The lowest seeds to make the men's Final Four, Elite Eight and Sweet 16 (2024)

FAQs

The lowest seeds to make the men's Final Four, Elite Eight and Sweet 16? ›

11 is the lowest seed to make the Final Four

NC State is now tied for the lowest ever seed to make the Final Four. That title is shared by five other schools that made a Cinderella run to the Final Four as an 11-seed. It was first done by LSU in 1986 followed by George Mason in 2006, VCU in 2011, Loyola Chicago in 2018 and UCLA in 2021.

What's the lowest seed to reach the Elite Eight? The Wolfpack aren't the lowest seed to ever appear in the Elite Eight. That title belongs to the Saint Peter's Peaco*cks, who went on a stunning run to the 2022 Elite Eight as a No. 15 seed.

There has only been one occurrence in history in which no No. 1 seeds made the Elite Eight (2023). In men's play, the Elite Eight exists intact for less than 24 hours between the second Friday evening and the following Saturday afternoon of the tournament.

University of Maryland, Baltimore County pulled off one of the most shocking results in NCAA Tournament history when it beat No. 1 Virginia as a No. 16 seed in the 2018 first round. The score was knotted at 21-21 at halftime, but the Retrievers went off in the second half on their way to a historic 74-54 victory.

What's the lowest-seeded team to ever win the NBA Finals? The 1994-95 Houston Rockets stand as the lowest-seeded team to ever win the NBA Finals.

UMBC and Fairleigh Dickison aren't the only 16 seeds to win an NCAA basketball tournament game. In 1998, the Harvard women's basketball team shocked Stanford 71-67 in the opening round. The Crimson remain the only women's team to have pulled off the 16-1 upset.

16-seeds have only gone as far as the second round in the NCAA tournament, and there are only two teams to have ever done it: the UMBC Retrievers in 2018, and the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights just last year in 2023. These were also the only two teams in men's hoops history to ever knock out a 1-seed in the postseason.

In 2014, the Connecticut Huskies became the first and only No. 7 seed to capture a national championship, but the team's historic run came close to ending early in the tournament. It took overtime for the Huskies to get past No. 10 Saint Joseph's in an 89-81 opening-round win.

Four No. 15 seeds advanced to the Sweet 16, starting with Florida Gulf Coast in 2013. It also happened three consecutive years with Oral Roberts (2021), Saint Peter's (2022) and Princeton (2023). One 15 seed reached the Elite Eight, as Saint Peter's topped No.

Has Creighton ever made it to Elite Eight? ›

11-ranked, third-seeded Creighton, 82-75, Friday night at Little Caesars Arena to earn the second Elite Eight appearance in program history.

Point spread upsets

Despite numerous instances of early-round tournament upsets, only two No. 1 seeds have lost in the first round to a No. 16 seed.

2018 — Senior guard Jairus Lyles scores 28 points and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County pulls off the most shocking upset in NCAA Tournament history, defeating Virginia 75-54 to become the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in men's basketball.

16 seeds have ever beaten a No. 1 seed in the history of the NCAA men's basketball tournament: UMBC over Virginia in 2018 and FDU over Purdue in 2023.

The first time was the 1986-87 Seattle SuperSonics' victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Round 1, and the most recent instance was the 2009-10 San Antonio Spurs upsetting the Mavs in the first round.

Last time a 13 seed made the Sweet 16

In the NCAA Tournament's history, six 13 seeds have made it to the Sweet 16. Here are the six of them: 1988: Richmond. 1998: Valparaiso.

The years where there were zero No. 1 seeds to make the Final Four: 1980, 2006, 2011 and 2023. The 1980 NCAA Tournament had 48 teams in the field. In 2006, 65 teams qualified, while 2011 and 2023 featured 68-team fields.

#8 Butler). UConn defeated Kentucky in the championship game 60-54, to claim their 4th national championship as in many attempts. UConn was also the first 7 seed ever to reach and win the championship game. The two teams combined for the highest seed total in championship game history with 15.

Since the NCAA Tournament began seeding teams in 1979, four Final Fours haven't included a No. 1 seed: 1980, 2006, 2011, and 2023.

The most epic Cinderella run: Villanova's 1985 Championship

11 seed NC State in the 2023-24 season. However, when it comes to the highest seed to make it to the championship game, the honor belongs to a No. 8 seed - a feat accomplished four times in NCAA history.