14-Seeds

As you’d expect, the 14-seed has had more success than the 15’s.  At least one 14-seed has advanced to the Second Round in 5 of the last 10. There’s an unexpected trend, actually, in the frequency of 14-seed success.

14-seeds had an amazing run with 7 consecutive years of at least one of them advancing in the first round (1986-1992).  Since then, 14-seeds have been winning less and less often.  There is a large difference in First Round performance between the first 15 years of the tournament and the last 24. Check out the average number of 14-seeds advancing to the Second Round:

• 1985-1999:  0.87
• 2000-2023: 0.39

Overall Performance

• 22 (of 152) advanced to the Second Round
• 2 went on to the Sweet 16
• None reached the Elite 8

Performance Over the Last 10 Years

• 6 (of 40) advanced to the Second Round
• None reached the Sweet 16

Most Recent 14-Seed Uprisings

• 2021:  Abilene Christian over Texas
• 2016:  Stephen F. Austin over West Virginia
• 2015:  Georgia State over Baylor & UAB over Iowa State
• 2014:  Mercer over Duke
• 2013:  Harvard over New Mexico
• 2010:  Ohio over Georgetown
• 2006: Northwestern State over Iowa
• 2005:  Bucknell over Kansas

14-seed Sweet 16 Teams

• 1986 Cleveland State
• 1997 Chattanooga