How many 2 vs. 15 upsets have there been in the NCAA Tournament? | Saint Peter’s vs. Kentucky

Thursday proved that March is indeed the time for Madness, and the evening has undoubtedly thrown a lot of brackets into disarray with its slew of unexpected outcomes.

Number 15 seed Saint Peter’s pulled off the biggest upset of the opening round of the men’s NCAA tournament, stunning one of college basketball’s behemoths, Final Four favorite and second-seeded Kentucky.

The underdog Saint Peter's

The overtime win is all the more shocking because Saint Peter’s had never won an NCAA tournament game before. This is only the fourth time the Peacocks have joined the competition, previously gaining entry in 1991, 1995, and 2011.

Also, there is a great disparity between the basketball programs of the two schools. The Jersey City-based Jesuit university is virtually unknown in the tournament, while UK has a reputation for nabbing NCAA championships and for having produced first-round draft picks in the NBA.

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Resources-wise, it could be described as a David-and-Goliath situation. The small private school’s head coach Shaheen Holloway is believed to be earning around $266,000 a year, which is less than what Kentucky’s four assistant coaches take home.

These assistants have paychecks ranging from $300,000 to $850,000. The ENTIRE budget for Saint Peter’s team is $1.5 million, while University of Kentucky head coach John Calipari’s salary is six times that amount, at $9 million per year.

How many 15 vs. 2 upsets have there been?

A victory by a number 15 seed is not a common occurrence in the tournament: this extraordinary achievement has only been seen nine times before in the NCAA. Saint Peter’s has become the tenth 15-seed team to overcome a number two seed in an opening game.

The last time it happened was last year, when Oral Roberts defeated Ohio State 75-72, also in overtime.

Here is a list of all 15-seed winners who upset second seeds in first-round matchups.

List of 15-seed winners of first-round matchups