Could the ultimate upset in college sports happen this year in the NCAA tournament? Could this be the year that a 16 seed beats a 1 Seed? It is very possible.
Historically, it is crazy to ever think a 16 seed can beat a 1 seed. In history 16 seeds have played a 1 seed 124 times coming into this tournament. The 16 seed has won zero of those matchups.
The most famous and closest game between 16 and 1 seeds was when Georgetown beat Princeton by one point in 1989. Georgetown actually went into the locker room down by eight points. And the game came down to one shot. Princeton had the last shot of the game but Georgetown’s Alonzo Mourning blocked the shot to save the Hoyas. Princeton lost the game 50-49.
Overshadowed by that game is the only other one point escape by a 1 seed, the 1 Oklahoma vs 16 East Tennessee State University game. In that same year of 1989, Oklahoma narrowly beat ETSU 72-71. Just like the Hoyas, the Sooners face some adversity. At one point in the game, the Sooners were down by 17 points. But the game came down to the last shot and ETSU had the ball and they were down by one. ETSU’s late-second half court shot was deflected and it went off the mark and the Sooners escaped the ultimate upset.
Those two games are the closest any 16 seed has ever gotten to upsetting a 1 seed. So can it happen this year? Anything is possible right? And with the parody in College Basketball this year it is very possible. If it were to happen it would be Florida Gulf Coast beating UNC.
Florida Gulf Coast might be the best 16 seed ever. And after their big win on Tuesday they could be riding high on momentum. UNC has not played since last Saturday, so the Tar Heels could be cold. The Tar Heels can have stretches where they can’t score the basketball and at some points in the game they do turn the ball over. If Eagles can turn the UNC turnovers into points they could pull off the upset. On the offensive side of the ball the Eagles as a team shot around 36% from 3-point land, while the Heels are only around 31%. Like any team playing any team, if you win the turnover battle and get hot from 3 you have a chance to win the game. If the Tar Heels or any 1 Seed is not ready to play come tip-off, they might have to get ready to return to the classroom a lot early then they hoped to.
Will history repeat itself or will a 16 Seed make their own history in the 2016 NCAA Tournament?
