The Top 10 Upsets in International Basketball History

By MH
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Updated: April 4, 2017

The Biggest Upsets in the History of International Basketball

Basketball is a fast and furious game that can change in an instant. There are always plenty of thrills and spills on the court, and these top 10 upsets are just a few of the many that have rocked the sporting world.

1982: Chaminade Silverswords Defeats Virginia Cavaliers

Chaminade managed to pull off one of the most incredible upsets in college basketball when they managed a 77 – 72 victory over the top-ranked Virginian team in 1982. The Silverswords featured Ralph Sampson, twice voted national college player of the year, and he received similar honours when the 1982 – 1983 season ended.

1983: North Carolina State Wolfpack Defeat Houston Cougars

The score was tied, and Lorenzo Charles dunked the ball in order to lead his Wolfpack to victory. The final score for the game was incredibly close, at 54 – 52.

1985: Villanova Defeats Georgetown

In the upset to end all upsets, no. 8-seeded Villanova managed to shoot an incredible 78.6% for the game that shocked the top-seeded Hoyas, 66 – 64, and ended Georgetown’s hopes.

Dwayne McClain fell to his knees and elbows, and threw his left fist towards the sky as time expired and the April Fools’ night game ended with a score of 66 – 44.

1994: Denver Nuggets Defeat the Seattle Supersonics

Although they hardly finished over .500 (42 – 40), the Denver Nuggets, powered by Dikembe Mutombo, managed to defeat the Supersonics in game 5’s overtime, and won the series. Mutombo’s 31 blocks managed to set a record for a 5-game series with a win of 110 – 93.

1997: Coppin State Eagles Defeat South Carolina Gamecocks

When the Eagles entered the NCAA tournament in 1997, they were underdogs by more than 30 points against the South Carolina Gamecocks, but managed their win behind Danny Singletary’s 22 points. The final tally was 78 – 65.

2004: Detroit Pistons Defeat Los Angeles Lakers

The Pistons physically dominated the game, limiting the Lakers to just 81.8 points, and point guard Chauncey Billups went on to take the Finals Most Valuable Player. The Pistons beat the Lakers with 100 – 87, which would have seen big wins for punters had NBA online betting been as big then as it is now.

2007: Golden State Warriors Defeat Dallas Mavericks

Golden State became the first no. 8 seed to manage to beat a no. 1 in a 7-game series. This resulted in the Warriors managing to win their very first playoff in 16 seasons, and had Baron Davis, with an injured hamstring, scoring 20 points in the clincher during game 6. The final score was 111 – 86.

2008: Harvard Against Stanford

The only 16-seed to ever win a game in an NCAA Division I basketball tournament was the game that took place between Harvard and Stanford in 1998. The former won the game with a final score of 71 – 67. Suzie Miller hit the shot that put the Harvard Crimson team ahead of the Stanford Cardinals with less than 2 minutes left in play.

2012: Norfolk Spartans Defeat Missouri Tigers

Kyle O’Quinn, forward for Norfolk State, proudly stated that his team had messed up some brackets after their colossal upset over Missouri. The Spartans’ defeat of the 2-seeded Tigers was a global shock. The final score was 86 – 84.

2017: Mississippi State Bulldogs Defeat University of Connecticut Huskies

5-foot-5 guard Morgan William of the Mississippi State Bulldogs managed to defeat the University of Connecticut Huskies in a historic game. She gave two big plays in overtime in order to claim the win for her team, and then hit the game-winner, leading a massive defeat of 34 – 4.