Sixty-eight teams will compete for a national championship when the Men’s NCAA basketball tournament tips off. That includes several historically black colleges, which will have the decks stacked against them. But in past years, HBCU’s have defied the odds to advance in the Big Dance. Here’s a look at the most memorable upsets in history.
2012: 15-seeded Norfolk State Spartans defeats No. 2-seeded Missouri Tigers
The Spartans were a 21-point underdog when they entered their contest with the Big 12 Conference tournament champions. But future NBA player Kyle O’Quinn was too much for the 30-win Tigers to handle on this fateful afternoon.
O’Quinn impressed scouts by netting 26 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. The Spartans also got key contributions from guards Pendarvis Williams and Chris McEachin, who each scored 20 points. Tiger star guard Paul Pressey’s last-second three-point attempt bounced off the rim to secure the 86-84 win for Norfolk State.
