Ranking to the number of National Championships by seeds

Have you ever wondered what the lowest seed was to win a National Championship? Or does being a 1-seed really help a team because those seeds typically win the National Championships?

Many seeds have never even made it to the National Championship. Some have never even made it past the second round of the Sweet 16. We all love a Cinderella story when a lower seed starts making their way further and further in the tournament than anyone expected.

So looking at the number of championships for each seed, which ones seem to do the best in March Madness? Here is the number of championships each seed has, or if they haven't won a championship, how far they have made it in March Madness.

16-seeds

Until 2019, no 16-seed had ever made it past the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Then Virginia made history in a way no one had ever wanted to in March Madness, they lost to 16-seed UMBC as a 1-seed, the first time it had ever happened. Then in 2023, it happened again when 1-seed Purdue lost to 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson. Neither one of those 16-seeds made it past the second round, but no one ever thought they would make it past the first round, so anything is possible.

15-seeds

A 15-seed upsetting a 2-seed has happened more times than a 16-seed upsetting a 1-seed. It has happened 11 times to be exact, most recently when 15-seed Princeton beat 2-seed Arizona. Florida Gulf Coast was the first 15-seed to ever make it past the second round to the Sweet 16 however. Then starting in 2021, for three straight years, a 15-seed made it to the Sweet 16, and then in 2022, Saint Peter's became the first 15-seed to ever make it to the Elite Eight. No championships though.

14-seeds

A 14-seed making it past the first round is a lot more common than one might think. The most recent time it happened was this season when Oakland beat 3-seed Kentucky and it was the 20th time it has happened since the tournament expanded in 1985. Only two 14-seeds have made it to the Sweet 16 in 1986 and 1997 when Cleveland State and Chattanooga did it. No championships.

13-seeds

13-seeds take down 4-seeds all the time. This year 13-seed Yale took down 4-seed Auburn, however, no with how many times they make it to the second round, they rarely make it to the Sweet 16. Just six 13-seeds have made it to the Sweet 16, the most recent being La Salle in 2013. No team that was 13-seed has ever made it past the Sweet 16, so no championship here either.

12-seeds

This year, two 5-seeds fell to 12-seeds in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The 12-seed has made it past the first round 32 times in the last 38 years. Two of those 12 seeds have made it to the Elite Eight, the 2002 Missouri Tigers, and the 2021 Oregon State Beavers. No 12-seed has even made it to the National Championship.

11-seeds

11-seeded teams have been the most successful double-digit seeded teams in March Madness. While they haven't made it to any National Championships, they have made it to the Final Four five times. The most recent is this year's NC State who made the tournament by winning five games in a row to win the ACC Tournament. Even with five Final Four appearances, an 11-seed has never made it to the National Championship.

10-seeds

Surprisingly, a 10-seed has only been the the Final Four once. Only once has every 10-seed upset set 7-seeds and only twice has no 10-seed made it past the first round. Back in 2016, Syracuse was the first and and only 10-seed to make it to the Final Four, but no further.

9-seeds

No 9-seed has ever been to or won the National Championship. They have been to the Final Four just two times with the last being in 2023 when Florida Atlantic made it as a Cinderella team.

8-seeds

Finally, there we have a seed that has made it and won the National Championship. Only four 8-seeds have made it to the Nationals Championship, the latest being North Carolina in 2022. Only one 8-seed has won the National Championship and it was back in 1985 when the tournament had just expanded. Villanova was the only 8-seed to make it and win the National Championship.

7-seeds

It took until 2014 for a 7-seed to make their first appearance in the National Championship. UConn was that team and they were able to make the most of their appearance that season winning the whole thing over 8-seed Kentucky.

6-seeds

Only two 6-seeds have ever made it to the National Championship since the expansion in 1985. Only one of those teams won the championship and that was Blue Blood Kansas in 1988 with Larry Brown as head coach. This was the first National Championship for a 6-seed and the Kansas Jayhawks.

5-seeds

Surprisingly, a 5-seed has never won a National Championship. While they have made it, most recently San Diego State in 2023.

4-seeds

4-seeds have been in the National Championship four times and have gone an even 2-2 in the big game. The two times a 4-seed has won the National Championship it was Arizona in 1997 and most recently UConn in 2023.

3-seeds

As it gets closer to the top seeds you see more and more championships. 3-seeds have won the National Championship four times, but they have made it to the big game 11 times. The most recent time a 3-seed made it to the National Championship was in 2019 when Texas Tech lost to 1-seed Virginia. UConn was the last 3-seed to win it all.

2-seeds

2-seeds have won the second most National Championships...ironic. In all seriousness, a 2-seed last won the National Championship in 2026 when Villanova won it all on a buzzer-beater. However, they have surprisingly only made it to the big game 13 times.

1-seeds

It is no surprise that 1-seeds have won the most National Championships, but the number might shock you. A 1-seed has won the National Championship 25 times since the tournament expanded in 1985. The most recent 1-seed to win it all was the Kansas Jayhawks back in 2022.