Kentucky's history as a No. 3 seed includes one of the 3 vs. 14 first-round upsets

Let’s have an uncomfortable conversation now because it is unavoidable this week: the history of No. 3 seeds in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. A No. 14 seed has knocked off the No. 3 in 20 of the 39 NCAA Tournaments since the field went to 64 teams. The most recent instance of the 3 vs. 14 upset came last season, unfortunately, to your University of Kentucky Wildcats. John Calipari’s last Kentucky team was a No. 3 seed and lost to Oakland, 80-76, as a 13-point favorite in Pittsburgh.

The Big Blue Nation has tried to forget that game and the inexcusable defense against Jack Gohlke, but it will be a talking point when the 3 vs. 14 games are broken down in the lead-up to this year’s tournament. Kentucky is a No. 3 for the second year in a row, playing Troy in Milwaukee.

Prior to Big Blue Nation’s demise as a 3 in 2024, there were five 3 vs. 14 upsets in four years from 2013-16, but only one other No. 14 win since, when Abilene Christian defeated Texas, 53-52, in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, played at limited capacity.

Other memorable No. 14 seeds are Bucknell over Kansas in 2005, Mercer over Duke in 2014, and Chattanooga reaching the Sweet Sixteen as a 14 in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

Upsets in the 3 vs. 14 game

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

(NCAA.com)

Kentucky as a No. 3 seed

Kentucky has been a No. 3 seed three other times in the modern era, going 2-1 in first-round games. Tubby Smith’s 1999 Wildcats reached the Elite Eight as a 3.

YEAR	RESULT	SCORE
1994	Kentucky def. Tennessee State	83-70
1999	Kentucky def. New Mexico St.	82-60
2024	Oakland def. Kentucky	80-76