The 5 biggest Round-of-64 upsets of the last 5 years

One of the most fun March Madness exercises is predicting the biggest upsets each year. It rarely pays off, but when it does, the excitement and bragging rights are unparalleled.

And don't come at us with that 12-seed upset stuff. The real glory in going off-board with a selection is picking one of the lower-seeded conference champions to pull off a major upset. 

As a refresher of just how good such a bold call can feel, here are the five most memorable Round-of-64 upsets of the past five tournaments.

2013: No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast d. No. 2 Georgetown

There are several David strategies an underdog can employ to tackle a giant. Slowing the pace down, thus limiting the number of possessions and the game's sample size, is one, and employing a high-variance, threes-and-ball-pressure attack is another. And then there's what Florida Gulf Coast did against Georgetown two years ago, simply dunking all over them for an entire game.

Dunk City was in full effect as FGCU shocked the world with a 78-68 victory. They would roll on to upend No. 7 San Diego State to earn a berth in the Sweet Sixteen. Nobody will ever forget high-flying Sherwood Brown's dreadlocks, which replaced Steph Curry as the temporary face of The Tournament Underdog.

2012: No. 15 Lehigh d. No. 2 Duke

C.J. McCollum may not be a household name as a reserve for the playoff-bound Portland Trail Blazers, but for a moment in 2012 he was the darling of every Duke hater in existence.

McCollum's 30-point, six-assist outburst for 15th-seeded Lehigh led the way to a 75-70 victory in the Round of 64, ending a 27-7 season for a team loaded with current or recent NBA players in Austin Rivers, Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly, Andre Dawkins, and Mason and Miles Plumlee.

Lehigh's run would end there. They fell to No. 10 Xavier in the Round of 32, with McCollum going out with guns a-blazing in a 5-of-22 performance.

2014: No. 14 Mercer d. No. 3 Duke

Not to pile on, but it hasn't really been a banner couple of years for Duke in the first round. Maybe that warrants a longer look at the winner of the First Four game between North Florida and Robert Morris. (Note: No, it doesn't.)

It was just last year that another stacked Blue Devils squad flamed out early, dropping a 78-71 Round-of-64 game to a Mercer team that had exactly one threat capable of creating for himself and teammates: Langston Hall. Mercer would be summarily dispatched by No. 11 Tennessee in the Round of 32, speaking to just how unsightly a loss this was for Duke.

Duke threatened late, down just five with 24 seconds to play and possession, but a turnover and two missed threes sunk their chances, forcing them to play a fouling game Jakob Gollon was all too game for.

2012: No. 15 Norfolk State d. No. 2 Missouri

Missouri owned the country's best pace-adjusted offense, but they struggled to defend all season. Norfolk State couldn't do much of either when controlling for their weak MEAC schedule, but they sure could score on March 16, 2012.

The Spartans hit an unbelievable 10-of-19 from long range and shot 54.2 percent overall, hammering the Tigers on the glass and protecting the ball so as to not give away precious possessions. Phil Pressey and Kim English couldn't keep pace with Kyle O'Quinn and company, with O'Quinn banging home a huge go-ahead put-back and-one with 35 seconds to play.

Missouri had a chance when Norfolk State missed a free throw to go ahead three, but O'Quinn fought for the rebound and a jump-ball. He'd miss two free throws to ice the game, giving the Tigers yet another opportunity, but Pressey missed a long but fairly clean look to win.

2013: No. 14 Harvard d. No. 3 New Mexico

Tasked with choosing between a few similar-scale upsets, we lean here to Harvard, who have a chance to play Cinderella once again this year as a 13 seed against North Carolina.

Two tournaments ago, as a 14 seed, the Crimson ground out a 68-62 victory over Tony Snell, Alex Kirk, Cameron Bairstow and the Lobos. Harvard shot 52.4 percent, sure, but it was the pace they slowed the game to - kind of a Harvard staple - that let them shrink the game to a winnable length.

Their most famous (basketball) alumnus most certainly approved of the school's first-ever tournament victory.

Harvard won again last year as a No. 12, making them a trendy pick in 2015.