it was not enough.

Florida is now ranked No. 7 in the nation, and have a rematch with Tennessee right around the corner.

Colorado State Beats #12 San Diego State

The Aztecs moved down in the rankings as a direct result of losing this game.

Colorado State packed out their stadium, as the students were offered free food and t-shirts.

The students and fans were not disappointed, and Colorado State knocked off a top 25 team for the first time since 2003.

West Virginia Beats #9 Georgetown

West Virginia is far from a supremely talented team, especially on the offensive end. But they were able to convincingly beat Georgetown in their first game of the season.

The Hoyas tried to make a push at the end, but still managed to lose a game they had no business giving away by 12.

Wichita State Beats #20 UNLV

In a game that featured amazing execution on Wichita's part, UNLV suffered a loss by nearly 20 points.

Although the Rebels have moved up in the rankings since this early December loss, this was a very impressive win for Wichita State.

UNLA was not able to get stops and in turn gave up 89 points after handing North Carolina their first loss only a week earlier.

Arkansas Beats #16 Mississippi State

Arkansas was able to beat Mississippi State towards the beginning of the season by a convincing 10 points in an extremely high-scoring game.

12,000 passionate Arkansas fans cheered their team to victory and first-year coach Mike Anderson got his first signature win in his first game with Arkansas.

TCU Beats #20 Virginia

At this point in the season, neither team was ranked. However, Virginia is now ranked No. 20 in the nation and has solidified themselves as one of the elite teams in the nation.

However, TCU was able to beat Virginia by two toward the beginning of the season.

The game was extremely ugly, 40 turnovers, but a win for TCU nonetheless.

Iowa Beats #11 Wisconsin

Wisconsin lost this game on their home floor.

Although Iowa was, and still is unranked, they looked in control during the whole game against the Badgers.

Granted, Wisconsin had a horrible shooting night. But that had a lot to do with Iowa's defensive intensity throughout the entire game.