With the field of 68 down to 64, the 2017 NCAA men’s basketball tournament tips off with a full slate of games today.
Upsets are part of the tournament.
Before you worry about your busted bracket recall three times a team from Georgia defied the odds and pulled the miracle upset.
1983 Georgia Bulldogs
Hugh Durham’s Georgia Bulldogs didn’t have star Dominique Wilkins when they won the SEC and made the field of 48 as the fourth seed in the East Region of the 1983 NCAA Tournament.
The Bulldogs became one of the few teams since the tournament began in 1939 to reach the Final Four in its first appearance.
Georgia defeated Virginia Commonwealth and No. 3-seeded St. John’s led by coach Lou Carneseca and Chris Mullen before taking down defending national champion North Carolina - which featured Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins and Brad Daugherty - in the quarterfinals.
Georgia’s run was clipped by eventual tournament champion N.C. State, led by coach Jim Valvano.
2014 Mercer Bears
Credit: Streeter Lecka
Credit: Streeter Lecka
In 2014, Macon’s Mercer Bears reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1985. Led by five seniors, the Bears shot 55.6 percent from the field as the 14-seeded Bears upset the No. 3-seeded Duke Blue Devils in the second round in what was largely a Duke-friendly crowd in Raleigh, N.C.
It was the second time in the three years that the Blue Devils were bounced in the round of 64. The Bears’ dance came to the end with a loss to No. 11 Tennessee in the next round.
2015 Georgia State Panthers
Georgia State head coach Ron Hunter worked the sideline on a rolling chair less than a week after tearing his left Achilles tendon celebrating Georgia State winning the Sun Belt Conference championship.
Hunter’s son, R.J. Hunter, shook off a poor shooting performance when in the final three minutes he recorded a comeback for the ages, scoring 12 of Georgia State's final 13 points against the No. 3 Baylor Bears in the round of 64 of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
His game-winning, 35-foot three pointer with under 3 seconds left forced everyone off their seats, including his dad on the sidelines.
The Panthers were knocked off by Xavier in the next round.
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