What are the lowest seeds to reach the NCAA March Madness Final Four?

Since the NCAA tournament expanded to its current 64-team format 39 years ago, 136 teams have made it to the Final Four. However, only five of these teams were seeded as double digits, making their underdog victories all the more remarkable and rare.

The Cinderella Run of 11 Seeds

The 11th seed has a substantial role in March Madness history, as it has made it to the Final Four on four different occasions. One of the most memorable runs was made by UCLA in 2021 and Loyola Chicago in 2018, where they overcame higher-seeded teams in an exceptional journey. However, their run ended when they faced the first-seeded Gonzaga and third-seeded Michigan team in the Final Four.

Heartbreak and Triumph

While not all 11 seeds have made it to the Final Four, those who have experienced an average defeat margin of 11.5 points in the national semifinals.

The Highest Seed to Reach the Summit

In the history of the NCAA, the highest seed that has ever won the championship is the eighth seed, which has been achieved twice. The first time was in 1985, when Villanova, the eighth-seeded team, defeated the powerhouse Georgetown, leaving a mark in basketball history. Similarly, in 2014, the college basketball world witnessed another surprise as the seventh-seeded UConn defeated eighth-seeded Kentucky in an exciting championship showdown, highlighting the unpredictable nature of March Madness.

When we look at the statistics of March Madness, we can see that some seeds have historically done better than others. Out of the 136 Final Four teams, 56 have been number one seeds, which is a large percentage of 41.2%. On average, the teams that make it to the Final Four have a seed value of 2.8, which shows that the tournament is usually very competitive.