2013 NCAA Tournament Sites (Friday/Sunday):
Dayton, OH (University of Dayton Arena)
Upset Rate: 12/48 (25%); True Upset Rate: 7/36 (19%)
Notes: The city that gave real life to the legend of Devin Davis, and for that, we are forever thankful to Dayton. It also was the site of The Bear’s last stand in the NCAAs, as Don Haskins’ UTEP Miners pulled off s shocker in the second round against Kansas. The first of a few (well, MANY) upsets suffered by Kansas as a top seed.
1985: (First/Second Round)
#1 Michigan def. #16 Fairleigh Dickinson, 59-55
#8 Villanova def. #9 Dayton, 51-49
#5 Maryland def. #12 Miami (OH), 69-68 (OT)
#13 Navy def. #4 LSU, 78-55
#8 Villanova def. #1 Michigan, 59-55
#5 Maryland def. #13 Navy, 64-59
1986: (First/Second Round)
#1 Kansas def. #16 North Carolina A&T, 71-46
#9 Temple def. #8 Jacksonville, 61-50 (OT)
#5 Michigan State def. #12 Washington, 72-70
#4 Georgetown def. #13 Texas Tech, 70-64
#1 Kansas def. #9 Temple, 65-43
#5 Michigan State def. #4 Georgetown, 80-68
1991: (First/Second Round)
#1 Ohio State def. #16 Towson, 97-86
#8 Georgia Tech def. #9 DePaul, 87-70
#5 Texas def. #12 Saint Peter’s, 73-65
#4 St. John’s (NY) def. #13 Northern Illinois, 75-68
#1 Ohio State def. #8 Georgia Tech, 65-61
#4 St. John’s (NY) def. #5 Texas, 84-76
1992: (First/Second Round)
#1 Kansas def. #16 Howard, 100-67
#9 UTEP def. #8 Evansville, 55-50
#5 Michigan State def. #12 Southwest Missouri State, 61-54
#4 Cincinnati def. #13 Delaware, 85-47
#9 UTEP def. #1 Kansas, 66-60
#4 Cincinnati def. #5 Michigan State, 77-65
1995: (First/Second Round)
#12 Miami (OH) def. #5 Arizona, 71-62
#4 Virginia def. #13 Nicholls State, 96-72
#1 Kansas def. #16 Colgate, 82-68
#8 Western Kentucky def. #9 Michigan, 82-76 (OT)
#4 Virginia def. #12 Miami (OH), 60-54 (OT)
#1 Kansas def. #8 Western Kentucky, 75-70
2001: (First/Second Round)
#9 Charlotte def. #8 Tennessee, 70-63
#1 Illinois def. #16 Northwestern State, 96-54
#5 Syracuse def. #12 Hawaii, 79-69
#4 Kansas def. #13 Cal State Northridge, 99-75
#1 Illinois def. #9 Charlotte, 79-61
#4 Kansas def. #5 Syracuse, 87-58
2006: (First/Second Round)
#2 Ohio State def. #15 Davidson, 70-62
#7 Georgetown def. #10 Northern Iowa, 54-49
#11 George Mason def. #6 Michigan State, 75-65
#3 North Carolina def. #14 Murray State, 69-65
#7 Georgetown def. #2 Ohio State, 70-52
#11 George Mason def. #3 North Carolina, 65-60
2009: (First/Second Round)
#1 Pittsburgh def. #16 East Tennessee State, 72-62
#8 Oklahoma State def. #9 Tennessee, 77-75
#1 Louisville def. #16 Morehead State, 74-54
#9 Siena def. #8 Ohio State, 74-72 (2 OT)
#1 Pittsburgh def. #8 Oklahoma State, 84-76
#1 Louisville def. #9 Siena, 79-71
Lexington, KY (Rupp Arena)
Upset Rate: 13/32 (41%); True Upset Rate: 9/24 (38%)
Notes: CODE BLUE, CODE BLUE! The Bluegrass State has left many a top-ranked team feeling blue, possessing the highest upset rate and the second-highest true upset rate. Also included are some NEAR misses, including Marius Janulis bailing out Syracuse with a three with under 2 seconds left to defeat Iona in 1998 and the Thad Five’s Houdini escape of Xavier in 2007.
1985: (Final Four)
#8 Villanova def. #2 Memphis State, 52-45
#1 Georgetown def. #1 St. John’s (NY), 77-59*
#8 Villanova def. #1 Georgetown, 66-64
1989: (Regionals)
#5 Virginia def. #1 Oklahoma, 86-80
#3 Michigan def. #2 North Carolina, 92-87
#3 Michigan def. #5 Virginia, 102-65
1992: (Regionals)
#1 Ohio State def. #4 North Carolina, 80-73
#6 Michigan def. #2 Oklahoma State, 87-71
#6 Michigan def. #1 Ohio State, 75-71 (OT)
1994: (First/Second Round)
#5 Wake Forest def. #12 College of Charleston, 68-58
#4 Kansas def. #13 Tennessee-Chattanooga, 102-73
#1 Purdue def. #16 Central Florida, 98-67
#9 Alabama def. #8 Providence, 76-70
#4 Kansas def. #5 Wake Forest, 69-58
#1 Purdue def. #9 Alabama, 83-73
1996: (Regionals)
#5 Mississippi State def. #1 Connecticut, 60-55
#2 Cincinnati def. #3 Georgia Tech, 87-70
#5 Mississippi State def. #2 Cincinnati, 73-63
1998: (First/Second Round)
#5 Syracuse def. #12 Iona, 63-61
#4 New Mexico def. #13 Butler, 79-62
#1 Duke def. #16 Radford, 99-63
#8 Oklahoma State def. #9 George Washington, 74-59
#5 Syracuse def. #4 New Mexico, 56-46
#1 Duke def. #8 Oklahoma State, 79-73
2002: (Regionals)
#10 Kent State def. #3 Pittsburgh, 78-73 (OT)
#5 Indiana def. #1 Duke, 74-73…down goes Duke!
#5 Indiana def. #10 Kent State, 81-69
2007: (First/Second Round)
#6 Louisville def. #11 Stanford, 78-58
#3 Texas A&M def. #14 Penn, 68-52
#1 Ohio State def. #16 Central Connecticut State, 78-57
#9 Xavier def. #8 BYU, 97-77
#3 Texas A&M def. #6 Louisville, 72-69
#1 Ohio State def. #9 Xavier, 78-71 (OT)…proof that No. 9 seeds, if they don’t have bad luck in the NCAA Tournament, have no luck at all!
Austin, TX (Frank Erwin Events Center)
Upset Rate: 7/18 (39%); True Upset Rate: 6/15 (40%)
Notes: Everything is bigger in Texas, including the upsets in its state capital. No city of the 12 hosting the rounds prior to the Final Four possessed a higher true upset rate (40%). If you’re not a fan of Miami or Florida in this year’s tournament, having them play in Austin may actually be the impetus you need to think that those Sunshine State teams are going to succumb to the Texas heat.
1990: (First/Second Round)
#1 Oklahoma def. #16 Towson, 77-68
#8 North Carolina def. #9 Southwest Missouri State, 83-70
#12 Dayton def. #5 Illinois, 88-86
#4 Arkansas def. #13 Princeton, 68-64
#8 North Carolina def. #1 Oklahoma, 79-77…Rick Fox sends Carolina to the Sweet 16
#4 Arkansas def. #12 Dayton, 86-84
1995: (First/Second round)
#7 Syracuse def. #10 Southern Illinois, 96-92
#2 Arkansas def. #15 Texas Southern, 79-78
#3 Purdue def. #14 Wisconsin-Green Bay, 49-48
#6 Memphis def. #11 Louisville, 77-56
#2 Arkansas def. #7 Syracuse, 96-94 (OT)…it’s a good thing the Chris Webber “time out” play happened two years prior, or Lawrence Moten would be the poster child in college basketball for calling time outs without having any.
#6 Memphis def. #3 Purdue, 75-73
2000: (Regionals)
#8 North Carolina def. #4 Tennessee, 74-69
#7 Tulsa def. #6 Miami (FL), 80-71
#8 North Carolina def. #7 Tulsa, 59-55
2005: (Regionals)
#5 Michigan State def. #1 Duke, 78-68
#2 Kentucky def. #6 Utah, 60-54
#5 Michigan State def. #2 Kentucky, 94-88 (2 OT)
Philadelphia, PA (The Spectrum & First Union Center)
Upset Rate: 2/18 (11%); True Upset Rate: 1/13 (8%)
Notes: The City of Brotherly Love shows a whole lot of love to chalk, as only one of the 13 games that could have resulted in a true upset actually came to fruition (USC over Kentucky in 2001). But it did play host to, almost inarguably, the greatest NCAA Tournament game ever played (Duke/Kentucky 1992).
1992: (Regionals)
#1 Duke def. #4 Seton Hall, 88-71
#2 Kentucky def. #3 Massachusetts, 87-77
#1 Duke def. #2 Kentucky, 104-103 (OT)…need I say more?
2001: (Regionals)
#1 Duke def. #4 UCLA, 76-63
#6 USC def. #2 Kentucky, 80-76
#1 Duke def. #6 USC, 79-69
2006: (First/Second Round)
#1 Connecticut def. #16 Albany, 72-59
#8 Kentucky def. #9 UAB, 69-64
#1 Villanova def. #16 Monmouth, 58-45
#8 Arizona def. #9 Wisconsin, 94-75
#1 Connecticut def. #8 Kentucky, 87-83
#1 Villanova def. #8 Arizona, 82-78
2009: (First/Second Round)
#1 Connecticut def. #16 Chattanooga, 103-47
#9 Texas A&M def. #8 BYU, 79-66
#6 UCLA def. #11 VCU, 65-64
#3 Villanova def. #14 American, 80-67
#1 Connecticut def. #9 Texas A&M, 92-66
#3 Villanova def. #6 UCLA, 89-69
2013 Regional Sites (Friday/Sunday):
Indianapolis, IN (RCA Dome, née Hoosier Dome & Lucas Oil Stadium)
Upset Rate: 18/64 (28%); True Upset Rate: 8/48 (17%)
Notes: Although Indianapolis didn’t produce a real high true upset rate (17%), the memorable moments in the Midwest are too numerous to list (although we listed every tournament game since 1985 on here). Look below for probably the two most memorable games: Duke’s monumental upset over an undefeated UNLV team in the ’90 Final Four and Princeton’s upset over the defending national champions UCLA in 1996.
1987: (First/Second Round)
#1 Indiana def. #16 Fairfield, 92-58
#8 Auburn def. #9 San Diego, 62-61
#5 Duke def. #12 Texas A&M, 58-51
#13 Xavier def. #4 Missouri, 70-69
#1 Indiana def. #8 Auburn, 107-90
#5 Duke def. #13 Xavier, 65-60
1989: (First/Second Round)
#1 Illinois def. #16 McNeese State, 77-71
#9 Ball State def. #8 Pittsburgh, 68-64
#5 Arkansas def. #12 Loyola Marymount, 120-101
#4 Louisville def. #13 Arkansas-Little Rock, 76-71
#1 Illinois def. #9 Ball State, 72-60
#4 Louisville def. #5 Arkansas, 93-84
1990: (First/Second Round)
#6 Xavier def. #11 Kansas State, 87-79
#3 Georgetown def. #14 Texas Southern, 70-52
#10 Texas def. #7 Georgia, 100-88
#2 Purdue def. #15 Northeast Louisiana, 75-63
#6 Xavier def. #3 Georgetown, 74-71
#10 Texas def. #2 Purdue, 73-72
1991: (Final Four)
#2 Duke def. #1 UNLV, 79-77…although the seed difference was only one, definitely one of the biggest upsets in Final Four history.
#3 Kansas def. #1 North Carolina, 79-73
#2 Duke def. #3 Kansas, 72-65
1993: (First/Second Round)
#5 Oklahoma State def. #12 Marquette, 74-62
#4 Louisville def. #13 Delaware, 76-70
#1 Indiana def. #16 Wright State, 97-54
#9 Xavier def. #8 New Orleans, 73-55
#4 Louisville def. #5 Oklahoma State, 78-63
#1 Indiana def. #9 Xavier, 73-70
1996: (First/Second Round)
#9 Eastern Michigan def. #8 Duke, 75-60
#1 Connecticut def. #16 Colgate, 68-59
#5 Mississippi State def. #12 VCU, 58-51
#13 Princeton def. #4 UCLA, 43-41…can someone open the back door, please? This also marked the beginning of Gus Johnson becoming “Mr. Excitement” during March Madness.
#1 Connecticut def. #9 Eastern Michigan, 95-81
#5 Mississippi State def. #13 Princeton, 63-41
1997: (Final Four)
#1 Kentucky def. #1 Minnesota, 78-69*
#4 Arizona def. #1 North Carolina, 66-58
#4 Arizona def. #1 Kentucky, 84-79 (OT)
1999: (First/Second Round)
#1 Auburn def. #16 Winthrop, 80-41
#9 Oklahoma State def. #8 Syracuse, 69-61
#12 Detroit def. #5 UCLA, 56-53
#4 Ohio State def. #13 Murray State, 72-58
#1 Auburn def. #9 Oklahoma State, 81-74
#4 Ohio State def. #12 Detroit, 75-44
2000: (Final Four)
#1 Michigan State def. #8 Wisconsin, 53-41
#5 Florida def. #8 North Carolina, 71-59
#1 Michigan State def. #5 Florida, 89-76
2003: (First/Second Round)
#6 Missouri def. #11 Southern Illinois, 72-71
#3 Marquette def. #14 Holy Cross, 72-68
#5 Notre Dame def. #12 Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 70-69
#4 Illinois def. #13 Western Kentucky, 65-60
#3 Marquette def. #6 Missouri, 101-92, OT
#5 Notre Dame def. #4 Illinois, 68-60
2005: (First/Second Round)
#2 Kentucky def. #15 Eastern Kentucky, 72-64
#7 Cincinnati def. #10 Iowa, 76-64
#1 Illinois def. #16 Fairleigh Dicinson, 67-55
#9 Nevada def. #8 Texas, 61-57
#2 Kentucky def. #7 Cincinnati, 69-60
#1 Illinois def. #9 Nevada, 71-59
2006: (Final Four)
#2 UCLA def. #4 LSU, 59-45
#3 Florida def. #11 George Mason, 73-58
#3 Florida def. #2 UCLA, 73-57
2009: (Regionals)
#1 Louisville def. #12 Arizona, 103-64
#2 Michigan State def. #3 Kansas, 67-62
#2 Michigan State def. #1 Louisville, 64-52
2010: (Final Four)
#5 Butler def. #5 Michigan State, 52-50*
#1 Duke def. #2 West Virginia, 78-57
#1 Duke def. #5 Butler, 61-59
Arlington, TX (Cowboys Stadium)
Has never hosted an NCAA Tournament game prior to 2013.
