Which is the lowest-seeded team ever to win March Madness?
March Madness 2023 has had many incredible games and several historic upsets. Many teams that were among the favorites to win it all have been eliminated, while some low-seeded schools have made it to the Sweet 16.
The rest of the tournament will be interesting to watch as it feels like there are no more sure things. A couple of low-seeded teams, such as No. 15 Princeton, have made it to the Sweet 16 and could have a deep run in the tournament.
The Princeton Tigers are unlikely to win it all. If they do, they will become the lowest-seeded team to ever win March Madness. For now, this honor belongs to the Villanova Wildcats in 1985.
Villanova Wildcats are the lowest-seeded team to win March Madness
The 1985 NCAA Tournament was unique since it had 64 teams competing for the title of national champion. Before 1985, the tournament had 53 teams, and it was eventually expanded to 68 teams in 2011.
This was also the last tournament before the shot clock. Furthemore, the 1985 NCAA Tournament winner was the lowest-seeded winner of all time.
March Madness 1985 had several prominent players who would later become NBA stars. Patrick Ewing played for the Georgetown Hoyas, Chris Mullin was on the St. John's roster, while Mark Price represented Georgia Tech in the tournament.
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The Villanova Wildcats ended up winning the tournament as the eighth-seeded team. They defeated No. 1 Georgetown, 66-64, pulling one of the biggest upsets in March Madness history – although as Big East rivals to Georgetown, Villanova had many close games with the Hoyas.
Villanova lost twice in the 1984-85 regular season to Georgetown, 52-50 and 57-50, but the Wildcats split with the Hoyas in 1983-84, when Georgetown won the national title.
Ed Pinckney, who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, had 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals in the game. He was 5-for-7 from the field and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line.
Dwayne McClain led the team in scoring with 17 points, while Harold Jensen added 14 points off the bench to beat the Hoyas.
2022 NCAA Final was very close to tying this record
No. 8 North Carolina came close to tying the record set by the Wildcats. The Tar Heels matched up against No. 1 Kansas in the final game of last season's NCAA Tournament, but they lost by only three points 72-69 after leading 40-25 at halftime.
The Tar Heels had five players score in double figures, three of which achieved a double-double. The MVP of the tournament was Ochai Agbaji, who scored 12 points for the Jayhawks in the final game.
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In 2023, No. 9 Florida Atlantic and No. 15 Princeton will have a chance to break this record. No. 8 Arkansas, which beat No. 1 Kansas in the second round, also advanced to the Sweet 16 and will be able to tie the record for the lowest-seeded team to win it all.