NCAA Basketball – Top Five Upsets of the Last Five Years

NCAA basketball betting players are always looking for the first upset of the NCAA tournament, and they usually don’t have to wait along as the first round can be a minefield for the nation’s top powerhouses. Here’s a look at the top upsets of the last five years.

Cleveland State-Wake Forest (first round, 2009)

The No.4-seeded Demon Deacons, from the ACC, came into this game as a 7.5-point favorite over the No.13-seeded Vikings of the Horizon League, but 18 turnovers derailed their progress to the next round. Norris Cole led the way with 22 points for the Vikings, who then lost to No.12-seeded Arizona in the next round.

San Diego-UConn (first round, 2008) (four No.1 seeds)

The Big East’s Huskies were a 12-point favorite as a four-seed over the 13-seeded Toreros from the West Coast Conference, but they lost point guard A.J. Price to a knee injury early in the game, and the Huskies clearly missed their leader. Gyno Pomare helped the Toreros overcome a 37-24 deficit on the glass against a much bigger UConn team. Fifteen turnovers also doomed the Huskies, while San Diego went on to lose in the next round against another bracket-buster team, Western Kentucky.

VCU-Duke (first round, 2007)

The Blue Devils from the ACC were a No.6 seed and a six-point favorite against the No.11 seed Rams of the CAA, but Duke went 3-of-11 from beyond the arc, which was a strength of theirs over the course of the season, while Eric Maynor dropped 22 points on the Blue Devils. VCU fell just short in the next round, falling to No.3 Pitt.

George Mason-North Carolina (second round, 2006)

No.11 George Mason, from the CAA, was a 6.5-point underdog in your sportsbook against the No.3 Tar Heels of the ACC, but the Patriots rolled all the way to the Final Four before losing to eventual champion the Florida Gators. Lamar Butler sunk 22 points in the Patriots’ biggest upset in their Cinderella story of 2006, but they’ve been back to the big dance just once in the four years  since.

Bucknell-Kansas (first round, 2005)

The No.14 Bisons, who won the Patriot League, were massive underdogs against the third-seeded Jayhawks of the Big 12, but Bucknell wasn’t deterred by their status, or a 40 percent day from the floor. The Jayhawks won pretty much every statistical category except for one key stat: turnovers, and they had 13 while Bucknell had just nine. The Bison also won the three-point battle, going 8-of-31, which isn’t great, but Kansas shot a miserable 1-of-11 from beyond the arc. It won the Bisons the 2005 ESPY award for Biggest Upset, and it won some big money for internet sports betting players who took a risk.