Since 1985, when the men’s basketball tournament was expanded to 64 teams, there have been only seven teams to make the men’s Final Four in the NCAA Tournament with double-digit seeds.
Among these seven teams, one team was Syracuse in 2016, which reached the Final Four as a No. 10 seed. All remaining six teams made the national tournament semifinals at No. 11, including 1986 LSU, 2006 George Mason, 2011 VCU, 2018 Loyola Chicago, 2021 UCLA and 2024 NC State.
However, none of the above teams advanced to the national championship game. The lowest seed to reach there was No. 8, including 1985 Villanova, 2011 Butler, 2014 Kentucky, and 2022 North Carolina. Among these, the 1985 Villanova is the only team to win a national championship.
For the Elite Eight, the lowest seed to reach there was No. 15 when Saint Peter’s reached there in 2022. In the Sweet 16, the lowest seed is No. 15 only, but aside from Saint Peter’s, there are three other teams, including 2013 Florida Gulf Coast, 2021 Oral Roberts, and 2023 Princeton.
When it comes to the Round of 32, the lowest seed is No. 16 and two teams have made the second round with that seed in the NCAA Tournament history. They are 2018 UMBC and 2023 FDU.
Lowest Seed Active in 2026 NCAA Tournament
In the ongoing NCAA Tournament, we have seen several upsets already and currently, the biggest Cinderella story is run by No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes. The program defeated No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers 77-71 in the Sweet Sixteen for a spot in the Elite Eight.
Before that, the Hawkeyes upset No. 1 seed Florida Gators in the second round. In the first round, they defeated No. 8 Clemson, as the Hawkeyes may be writing a deep underdog story.
Aside from the Hawkeyes, there was also No. 11 seed Texas that reached the Sweet 16, but they were eliminated by Purdue, so they’re no longer active.
With the encounter against No. 3 Illinois in the Elite Eight around the corner, it remains to be seen how deep the Hawkeyes go in this March Madness. If they are able to beat them and then also win the Final Four contest, they stand a chance to become the lowest seed to enter national championship game.
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