Stunning Developments

The five NCAA tournaments since 1985 with the most first-round upsets:

1989 (8)

No. 14 Siena d. No. 3 Stanford, 80-78

No. 13 Middle Tennessee d. No. 4 Florida St., 97-83

No. 12 DePaul d. No. 5 Memphis, 66-63

No. 11 Evansville d. No. 6 Oregon St., 94-90 (OT)

No. 11 Minnesota d. No. 6 Kansas St., 86-75

No. 11 Southern Alabama d. No. 6 Alabama, 86-84

No. 11 Texas d. No. 6 Georgia Tech, 76-70

No. 10 Colorado St. d. No. 7 Florida, 68-46

* Comment: The movie “Outbreak” was still six years from its release but could have well been based on the events that led to Siena’s break-out victory over Stanford. Siena had to play its final nine home games before empty stands after a measles epidemic hit the Loudonville, N.Y., school.

1991 (8)

No. 15 Richmond d. No. 2 Syracuse, 73-69

No. 14 Xavier d. No. 3 Nebraska, 89-84

No. 13 Penn St. d. No. 4 UCLA, 74-69

No. 12 Eastern Michigan d. No. 5 Mississippi St., 76-56

No. 11 Connecticut d. No. 6 LSU, 79-62

No. 11 Creighton d. No. 6 New Mexico St., 64-56

No. 10 Temple d. No. 7 Purdue, 80-63

No. 10 BYU d. No. 7 Virginia, 61-48

* Comment: And along came the Richmond Spiders, who became Webmasters of the first-round universe as Syracuse’s Orangemen were sent spinning out of control. “I had heard Richmond was capable of upsetting some people,” said Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim, who apparently got the word a little too late.

1998 (8)

No. 14 Richmond d. No. 3 South Carolina, 62-61

No. 13 Valparaiso d. No. 4 Mississippi, 70-69

No. 12 Florida St. d . No. 5 TCU, 96-87

No. 11 Western Michigan d. No. 6 Clemson, 75-72

No. 11 Washington d. No. 6 Xavier, 69-68

No. 10 St. Louis d. No. 7 Massachusetts, 51-46

No. 10 Detroit d. No. 7 St. John’s, 66-64

No. 10 West Virginia d. No. 7 Temple, 82-52

* Comment: Valparaiso’s Bryce Drew gives this tournament the “Hoosiers” touch by making a country-mile three-point basket at the buzzer that beats Mississippi and sends a team from a tiny Indiana school toward an eventual Sweet 16 spot.

1999 (8)

No. 14 Weber St. d. No. 3 North Carolina, 76-74

No. 13 Oklahoma d. No. 4 Arizona, 61-60

No. 12 Detroit d. No. 5 UCLA, 56-53

No. 12 Southwest Missouri St. d. No. 5 Wisconsin, 43-32

No. 10 Gonzaga d. No. 7 Minnesota, 75-63

No. 10 Creighton d. No. 7 Louisville, 62-58

No. 10 Miami of Ohio d. No. 7 Washington, 59-58

No. 10 Purdue d. No. 7 Texas, 58-54

* Comment: The nation went ‘Zag-nuts over the team from the Jesuit school in Spokane, Wash. The victory over Minnesota, rocked by its academic scandal-gate just before the game, jump-started Gonzaga on its journey to the Great Eight.

2001 (9)

No. 15 Hampton d. No. 2 Iowa State, 58-57

No. 13 Kent State d. No. 4 Indiana 77-73

No. 13 Indiana State d. No. 4 Oklahoma, 70-68

No. 12 Gonzaga d. No. 5 Virginia, 86-85

No. 12 Utah State d. No. 5 Ohio State, 77-68 (OT)

No. 11 Georgia State d. No. 6 Wisconsin, 50-49

No. 10 Georgetown d. No. 7 Arkansas, 63-61

No. 10 Butler d. No. 7 Wake Forest, 79-63

No. 10 Temple d. No. 7 Texas, 79-65

* Comment: Iowa State could feel the bad vibes as Hampton kept hanging around in this game, then was ousted when Jamaal Tinsley missed a layup at the buzzer, setting off a March Maniac celebration by Pirate Coach Steve Merfeld.

--Research by HOUSTON MITCHELL; Comments by JIM RHODE