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Only seven teams with double-digit seeds have made the March Madness Final Four since the men’s tournament field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, including the 2023-24 season when No. 11 seed NC State completed a stunning run to take the South regional crown.
Here’s the TL/DR version of some March Madness men’s seed history:
8 is the lowest seed to win a national championship (Villanova in 1985)
11 is the lowest seed to make the Final Four (LSU 1986; George Mason 2006; VCU 2011; Loyola Chicago 2018; UCLA 2021; NC State 2024).
15 is the lowest seed to make the men’s Elite Eight (Saint Peter’s 2022)
15 is the lowest seed to make the men’s Sweet 16 (Princeton 2023; Saint Peter’s 2022; Oral Roberts 2021; Florida Golf Coast 2013)
Along with those six No. 11 seeds to make the Final Four, Syracuse in 2016 reached the Final Four as a No. 10 seed — so seven double-digit seeds have advanced to the national semifinals.
Lowest seed to…
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Make Second Round/Round of 32
No. 16 (2018 UMBC; 2023 FDU)
Make Sweet 16
No. 15 (2013 Florida Gulf Coast; 2021 Oral Roberts; 2022 Saint Peter’s; 2023 Princeton)
Make Elite Eight
No. 15 (2022 Saint Peter’s)
Make Final Four
No. 11 (1986 LSU; 2006 George Mason; 2011 VCU; 2018 Loyola Chicago; 2021 UCLA; 2024 NC State)
Make championship game
No. 8 (1985 Villanova; 2011 Butler; 2014 Kentucky; 2022 North Carolina)
Win title
No. 8 (1985 Villanova)
The highest seed to ever make the championship is a No. 8, which has happened four times. The first came in the first NCAA tournament under the modern format, when No. 8 Villanova beat powerhouse No. 1 Georgetown for the 1985 championship. It also happened in 2011 (Butler), 2014 (Kentucky) and 2022 (North Carolina). Villanova is the only one from that group to win the title.
That 2014 final also gave us the highest total seed value for a championship game as No. 7 UConn took down No. 8 Kentucky for the title.
Daniel Wilco has worked at the AJC, Sports Illustrated, and SEC Country. His writing has also appeared on SI.com, Men’s Health, and The Cauldron.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.
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