The modern NCAA tournament dates back to 1985, when the event expanded to 64 teams, introducing seed lines 13 through 16 for the first time. While it took more than three decades for a No. 16 seed to top a No. 1 in the first round, the 15-seeds took just a few years.
The Richmond Spiders made history at the 1991 NCAA tournament, taking down Syracuse—a team just a few years removed from a national title game appearance—during a first-round game in College Park, Md. They were the first of 11 teams seeded 15th to win a game in the tournament, with Florida Gulf Coast—a team affectionately dubbed "Dunk City" for its high-flying style of play—breaking through as the first 15-seed to reach the second weekend.
Furthest a 15-Seed Has Advanced (Men’s)
The men's NCAA tournament has featured a few No. 15 seeds that have made their presences felt, especially over the last decade-plus. None has made the impact of the 2022 Saint Peter's Peacocks.
After becoming the 10th 15-seed in history to win its round of 64 game by stunning No. 2 Kentucky in overtime, Saint Peter's kept the party rolling, taking down No. 7 Murray State and No. 3 Purdue. The clock finally struck midnight on the Peacocks in the Elite Eight, where they lost to eighth-seeded North Carolina 69–49.
Shaheen Holloway's small New Jersey-based program put itself on the map with the run, and helped the coach land the job at his alma mater Seton Hall that offseason.
Four 15-seeds have now gone to at least the Sweet 16, with three of them doing so in the last four tournaments. With the 2025 NCAA tournament tipping off in just a few weeks, let's take a look at the most successful 15-seeds in NCAA tournament history.
Furthest 15-Seed Runs (Men's)
No 15-Seed Has Won a Game in the Women's NCAA Tournament
Women's basketball is still waiting for its first No. 15 over No. 2 upset, with the closest game in tournament history coming in 2017, when Long Beach State narrowly lost to Oregon State 56–55. The women's NCAA tournament did have its first 16-over-1 upset years before the men's event when No. 16 Harvard knocked off No. 1 Stanford in 1998.
More of the Latest Around College Basketball
This article was originally published on www.si.com as What's the Deepest Run a 15-Seed Has Ever Made in the NCAA Tournament?.
