Top 10 March Madness Underdog Legends
It's that time of year again. The weather gets nicer, and most importantly, it means it's March Madness time, one of the greatest sporting events of the year.
They say anything can happen, and we've seen some incredible individual performances from underdog teams. It's the one time where the future accountants torch the future NBA players.
-
Stephen Curry
Wardell Stephen Curry II is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the NBA. He is widely considered one of the greatest shooters in NBA history and has set numerous records for three-point shooting. Curry is a two-time MVP and has helped lead the Warriors to multiple... read more
Yes, you read that right. Before his iconic NBA career, Steph Curry was an underdog in college, playing at Davidson. His explosion as a sophomore in the 2008 tournament is still widely regarded as one of the greatest individual performances in the modern era of March Madness. Curry was lightly recruited and led tiny Davidson on their deepest tournament run in school history, all the way to the Elite 8.
He averaged 32 points per game in 4 games played, leading the tournament. Shooting 48% from the field and 44% from 3-point range, he was near 90% on free throws and averaged 3 steals. He was an absolute menace on both ends of the court. He dropped 40 points vs #7 Gonzaga, including 30 in the second half, then 30 points against #2 Georgetown in a 17-point comeback that really put them on the map, and then scored 33 against #3 Wisconsin.
Davidson would fall to eventual national champion #1 Kansas. Curry still scored 25 points in a narrow 59-57 defeat. We all know the rest from here. Drafted in the first round, 7th overall by the Warriors, the rest is history: a 12-time All-Star, 2 MVPs, and 4 Rings. I mean, he's the gold standard from NCAA underdog to NBA legend.
-
Lorenzo Charles
Lorenzo is most famous for his iconic dunk in the 1983 National Championship game against the heavily favored Houston Cougars, turning the NC State Wolfpack into National Champions. The Wolfpack had beaten several tournament opponents all favored over NC State, including Pepperdine, UNLV, Virginia, and Utah.
It was the ultimate embodiment of coach Jim Valvano's mantra "survive and advance," beating the seemingly unbeatable "Phi Slama Jama." It's one of the most iconic moments and the textbook definition of an underdog story: an improbable path, but rising to the occasion when needed.
He was a 2nd round pick in the 1985 draft and had a brief stint with the Atlanta Hawks before playing internationally until 2001. He was then a bus driver, and he sadly died in a bus crash in 2011.
-
Ed Pinckney
Ed was the primary leader of the 1985 Villanova Wildcats National Championship team, where they stunned and upset #1 seed Georgetown in the Championship game, still considered one of the greatest underdog teams of all time. Pinckney finished with 16 points and 6 rebounds in the title game and defensively kept loaded rival Georgetown, featuring Patrick Ewing and Reggie Williams, in check.
#8 seed Villanova is still the lowest seed to ever win the tournament to this day. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament and was later drafted 10th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 1985 draft. He bounced around the league, playing for the Kings, Celtics, Bucks, Raptors, 76ers, and Heat.
He retired in 1997 before a brief broadcasting stint, then became an assistant coach at Villanova for a few years, followed by the Timberwolves, Bulls, Nuggets, then back to the Timberwolves. He's remained largely out of the public eye since 2019.
-
Folarin Campbell
As a sophomore at George Mason, he was an integral part of their historic Final Four run in 2006. He was an effective scorer, averaging right around 15 points per game in all 5 tournament games. He went 8 for 8 from the field, scoring 21 points in a win over #6 Michigan State, then 15 points against defending champions #3 North Carolina, then 16 points against #7 Wichita State, and he went 5 of 10 from the field with three 3s in the upset of #1 UConn to reach the Final Four before falling to Florida, who would go on to win the championship.
He was very versatile on offense and defense. He was one of the best recruits of Jim Larranaga's early years. He is a textbook definition of overlooked talent performing on the big stage, helping a small school in a relatively unknown conference make a deep run for the first time in school history.
He would play internationally for about 14 years, including in Germany, Poland, and Israel. He then came back to George Mason as director of the Patriot Club, the alumni engagement team.
-
Jimmer Fredette
Jimmer is still one of the most electrifying March Madness legends of all time, especially coming from a mid-major program. He was a national sensation heading into his senior season with BYU. He was one of the top point guards in the nation in 2011. He was averaging 28.9 points per game in the regular season. He averaged over 32 points in the tournament, leading BYU to the Sweet Sixteen, scoring 32 points against #14 seed Wofford and 34 points against #11 seed Gonzaga before falling to the Florida Gators.
He became sort of a national sensation during his tournament run just because of his pure scoring abilities. He was named the 2011 National Player of the Year and had his jersey officially retired at BYU in 2026.
He had a decently long NBA career, being selected 10th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2011, but was traded to Sacramento immediately. He played for the Bulls and Pelicans before joining the Knicks D-league team. He would play for the NY Knicks before joining the Shanghai Sharks, then coming back to the NBA with the Phoenix Suns, then joining the Greek League, then back to Shanghai.
He's made appearances in other tournaments and events, mainly the TBT and 3X3 teams. He officially retired from basketball in 2025. He now serves as managing director of the US National 3X3 basketball team.
-
Bryce Drew
Bryce Drew is most known for hitting "The Shot" in 1998. He was a senior at Valparaiso and led the 13-seed Crusaders over #4 seed Ole Miss. After Ole Miss's Ansu Sesay missed both free throws, the Crusaders had possession with 2.5 seconds remaining. They ran the play known as "Pacer," and Drew hit the winning shot. Valpo would make it all the way to the Sweet 16 that season. His iconic shot is one of the most impressive and iconic moments in March Madness history, especially for a mid-major team.
He played in the NBA mainly as a journeyman for the Rockets, Bulls, and Hornets from 1998 to 2004. He then played a brief stint overseas before returning to Valparaiso to be an assistant coach, eventually becoming their head coach from 2011 to 2016. He would then coach at Vanderbilt for a few years. He currently coaches at Grand Canyon and has been there since 2020.
-
Jairus Lyles
Lyles is most known for his role as the leader of one of the greatest underdog upsets ever. He led the #16 seed UMBC Retrievers in a massive upset over the #1 ranked Virginia Cavs. Lyles started his career at VCU before transferring to Robert Morris and finally to UMBC. In the Virginia upset, he scored 28 points on 9 of 11 shots from the floor, scoring 23 points in the second half as UMBC pulled away. He was the leader of an unprecedented performance as the Retrievers changed history forever.
Their tournament run would end in the round of 32 against #9 Kansas State. Lyles would sign with the Utah Jazz after going undrafted, and he would play for their G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. He then had a pretty short stint overseas playing in the German league. He hasn't played professionally since 2020.
-
Jack Gohlke
Jack Gohlke's career started in Division II at Hillsdale College before he transferred to Oakland for his lone season at the Division I level. He was almost exclusively a 3-point shooter, scoring over 90% of his points from deep range.
His defining moment was in the first round of the tournament against Kentucky, scoring 32 points and making 10 3-pointers in the game, falling one short of the NCAA Tournament single-game record. He went absolutely nuclear in that game, and he did all that coming off the bench.
While they came up short against NC State in the round of 32, he finished that game with 22 points and six made 3-pointers. He was Sixth Man of the Year in the Horizon League.
He has continued playing for various teams internationally, mainly in Mexico and Brazil, and also had various stints in the NBA G League, where he currently plays for the Texas Legends, the affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks.
-
Doug Edert
Doug Edert made his mark on March Madness history starting in the historic run for #15 seed St. Peter's to the Elite 8, the farthest run ever for a 15 seed. Edert was known for his iconic mustache, calm demeanor, and sharp shooting.
He dropped 20 points against Kentucky in the round of 64, including a clutch layup to force overtime and the game-winning free throws. He remained calm and poised throughout the tournament and hit clutch shots to lead St. Peter's over #2 Kentucky, #7 Murray State, and #3 Purdue, becoming a national sensation overnight.
Following that run, he transferred to Bryant to finish his college career. In the 2024-25 season, he returned to his high school alma mater to help coach boys JV and varsity basketball.
-
Clayton Custer
Clayton Custer was one of the biggest headliners from Loyola Chicago's magical Final Four run in 2018. He played high school basketball at Overland Park in Kansas, winning back-to-back state championships, then played at Iowa State before transferring to Loyola Chicago.
He was the point guard of that 2018 team that propelled one of the most likable teams and brought the team chaplain, Sister Jean, to the spotlight. He was a steady team captain who delivered in the clutch with a huge jump shot against #3 seed Tennessee in the round of 32 with 3.6 seconds remaining to advance 63-62.
In the Sweet 16, he made the pass to Marques Townes to hit the big 3-pointer against Nevada to seal the upset. He had a brief stint playing overseas, and now he is an assistant coach with Porter Moser at Oklahoma.