Year after year, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament delivers excitement and surprise more reliably than any other sporting event. The first week is an overstuffed buffet table, with game after game after game vying for attention. The power teams tend to take over in the second week, and the Final Four typically is an A-list only affair, with just an occasional interloper.

Even after a full season of practices and games, rivalries and conference races, a college basketball team is a collection of young men with egos and hormones and attitudes that they cannot yet fully control. So it shouldn’t be surprising that great teams sometimes come out flat, or lesser talents summon their best selves in the adrenalized atmosphere of win-or-go-home. We expect it in general, but we never know where and when lightning will strike. 

Though the first round offers the biggest canvas for a shocking result, our list of surprises includes a game from the second weekend as well, and even a Final Four or two. We have only considered games since 1985, when the tournament adopted its current 64-team format. And while seeding plays a part in evaluating these games, it’s not the only thing; Hampton’s victory over Iowa State in a 15-vs.-2 matchup in 2001 doesn’t make the list because, well, it was against Iowa State.

Enjoy, the Top 10 March Madness Shockers and remember, and think twice before you grab the remote to switch away from what you might think would be a blowout.