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 34 years.  Only 60% 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

• 89 (of 136) 5-seeds advanced to the Second Round
• 46 went on to the Sweet 16
• 8 reached the Elite 8
• 6 reached the Final 4
• 3 reached the championship game

Performance Over the Last 10 Years

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

Bracket Performance History and Advice

• First Round:  Only 65% of all 5-seeds have won their first game of the tournament.  This equates to an 82% chance of at least one upset.
• Second Round:  34% of 5-seeds advance past the Second Round.
• Sweet 16:  This is where we lose the 5-seeds that have made it this far.  34% of 5-seeds reach this round, but only 6% continue further.
• Elite 8:  A 5-seed in the Elite 8 is a rare occurrence.  It’s only happened 8 times.
• Final 4:  Only six 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:  32-41
• vs 13-seeds:  14-3

Feats of Strength

• Three 5-seeds have reached the Final 4 in the last 13 years.
  • 2010 – Michigan State and Butler (both 5-seeds) faced off against each other in the Final 4.  Butler went on to lose to 1-seed Duke (by 2 points!!) in the championship game.
  • 2005 – Michigan State lost to 1-seed North Carolina.
• Two other 5-seeds reached the championship game.  Both lost.
  • 2000 – Florida
  • 2002 – Indiana