Everyone understands why the NCAA Tournament is referred to as “March Madness.” Everyone is always on the lookout for the next Davidson or Kent State, a team that can pull off an upset and advance far in the tournament. It is not necessary to predict major upsets to win your bracket, but rather to pick the most winners overall.
Predicting a number of upsets, while entertaining, does not typically lead to a pool victory. Craig Trapp, a handicapper, is here to assist you in predicting this year’s March Madness with seed patterns and overall statistics dating back to 1985. Check out also Craig’s betting tips for the conference tournament!! No.1 Seeds – Obviously, no No.1 seed has ever lost in the first round, but this seed’s overall NCAA tournament record is an astounding (376-104) 78 percent win percentage.
Since 2001, only four No.2 seeds have been eliminated in the opening round.267-114 overall record with a 70% win percentage in the NCAA tournament. Since 1985, there have been 15 first-round upsets involving No.3 seeds. Overall NCAA tournament victory percentage of 63% based on a record of (199-116).
Twenty-one first-round upsets of No.4 seeds have occurred in the previous twenty-four years.161-118 overall NCAA tournament record with a 57% winning percentage. No.5 Seeds – It is well-known that No.12 seeds have a tendency to irritate No.5 seeds. Since 1985, they have defeated the favorite in the opening round 31 times.
Overall record in the NCAA tournament of (141-121) for a 53% winning percentage. No.6 Seeds – Since 1985, just 30 of 96 No.6 seeds have been upset! 56% overall win percentage with a record of 154-118! Since 1985, the No.7 Seeds have a surprisingly high win percentage in the first round, as they are 60-36 in the first round. 
- 46 percent overall victory rate based on a record of (105-120).
- No.8 Seeds – Many do not view this first-round loss as an upset because these teams are comparable on a consistent basis.
- Since 1985, the cumulative record is 44-52.
- The overall record of (88-119) represents a victory percentage of 42%.
- There has been only one tournament since 1985 in which no No.1 seed reached the Final Four.
That was the 2006 NCAA tournament. Only five national championship games since 1985 have featured two No.1 seeds. In 2008, Kansas defeated Memphis to win the championship for the final time. In 2005, two No.1 seeds advanced to the championship game, with North Carolina defeating Illinois to win the championship.
- Despite the fact that overall NCAA tournament trends indicate that having two No.1 seeds in the championship game is unusual, it has occurred three times in the past four years.
- Since 1985, 14 titles have been won by the top seed, four by the second seed, three by the third seed, and one by the fourth seed.
- Since the number of teams was increased to 64, this has accounted for 22 of the 24 national championships.
Craig offers the following guidance based on these tendencies: The first step in filling out a bracket for the NCAA tournament is advancing all No.1 and No.2 seeds to the second round. Given that the third and fourth seeds win 82% of the time in the first round, it seems prudent to advance them as well.
How often do top seeds win NCAA championships?
There is a reason why No.1 seeds are No.1 seeds – 23 of the 36 national champions since 1985 were No.1 seeds. Eleven of the past fourteen champions have originated from the top line. Despite the craziness of March, the best teams of the regular season typically have the most success in the playoffs.
Nevertheless, the rest of the nation is inching closer. PHOTOS: Kentucky’s phenomenal season Kentucky appears poised to add to the narrative that the top overall seed is worth fighting for, despite the fact that this team could theoretically be given a much lower seed and still win the school’s ninth championship.
No, Kentucky is unlikely to lose during the opening weekend. It is highly unlikely to lose in the Sweet 16 or Elite 8. However, even if the Wildcats were to win the national championship, it would only increase the No.1 team’s national title winning percentage since 2005 to.363, which is only considered a successful batting average in baseball.
Six consecutive victories are difficult, especially when the competition and stakes — at least in theory — increase with each victory. And despite the fact that the No.1 overall seed (and No.1 seeds in general) have a better track record of achieving the feat, anything can happen.
Has a top seed lost in the first round?
Initial Round Winning Proportion by Seed Only one No.1 seed has been eliminated in the first round, while No.5 seeds have only a marginal advantage over No.7 seeds.
Has a No.2 seed ever won the NCAA Championship?
Everyone is aware of why the NCAA Tournament is known as March Madness. Everyone is constantly searching for the next Davidson or Kent State, a team that can pull off an upset and advance deep into the tournament. To win your bracket, it is not necessary to predict major upsets, but rather to pick the most winners overall.
Predicting a number of upsets, while entertaining, typically does not result in a pool victory. Craig Trapp, a handicapper, is here to provide seed trends since 1985 and overall records that will assist you in predicting this year’s March Madness. Check out also Craig’s tips for winning conference tournament wagers!! No.1 Seeds – Obviously, no No.1 seed has ever lost in the first round, but even better, this seed’s overall record in the NCAA tournament is an astounding (376-104) 78 percent win percentage.
Only four No.2 seeds have lost in the opening round, and none since 2001. Overall record of 267-114 with a 70% win percentage in the NCAA tournament. There have been 15 first-round upsets involving No.3 seeds since 1985. Overall win percentage of 63% in the NCAA tournament based on a record of (199-116).
- There have been 21 first-round upsets of No.4 seeds in the last 24 years.
- Overall NCAA tournament record of (161-118) with a win percentage of 57%.
- No.5 Seeds – It is common knowledge that No.12 seeds tend to irritate No.5 seeds.
- In fact, they have defeated the favorite in the first round 31 times since 1985.
Overall NCAA tournament record of (141-121) 53% winning percentage. No.6 Seeds – Since 1985, only 30 of 96 No.6 seeds have been upset! Overall win percentage of 56% with a record of (154-118)! No.7 Seeds- Surprisingly, they have a good win percentage in the first round since 1985, as they are 60-36 in the first round.
Overall win percentage of 46 percent based on a record of (105-120). No.8 Seeds- Many do not view this first-round loss as an upset because these teams are consistently comparable. Since 1985, the overall mark is 44-52. Overall record of (88-119) represents a 42 percent win percentage. Other noteworthy developments: Since 1985, there has been only one tournament in which no No.1 seeds reached the Final Four.
That was the NCAA tournament in 2006. Since 1985, only five national championship games have featured two No.1 seeds. Last time was in 2008, when Kansas defeated Memphis to win the championship. Note that two No.1 seeds also reached the championship game in 2005, with North Carolina defeating Illinois to win the title.
While overall NCAA tournament trends indicate that having two No.1 seeds in the championship game is uncommon, it has occurred three times in the last four years. Since 1985, 14 championships have been won by No.1 seeds, four by No.2 seeds, three by No.3 seeds, and one by No.4 seeds. Since the field was expanded to 64 teams, this accounts for 22 of the 24 national championships.
Based on these trends, Craig offers the following advice: The first step in filling out your NCAA tournament bracket is to advance all No.1 and No.2 seeds to the second round. Since the third and fourth seeds win 82% of the time in the first round, it seems prudent to advance them to the second round as well.
Since 1975, the top seeds from each conference have met eight times in the Super Bowl, most recently in 1993, when the Cowboys defeated the Bills in the Georgia Dome.