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 36 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
- 93 (of 144) 5-seeds advanced to the Second Round
- 49 went on to the Sweet 16
- 9 reached the Elite 8
- 7 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
- 2 reached the Elite 8
- 1 reached the Final 4
- 1 reached the championship game
Bracket Performance History and Advice
- First Round: Only 64% of all 5-seeds have won their first game of the tournament. This equates to an 83% 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 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: 33-41
- 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-seed 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