Lowest Seeds Ever to Reach the Men’s Final Four, Elite Eight, and Sweet 16

Since the men’s tournament field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, just seven teams with double-digit seeds have made the March Madness Final Four, including No. 11 seed NC State, which went on an unexpected run to win the South regional championship in 2023-24.

Here’s a brief overview of some March Madness men’s seeding 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 the six No. 11 seeds who proceeded to the Final Four, Syracuse reached the Final Four as a No. 10 seed in 2016, bringing the total to seven double-digit seeds in the national semifinals.

Lowest seed to…
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 reach the final is a No. 8, which has occurred four times. The first occurred in the first NCAA tournament under the current structure, when No. 8 Villanova defeated powerhouse No. 1 Georgetown for the 1985 title. This also occurred in 2011 (Butler), 2014 (Kentucky), and 2022 (North Carolina). Villanova is the only team from that group to win the championship.

The 2014 final also featured the highest total seed value for a championship game, with No. 7 UConn defeating No. 8 Kentucky for the title.