The 5 Best NCAA Tournament No. 16 Seeds of All Time

By Jerry Landry

The 5 Best NCAA Tournament No. 16 Seeds of All Time

Albany Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament 16 seed — A No. 16 has yet to beat a No. 1 in the NCAA men’s basketball Division I tournament, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been any exciting contests. Here are the five best near-upsets by the five best No. 16 NCAA tournament seeds of all time.

5. 1985 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights

NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament best 16 seeds Fairleigh Dickinson

5. 1985 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights

NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament best 16 seeds Fairleigh Dickinson — The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights took a halftime lead against the Michigan Wolverines (26-20) in the first round of the 1985 Southeast Regional. Although Michigan would come back and win by four (59-55), the first year of the 64-four team format provided one of the biggest No. 16 versus No. 1 scares.

4. 1996 Western Carolina Catamounts

Western Carolina Catamounts Mascot NCAA Men's basketball tournament

4. 1996 Western Carolina Catamounts

Western Carolina Catamounts Mascot NCAA Men's basketball tournament — The Big Ten has had their trouble with No. 16 seeds historically, and the No. 1 seeded Purdue Boilermakers survived a scary start to the 1996 West regional. The Western Carolina Catamounts had a chance to win in the final possession, but missed a three-point attempt which decided the game in favor of the Boilermakers, 73-71. The close call had a lasting effect though, as Purdue would lose to the Georgia Bulldogs in the next round.

3. 1990 Murray State Racers

Ohio Valley Conference NCAA Tournament Murray State Racers

3. 1990 Murray State Racers

Ohio Valley Conference NCAA Tournament Murray State Racers — Although the Murray State Racers would eventually lose to the Michigan State Spartans by four, it could’ve been much worse for Sparty in the first round of the 1990 NCAA tournament. It took Michigan State overtime to finish off the Racers, and left a mark in March Madness lore.

2. 1989 East Tennessee State Buccaneers

NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament

2. 1989 East Tennessee State Buccaneers

NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament — The East Tennessee State Buccaneers took the Oklahoma Sooners by surprise in the first round of the 1989 Southeast Regional. The directional school from Tennessee took a 17-point lead in the first half against Oklahoma, but ultimately came up short in a 72-71 defeat as the Sooners finally grabbed the lead with just 1:21 remaining in this pressure-cooker of a game.

1. 1989 Princeton Tigers

Princeton Tigers NCAA Basketball

1. 1989 Princeton Tigers

Princeton Tigers NCAA Basketball — It’s odd that an Ivy league champion would become a No. 16 seed, just ask Alonzo Mourning and his 1989 Georgetown Hoyas teammates. In the 1989 East regional, the Princeton Tigers fell one point shy of victory, losing to No. 1 seed Georgetown 50-49 in the first round of the tournament.

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