Shock Treatment: Saint Peter's Becomes 10th #15 Seed to Defeat #2 Seed

You're supposed to expect the unexpected but no unbiased observer with a pulse promoted idea that #15 seed Saint Peter's was going to kayo kingpin Kentucky. After all, the Peacocks lost twice in MAAC competition to Siena, which succumbed in back-to-back non-league home games by at least 20 points each to Delaware and Yale. In the first six years of the NCAA Tournament seeding process from 1979 through 1984 when the playoff field ranged from 40 to 53 teams, the bottom of the bracket racket included a total of 13 No. 1 and 2 seeds losing their openers. Notwithstanding the misleading media's spin, the NCAA tourney hasn't been saturated with authentic upsets since the playoff field expanded to at least 64 teams in 1985. On the other hand, there were only five years in that span failing to provide a first-round shocker from the bottom of the bracket (1994, 2000, 2004, 2007 and 2017).

Teams seeded 13th or worse defeated teams seeded among the top four in a regional a total of 63 times in the last 37 tourneys after the Peacocks emerged victorious in opening-round game this year. At least UK's stunning reversal wasn't as ugly as a couple of sorry SEC setbacks when Navy overwhelmed LSU by 23 points in 1985 and Siena smothered Vanderbilt by 21 in 2008.

Arizona's similar shocking defeat against Santa Clara in 1993 materialized despite the Wildcats reeling off 25 unanswered points in a stretch bridging the last five minutes of the first half and the first five minutes of the second half. Gary Waters is the only coach to win two opening-round games in this category while in charge of two different schools (Kent State in 2001 and Cleveland State in 2009).

Until Virginia's 1 vs. 16 debacle four years ago, Michigan State was the only #2 seed to lose its playoff opener after spending a portion of the regular season atop the AP national poll. Following is a rundown of the first 63 first-round knockouts by the bottom of the bracket (#13 through #16 seeds) since the NCAA field expanded to at least 64 teams in 1985:

#16 seed (1 victory)

#15 seed (10 victories)

#14 seed (21 victories)

#13 seed (31 victories)