History of 4 seeds vs. 13 seeds in March Madness

By Priyanka Halder Mar 23, 20250

Yale joined the list of No. 13 seeds pulling out upsets in 2024, as the Paladins upset No. 4 Auburn 78-76.

Here’s everything you need to know about 13 seeds vs. 4 seeds in March Madness.

History of 13 vs. 4 seeds in March Madness

Thirty-three No. 13 seeds have upset No. 4 seeds since the NCAA tournament field expanded in 1985. Following the first round of the 2025 NCAA tournament, No. 13 seeds had a 33-127 record all-time. That equated to a 20.63 winning percentage.

Here are all of the times it’s ever happened.

**13-seed upsets over 4-seeds**
Year	Result	Score
2024	Yale def. Auburn	78-76
2023	Furman def. Virginia	68-67
2021	Ohio def. Virginia	62-58
2021	North Texas def. Purdue	78-69 (OT)
2019	UC Irvine def. Kansas State	70-64
2018	Marshall def. Wichita State	81-75
2018	Buffalo def. Arizona	89-69
2016	Hawaii def. California	77-66
2013	La Salle def. Kansas State	63-61
2012	Ohio def. Michigan	65-60
2011	Morehead State def. Louisville	62-61
2010	Murray State def. Vanderbilt	66-65
2009	Cleveland State def. Wake Forest	84-69
2008	San Diego def. UConn	70-69
2008	Siena def. Vanderbilt	83-62
2006	Bradley def. Kansas	77-73
2005	Vermont def. Syracuse	60-57
2003	Tulsa def. Dayton	84-71
2002	UNC Wilmington def. USC	93-89
2001	Kent State def. Indiana	77-73
2001	Indiana State def. Oklahoma	70-68
1999	Oklahoma def. Arizona	61-60
1998	Valparaiso def. Ole Miss	70-69
1996	Princeton def. UCLA	43-41
1995	Manhattan def. Oklahoma	77-67
1993	Southern def. Georgia Tech	93-78
1992	Southwestern Louisiana def. Oklahoma	87-83
1991	Penn State def. UCLA	74-69
1989	Middle Tennessee def. Florida State	97-83
1988	Richmond def. Indiana	72-69
1987	Xavier def. Missouri	70-69
1987	Missouri State def. Clemson	65-60
1985	Navy def. LSU	78-55

Some more tidbits:

Basketball legend David Robinson was on the right side of the first 13-4 upset in 1985. Robinson’s Navy Midshipmen cruised to a 78-55 victory over fourth-seeded LSU in the opening round.
Of the 33 upset victories, six finished in the Sweet 16, starting with Richmond in 1988 and most recently with La Salle in 2013.
The No. 13 seed is 7-2 in games decided by one point.
Multiple 13 seeds have upset 4 seeds in five years: 1987, 2001, 2008, 2018 and 2021.

How much more likely is a 13-4 upset than a 14-3 upset?

Twenty-three 14 seeds have upset 3 seeds since 1985, giving them a 23-137 record all-time. That equates to a 14.38 win percentage. Thus, a 13-4 upset is more than 6 percentage points more likely to happen than a 14-3.

Here are all of the times it’s ever happened.

**These are the times a 14 seed upset a 3 seed in men’s March Madness**
Year	Result	Score
2024	Oakland def. Kentucky	80-76
2021	Abilene Christian def. Texas	53-52
2016	Stephen F. Austin def. West Virginia	70-56
2015	Georgia State def. Baylor	57-56
2015	UAB def. Iowa State	60-59
2014	Mercer def. Duke	78-71
2013	Harvard def. New Mexico	68-62
2010	Ohio def. Georgetown	97-83
2006	Northwestern State def. Iowa	64-63
2005	Bucknell def. Kansas	64-63
1999	Weber State def. North Carolina	76-74
1998	Richmond def. South Carolina	62-61
1997	Chattanooga def. Georgia	73-70
1995	Weber State def. Michigan State	79-72
1995	Old Dominion def. Villanova	89-81
1992	ETSU def. Arizona	87-80
1991	Xavier def. Nebraska	89-84
1990	Northern Iowa def. Missouri	74-71
1989	Siena def. Stanford	80-78
1988	Murray State def. NC State	78-75
1987	Austin Peay def. Illinois	68-67
1986	Arkansas Little-Rock def. Notre Dame	90-83
1986	Cleveland State def. Indiana	83-79

Recent/best highlights of 13-4 upsets

One of the most memorable games in NCAA tournament history was a 13-4 upset.

Valparaiso won in dramatic fashion over Ole Miss in 1998. With 2.5 seconds left in the game with a two-point deficit, the Crusaders had one final shot to tie or win. Inbounding from the opposite baseline, Jamie Sykes threw an inbounds pass to Bill Jenkins at midcourt, who tapped it to Bryce Drew, who tossed up a desperation 23-foot 3-pointer. The shot went in as time expired to send Valpo to the second round.

And here are some of the most recent 13-4 upsets.

In 2024, Yale rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half to shock Auburn:

Auburn Tigers vs. Yale Bulldogs: Game Highlights

Ohio stunned Virginia in 2021:

Ohio vs. Virginia: Extended highlights from 2021 NCAA Tournament

Also in 2021, North Texas defeated Purdue in OT:

Purdue vs North Texas: Extended highlights from 2021 NCAA tournament

In 2023, Furman shocked Virginia on a late shot:

Virginia Cavaliers vs. Furman Paladins: Game Highlights

UC Irvine’s win over Kansas State in 2019:

UC Irvine upsets Kansas State for first tournament win

Hawai’i’s first NCAA tournament win ever, which came against California in 2016:

First Round: Hawai’i upsets Cal

Priyanka Halder

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