NCAA Bracket 2012: 10 Biggest Opening-Round Upsets in NCAA History

It's why we love the underdog.

College basketball maybe more than any sport has a way of leveling the playing field. Because on any given night, the rim could seem a lot smaller than usual. Maybe the humidity in the gym may make the ball a little slick. And every once in a while, there is this one shinning moment when a last-second shot makes us all stand and take notice.

It gives us a chance to meet players like Bryce Drew and a superstar in waiting named Dwayne Wade. We see the great Jim Valvano run across a court to hug someone and the duo of Patrick Ewing and John Thompson embrace.

For those reasons, the postseason in college basketball is, without a doubt, the best show in the nation and for that reason, we love the great upsets.

For your printable bracket for the 2012 NCAA tournament, click here

No. 14 Ohio Defeats No. 3 Georgetown 97-83 (2010)

It was a coming-out party for Armon Bassett, who had 32 points, shooting 53 percent from the field.

The Big East had a really tough season in 2010. This was one of the biggest disappointments of the season for the league.

The Bobcats had an answer for everything the Hoyas did leading to the upset.

No. 13 Vermont Defeats No. 4 Syracuse 60-57 (2005)

Why this was such a big deal, I do not know. I remember having Vermont as a sleeper team that season and they proved me right in the first round, at least.

Vermont's Taylor Coppenrath was supposed to be one of the better big men in the tournament.

Coppenrath and sharpshooter, T.J. Sorrentine, defeated Gerry McNamara's Orangemen, 60-57, in overtime.

No. 14 Old Dominion Beats No. 3 Villanova 89-81 (OT) (1996)

This was a triple-overtime affair in which Old Dominion, a member of the Sun Belt Conference, won a marathon and scored one for the mid-majors.

Old Dominion upset Kerry Kittles and Villanova to bounce the Wildcats in the first round of the tournament.

No. 14 Cleveland State Beats No. 3 Indiana 83-79 (1986)

Cleveland State used an up-and-down style of basketball to beat Indiana and Bobby Knight in the tournament. The Vikings, led by Ken McFadden, Clinton Smith and Clinton Ramsey gave the Hoosiers everything they could handle.

Cleveland State went on to the Sweet 16 before bowing out to Navy and David Robinson.

No. 15 Santa Clara Defeats No. 2 Arizona 64-61 (1993)

Some guy named Steve Nash led a California team over Arizona.

The game featured an up-tempo style of basketball and also featured four future NBA first-round selections.

Santa Clara's head coach was less than optimistic prior to the game, saying that "it could get ugly" and used this as motivation for the Broncos to pull off a major upset.

No. 14 Weber State Beats No. 3 North Carolina 73-70 (1999)

The game that broke my heart.

No one could believe what just happened. Harold Arceneaux, who was nicknamed "The Show," dominated the Tar Heels, scoring 36 points in their 73-70 win.

No. 13 Princeton Defeats No. 4 UCLA 43-41 (1996)

UCLA was the defending national champion but you would not know that as they were missing most of their team from last season. This was Princeton coach Pete Carril's last game as a coach.

So, with the motivation of sending Carril out on top, Princeton stunned the Bruins, in what had to be one of the lowest-scoring games ever, 43-41.

No. 15 Richmond Defeats No. 2 Syracuse 73-69 (1991)

No one saw this coming. The Spiders played controlled offense and took it to the heavily favored Orangemen.

Richmond, however, was the one who had tasted victory over Auburn and Indiana earlier in the season.

No. 14 Bucknell Defeats No. 3 Kansas 64-63 (2005)

This game was played the same night as Vermont beating Syracuse.

Bucknell Bison defeated the Kansas Jayhawks. Led by Wayne Simien, the Jayhawks could not pull or get anything going and were matched basket for basket and lost in the closing minute of the contest.

No. 15 Hampton Defeats No. 2 Iowa State 58-57 (2001)

Jamaal Tinsley's coast-to-coast layup spun out, giving Hampton the greatest upset in first-round history.

The image of Hampton's head coach Steve Merfeld getting tossed in the air like a rag doll will forever be etched in the minds of basketball fans.