10 Biggest Elite Eight Upsets Ever

As the NCAA Tournament advances, the upsets become fewer and far between. Nonetheless, in its history, there has been a fair share of notable upsets in the Elite Eight, the round before the Final Four, which ultimately decides the two teams in the national championship. 

Below, I’ll list the 10 biggest upsets in Elite Eight NCAA Tournament history, including the college basketball odds for some of the showdowns.

I’ll kick it off with a game in 1985. 

Biggest Elite Eight Upsets in the NCAA Tournament

10. Villanova vs North Carolina – 1985

One of the first Cinderella stories, Villanova would go on to win the 1985 national championship. On the way there, the Wildcats beat No. 2 seed North Carolina as a No. 8 seed. North Carolina was 2.5-point favourites and lost 56-44. Four players on Villanova scored double-digit points in Harold Pressley, Dwayne McClain, Gary McLain, and Harold Jensen. 

To add to their win, Villanova downed a squad coached by Dean Smith and with NBA players like Kenny Smith and Brad Daugherty. 

9. Florida Atlantic vs Kansas State – 2023

Florida Atlantic entered the 2023 tournament as a No. 9 seed and was able to make a run thanks to matching up with Fairleigh Dickinson, a No. 16 seed, defeating Purdue. In the Sweet 16, the Owls took down No. 4 seed Tennessee. 

(9) FLORIDA ATLANTIC DANCES TO THE FINAL FOUR 🔥

The Owls take down (3) Kansas State 79-76 to advance to their first ever Final Four! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/DdHxynvdWk

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 26, 2023

Then, in the Elite Eight, the Owls drew No. 3 seed Kansas State. They were in control of the game all the way through, with four players scoring double digits in Alijah Martin, Vladislav Goldin, Bryan Greenlee, and Johnell Davis. Kansas State was a small 1.5-point favourite, but the Florida Atlantic run managed to go into the Final Four. 

8. Loyola-Chicago vs Kansas State – 2018

Within the last few years, there’s been no bigger Cinderella in the tournament than No. 11 seed Loyola-Chicago in 2018. Against KSU, the Ramblers were led by Ben Richardson’s 23 points, six rebounds, and four assists. As a unit, they shot 50% from three-point range and 57.4% from the field. Donte Ingram added 12 points and Marques Townes had 13. 

Loyola-Chicago won 78-62 as 1.5-point underdogs. 

7. Syracuse vs Virginia – 2016

A No. 10 seed Syracuse, led by head coach Jim Boeheim, took on top-seeded Virginia as 8-point underdogs, winning 68-62. Malachi Richardson led the team with 23 points and seven rebounds. Michael Gbinije had 11, Tyler Roberson had 10, and Tyler Lydon had 11. 

To make this upset even sweeter, Syracuse was down 35-21 at the half, outscoring Virginia 47-27 en route to this massive win. 

Syracuse lost in the Final Four to North Carolina 83-66. 

6. Butler vs Florida – 2011

The first overtime Elite Eight game to appear on my list, No. 8 seed Butler was a 3-point underdog, but defeated No. 2 seed Florida by three. Florida was leading 33-32 at the half, but in overtime, Butler outscored the Gators 14-11. 

Shelvin Mack carried Butler to victory with 27 points, while Matt Howard added 14 and five rebounds. 

Wins like this ultimately cemented head coach Brad Stevens’ legacy, opening doors to eventually becoming an NBA head coach and executive. 

5. Providence vs Georgetown – 1987

A No. 6 seed, Providence shellacked top-seeded Georgetown by 15 points as 5-point underdogs. Providence was led by Billy Donovan, who’s now the head coach of the Chicago Bulls. Additionally, Darryl Wright had 20 points, and the Friars fended off 25 points from Reggie Williams.

If not for an even second half, Providence would’ve had an even larger win as they led 54-37 at the half. 

4. Wichita State vs Ohio State – 2013

A No. 9 seed, the Wichita State Shockers took down No. 2 seed Ohio State before losing in the Final Four to No. 1 seed Louisville. In this game, four players in Malcolm Armstead, Cleanthony Early, Tekele Cotton, and Fred VanVleet had double-digit points. Today, VanVleet is still playing in the NBA. 

They fended off the Buckeyes, who saw 40 of their 66 points come from Deshaun Thomas and LaQuinton Ross. 

3. LSU vs Kentucky – 1986

Here, I have another double-digit seed upset with No. 11 seed LSU, overcoming the odds and taking down No. 1 seed Kentucky. 

Kentucky led 34-33 at halftime, but LSU outscored them 26-23 in the second half. 

Four players – John Williams, Anthony Wilson, Don Redden, and Ricky Blanton – had double-digit points for the Tigers. 

Kenny Walker scored 20 points for Kentucky. 

2. VCU vs Kansas – 2011

The legend of head coach Shaka Smart grew in this tournament with No. 11 seed VCU. In the Elite Eight, the Rams took down No. 1 seed Kansas 71-61 as 11-point underdogs. This was a massive upset against a Kansas squad that had Markieff and Marcus Morris, who combined for 33 points. 

Jamie Skeen had 26 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Rams to victory. 

In the Final Four, VCU lost to No. 8 seed Butler 70-62, but it was an incredible upset nonetheless. 

1. George Mason vs UConn – 2006

George Mason was an 8-point underdog and was trailing 43-34 at halftime. 

In the second half, George Mason roared back to outscore UConn 40-31 and tie the game. 

George Mason led 74-72 with seconds to go and were at the free-throw line. After a missed free throw, UConn took the rebound and drove down the court and after one pass, they managed to sink a layup as time expired and they sent to overtime.

UConn had all the momentum heading into overtime, but the final shot, their 3-pointer, came up short, and George Mason came away with the win. 

The Patriots lost to No. 3 seed Florida 73-58 in the Final Four, but they’ll forever have the biggest upset in Elite Eight history.