The poor 8-seeds. First they play against a team (the 9-seed in their region) that should be a fairly even match. Then if they win, they have to face the 1-seed in the very next round. Only the 13-16 seeds have reached the Sweet 16 less often than the 8- and 9-seeds. Overall, the 8-vs-9 games are split almost evenly, 74-78. In an evenly matched series, though, you’d expect streaks and trends to go back and forth a little.
Overall Performance
- 74 (of 152) advanced to the Second Round
- 16 went on to the Sweet 16
- 9 reached the Elite 8
- 5 reached the Final 4
- 4 made the championship game
- 1 was crowned champion
Performance Over the Last 10 Tournaments
- 20 (of 40) advanced to the Second Round
- 6 went on to the Sweet 16
- 2 advanced all the way to the Championship Game where they both lost
Record in the Second Round
Feats of Strength
- The only four 8-seeds to make a run all the way to the Championship Game:
- 2022: North Carolina
- 2014: Kentucky
- 2011: Butler
- 1985: Villanova went on to win the Championship in the first year the NCAA Tournament field expanded to 64 teams.
- An 8-seed advanced to the Sweet 16 every other year from 1996-2004.
- All four 8-seeds advanced to the Second Round twice – in 2002, one year after none of them advanced. And again in 2015.
- The 2000 Final Four had two 8-seeds
- North Carolina lost to 5-seed Florida 59-71
- Wisconsin lost to 1-seed (and eventual champion) 1-seed Michigan State
FAQs
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).
Has there ever been an Elite 8 without a number one seed? ›
1 seeds make it to the Elite Eight each year. 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.
How often does an 8 seed beat a 1 seed? ›
Of the six teams to beat a No. 1 seed as a No. 8 seed, only two of them — the 1994 Knicks and 2023 Heat — have gone on to reach the NBA Finals.
Has a 9 seed ever beaten a 1 seed? ›
9 seeds haven't fared well in the second round — where they've almost always faced a No. 1 seed and lost 67 of 74 games — five teams have reached the Sweet 16, four made it to the Elite Eight and one even advanced to the Final Four, Wichita State in 2013. Thanks to that lopsided second-round matchup against No.
What is the lowest seed to ever make the championship? ›
The lowest seed to win the national championship was 8 seed Villanova in 1985. The Wildcats are also tied for the lowest seed to ever make the final game alongside North Carolina (2022), Kentucky (2014) and Butler (2011).
What is the lowest seeded team to win the Stanley Cup? ›
2012 Los Angeles Kings, Defeated New Jersey Devils (4-2)
This is the only bottom-seeded champion we have seen in either the NHL or the NBA. It is also about as textbook a definition of the phrase “goaltender standing on his head” as one can get.
Has a 1 seed ever lost? ›
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.
What's the lowest seed to make it to the Elite Eight? ›
The lowest seed to reach the Elite Eight in NCAA Tournament history is 15 seed Saint Peter's, in 2022. What Saint Peter's and then-coach Shaheen Holloway put together in 2022 was one of the more impressive runs in NCAA Tournament history.
Where is the Elite 8 2024? ›
2024 Elite Eight Schedule
| Date | Matchup | Location |
|---|
| Saturday, March 30 | Illinois vs. UConn | TD Garden |
| Saturday, March 30 | Clemson vs. Alabama | Crypto.com Arena |
| Sunday, March 31 | NC State vs. Duke | American Airlines Center |
| Sunday, March 31 | Tennessee vs. Purdue | Little Caesars Arena |
Mar 31, 2024
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. As the reigning NBA champions, Houston entered the 1995 postseason as a No. 6 seed following a 47-35 regular season.
Make room, 1999 Knicks, you have company. With their Monday night defeat of the Boston Celtics, the 2023 Miami Heat became the second team in NBA history to make the finals after entering the postseason as a No. 8 seed, joining the '99 Knicks. But which team's run is more remarkable?
Why does the 1st seed play the 8th seed? ›
The first seed is typically the team with the best overall record, while the eighth seed is the team with the eighth-best record in its conference. However, the NBA has recently introduced a play-in tournament for teams ranked 7th to 10th in each conference, which can potentially alter the seeding.
What is the lowest seed to ever win it all? ›
The lowest seed to win the NCAA Championship is Villanova. In the 1985 NCAA Tournament, Villanova was a No. 8 seed and defeated the one-seeded Georgetown Hoyas 66-64.
Has a number 16 ever beaten a 1? ›
UMBC became the first 16 seed ever to upset a No. 1 seed in 2018, when the Retrievers defeated Virginia and became an overnight sensation. In 2023, FDU became just the second 16 seed to knock off a No.
Has a 14 seed ever won? ›
You know the answer to this one: A 14 seed has never won the NCAA Tournament. But let's talk about the two teams that made it to the second weekend. In 1986, the second year of the expanded 64-team bracket, Cleveland State became the first No. 14 seed to win a game, but the Vikings didn't stop there.
Did 8 seed in NBA ever win the championship? ›
Since the playoffs expanded to 16 teams in 1984, no eight-seed has ever won the NBA championship.
What is the lowest NBA seed to win a championship? ›
The 1994-95 Houston Rockets stand as the lowest-seeded team to ever win the NBA Finals. As the reigning NBA champions, Houston entered the 1995 postseason as a No. 6 seed following a 47-35 regular season.
What is the record for 8 seed vs 9 seed? ›
From 1985 to 2023, No. 9 seeds went 78-74 against No. 8 seeds.
Has a 7th seed won a playoff game? ›
The Packers rocked the Dallas Cowboys 48-32 on Sunday, becoming the first No. 7 seed in NFL history to win a playoff game. On the flipside, the Cowboys became the first No. 2 seed to lose in the wildcard round.
