How many times has a 15-seed beat a 2-seed in March Madness?

March Madness is the season of upsets and Cinderella runs.

Outside of the 16-seed over 1-seed upset, which has happened a total of three times in the history of the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments, a 15-over-2 stunner in the first round is as good as it gets.

In the history of the men’s NCAA tournament, 15-seeds have totaled 11 wins over their first-round opponents, including three in the last four years entering 2025. The 15-over-2 upset has never happened in the women’s tournament.

Here, we take a look at every instance of a 15-seed eliminating a 2-seed.

1991: No. 15 Richmond def. No. 2 Syracuse, 73-69

The very first 15-over-2 upset came in the 1991 NCAA tournament, six seasons after the tournament was expanded to 64 teams.

Syracuse, led by legendary head coach Jim Boeheim, had won at least one tournament game in its last 10 appearances entering the 1991 dance.

But Richmond feared not the Big East regular season champs, led for much of the game and held off a late Orangemen comeback to become the first-ever 15-seed to reach the round of 32.

Curtis Blair led the way for Richmond with 18 points in the win.

1993: No. 15 Santa Clara def. No. 2 Arizona, 64-61

Down by 13 points in the second half against Pac-10 powerhouse Arizona, Santa Clara was on the verge of bowing out of the 1993 NCAA tournament.

But the Broncos stormed back to knock Arizona out in the round of 64, just one removed from the Wildcats falling to East Tennessee State in the opening round as a 3-seed. Lute Olson’s team shot 31% from the field in the loss.

Santa Clara’s star player in the win? Pete Eisenrich, who logged 19 points and eight rebounds.

Not to mention a certain freshman (and future Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinee) Steve Nash, who chipped in 10 points and four assists in 30 minutes off the bench.

1997: No. 15 Coppin State def. No. 2 South Carolina, 78-65

The 1997 MEAC regular season and tournament champs Coppin State came into the 1997 NCAA tournament having never won a game in the big dance.

That changed quickly as the Eagles, who became the third 15-seed in history to advance beyond the first round, and the first to do so with a double-digit win.

Trailing by seven in the second half, Coppin State surged past the Gamecocks late on to keep the dream alive. Danny Singletary scored 22 points and logged five steals off the bench.

The Eagles nearly became the first 15-seed to reach the Sweet 16, but lost by one to No. 10 Texas in the round of 32.

2001: No. 15 Hampton def. No. 2 Iowa State, 58-57

Hampton forward Tarvis Williams is the name many remember when reflecting on No. 15 Hampton eliminating No. 2 Iowa State from the 2001 men’s tournament.

Williams led all scorers with 16 points, including the most important bucket of them all with just under seven seconds remaining.

Trailing by one, Williams received a pass in the post and held off three swarming defenders to put the ball in the cup and his team in the lead.

Iowa State got a look for the win, but missed a tough layup at the buzzer.

2012: No. 15 Norfolk State def. No. 2 Missouri, 86-84

The men’s tournament went 11 years without a 15-over-2 upset prior to March 16, 2012.

Then the floodgates opened.

15-seed Norfolk State pulled off the first colossal upset of the day, defeating 2-seed Missouri in what was a nail-biter right down the end.  

The score was tied 38-38 at halftime and again 81-81 in the final minute. Norfolk St.’s Kyle O’Quinn (26 PTS, 14 REB) was the difference, tipping in his teammate’s missed shot for an and-1 to put the Spartans up three.

Missouri had a chance to win or tie at the buzzer, but Phil Pressey’s 3-pointer hit back iron and the Tigers were eliminated.

2012: No. 15 Lehigh def. No. 2 Duke, 75-70

Shortly after Norfolk St.’s Cinderella run commenced, Lehigh’s began. And it came against one of the most storied programs in college basketball history in Duke.

The Blue Devils, led by legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski, were a national powerhouse since the late 1980s and seldom failed to advance beyond the first weekend of the tournament. Two years prior in 2010, Duke won the national championship in a thriller over Butler.

Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum, who has since become a 12-year NBA veteran and 20-point per game scorer, torched the 2-seeded Blue Devils for 30 points in a 75-70 Lehigh victory, busting brackets in the process.

Famously, Lehigh reacted as if it were a routine win rather than a miracle upset, with McCollum having instilled in his team that they should expect to win.

2013: No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast def. No. 2 Georgetown, 78-68

In its first ever tournament appearance, Florida Gulf Coast made history by becoming the first 15-seed to advance to the Sweet 16.

First, though, FGCU put in a highlight reel showing to send No. 2 Georgetown packing.

The Eagles scored 54 points in the second half to join 1997 Coppin State as the only 15-seed to win by double digits in the opening round. The exclamation point came with just under two minutes left, FGCU up seven, and Georgetown clawing to stay alive.

Rather than running out the clock and taking a smart shot, FGCU pushed the inbounds pass up the court. Point guard Brett Comer, who finished with 10 assists, lobbed the ball to Chase Fieler, who threw down a vicious one-handed alley-oop to hammer the nail in Georgetown’s coffin.

Fieler’s dunk remains one of the all-time moments in the history of March Madness.

FGCU went on to defeat No. 7 San Diego State to become the first 15-seed in March Madness history to advance beyond the first weekend. They eventually fell to No. 3 Florida in the Sweet 16.

2016: No. 15 Middle Tennessee State def. No. 2 Michigan State, 90-81

A program best making deep runs in March, it was Michigan State’s turn to be on the brunt end of an all-time upset in the 2016 men’s tournament.

Middle Tennessee State came out firing in their round of 64 game vs. Tom Izzo’s Spartans, and led 15-2 after less than five minutes of game time.

Michigan State clawed back and made it a one-possession game for much of the second half, but the Blue Raiders never gave in. MTSU shot 11-for-19 from beyond the arc in the win, with all five starters logging double digits including Reggie Upshaw Jr. (21 PTS) and Giddy Potts (19 PTS).

2021: No. 15 Oral Roberts def. No. 2 Ohio State, 75-72

The first 15-over-2 upset of the 2020s came in an overtime thriller between Oral Roberts and Ohio State.

And it included a pair of virtuoso performances from Golden Eagles tandem Max Abmas, the nation’s leading scorer through the regular season, and Kevin Obanor.

The Oral Roberts duo combined for 59 points and 10 threes made to down the Buckeyes and earn their program’s first NCAA tournament win since 1974.

The Cinderella run didn’t end there. Oral Roberts became the second 15-seed to reach the Sweet 16 by defeating No. 7 Florida 81-78 in the round of 32.

2022: No. 15 Saint Peter’s def. No. 2 Kentucky, 85-79

One year on from Oral Roberts’ overtime triumph past Ohio State, minnows Saint Peter’s did the same against another powerhouse of men’s college basketball in Kentucky.

Led by Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky had its sights set on a deep tournament run, but the Peacocks squashed those hopes in the round of 64.

Saint Peter’s made nine of 17 threes (52.9%) and got a combined 47 points from guards Daryl Banks III and Doug Edert in the overtime win.

The Peacocks crucially hit 18 of 21 free throws, including a perfect 6-for-6 in the final 32 seconds of overtime.

Shaheen Holloway’s team later became the first 15-seed to reach the Elite 8, beating No. 7 Murray State and No. 3 Purdue before falling to eventual national runners-up North Carolina.

2023: No. 15 Princeton def. No. 2 Arizona, 59-55

The 2023 NCAA tournament marked the third-straight in which a 15-seed beat a 2-seed.

Again, it was Arizona, who lost to 15-seed Santa Clara in the opening round 30 years prior, to drop out in the round of 64 as a 2-seed.

Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson, a key cog in the Tigers team that famously defeated defending champions UCLA in the 1996 round of 64, was back for his second dose of March magic.

No. 15 Princeton put on a clinic down the stretch against the high-flying Wildcats, who averaged 81.9 PPG in the regular season while shooting 49.4% as a team.

The Tigers trailed by 10 with 12 minutes remaining then outscored Arizona 24-10 over the final 12 minutes of game time.

Neither team was particularly efficient on offense on the day, but Princeton did enough to stifle one of the nation’s best offensive teams, holding the Wildcats to 55 points and 3-for-16 from three when it mattered most.