The best 1-seed vs 16-seed games of all time

If anything, Weber State was pesky if nothing else. And that didn't make things comfortable for the No. 1-seeded Wildcats. Arizona trailed by eight within the first six minutes of the game, but regrouped and eventually built a 21-point advantage. However, perhaps Arizona thought it had things in the bag as Weber State stormed back to get within single digits in the final moments. Arizona prevailed in the wake-up call, and made it all the way to the regional finals.

As we'll see, three of the four No. 1 seeds in the 1989 NCAA Tournament didn't have an easy time winning their opening-round games. First up, the "Flyin' Illini," who did reach the Final Four in '89, but had to work to beat McNeese State to kick things off. The Cowboys were competitive against Lou Henson's talented squad, which went scoreless during a span of 7:44, and used a 14-2 spurt during the first half, and led 21-16. However, the Illini found their form, led by five at halftime and maintained an arms-length advantage the rest of the way.

Florida Gulf Coast has had some special moments in the NCAA Tournament, and this would have been the greatest in program history. The Eagles started hot, highlighted by a 20-3 surge, against the blue-blood Tar Heels in the 2016 Tournament opener. FGCU shot 60 percent in the first half. However, North Carolina regrouped to lead by one at halftime. The Tar Heels showed their dominance in the second half — especially defensively, as FGCU missed 13 of its first 15 shots out of the break — to take control.

Not one of the prettiest games won by a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils shot just 41 percent overall and trailed 14-12 early in the contest. Delaware State, which had won 15-of-17 entering this matchup, were tied 23-23 with five minutes remaining in the first half. Duke, however, took control shortly after back-to-back 3-pointers from Daniel Ewing and Lee Melchionni. The scrappy Hornets made just 36.5 percent of their shots, but its multi-guard lineup made the Blue Devils work harder than expected to prevail and hand coach Mike Krzyzewski his 65th NCAA Tournament victory — tying Dean Smith for most at the time.

A lackluster first-half performance by the No. 1-seeded Jayhawks led to a one-point halftime advantage for a Western Kentucky squad that seemed poised to shock the college basketball world. The Hilltoppers' defensive pressure frustrated Kansas during the first half, but the favorite eventually found its form to lead by 10 in the second half. However, WKU got within four on Jamal Crook's 3-pointer with 25.4 seconds remaining in regulation. The Jayhawks, though,hit some key throws down the stretch to survive and advance.

Iona's hot shooting out of the gate certainly woke up the No. 1-seeded Tar Heels. The Gaels led by as many as eight points during the first half, and owned a 38-33 lead at halftime. However, the break proved to revive North Carolina, which took the lead 39 seconds into the second half, and used an 18-4 spurt to take control of a contest that was closer than many expected. Especially North Carolina, which allowed Iona to make 15 3-pointers, but proved too tough to take down.

This won't be the last time we hear from ETSU on this list. Playing as a No. 1 seed for the first time, Pitt reached the regional finals in 2009, but the Buccaneers didn't make things easy in this opening-round matchup. The Panthers struggled with ETSU's pressure, committing 18 turnovers. ETSU shot just 30.7 percent, went 4-of-22 from 3 and 12-of-24 from the free-throw line, but trailed just 59-57 with 4:27 left in a game that only amplified the pressure on the top-seeded Panthers. Pitt, though, didn't allow the upstart Bucs to get closer, and 6-foot-7, 265-pound star DeJuan Blair (27 points, 16 rebounds) made sure with a following 3-point play that offered some needed breathing room. 

Who would have guessed this was a bit of foreshadowing for the Cavaliers, and not in a good way? Virginia trailed by 10 in the first half and 35-30 at halftime. However, the Cavaliers played like a No. 1 seed in the second half, when they shot 65 percent and kept Coastal Carolina to 8-of-25 shooting in the final 20 minutes. Virginia had a much easier time with Memphis in the second round, but its Tournament run ended against Michigan State in the Sweet 16.

Dean Smith's 876th career victory, tying Adolph Rupp's record, wasn't expected to be this difficult. However, pesky Fairfield shot 49 percent and Greg Francis (26 points) hit eight of the Stags' 12 3-pointers to keep the pressure on Smith's Tar Heels, who trailed 35-28 at halftime. Even a 63-percent second-half shooting effort by North Carolina couldn't keep the Stags from hanging around. The game was tied at 45-45 with roughly 14 1/2 minutes left, then UNC was able to gain control for good. Vince Carter finished with 22 points to lead Carolina, which would reach the Final Four.

Duke reached the national title game in 1986, but its road to the final began with a rather serious speed bump. Upstart Mississippi Valley State shot 52.3 percent for the game and its aggressive, trapping defense helped force 23 Duke turnovers. The Delta Devils led 40-37 at halftime, and stayed in the lead until just under 12 minutes remaining in the contest. Thanks to 27 points from Johnny Dawkins and a double-double from freshman Danny Ferry, the Blue Devils, who shot nearly 60 percent for the game, eventually built a 10-point lead with a little more than five minutes to play.

Talk about surviving a scare. Top-seeded UConn trailed 50-38 with less than 12 minutes to play in the second half to an upstart Albany group that was the better team for the first 30 minutes of the contest, and ended up shooting 46.2 percent and forcing 16 turnovers. Then the Huskies, who shot 58.7 percent and were led by 21 points from Marcus Williams, used a 20-4 run to take control and ultimately end Albany's dream of pulling off the historic upset. 

The Zags' stay in the 2012 NCAA Tournament would be a brief one, and it almost ended before really starting, perhaps a sign this would not be Gonzaga's year even as a No. 1 seed, as its overall poor shooting (41.8 percent) allowed Southern to hang in the game, thanks to 10 made 3-pointers. The Jaguars tied the game at 56-56 with 3:45 remaining, but struggled to make baskets down the stretch. A pair of Kevin Pangos' free throws helped the Zags prevail. However, they couldn't avoid a second-round upset to Wichita State two days later.

There was plenty of talent on this 1984-85 Michigan squad — Roy Tarpley, Gary Grant, Antoine Joubert. The Wolverines were the Big Ten champs and the No. 2 team in the country. However, when the NCAA Tournament rolled around, top-seeded Michigan couldn't find its form. Coach Bill Frieder's Wolverines trailed Fairleigh Dickinson (more from them in a bit) 26-20 at halftime, and overcame 50.0-percent shooting effort by the Knights, despite making just 40.7-percent of their shots, but were the better second-half team. Michigan, though, wasn't as fortunate in the second round, when it was upset by Cinderella and eventual national champion Villanova, 59-55..

Western Carolina didn't win its inaugural NCAA Tournament game, but it remains one of the most memorable games in program history. The Catamounts hit half of their 56 field-goal attempts, went 7-of-18 from 3-point range and matched the heavily favored Boilermakers on the boards. In the end, Purdue, which prevented things from truly getting out of hand by shooting 53.8 percent, survived on the heels of Brandon Brantley's bucket off an offensive rebounds with 1:29 remaining in the game. Then a Roy Hairston block with less than 20 seconds to play and two missed shots by Western Carolina in final 11 seconds to avoid an historic upset.    

Another close call from the 1989 Tournament. The Sooners were led by two of the college game's greats in Stacey King (26 ppg, 10.1 rpg) and Mookie Blaylock (20 ppg, 6.7 apg). However, that didn't matter to ETSU, which led by eight at halftime and most of the second half. Despite shooting 30 percent in the second half and totaling just three points in the final 5:04 of regulation, ETSU remained in position to stun the heavily favored Sooners. However, it was Blaylock's baseline drive with 1:21 remaining in the game that put Oklahoma up by a point, and eventually help his squad avoid the upset. 

It can't get much closer than overtime to put the scare into a No. 1 seed in the first round. In fact, this is the only 1-vs-16 matchup to be decided in overtime. Murray State star Popeye Jones had 37 points and 11 rebounds, but it was teammate Greg Coble's 3-pointer at the regulation buzzer that forced overtime. However, the Spartans were just good enough to prevail thanks to a Kirk Manns tie-breaking, off-balanced shot with less than a minute remaining in the extra session, followed by Dwayne Stephens' fast-break bucket to clinch the victory.

Our final near 1-vs-16 upset of the 1989 NCAA Tournament remains one of the most memorable games in the history of the event. Coached by the legendary Pete Carril, Princeton and its methodical offense wore down the Hoyas, who trailed 29-21 at halftime. The game remained close in the second half, during which Georgetown didn't take its first lead until there was 10:25 left to play. Hoyas star Alonzo Mourning (21 points, 13 rebounds, seven blocks) hit two free throws to give his team a one-point lead, then recorded back-to-back blocks in the final 15 seconds to preserve the victory for a team favored by 23 points.

Fairleigh Dickinson wasn't the first to pull off the 16-v-1 upset, but it is the most recent and did so against a team with serious national championship vibes. FDU's starting lineup featured no player taller than 6-7 and two shorter than 5-10, but it was good enough to take down 7-4 Zach Edey and the Boilermakers. The Knights held Purdue to 35.8-percent shooting, 5-of-26 from 3-point range and forced the frustrated favorite into 16 turnovers. Edey had 21 points and 15 rebounds, but did not take a shot in the final nine minutes en route to one of the greatest upsets in NCAA Tournament history.

Virginia won 31 games and allowed 54 points per contest entering the 2018 NCAA Tournament, but ran into a first-round buzzsaw in the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Led by 28 points from Jairus Lyles, the Retrievers shot a ridiculous 54.2 percent, highlighted by going 12-of-24 from 3-point range, to blow out the Cavaliers to become the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1. UMBC also owned an impressive 33-22 advantage on the glass. In the annals of the NCAA Tournament, it should be considered the greatest upset in the history of the event. Many, as we've seen on this list, came close, but UMBC finally proved it was very much possible.