What was the lowest seed to ever win the NCAA tournament?

The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights recently reminded the CBB fraternity that even the lowest seed has a say in the NCAA tournament. The Knights beat the top-seeded Purdue Boilermakers in the first round of last year's tournament.

There's a reason why the tournament is referred to as March Madness, with upsets coming thick and fast, usually in the early rounds.

Although the Knights' Cinderella story was cut short fairly quickly, the CBB fraternity showed their appreciation for upsets. Considering the storied history of the tournament, which is the lowest seed to have ever win it all?

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What was the lowest seed to ever win the NCAA tournament?

The Villanova Wildcats won the 1985 NCAA tournament when they beat the Georgetown Hoyas 66-64 on April Fools Day. The Wildcats were the eighth seed and remain the lowest seed to win the national championship.

The Georgetown Hoyas had NBA legend, Patrick Ewing among their ranks, making the Wildcats' victory even more significant, as the Hoyas were one of the top-seeded teams in the tournament.

Villanova was coached by Rollie Massimino and began its incredible run to the finals by beating the No. 9 ranked Dayton in the Southeast region.

The Wildcats' next exploits made their run even more legendary, beating the No. 1 seeded Michigan Wolverines in the second round before bumping off the No. 5 seeded Maryland Terrapins in the Sweet 16.

Next on their hit list were the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Elite Eight before they dispatching the No. 2 seeded Memphis State Tigers in the Final Four.

They deservedly faced off against the champions of the East and the reigning national champions, the Georgetown Hoyas in the final, to clinch the last title before the shot clock was introduced into college basketball.

This surprising result is the second biggest points spread reversal in NCAA tournament history. It has been called 'the perfect game' and was the subject of a book by the same name by Frank Fitzpatrick.

Ed Pinckney was named the Most Outstanding Player, scoring 16.0 points and registering 6.0 rebounds.

The lowest seed to have won the tournament since then has been the No. 7 UConn team of 2014, and the last No. 8 seed to get to the final is North Carolina in 2022.

The Wildcats seem to have carved out an unbeatable niche in NCAA tournament history for themselves with their epic 1985 win.