Hampton, of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, was considered an afterthought for Big 12 power Iowa State, which featured future-pro Jamaal Tinsley at point guard. But Hampton’s Travis Williams flicked in a four-footer with seven seconds left, giving the Pirates the lead, and Tinlsey’s last-second lay-up bounced off the rim. Amidst the post-game mayhem, a Hampton player lifted Viking coach Steve Merfeld off the ground. Merfeld’s kicked his legs through the air like a hyperactive child, creating the most memorable post-game reaction by a coach since North Carolina State’s Jim Valvano ran aimlessly around the court in 1983, searching for someone to hug after he won the title.
Top 10 NCAA Tournament First Round Upsets
The bands. The buzzer-beaters. The unproductive offices. Must be the start of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. To mark this year's edition, we scoured the record books to select the 10 best first round upsets in tournament history
(15) Hampton 58, (2) Iowa State 57, 2001
Full List
March Madness
- (13) Princeton 43, (4) UCLA 41, 1996
- (15) Richmond 73, (2) Syracuse 69, 1991
- (15) Hampton 58, (2) Iowa State 57, 2001
- (14) Cleveland State 83, (3) Indiana 79, 1986
- (13) Valparaiso 70, (4) Mississippi 69, 1998
- (15) Santa Clara 64, (2) Arizona 61, 1993
- (14) Northwestern State 64, (3) Iowa 63, 2006
- (13) Vermont 60, (4) Syracuse 57, 2005
- (14) Bucknell 64, (3) Kansas 63, 2005
- (14) Austin Peay 68, (3) Illinois 67, 1987