With Selection Sunday on the Horizon, it is only appropriate to look back at two of the most unforgettable upsets that have taken place over the recent years. 

Last year, NC State came into the tournament as an 11 seed even though they were coming in a heater, as they had just won the ACC Championship as an underdog. Because they were an 11-seed, they played a talented Texas Tech team whom they beat 80-67.In their round of 32 game, they played 14-seed Oakland who had themselves just upset the three seed Kentucky. As the Buzzer sounded, NC State ended Oakland’s short run by a mere six points. In their round of 16 game, they encountered their highest seeded team yet as they took on the Marquette Golden Eagles from Wisconsin. In a heated matchup, DJ Burns and the Wolfpack extended their Cinderella story into the elite eight. In their next matchup, it was an ACC championship rematch against four seed Duke in Dallas and Pack left once again victorious with a 76-64 win. When asked about the epic elite eight game, Sophore Colin Enright remarked his emotions while watching the game as, “The game was a thriller. I still remember the jolt of excitement I got after seeing the final score” Sadly, their inspiring story ended against the number one seed from the midwest region, the Purdue Boilmakers. Despite not completing their impeccable run, the Wolfpack turned out to be a great example of how important momentum is going into March. 

In 2021, the 11-seed UCLA Bruins came into the tournament on a mission after last playing in March back in 2018, when they lost in the first four. Their first game was against six seed BYU and they pulled away with a moderate final lead of 73-62. In their next game, they played a 14-seed and demolished them 67-47. Their next matchup was against the second ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. When the buzzer finally went off in this round of 16 game, the Tide were not rolling anymore as they lost 88-78 to a hot UCLA team. In their Elite Eight game, they played a fierce Michigan team led by the Likes of NBA role player Franz Wagner and Hunter Dickinson. But Johnny Juzang and the Bruins kept rolling with a one point win over Michigan. In the final four, the Bruins were matched up against the one seed from the west, which in this case was the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Unfortunately for the Bruins, they lost a very narrow game with the final score being 93-90. When asked about their run, Freshman Ned Wittmann commented, “The team filled their potential and they might be able to make that deep of a run again as they are projected pretty high I think in predictions for the bracket.”