What’s the lowest seed to win March Madness?

Two seasons ago, March Madness saw the No. 8 University of North Carolina Tar Heels going up against the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks in the NCAA Championship. If UNC pulled off the win, they would have been in the conversation as one of the lowest seeds to win the tournament. Alas, they did not.

The lowest seed to win March Madness

Even if UNC had won, though, they would not have been the lowest-ranked team to do so. They simply would have been the most recent. The lowest-ranked team to ever win the tournament was actually a No. 8 seed, and that record belongs to the Villanova Wildcats from 1985.

The Wildcats beat their Big East rivals and top-seeded Georgetown in the NCAA championship, 66-64. On their way to the top, they defeated No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 seeds North Carolina and Memphis, and No. 5 Maryland. It is still considered one of the biggest upsets in March Madness history.

That year was the start of the 64-team format. Since then, the lowest seeds to make it to the final have also been the No. 8 seeds. In 2011, No. 8. Butler lost to No. 3 Connecticut. In 2014, No. 8 Kentucky fell to No. 7 Connecticut - those two teams combined for the lowest seed total ever in championship Game History, and it was the first time a final had ever been played without a No. 1, 2, or 3 seed. Then, of course, in 2022, No. 1 UNC fell to No. 1 Kansas.

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