What does No. 1 seed mean in March Madness? Looking at college basketball terminologies ahead of 2024 NCAA Tournament

With March Madness, aka the Big Dance, fast approaching, college hoops fans are polishing up on their knowledge of the NCAA Tournament after hearing certain terminologies thrown about on social media.

One of the most common terminologies is a No. 1 seed and why teams are fighting tooth and nail to be one.

So, what exactly is a No. 1 seed during March Madness?

What is a one-seed, and how many are there during March Madness?

A one-seed is a team that performed best during the regular season and conference championship and is placed at the top of a regional group and pitted against the lowest-ranked team (16-seed).

There are four one-seeds at every March Madness tournament chosen by the selection committee.

Since the NCAA began seeding teams, 50 different teams have been the No. 1 seed at March Madness. The North Carolina Tar Heels have earned the one-seed status the most times (17) and have won five championships as a top-ranked team.

The 2024 March Madness one seeds

The Purdue Boilermakers are highly favored to be the No. 1 seed during this year's NCAA Tournament, as they were last year when they suffered a shocking first-round loss to surprise package 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson.

The Boilermakers had a stellar season (28-3, 17-3) and retained the services of big man Zach Edey, the reigning National Player of the Year.

Led by Big 12 Player of the Year, Jamal Shead, the Houston Cougars have had an impressive season with a 28-3 record and blew out the Kansas Jayhawks 76-46 to claim the Big 12 regular season title. They are one of the favorites to occupy the highly coveted No. 1 seed slots at the tournament.

The reigning national champions, the UConn Huskies, beat the Providence Friars to cement a 28-3 overall, 18-2 Big East record. The Huskies are led by ace Alex Karaban and are highly favored to be selected as the third No. 1 seed.

Arizona (27-5, 15-5) was long favored to clinch the last one seed at the Big Dance, but an upset 78-65 loss to the USC Trojans likely snatched that possibility from the Wildcats.

The last No. 1 seed spot seems to be a straight fight between the North Carolina Tar Heels, who beat arch-rivals, the Duke Blue Devils 84-79 at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday night.

The other team favored for the spot is the Tennessee Volunteers, led by ace Dalton Knecht, who won the SEC regular season title a week ago.

This season's Big Dance promises to be high octane, with several top teams looking competent enough to reach the Final Four to duke it out for the NCAA Tournament win.