20-point underdog #15 Santa Clara vs #2 Arizona
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The first time a 20-point underdog won in the NCAA tournament was in 1993 when #15-seed Santa Clara beat #2-seed Arizona 64-61. The Arizona team had five future NBA players in Damon Stoudamire, Chris Mills, Reggie Geary, Khalid Reeves, and Ray Owes, while Santa Clara had one in freshman Steve Nash. However, the future NBA hall of famer was not the best player for Santa Clara that day; it was Pete Eisenrich who led all players, along with Chris Mills, with 19 points.
References
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Remembering A Cinderella Story - 1993 Broncos vs. Wildcats
The calls come annually in March. Some writer or radio guy will call Santa Clara Basketball coach Dick Davey and ask how he did it. What's the formula for a 15 seed to beat a number 2, making the slipper fit. This morning alone he took three calls on how Santa Clara beat Arizona.
Santa Clara Broncos
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Santa Clara, Seeded 15th, Beats Arizona
In one of the biggest upsets since the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament began seeding its teams in 1979, unranked and unheralded Santa Clara stunned Arizona, 64-61, tonight in the first round of the West Regional.
The New York Times
