Just two 15 seeds had ever won a first-round game during the first 12 years of the NCAA tournament having 64 teams. Then, three HBCU programs changed the history books by landing the next three 15-over-2 seed upsets in 1997, 2001 and 2012. Here's how it happened.
1997 — No. 15 Coppin State upsets No. 2 South Carolina
When No. 15 Coppin State headed to Pittsburgh to play No. 2 South Carolina in 1997, no MEAC team had ever won an NCAA tournament game. Only two 15 seeds had ever knocked off a two seed in the tournament. Few expected the Eagles to win. Here's how Coppin State shocked the world in the 1997 NCAA tournament.
1. Entering the tournament with momentum
Coppin State entered the tournament with a 21-8 record after winning 14 of its last 15 games dating back to January. The Eagles won the MEAC regular season and tournament titles. Meanwhile, South Carolina entered the tournament with a loss to Georgia in the SEC tournament semifinals.
2. Regular-season experience
Coppin State's matchup against South Carolina wasn't its first test against a big-time program. The Eagles played — and lost to — Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas State and Illinois during the regular season.
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3. Starting the game strong
Coppin State started the game strong. South Carolina didn't expect much from the Eagles entering the game, and the Eagles caught them by surprise.
"I don't think we took Coppin State that seriously," said Gamecock Herbert Lee Davis. "We were looking past Coppin State" (The State).
South Carolina overlooked Coppin State and the next thing the Pittsburgh crowd knew, the Eagles and Gamecocks were tied at halftime.
4. Strong guard play
On the court, Coppin State was bolstered by strong guard play. Starting guard Antoine Brokington scored 20 points while Danny Singletary scored 22 points off the bench, with 18 points in the second half. The two were catalysts on both ends of the floor with Brokington and Singletary adding three and five steals, respectively.
5. Dominating the paint and boards
Coppin State dominated the paint against South Carolina. The Eagles outrebounded the Gamecocks by 10 during the game, with 17 offensive boards. Reggie Welch's 15 rebounds led the way on the glass, while Terquin Mott grabbed 11 boards to match his 11 points in a double-double performance. Overall, the Eagles had a 48.6 percent offensive rebound percentage.
The 1997 tournament was a lot different than 25 plus years later in the 2020s — with the three-point shot not nearly as prevalent — as shown by the six total made threes across teams for the game. That's why Coppin State winning the interior scoring battle in the paint made all the difference.
The Eagles were able to get to the basket all game, and when they couldn't score at the rim, they got to the free-throw line. Coppin State shot 34 free throws to South Carolina's 16. South Carolina guard BJ McKie put it best saying, "They took it to us, and we were passive. We should have been a lot more aggressive" (Washington Post).
6. Shutting down opposing stars
On-ball pressure from Brockington and Singleton defensively (see eight combined steals) helped Coppin State shut down South Carolina's stars. Gamecocks Larry Davis, Melvin Waston and BJ McKie combined for just 31 points on 44 percent shooting from the field. Davis scored a mere two points, Watson turned the ball over six times and McKie fouled out of the game.
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7. Finishing the game strong
After the game was tied at halftime, South Carolina battled back to lead by as many as seven points. However, Coppin State took a 55-54 lead with 6:12 to play and never looked back, going on an 11-4 run to pull away.
Ultimately, the Eagles outscored the Gamecocks by 13 points in the second half. Over a quarter of a century later, Coppin State's 78-65 win remains the largest margin of victory for a 15-over-2 upset in NCAA tournament history
2001 — No. 15 Hampton upsets No. 2 Iowa State
In 2001, No. 15 Hampton made its first appearance in the NCAA tournament against No. 2 Iowa State in Boise, Idaho, just six seasons after the Pirates joined the Division I level. Few gave the Pirates a chance against a Cyclones team that featured two future first-round NBA pick Jamaal Tinsley and finished in the Elite Eight the year prior. Here's how Hampton stunned everyone in the 2001 NCAA tournament.
1. Entering the tournament with momentum
Hampton entered the tournament with a 24-6 record after winning 13 of its last 14 games dating back to January. The Pirates won the MEAC regular season and tournament titles. Meanwhile, Iowa State won the Big 12 regular season title but entered the tournament on a 2-2 stretch that included a Big 12 tournament quarterfinal loss to Baylor.
2. Starting the game strong
Hampton opened the game strong and forced Iowa State into an early shooting slump. The Cyclones only shot 9-of-27 in the first half. The Pirates led 31-27 at the half.
3. Strong guard play
LaSean Howard was part of Syracuse's run to the round of 16 in 1998 and Marseilles Brown played the point for Richmond the same year when the 14th-seeded Spiders stunned third-seeded South Carolina.
Hampton's backcourt of Marseilles Brown and LaSean Howard brought stability and tournament experience to the Pirates. Howard previously played in the tournament at Syracuse while Brown played in the tournament when he was at Richmond. The duo combined for 24 points and seven assists, but it was their veteran presence that came in handy as Hampton made its rally late.
4. Dominating the paint and boards
Hampton controlled the paint behind Tarvis Williams' big day. While his biggest impact came at the end of the game (more on that later), Williams led both teams with 16 points on 54 percent shooting, 13 rebounds and six blocks. Williams' six blocks were three times as many as the entire Iowa State team.
Even when Williams had four fouls late in the second half he still had an impact. It was his block that led to a fastbreak layup that cut the lead to one point with 1:44 to go.
5. Shutting down opposing stars
Hampton shut down two of Iowa State's biggest stars in Big 12 Freshman of the Year Jake Sullivan and Big 12 Player of the Year and second-team All-American Jamaal Tinsley. The duo scored seven and nine points, respectively, with Tinsely shooting just 4-of-11 from the field. Tinsley also had five turnovers.
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6. Finishing the game strong
Iowa State opened the second half on a 9-0 run. Later, Hampton trailed 57-48 with seven minutes to play, a 13-point swing from halftime. However, the Pirates went on an 8-0 run over the final stretch to make it a one-point game. With 11.3 seconds remaining, Hampton inbounded the ball into the backcourt to Brown before kicking it inside to Williams who made a go-ahead shot with 6.9 seconds to play.
"We had this play called 'Winner' that we ran just a few times that year and every time it worked," said Brown of the play (Hampton Athletics).
On the final possession of the game, Iowa State gave the ball to Tinsley with a full head of steam but Williams again altered Tinsley's shot forcing a miss on what would've been a game-winning layup.
The Cyclones had one last chance to win, but Tinsley missed a layup with 1.2 seconds on the clock.
Hampton's 58-57 win was the first 15-over-2 seed win since Coppin State's becoming an all-time classic game.
2012 — No. 15 Norfolk State upsets No. 2 Missouri
No. 15 Norfolk State headed to Omaha, Nebraska to battle No. 2 Missouri in 2012. Few gave the Spartans a chance at an upset, with the Tigers a popular Final Four pick across the country, even at its highest ranks with President Barack Obama. Here's how the Spartans busted brackets in the 2012 NCAA tournament.
1. Entering the tournament with momentum
Norfolk State entered the tournament with a 25-9 record on a seven-game win streak. The Spartans won the MEAC tournament title to secure a tournament berth. Meanwhile, Missouri won the Big 12 regular season title, entering the tournament with plenty of momentum on a five-game win streak as the last four Tiger wins came by double-figures.
2. Regular-season experience
Norfolk State was already battle-tested entering its matchup against Missouri. The Spartans played three games against tournament teams, going 1-2 against LIU and Marquette, losing two games to the ranked Golden Eagles.
3. Starting the game strong
When the ball tipped off Norfolk State began the game on a 15-7 run, showing Missouri that the Spartans meant business. That led to a back-and-forth affair and ultimately, a tie game at the half between Missouri and Norfolk State.
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4. Strong guard play
Guards Pendarvis Williams and Chris McEachin each had 20 points for the Spartans. Williams and McEachin's shooting helped set the team apart as both players made four three-pointers on 100 and 50 percent shooting, respectively. The backcourt's marksmanship led Norfolk State to 53 percent shooting from deep for the game and an impressive 62.5 percent shooting from the field in the pivotal second half.
Norfolk State's guards were also able to maintain the pace against Missouri by not turning the ball over against one of the nation's peskiest teams. The Spartans only had 11 turnovers, with just five coming from the backcourt.
5. Dominating the paint and boards
Norfolk State's size played to its advantage against a smaller Missouri team. Spartan big man Kyle O'Quinn stood 6'10'' and towered over the guard-heavy Tigers that had just one player get any action that stood 6'9'' or taller.
That size advantage showed on the board as Norfolk State out-rebounded the Tigers 35-23, led by O'Quinn's 14 boards. The Spartans also grabbed 14 offensive rebounds, scoring 16 second-chance points off those opportunities. Perhaps more importantly, Norfolk State's rebounding prowess allowed the Spartans to slow down Missouri's pace to keep the teams even at 64.8 possessions per 40 minutes, a pace in contrast to the speed at which the Tigers played during most of the season.
Beyond the rebounds, Kyle O'Quinn proved he was the most dominant player on the floor throughout the game. The MEAC Player of the Year scored 26 points and blocked two shots while controlling the paint.
6. Shutting down opposing stars
A quick look at Missouri's box score and you'll find three players with 20-plus points in Michael Dixon (22) Phil Pressey (20) and Marcus Denmon (20). While those Tigers had big scoring days, Norfolk State's ability to shut down third-team All-Big 12 guard Kim English made the difference.
English had a lingering bruised quad injury and made one of his seven shots against the Spartan defense. English finished with just two points and one assist, missing five three-pointers.
7. Finishing the game strong
A tight battle continued in the second half of the game, with Missouri taking a four-point lead with 7:15 to play. However, the second-seeded Tigers could never pull away from the Spartans in a second half that saw 14 lead changes despite Missouri shooting 45 percent from three.
The close game ultimately came down to O'Quinn and his size advantage as the big man converted a three-point play on an offensive rebound after an airball with 35 seconds left to play in what was a tie game.
Although O'Quinn missed some late free throws, it didn't matter as Norfolk State held on for an 86-84 win. The Spartan win made it three straight HBCUs from the MEAC in the history of 15-over-2 seed upsets.
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