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  4. From Oral Roberts' Win to Ohio State's Fall: All the Biggest Men's March Madness 2021 Upsets So Far

From Oral Roberts' Win to Ohio State's Fall: All the Biggest Men's March Madness 2021 Upsets So Far

The 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has been nothing short of surprising  — here are the biggest upsets to go down so far

By Jason Duaine Hahn March 25, 2021 01:44 PM
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Oral Roberts Beats Ohio State (First Round)

March Madness upsets
Credit: Michael Hickey/NCAA Photos/NCAA Photos via Getty

Oral Roberts University beat the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first found of the tournament, defeating them 75-72 in overtime.

The Golden Eagles came into the tourney as the 15th seed and weren't expected to move past the No. 2 seed Buckeyes, but this upset wasn't the only one the school has delivered in the tournament thus far.

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Oregon State Defeats Tennessee (First Round)

March Madness upsets
Credit: Sarah Stier/Getty

Underdog Oregon State University beat fifth seed University of Tennessee 70-56 in their opening game in the NCAA Tournament. The Beavers came in as the No. 12 seed and became the 51st 12th seed to take down a fifth seed since the NCAA Tournament bracket expanded in 1985, according to ESPN.

"We know there was some doubt and we had to ignore all that," Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said. "We never threw in the towel, we never doubted ourselves, we just do what we do."

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North Texas Beats Purdue (First Round)

March Madness upsets
Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty

No. 13 University of North Texas stunned fourth seed Purdue University when they faced off on March 19. The Mean Green beat the Boilermakers 78-69 in overtime to secure their first NCAA Tournament win in school history.

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San Diego State Loses to Syracuse (First Round)

March Madness upsets
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Eleventh seed Syracuse University defeated No. 6 seed San Diego State University in the first round of the tournament, securing a 78-62 victory.

''We want to keep going, keep building off this,'' Syracuse player Buddy Boeheim said after the game, according to CBS Sports. ''We know there's still a long road ahead of us. It's a great feeling. We have a day tomorrow to get a practice in and we're right back Sunday.''

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Ohio University Beats Virginia (First Round)

March Madness upsets
Credit: Stacy Revere/Getty

Coming into the tournament as the No. 4 seed, University of Virginia was upset by No. 13 Ohio University. Virginia was the 2019 NCAA Men's Tournament winner, and became the first defending champion to lose in the first round since the University of Connecticut in 2012, ESPN reported.

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BYU Loses to UCLA (First Round)

March Madness upsets
Credit: C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty

UCLA beat sixth seed Brigham Young University 73-62 to advance in the NCAA Tournament. Coming in as the 11th seed, UCLA managed to move past the first round for the first time since 2017, according to Bruins Nation. 

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Abilene Christian Beats Texas (First Round)

March Madness upsets
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Abilene Christian University faced off against No. 3 University of Texas in the final game of the men's NCAA Tournament's first round and gave fans another stunner. The 14th seed Wildcats defeated Texas 53-52, sending home a team that was considered a lock for the Final Four. 

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Loyola University Chicago Defeats Illinois (Second Round)

March Madness upsets
Credit: Sarah Stier/Getty

No. 8 seed Loyola University Chicago eliminated No. 1 University of Illinois in a stunning upset in the tournament's second round. By securing the 71-58 victory, Loyola moved on to the Round of 16, no doubt making team chaplain Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt happy. 

"It etches in your memory, that moment right there," head coach Porter Mose said after the game, according to SB Nation. "All the work you put in, all the effort you do to stay together, the sacrifices you make."

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West Virginia Loses to Syracuse (Second Round)

March Madness upsets
Credit: Jack Dempsey/NCAA Photos via Getty

Eleventh seed Syracuse continued their winning streak by eliminating No. 3 West Virginia University in the second round after their win over San Diego State. According to Syrcause.com, Syracuse's 75-72 win was the most-watched NCAA Tournament game between March 15 and March 21.

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Oral Roberts Beats Florida (Second Round)

March Madness upsets
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The Golden Eagles delivered their second upset of the tournament by defeating the Florida Gators 81-78 in the second round. With the win, Oral Roberts secured their first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1974.

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Oklahoma State Loses to Oregon State (Second Round)

March Madness upsets
Credit: C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty

No. 12 seed Oregon State beat fourth-seeded Oklahoma State University 80-70 to advance to the Round of 16.

"This team had some big goals going into the season," Senior guard Ethan Thompson said after the game, according to the school. "One of them was winning a Pac-12 tournament championship, a Pac-12 regular-season championship as well, of course, but we didn't do that. We got the tournament championship. Ultimate goal is to win the NCAA championship."

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Oregon Beats Iowa (Second Round)

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The seventh seed University of Oregon Ducks beat No. 2 seed Iowa Hawkeyes 95-80 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks were automatically moved to the second round after their match against the team's previous opponent, VCU, was declared a no-contest due to positive coronavirus tests. 

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    1 of 12 Oral Roberts Beats Ohio State (First Round)
    2 of 12 Oregon State Defeats Tennessee (First Round)
    3 of 12 North Texas Beats Purdue (First Round)
    4 of 12 San Diego State Loses to Syracuse (First Round)
    5 of 12 Ohio University Beats Virginia (First Round)
    6 of 12 BYU Loses to UCLA (First Round)
    7 of 12 Abilene Christian Beats Texas (First Round)
    8 of 12 Loyola University Chicago Defeats Illinois (Second Round)
    9 of 12 West Virginia Loses to Syracuse (Second Round)
    10 of 12 Oral Roberts Beats Florida (Second Round)
    11 of 12 Oklahoma State Loses to Oregon State (Second Round)
    12 of 12 Oregon Beats Iowa (Second Round)

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    From Oral Roberts' Win to Ohio State's Fall: All the Biggest Men's March Madness 2021 Upsets So Far
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