HOW BIG ARE THESE UPSETS?

Comparing the Athletic Facilities of the March Madness Upsets

By Bella Nevin|Published on March 28, 2024

We have already witnessed a few March Madness upsets and just about everyone's bracket has been busted. Upsets always make me wonder just how big the upset actually is. How much more funding does the higher-ranked team have? What resources do they have? What do each of their facilities look like? Here is a breakdown of what these March Madness upsets actually look like:

1. #14 Oakland Upsets #3 Kentucky

Oakland University upset the University of Kentucky in the first round of March Madness 80-76. Above is a comparison of their basketball courts. Don't get me wrong, Oakland has a super sleek court, but it can't compare to the great Rupp Arena. According to EADA (Equity in Athletics Data Analysis) data, Oakland spent $9.5 million on athletics last year. Kentucky spent $87.7 million. These teams have not been working with the same resources.

2. #13 Yale Upsets #4 Auburn

In another first-round upset, Yale University upset Auburn University in a nail-biting 78-76 game. Auburn was seeded higher and has way nicer facilities. To put the two schools in comparison, Yale spent $29.6 million on athletics last year, and Auburn spent $102.2 million. The Tigers may have had a little bit of a leg up in their preparation for this game.

3. #11 MTSU Upsets #6 Louisville

Middle Tennessee State University upset the University of Louisville in a close 71-69 game. MTSU has a super nice arena, but KFC Yum! Center is hard to beat. Again, let's put these two schools into perspective. MTSU spent $25.6 million on athletics last year, and Louisville spent $86.8 million. Those numbers are not quite equal.

4. #11 Duquesne Upsets #6 BYU

Image Credit: Duquesne Athletics/BYU Athletics

Duquesne University beat Brigham Young University 71-67. BYU has over 25,000 more students at its school than Duquesne and has $2.2 billion more in its endowment. While Duquesne isn't known for its athletics, they have a pretty decent basketball arena. Nevertheless, BYU has about 15,500 more seats available in its arena. Duquesne also spent $18.9 million last year, while BYU spent over $53 million on athletics.

5. #12 Grand Canyon Upsets #5 Saint Mary's

Image Credit: Grand Canyon University Athletics/Samson Equipment

Grand Canyon University upset Saint Mary's College 75-66. This upset is especially interesting because both schools have pretty comparable facilities. Grand Canyon actually spent more on athletics, $20.8 million, compared to Saint Mary's, which spent $16.2 million.

Image Credit: UK Athletics