Who was the lowest seed to win the NCAA Tournament?

Last Modified Mar 18, 2025 10:47 GMT
Michigan v UCLA
March Madness. Source: Getty Images

March Madness is the common term for the NCAA Tournament, which is held each year in March and April to determine the national champion in Division I men's and women's collegiate basketball. March Madness is also known as "The Big Dance". It is now among the major yearly sports events held in the United States. 68 teams participate in seven rounds to win the national championship in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, which is a single-elimination competition. The Final Four, which occurs when there are just four teams remaining, is the penultimate round.

In 1939, Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah State, Villanova, Brown, Wake Forest, and Ohio State were the eight teams that took part in the first March Madness. In the decisive game, Oregon defeated Ohio State 46–33. Together with the 36 universities that get at-large bids, the 32 Division I conference winners are also included in the tournament teams. The Selection Sunday, which is scheduled for March 16, 2025, will release the 36 other at-large bids.

Lowest Seed to Win March Madness

The Villanova Wildcats defeated the Georgetown Hoyas 66-64, seeded No. 8 in 1985, and were the lowest-seeded team to win March Madness in history, according to Villanova's website.

The Wildcats' victory was noteworthy because the Georgetown Hoyas, one of the top-seeded teams in the tournament, included NBA legend Patrick Ewing in their ranks. Coached by Rollie Massimino, Villanova upset No. 9-ranked Dayton in the Southeast region to start their journey to the finals.

The Wildcats upset the No. 5 ranked Maryland Terrapins in the Sweet Sixteen and defeated the No. 1 seeded Michigan Wolverines in the second round. They defeated the No. 2 seeded Memphis State Tigers in the Final Four after taking down the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Elite Eight. As the last team standing before the shot clock was implemented in collegiate basketball, they squared off against the East's champions and the defending national champions, the Georgetown Hoyas, in the championship game. Since then, the No. 7 UConn team from 2014 is the lowest seed to win the tournament; North Carolina in 2022 is the last No. 8 seed to reach the championship game.

Also read: When will March Madness brackets be available?

What are seeds?

There are 68 teams competing in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Prior to any tournament play on Selection Sunday, the Selection Committee ranks all of those teams from 1 through 68, with the top college basketball team in the country—determined by regular season and conference tournament results—sitting at No. 1.

There is a field of 64 for the first round of the competition after four of those teams are eliminated in the First Four rounds. The 64 teams are divided into four zones, each including 16 teams, and the teams are ranked 1 through 16. The seed for the team is that ranking.

First-round pairings are decided by placing the best team in the region against the lowest club (No. 1 vs. No. 16) in an effort to reward superior teams. The next highest number versus the next lowest (No. 2 versus No. 15), and so forth. This implies that, theoretically, the first seed in the bracket gets the easiest initial matchup.

Also read: What is March Madness?

Other National Champions that weren’t Seed No. 1

The top seeds have controlled the championship-winning teams since the field was increased to 64 teams. There have been 23 national champions who began the tournament as one of the top seeds, with only 13 from any other seed. Every national winner who wasn't the first seed is as follows:

YearChampionOpponent
1986No. 2 LouisvilleNo. 1 Duke
1991No. 2 DukeNo. 3 Kansas
1998No. 2 KentuckyNo. 3 Utah
2004No. 2 ConnecticutNo. 3 Georgia Tech
2016No. 2 VillanovaNo. 1 North Carolina
1989No. 3 MichiganNo. 3 Seton Hall
2003No. 3 SyracuseNo. 2 Kansas
2006No. 3 FloridaNo. 2 UCLA
2011No. 3 ConnecticutNo. 8 Butler
1997No. 4 ArizonaNo. 1 Kentucky
1988No. 6 KansasNo. 1 Oklahoma
2014No. 7 ConnecticutNo. 8 Kentucky
1985No. 8 VillanovaNo. 1 Georgetown

FAQ's on lowest seed basketball teams

A. Selection Sunday for the 2024–25 season falls on March 16, followed by the First Four games on March 18 and March 19.

A. UConn clinched its sixth national championship by defeating Purdue 75-60 in the final game.

A. The lowest-seeded team to win March Madness was the Villanova Wildcats, seeded No. 8, who defeated Georgetown in 1985's championship game.

A. Teams are seeded based on their ranking, from 1 to 16, assigned by the Selection Committee. The matchups are determined to reward superior teams.

A. UConn, a fourth-seeded team, clinched its fifth national championship by defeating San Diego State 76-59 in the final game.

Related Stories

Which was the lowest-seeded team ever to make the Final Four? Exploring history of underdogs in the NCAA Tournament Which was the lowest-seeded team ever to make the Final Four? Exploring history of underdogs in the NCAA Tournament
Which was the lowest-seeded team ever to make the Final Four? Exploring history of underdogs in the NCAA Tournament
"Many rumors that we were paying her millions of dollars": Jennie Baranczyk speaks out on Aaliyah Chavez's recruitment process "Many rumors that we were paying her millions of dollars": Jennie Baranczyk speaks out on Aaliyah Chavez's recruitment process
"Many rumors that we were paying her millions of dollars": Jennie Baranczyk speaks out on Aaliyah Chavez's recruitment process
1d
Arkansas HC John Calipari honors Pope Francis with heartwarming tribute Arkansas HC John Calipari honors Pope Francis with heartwarming tribute
Arkansas HC John Calipari honors Pope Francis with heartwarming tribute
Georgia standout Asa Newell bids farewell to the Bulldogs following NBA Draft decision Georgia standout Asa Newell bids farewell to the Bulldogs following NBA Draft decision
Georgia standout Asa Newell bids farewell to the Bulldogs following NBA Draft decision
Rutgers transfer Kiyomi McMiller takes to Wall Street to announce transfer portal decision Rutgers transfer Kiyomi McMiller takes to Wall Street to announce transfer portal decision
Rutgers transfer Kiyomi McMiller takes to Wall Street to announce transfer portal decision
1d
Days after visiting Dawn Staley, Madina Okot commits to South Carolina Days after visiting Dawn Staley, Madina Okot commits to South Carolina
Days after visiting Dawn Staley, Madina Okot commits to South Carolina
6h
Jon Scheyer hypes up Cooper Flagg with clear message following NBA draft decision: "The accolades speak for itself" Jon Scheyer hypes up Cooper Flagg with clear message following NBA draft decision: "The accolades speak for itself"
Jon Scheyer hypes up Cooper Flagg with clear message following NBA draft decision: "The accolades speak for itself" 
1d
Cameron Boozer plans to impact people with special needs and mental health issues before his basketball career ends, says mother Cameron Boozer plans to impact people with special needs and mental health issues before his basketball career ends, says mother
Cameron Boozer plans to impact people with special needs and mental health issues before his basketball career ends, says mother
LSU's Livvy Dunne drops 1-word reaction to Haley Cavinder showing off her diamond engagement ring LSU's Livvy Dunne drops 1-word reaction to Haley Cavinder showing off her diamond engagement ring
LSU's Livvy Dunne drops 1-word reaction to Haley Cavinder showing off her diamond engagement ring
Ace Bailey bids farewell to Rutgers fans with heartwarming message: "Loved being in college" Ace Bailey bids farewell to Rutgers fans with heartwarming message: "Loved being in college"
Ace Bailey bids farewell to Rutgers fans with heartwarming message: "Loved being in college"
2h
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications