North Texas and Ohio joined the list of No. 13 seeds pulling out upsets in 2021, as the Mean Green upset No. 4 Purdue 78-69 in overtime and the Bobcats beat Virginia 62-58.
Here's everything you need to know about 13 seeds vs. 4 seeds in March Madness.
History of 13 vs. 4 seeds in March Madness
Thirty-one 13 seeds have upset 4 seeds since the NCAA tournament field expanded in 1985. Going into the 2022 NCAA tournament, No. 13 seeds had a 31-113 record all-time. That equated to a 21.53 winning percentage.
Here are all of the times it's ever happened.
| Year | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Navy def. LSU | 78-55 |
| 1987 | Missouri State def. Clemson | 65-60 |
| 1987 | Xavier def. Missouri | 70-69 |
| 1988 | Richmond def. Indiana | 72-69 |
| 1989 | Middle Tennessee def. Florida State | 97-83 |
| 1991 | Penn State def. UCLA | 74-69 |
| 1992 | Southwestern Louisiana def. Oklahoma | 87-83 |
| 1993 | Southern def. Georgia Tech | 93-78 |
| 1995 | Manhattan def. Oklahoma | 77-67 |
| 1996 | Princeton def. UCLA | 43-41 |
| 1998 | Valparaiso def. Ole Miss | 70-69 |
| 1999 | Oklahoma def. Arizona | 61-60 |
| 2001 | Indiana State def. Oklahoma | 70-68 |
| 2001 | Kent State def. Indiana | 77-73 |
| 2002 | UNC Wilmington def. USC | 93-89 |
| 2003 | Tulsa def. Dayton | 84-71 |
| 2005 | Vermont def. Syracuse | 60-57 |
| 2006 | Bradley def. Kansas | 77-73 |
| 2008 | Siena def. Vanderbilt | 83-62 |
| 2008 | San Diego def. UConn | 70-69 |
| 2009 | Cleveland State def. Wake Forest | 84-69 |
| 2010 | Murray State def. Vanderbilt | 66-65 |
| 2011 | Morehead State def. Louisville | 62-61 |
| 2012 | Ohio def. Michigan | 65-60 |
| 2013 | La Salle def. Kansas State | 63-61 |
| 2016 | Hawaii def. California | 77-66 |
| 2018 | Buffalo def. Arizona | 89-69 |
| 2018 | Marshall def. Wichita State | 81-75 |
| 2019 | UC Irvine def. Kansas State | 70-64 |
| 2021 | North Texas def. Purdue | 78-69 (OT) |
| 2021 | Ohio def. Virginia | 62-58 |
Some more tidbits:
- Basketball legend David Robinson was on the right side of the first 13-4 upset in 1985. Robinson's Navy Midshipmen cruised to a 78-55 victory over fourth-seeded LSU in the opening round.
- Of the 31 upset victories, six finished in the Sweet 16, starting with Richmond in 1988 and most recently with La Salle in 2013.
- The No. 13 seed is 6-2 in games decided by one point.
- Multiple 13 seeds have upset 4 seeds in five years: 1987, 2001, 2008, 2018 and 2021.
- No 13 seed has upset a 4 seed more than once in school history.
How much more likely is a 13-4 upset than a 14-3 upset?
Twenty-two 14 seeds have upset 3 seeds since 1985, giving them a 22-122 record all-time. That equates to a 15.28 win percentage. Thus, a 13-4 upset is more than 6 percentage points more likely to happen than a 14-3.
Here are all of the times it's ever happened.
| Year | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Cleveland State def. Indiana | 83-79 |
| 1986 | Arkansas Little-Rock def. Notre Dame | 90-83 |
| 1987 | Austin Peay def. Illinois | 68-67 |
| 1988 | Murray State def. NC State | 78-75 |
| 1989 | Siena def. Stanford | 80-78 |
| 1990 | Northern Iowa def. Missouri | 74-71 |
| 1991 | Xavier def. Nebraska | 89-84 |
| 1992 | ETSU def. Arizona | 87-80 |
| 1995 | Old Dominion def. Villanova | 89-81 |
| 1995 | Weber State def. Michigan State | 79-72 |
| 1997 | Chattanooga def. Georgia | 73-70 |
| 1998 | Richmond def. South Carolina | 62-61 |
| 1999 | Weber State def. North Carolina | 76-74 |
| 2005 | Bucknell def. Kansas | 64-63 |
| 2006 | Northwestern State def. Iowa | 64-63 |
| 2010 | Ohio def. Georgetown | 97-83 |
| 2013 | Harvard def. New Mexico | 68-62 |
| 2014 | Mercer def. Duke | 78-71 |
| 2015 | UAB def. Iowa State | 60-59 |
| 2015 | Georgia State def. Baylor | 57-56 |
| 2016 | Stephen F. Austin def. West Virginia | 70-56 |
| 2021 | Abilene Christian def. Texas | 53-52 |
How much more likely is a 12-5 upset than a 13-4 upset?
Going into 2022, there have been 51 12-5 upsets since 1985, meaning it's happened 20 more times than the 13-4. Therefore, it is about 14 percentage points more likely to occur.
Recent/best highlights of 13-4 upsets
One of the most memorable games in NCAA tournament history was a 13-4 upset.
Valparaiso won in dramatic fashion over Ole Miss in 1998. With 2.5 seconds left in the game with a two-point deficit, the Crusaders had one final shot to tie or win. Inbounding from the opposite baseline, Jamie Sykes threw an inbounds pass to Bill Jenkins at midcourt, who tapped it to Bryce Drew, who tossed up a desperation 23-foot 3-pointer. The shot went down as time expired to send Valpo to the second round.
And here are some of the most recent 13-4 upsets.
Ohio beating Virginia in 2021
Also in 2021, North Texas defeated Purdue in OT
UC Irvine's win over Kansas State in 2019:
Buffalo's blowout win over Arizona in 2018:
Marshall's tight 2018 win against Wichita State:
Hawai'i's first NCAA tournament win ever, which came against California in 2016.
