As February ends, it means one thing is coming up for basketball fans. 12 letters: M A R C H M A D N E S S. It's one of the best times in basketball. From all the close games to underdogs and upsets, it is truly madness. And a staple is the underdog team. The team who goes on a run despite being counted out. The team who denies the criticism and still tries. The team who always knows how to finish. So, today I'll be reviewing the biggest underdog for the last 10 MMs. Let's get to it!

2021: 11. UCLA Bruins

Wow, wow and wow. I'm still shocked to this day on this team making it so far just to lose to Suggs and Bill Raftery's onions. Honestly, this team was a bunch of guys team had given up on but they used it to their advantage. Now funnily enough, UCLA almost didn't even make the tourney. They were a first 4 team and barely edged out the Michigan State Spartans in an OT game where Jaime Jaquez and Johnny Juzang combined for 50. Their first opponent was 6. BYU, in which they convincingly won 73-62. We're bound to see at least 1 6-11 upset per year, so OK. And lucky for them, 3. Texas was taken down by 14. Abilene Christian which set up a relatively easy path for the Bruins to the Sweet 16, as they blew them out 67-47. Their first major matchup was vs 2. Alabama in the Sweet 16. It went to OT, but they pulled it out 88-78 by shutting down Jahvon Quinerly, Keon Shackelford and John Petty to a combined 35% FG for all 3. In the Elite 8, it was a nail-biter against the 1. Michigan. Led by Franz Wagner and Mike Smith, Michigan seemed like they'd end the story here but it was 51-49 with a few seconds left and the Wolverines had the ball. Mike Smith pulled up for 3 and bricked. They had one last chance but missed and the first 4 team went to the Final 4. The Final 4 was... how do I put this? Heart-breaking. In case you didn't know, just search it up and Suggs was crazy. The team had everyone stay plus adding a top prospect in Peyton Watson but it's not rolling as well as last year, but never count out the Bruins

2020: 😭

2019: 2. Michigan State Spartans

Honestly, this was too tough to pick from. Surprisingly only one double-digit seeded team made the Sweet 16 (12. Oregon). And out of the 32 matchups of the first round, only 8 had double-digit seeds win and 3 of them were the 7-10 matchup. Nobody really shockingly made it far. But, an underdog was 2. Michigan State. They were disrespected as they sadly landed in the same corner of the bracket as the stacked Blue Devils. Their first 3 games were breezes as the closest game was the first matchup against 15. Bradley only winning by 11. But, Duke's biggest game would come here. Other than the 1st round, Duke had won by the skin of their teeth for 2 games. Against UCF, they won on a lucky Zion tip and RDCworld1/NCAA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-AGMagS1fM) had to move the net to help them win. Against NAW and Virginia Tech, they squeezed out by 2 and a loss was bound to happen. Cassius Winston had 20 and 10 and what a win. It ended in a tense finish but Izzo and Winston pulled it out as Kenny Goins hit the game-winning 3. They lost to Texas 61-51 in the Final 4, but regardless, what a spectacular run by the Spartans.

2018: 11. Loyola Chicago Ramblers

OK, if I had to name a year "the year of upsets", it would clearly go to 2018. The first ever 16-1 upset happened, 13. Buffalo beat the no. 1 prospect and 4. Arizona and 11. Syracuse was so close to beating Duke as an 11th seed. But the most memorable was 11. Loyola Chicago. The first game comes against 6. Miami (FL) and as Lonnie Walker IV steps up to the line for 2 FTs up by 2 with 9 seconds, he bricks both. It was rebounded by Cameron Krutwig and handed off to Marques Townes. Townes gave it back to Donte Ingram who launched it from the logo and drilled the buzzer-beating 3. In the second round with the Ramblers with the ball with 19 seconds and down by 1, it went to Clayton Custer. Aundre Jackson had a major game with 16 off the bench and maintained this steady close game between against 3. Tennessee. Custer then hit an elbow, off-balance, hand-in-his-face, falling away and on the ground jumper that won it for them. In the sweet sixteen, they faced the 7. Nevada led by the Martin twins. And after a fouling frenzy of an ending, the Ramblers (and that grandma who predicted this and was cheering them on) were heading to the Elite 8! They blew 9. Kansas State 78-62 but the run came to an end in the Final 4 where Michigan took them down 69-57. Nevertheless, it was a moving moment in the program's history and they have had some respectable appearances after.

2017: 11. Xavier Musketeers

On this 11. Xavier roster that made it really deep, they had 2 NBA players being Edmond Sumner and JP Macura (who only played for the Hornets G League). But, the team still prevailed. Also, a quick shoutout to Sindarius Thornwell and 7. South Carolina making it to the Final 4 in this same tourney. But, Xavier ran right through teams. They started out by beating Kevin Huerter and the Terrapins 76-65 led by Trevion Bluiett's 21 points and Sean O'Mara's 18 off the bench. No matter as a 6-11 upset is bound to happen in any March Madness tournament. But they had a real challenge against 3. Florida State, but despite the stacked roster of Dwayne Bacon, Jonathan Isaac, Terence Mann, Trent Forrest, CJ Walker, Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Michael Ojo, they blew them out the water winning 91-66! Mainly thanks in part to Bluiett's 29, they then met their toughest challenge of the year against 2. Arizona. I watched this game and at many points, it seemed over including being down by 8 with 3 and a half minutes to go. But, they went on a 12-2 run to seal the deal and head to the Elite 8. Eventually, the story came to an end as they lost to 1. Gonzaga but Xavier was now a team you didn't want to mess with in the tourney.

2016: 10. Syracuse Orange

Syracuse is one of the most prestigious NCAA teams, mainly in part due to this kid named Carmelo Anthony. And this was a bit odd for them at the time. After a tough 4-5 start with Mike Hopkins, he was let go for Jim Boeheim, who went 19-9 with them and is still the current coach. The first game comes again #7 Dayton, in which they roll past them 70-51. Malachi Richardson (the 22nd pick in 2016 NBA draft) had 21 and was the main leader of this team. Lucky for them though, was that Middle Tennessee (15th seed) upsetted 2. Michigan State and moved on to the second round,. They beat them 75-50 as they held them to below 30% from the field and were led behind 2 other NBA players in Tyler Lydon and Michael Gbinje, where they combined for 37. In the Sweet 16, they got lucky again to play 11. Gonzaga, who had this young dominant big man named Domantas Sabonis. But, this one came down to the wire. Despite being down 11 late in the 2nd half, they rallied back and Gbinje made a really tough layup that basically won them the game. And just like that, the 10th seeded Orange were heading to the Elite 8! Their toughest opponents so far were approaching them, the #1 Virginia Cavaliers. With 6 NBA players on the roster and being led by Malcolm Brogdon, it seemed over, but Boeheim and the Orange persevered by winning 68-62. But in the Final 4, they got absolutely destroyed 83-66 against #1 UNC, who'd end up almost winning if Kris Jenkins hadn't hit one 3 pointer.

2015: 7. Michigan State Spartans

Tom Izzo. One of the most respected coaches. And in 2015, his team was disrespected and the NCAA paid for it. Led by juniors Bryn Forbes and Denzel Valentine, the team entered the tourney as a 7th seed. The first matchup was against 10. Georgia. This was a nice dub for the Spartans as they won 70-63 behind Denzel Valentine's 16 and Bryn Forbes' 14 points. But Michigna State had it rough as in the next round, they'd face the #2 Virginia Cavaliers. But, they walked out victorious 60-54 led by Travis Trice's off the bench heroics of 23 points. Their sweet 16 matchup was was vs. 3rd seeded Oklahoma with this sniper named Buddy Hield. And whilst they definitely didn't shut down Hield in a game that went all the way to the last minute, Valentine and Trice combined for 42 en route to a 62-58 dub against the Sooners. In the Elite 8, they matched up against the 4th seeded Louisville Cardinals. This was a nail biter with Louisville trailing by 6 with 2 minutes to go. But Terry Rozier and Montrezl Harrell stepped up to put them down 1 and Wayne Blackshear (he had 28 points) was at the line. He made the first to tie and missed the second! Rebound went to Branden Dawson who handed it off to Trice from half court at the buzzer... and he missed. No matter as in OT it was 72-70 with 38 seconds and the ball was kicked out to a wide open Matt Costello, who missed but Branden Dawson got a clutch offensive rebound and put it in, putting them up 74-70 and basically sealing the deal as they headed to the Final 4. This game ended early against 1. Duke, who'd go onto win the NCAA championship. This team was led by Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow and were en route to another chip in the Blue Devils' program. But, whilst many celebrated the winning of Duke, it was also celebrated the amazing upsets, comebacks and game-winners from Izzo's Spartans.

2014: 7. Connecticut Huskies

Connecticut, just 3 years prior to this tournament, had been crowned kings of the NCAA led by Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb. Since then, they'd had their fair share of NBA players like Andre Drummond or Lamb who stayed but never reached the same level of success until 2014. Shabazz Napier, a senior averaging 18 PPG, was hoping to at least be selected as a second round pick but this March Madness changed everything. As a 7th seed in the East, the first game was against the Langston Galloway and DeAndre Bembry dynamic duo's team of the St. Joseph's Hawks. And after an intense 40 minutes, it came down to the final 2.7 seconds of regulation with teams tied at 70. Shabazz Napier got the inbound and went courts length to the 3 point line and just barely missed. In OT, the Huskies pulled out 89-81 from Napier's 24 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Next round was against #2 Villanova Wildcats where Napier starred with 25 points right to a 77-65 W over the stacked roster of the Wildcats. In the Sweet 16, came yet another close affair against #3 Iowa State Cyclones who only had Naz Mitrou-Long and a freshman named Monte Morris. The teams in the 2nd half both combined for 95 but Connecticut would head to the Elite 8 defeating them 81-76. In the Elite 8, they played the #4 Michigan State Spartans who had Adreian Payne and Gary Harris (Payne went 15 and Harris went 22 in the draft) along with their roster they had the next year. Nevertheless, they prevailed 60-54 as Napier was developing a case as a lottery pick talent with 25 points in this win for the Huskies. In the Final 4, they faced the #1 Florida Gators. Honestly, this team was bad for a 1st seed and the Huskies won 63-53, but this time with DeAndre Daniels leading the way with 20 and 10. This was now the NCAA championship against another underdog being the #8 Kentucky Wildcats. Now the other team had Julius Randle, the Harrison twins, Dakari Johnson and James Young. But, they grinded it out and the Huskies won 60-54. This is our first champion of the post and iconic Lebron tweet of him saying a team should draft him. And now Napier isn't in the NBA and they haven't had a lottery talent until James Bouknight last year.

2013: 9. Wichita State Shockers

In the NCAA tournament, you can expect 2 teams from the state of Kansas usually: Kansas and Kansas State. But there was a 3rd that made it the farthest in 2013 being the Wichita State Shockers. This team was considered a first round exit as a 9th seed but they "shocked (no pun intended)" the world in 2013. They had CleAnthony Early leading the way for this team and also 2 freshman backup guards who'd play in the NBA: Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet. The first matchup was against the #8 Pittsburgh Panthers. They had a lottery pick talent big man named Steven Adams who had 13 and 11 in 27 minutes in this game. But, Wichita State steamrolled them and went onto the 2nd round. A major downside being an #8 or #9 seed is having to play the #1 seed 99.99% of the time or the bare chance of playing a #16 seed. They had to play #1 Gonzaga, who also had a lottery pick talent big man that beasted and feasted with 26 and 9, named Kelly Olynyk. But the Shockers pulled out victorious winning 76-70, mainly thanks in part to FVV's clutch bench performance of 13 and 8 in the final few minutes! The sweet 16 was a breeze as they played the 13th LaSalle Explorers. They stomped on them winning 72-58 as Baker came up clutch with 16 points, now moving into a starting role. But the elite 8 would be no easy task, as they were forced to play the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes. This team didn't look as good on paper, but they sure put up a good fight. Down 13 at halftime, they rallied back to make it close, but Wichita State came out on top winning 70-66! This was a real team effort to squeeze past the Buckeyes and they were now heading to the Final 4. But, they now came against their hardest opponent in the Final 4, the #1 Louisville Cardinals. Filled with NBA player talent and coached by the legendary Rick Pitino, they fell just short losing in a high-scoring battle 72-68. Early had 24 and 10 but the team shot 40% from the field and just 30% from 3. Louisville won the title but got stripped of it a few years later due to some reason I don't know.

2012: 11. NC State Wolfpack

OK, now let me say that this was the WORST YEAR FOR UPSETS. The lowest seed that made the Elite 8 was the #7 Florida Gators and I've talked about 7th seeds way too much whilst Florida wasn't that good. So, NC State is our team and they definitely had a rocky path to the sweet 16 and almost Elite 8. This team had 2 NBA players: Lorenzo Brown and CJ Williams who'd never make an impact on the league to be honest. Their first game was against 6. San Diego State Aztecs. This team was watching as their alumni from last year, Kawhi Leonard, had built a solid reputation in the NBA. But the Wolfpack destroyed them 79-65 as they shut them down to below 38% from FG. Lorenzo had to play 40 minutes but had 17, 9 and 8 on solid efficiency and Richard Howell dominated down low with 22 on 83% FG. Now, this happens in every tourney with your casual 6-11 upset and now they faced the #3 Georgetown. This team had one of the best players in this draft being Otto Porter Jr. In this round, it was a close game with 2 minutes left and a 7 point lead for the Wolfpack, Georgetown rallied back but Brown was a bucket maker. 66-63, 4.6 seconds left. CJ Leslie has 1 more FT to put it away but misses off the front rim. Henry Sims gets the board, hands it off to Jason Clark, who takes it sideline and pulls up for the tie...! And he airballs (insert sad trumpet noise here) as the Wolfpack made the Sweet 16!!! 5 days later, comes their toughest opponent, the 2nd seeded Kansas Jayhawks. The Jayhawks had a top prospect by the name of Thomas Robinson who just signified his sheer dominance with 18 and 15 rebounds. This was yet another close game that was a win-or-go-home situation that would change the tourney this year. With 25 seconds to go and NC State down 58-57, CJ Leslie drove but was nastily rejected by Jeff Withey. Teyshawn Taylor got the board and was fouled but missed both and the ball went out of bounds. After lots of review, it went out on NC State and Withey made a nice pass to backdoor cut by Elijah Johnson to extend the lead to 3 with 13.4 seconds to go. Down by 3, they went to Lorenzo Brown who brought it up the court and swung it to the wing to sharpshooter Scott Wood, who'd gone 2 of 9 this game. But he stepped out of bounds in the motion of catching it and they fouled the Jayhawks with 4.3 seconds left. Robinson stepped up to the line and missed both! And with 2.9 seconds left, the unimaginable happened. They threw it courts length to Richard Howell, despite trying to get it to Scott Wood, and he airballed the double-teamed 3. NC State didn't do to well afterwards and the only main notable guy they've had is Dennis Smith Jr. What an anti-climatic finish!

Well, this was a very long article to write as I have less than 1,000 characters left now. I'd really appreciate a flame and upvote since this took me way too long and a lot more longer than anticipated. I spent around 3-4 days on this and I watched hours of film of lots of these games, especially ones that ended close. If there was a team I missed, LMK in the comments and also give me your opinions on this article. Finally, who do you think this could be for this March Madness? My pick is...

LMK what yours is in the comments and thanks for reading!!!