The poor 8-seeds. First they play against a team (the 9-seed in their region) that should be a fairly even match. Then if they win, they have to face the 1-seed in the very next round. Only the 13-16 seeds have reached the Sweet 16 less often than the 8- and 9-seeds. Overall, the 8-vs-9 games are split almost evenly, 71-77. In the last decade, however, the 8-seeds have had a slight edge (21-19). In an evenly matched series, though, you’d expect streaks and trends to go back and forth a little.
Overall Performance
- 71 (of 148) advanced to the Second Round
- 14 went on to the Sweet 16
- 8 reached the Elite 8
- 5 reached the Final 4
- 4 made the championship game
- 1 was crowned champion
Performance Over the Last 10 Tournaments
- 21 (of 40) advanced to the Second Round
- 5 went on to the Sweet 16
- 2 advanced all the way to the Championship Game where they both lost
Bracket Performance History and Advice
- First Round: Flip a coin.
- Second Round: 48% of 8’s reach this round.
- Sweet 16: 9% of 8’s reach this round. Of the 14 teams to reach this round, eight of them continued to the next.
- Elite 8: Only 5% of all 8-seeds make it this far.
- Final 4: It’s happened five times, ever.
- Final: Four 8-seeds have played for the title, but only one pulled off the improbable championship run.
Record in the Second Round
- vs 1-seeds: 14-57
Feats of Strength
- The only four 8-seeds to make a run all the way to the Championship Game:
- 2022: North Carolina
- 2014: Kentucky
- 2011: Butler
- 1985: Villanova went on to win the Championship in the first year the NCAA Tournament field expanded to 64 teams.
- An 8-seed advanced to the Sweet 16 every other year from 1996-2004.
- All four 8-seeds advanced to the Second Round twice – in 2002, one year after none of them advanced. And again in 2015.