Uh-oh.  Everyone knows these guys are in danger of being the victim of the classic 5-12 upset.  All four 5-seeds have advanced to the Second Round only five times in 37 years.  Only 58% of the last 40 5-seeds got past their 12-seed opponent.  Besides the 9-seed, the 5-seed is the only other single-digit seed to not win a Championship.

Overall Performance

• 95 (of 148) 5-seeds advanced to the Second Round
• 50 went on to the Sweet 16
• 10 reached the Elite 8
• 7 reached the Final 4
• 3 reached the championship game

Performance Over the Last 10 Tournaments

• 23 (of 40) advanced to the Second Round
• 11 went on to the Sweet 16
• 2 reached the Elite 8
• 1 reached the Final 4

Bracket Performance History and Advice

• First Round:  83% chance of at least one upset.
• Second Round:  64% of 5’s reach this round.
• Sweet 16:  34% of 5’s reach this round.
• Elite 8:  7% of 5’s reach this round.  A 5-seed in the Elite 8 is a rare occurrence.  It’s only happened 9 times.
• Final 4:  Only seven 5-seeds have reached the Final 4.
• Final:  A 5-seed has never won the tournament.  Only three of them have even reached the final game.

Record in the Second Round

• vs 4-seeds:  34-42
• vs 13-seeds:  14-3

Feats of Strength

• 2019 Auburn is the last 5-seed to reach the Final Four – where they lost to eventual champion 1-Virginia by 1 point
• In 2010, Michigan State and Butler (both 5-seeds) faced off against each other in the Final Four.  Butler lost to 1-seed Duke (by 2 points!!) in the championship game.
• Two other 5-seeds reached the championship game.  Both lost.
  • 2000 – Florida
  • 2002 – Indiana