The first time a No.16 team has ever defeated a No.1 seed in March Madness history occurred in 2018 when No.16 UMBC defeated No.1 Virginia 74-54. However, UMBC went on to lose in the second round, dashing any chances of a cellar dweller capturing the title.
How far has a 16 seed ever advanced?
Only eight teams seeded ninth through sixteenth have reached the Final Four – NCAA logo | Maddie Meyer/Getty Images And here’s how seeds 9 through 16 have performed in the NCAA Tournament. A ninth-seeded team has twice reached the Final Four. Penn was the first in 1979, while Wichita State was the most recent in 2013.
- Only one No.10 seed has ever reached the Final Four, and that was Syracuse in 2016.
- In the national semifinal, top-seeded North Carolina defeated Jim Boeheim and company.
- Five No.11 seeds have made it to the Final Four, including LSU in 1986, George Mason in 2006, VCU in 2011, Loyola-Chicago in 2018 and UCLA in 2021.
No.12 seeds have never advanced further than the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament, and this has occurred twice. The first team to accomplish this feat was the Missouri Tigers in 2002, followed by the Oregon State Beavers in 2021. While no No.13 seed has ever advanced to the Elite Eight, six 13th-seeded teams, most recently LaSalle in 2013, have reached the Sweet 16 round.
Only two fourteenth-seeded teams have advanced to the Sweet 16: Cleveland State in 1986 and Chattanooga in 1997. Only three No.15 seeds have advanced to the Sweet 16: Florida Gulf Coast (2013), Oral Roberts (2021), and St. Peter’s (2022). And St. Peter’s made March Madness a reality by being the first team to reach the Elite Eight.
Only one No.16 seed has defeated a No.1 seed in the Round of 64 since the No.16 seed became a thing in 1985. In 2018, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County defeated top-seeded Virginia before falling to Kansas State in the Round of 32. Statistics provided by Sports Reference RELATED: What a hypothetical all-time March Madness starting lineup may look like
Note also –
- The 16-seed Harvard team defeated the 1-seed Stanford squad in the 1998 Harvard-Stanford women’s basketball game.
- In the 1989 Georgetown-Princeton men’s basketball game, 16-seed Princeton nearly defeated 1-seed Georgetown.
How far has a 15 seed ever advanced?
By defeating Ohio State, Oral Roberts becomes the ninth 15-seed in March Madness history to upset a 2-seed. INDIANE, WEST LAFAYETTE – MARCH 19: Francis Lacis #22 and Kareem Thompson #2 of the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles react in overtime against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first round of the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on March 19, 2021 in West Lafayette, Indiana.
- Photo by Gregory Shamus courtesy of Getty Images) The 15-seed Oral Roberts Golden Eagles defeated the 2-seed Ohio State Buckeyes by a score of 75-72 to make March Madness history.
- The 15-seed Oral Roberts Golden Eagles defeated the 2-seed Ohio State Buckeyes by a score of 75-72, making history in the process.30 points from Kevin Obanor and 29 points from guaranteed that the Golden Eagles would become the sixth team in the history of the NCAA tournament to enter as a 15th seed and defeat a two seed.
In 2016, Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders defeated Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans 90-81 to become the most recent club to accomplish this accomplishment. In 2013, Florida Gulf Coast reached the Sweet 16 before losing to Florida, who, ironically, would face Oral Roberts in the following round.
By defeating Ohio State, Oral Roberts becomes the ninth 15-seed in March Madness history to upset a 2-seed. INDIANE, WEST LAFAYETTE – MARCH 19: Francis Lacis #22 and Kareem Thompson #2 of the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles react in overtime against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first round of the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on March 19, 2021 in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Photo by Gregory Shamus courtesy of Getty Images) The 15-seed Oral Roberts Golden Eagles defeated the 2-seed Ohio State Buckeyes by a score of 75-72 to make March Madness history. The 15-seed Oral Roberts Golden Eagles defeated the 2-seed Ohio State Buckeyes by a score of 75-72, making history in the process.30 points from Kevin Obanor and 29 points from guaranteed that the Golden Eagles would become the sixth team in the history of the NCAA tournament to enter as a 15th seed and defeat a two seed.
In 2016, Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders defeated Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans 90-81 to become the most recent club to accomplish this accomplishment. In 2013, Florida Gulf Coast reached the Sweet 16 before losing to Florida, who, ironically, would face Oral Roberts in the following round.
