March Madness No. 16 vs. No. 1 Upset History
March Madness is home to some of the biggest upsets in the professional sporting world given how massive the 68-team bracket is to begin with. However, many still wonder whether or not a top-seeded program has fallen in the first round to a 16th-seeded opponent, and the answer might surprise several readers, especially those who have just recently become a college basketball fan.
Nitrobetting is ready to dish out some timely assists to our bettors all throughout the 2022 March Madness season. This time, let’s revisit the last time that a No. 16 seed defeated a No. 1 seed at the NCAA men’s basketball national tournament.
When Was the Last Time a No. 16 Beat a No. 1 in March Madness?
READ MORE: Greatest March Madness First Round Upsets
Although there have been countless upsets all across the history of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, the reality is that No. 16 seeds have a paltry 1-143 record against No. 1 seeds at the Big Dance.
Who’s the one team that managed to topple over a regional giant, you may ask? The only 16th-seeded team to beat a top-seeded program in the first round of the tournament is the UMBC Retrievers over the Virginia Cavaliers, with the upset happening quite recently in 2018.
UMBC needed a game-winning three-point shot from Jairus Lyles to win the America East Conference title just to earn a spot in the national tournament. They had the toughest of tasks when they were pitted up against Virginia, which finished the regular season as the best program in the country at the time.
What soon followed was a monumental outcome for the record books, as the Retrievers handed a 20-point rout to the bewildered Cavaliers. Not only is a first-round upset of a No. 1 seed a rare occasion to have happened, but winning in a blowout fashion is another feat that the boys from little-known Baltimore County can hang their hats on.
Who’s the Best No. 16 Team in the 2022 NCAA Tournament?
As of this writing, two No. 1 seeds (Arizona and Kansas) are still awaiting the results of the First Four matchups that will determine their respective first-round opponents. That leaves us with the Georgia State Panthers taking on the top-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Norfolk State Spartans set to battle against defending national champions, the Baylor Bears.
Georgia State won the Sun Belt Tournament on the strength of a 10-game win streak to enter the Big Dance with plenty of momentum. However, the Zags’ pool of talent is leagues beyond that of the Panthers’. While Norfolk State had a much shorter six-game win streak entering the tourney, the MEAC champions have a more favorable matchup against a Baylor squad that lacks a true superstar ready to dominate the scene.
The betting odds would also somewhat agree that Norfolk State is in a more favorable position. The Spartans are currently (+21) underdogs to beat the Bears this week, whereas the Panthers are handicapped by two more points on the spread at (+23) to upset the Bulldogs. For added reference, UMBC was also a 20-point dog against Virginia four years ago.
This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more NCAAB game previews and articles and don’t forget to check out the latest Basketball betting odds on the sportsbook.
In celebration of the 2022 March Madness season, we’re proud to announce the launch of our Nitrobetting Bitcoin Brackets contests for the upcoming national tournament. Sign up for a Nitrobetting account now to get in on the bracket predictions action, as well as many more events such as our Bitcoin Squares and Bitcoin Picks contests all throughout the drama on the courts at The Big Dance!
