:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72091211/usa_today_10712879.0.jpg "NCAA Tournament history: Has a No. 16 seed ever beaten a No. 1 seed? When, and what teams?")
The No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights are headed to the round of 32, where they will face the No. 9 Florida Atlantic Owls on Sunday. They have the chance to become the first ever No. 16 seed to reach the Sweet 16 in tournament history this week.
History of 16 seeds in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament
On Friday, the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights became just the second ever No. 16 seed to win a non-First Four tournament game. This upset was particularly surprising, as the Knights were the 68th seed of the field of 68. They took down No. 1 Purdue, 63-58, following in the footsteps of the No. 16 UMBC Retrievers.
UMBC made history in 2018, not just beating that year's No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers but blowing them out by 20 points. But they went on to lose to the No. 9 Kansas State Wildcats in the second round, 50-43.
So as of yet, no No. 16 seed has ever made it to a regional semifinal.