March Madness Championship: NCAA Tournament Final Four Highlights

March Madness is truly one of the most special sporting events every single year

From buzzer beaters to massive upsets to straight up Cinderella stories, it seems to produce some of the most powerful moments and storylines for the world of sports

year in and year out. This is truly one of the most special times of year if you're a sports fan

So today in this video, we're going to dive into just how far each seed has advanced in the NCAA

tournament. What's the worst seed to ever win a championship? How about the worst seed to ever

reach a Final Four. Get ready to unlock some memories you truly forgot you even had. A quick

shout out to StatHead for this video. I was able to use their GameFinder tool to confirm and verify

all statistics. And also before we begin, I'm going to do my best to show game footage, but the NCAA

loves to falsely copyright claim videos. My video from last year got wrongly taken down before being

reinstated by YouTube 30 days later. Simply put, they don't care and they will abuse the system

So with that being said, the NCAA started seeding teams back in 1979, but in 1985, the tournament expanded to 64 teams

A play-in game between two 16 seeds was established in 2001, and in 2011, the first four was introduced and the tournament expanded to 68

Since it's pretty obvious one and two seeds have done fairly well, I figured I'd give you some percentages to start

A one seed has made the national championship all but seven seasons since 1971, which is a whopping success rate of 83.7%

A number one seed has also won a championship in 26 of those 36 appearances, with Kansas being the last to do so in 2022

But the most interesting fact I had for the one seeds is that only four times since 1979 have all four number one seeds missed the final four

1980, 2006, 2011, and last season, 2023. But what's even crazier is that 2023, for the first time ever

we didn't even have a one seed reach the Elite Eight. Surprisingly enough, two seeds haven't fared as well as you think they may have in tournament history

They've reached a title game in just 17 of 43 seasons, and only seven of them have ever won it all

With only one since the year 2000, the 2016 Villanova Wildcats, in one of the greatest national title games of all time

After North Carolina guard Marcus Page hit a double-clutch three-pointer to tie the game

Chris Jenkins from Villanova drained a three as time expired. It was one of the most memorable sequences and shots

in college basketball history. 12 three-seeds have made the national title in tournament history, with five of them winning it all

The last one to make a title game was Texas Tech in 2019, led by former number six overall pick Jarrett Culver

but the last three seed to win it all was none other than 2011 UConn, led by Kemba Walker

This is where the nickname Cardiac Kemba came about. Beginning as the ninth seed in the Big

East tournament, UConn would go on to win five games in five days, clinching the Big East title

including this iconic Kemba Walker step-back jumper in the quarterfinals to take down the

one seed pit. And then in the NCAA tournament, they'd defeat Bucknell, Cincinnati, San Diego

State, Arizona, Kentucky, and finally Butler winning the national title as Kemba averaged

23.5 points per game, 6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists while playing 38.5 minutes per game

It was one of the best runs and stories we've seen from a team in recent memory

Four four-seeds have made a national title game, splitting them going 2-2

The two losses were 2013 Michigan led by Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., and then 96 Syracuse

And the two four seed winners were 97 Arizona and just last season in 2023 Connecticut

who made history becoming the first national champion to win each game in the tournament by 13 or more points

Just like the four seeds, a total of four number five seeds have made a national championship

But unlike the fours, none of them have been able to get the job done

Most notably, just last season, number five San Diego State would fall by double digits to UConn

and five-seeded Butler in 2010, who are definitely the most famous of this bunch

Led by Gordon Hayward, Butler came this close to being the first five seed

to ever win a championship, with Gordon Hayward throwing up a half-court shot

that was this close to going in and probably becoming the greatest shot of all time

versus number one seed Duke. This video is brought to you by Underdog Fantasy

With the high chance that the NCAA is going to copyright this video, I'd greatly appreciate it if you use my code hardwood

for a 100 deposit match up to They running a new customer special from now until Friday Nikola Jokic needs just one point Six seeds have made the national title three times 1992 Michigan which was the Fab Five freshman year

who were blown out by Christian Leitner's Duke, and then two winners

Firstly, 1983 North Carolina State, an absolutely iconic run led by their coach, Jimmy Valvano

In improbable fashion, they would defeat the number one seed, Houston, nicknamed Phi Slamma Jamma and led by Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, it was one of

the most legendary runs in NCAA history. If you haven't seen the 30 for 30 on Jimmy V and this

team, go check it out. And our other sixth seed to win a national title was none other than the 1988

Kansas Jayhawks, who are also one of the greatest stories in NCAA tournament history. And yes, this

was Danny and the Miracles, led by senior forward Danny Manning, who was an absolute stud, averaging

27-9 throughout the tournament, finishing as the Naismith Player of the Year. 88 Kansas truly

deserves its own video as well, but all we'll say is they ended up playing Oklahoma in the title

game, winning 83-79 after losing twice to them in the regular season. Four seven seeds have made

the final four in tournament history, including most recently 2017 South Carolina and 2015 Michigan

State. But only 2014 UConn would advance to the national title game and win it in doing so

defeating 8-seed Kentucky in a bizarre championship. Led by Shabazz Napier, who averaged 21.2

5.5, and 4.5 assists, Shabazz would lead UConn to its second national title in four seasons

There have been five 8-seeds to make a national title game in tournament history. Most recently

the 2022 north carolina tar heels if you remember this team they got hot at the right time and

interestingly enough three key players from this team will be playing in this year's tournament

armando baycott and rj davis for number one seed unc and then caleb love who now plays for the

number two seed arizona wildcats two other notable runs were julius randall's 2014 kentucky team we

mentioned earlier losing the seven seed yukon and 2011 butler led by shelvin mack and matt howard

after Gordon Hayward declared for the NBA draft the prior season. But out of this list of five eight seeds

only one would be successful in winning a national championship, marking themselves as the lowest seed to ever win a national championship

Who did so, you may ask? The 1985 Villanova Wildcats. Similarly to the 1983 NC State team

this game is considered one of the greatest upsets in NCAA history

Villanova matched up against Patrick Ewing's Georgetown Hoyas, a team they had lost to twice in the regular season. Nicknamed the perfect game Villanova

would shoot 79% from the field including 9 of 10 in the second half going 22 of 28 for the game

Unfortunately for the nine seeds none have ever made a national title game. Three however have

made a final four. 1979 Pennsylvania, 2013 Wichita State which you may remember they're one of the

more popular Final Four runs in recent memory. This team was led by Cle Anthony Erle, Malcolm

Armstead, and Carl Hall. And while Ron Baker and Fred Van Vliet were on the team and definitely

contributed, they were not nearly as much of contributors as they were in the following season

when Wichita State went 35-1 but got upset in the second round. The 2013 squad that made the Final

Four would upset Gonzaga with Kelly Olenek in the second round before falling 72-68 to a Louisville

team that ended up winning the national title that year. And then the last nine seed to make

a final four is last year's Florida Atlantic Owls. Led by John L. Davis and Elijah Martin

the Owls actually are an eight seed in this year's tournament as well with pretty much

everybody returning. The craziest part about this run from last season is they were this close to

losing their first round matchup versus Memphis. The Tigers had the ball 65-64 with 11 seconds left

on the clock when star player Kendrick Davis would turn the ball over. FAU would then win on a last

second layup. And that's a perfect microcosm for how crazy March Madness is. One mistake can go from

a first round exit to a Final Four appearance. The 2016 Syracuse Orange are the only 10 seed to ever

make a Final Four. And the wildest part about this team is that most bracketologists didn't even have

them in the tournament field. Unfortunately, this remarkable run was ended by Marcus Page and the

North Carolina Tar Heels, which we mentioned earlier, lost to Villanova in the national title game

While 11 seeds have made the Elite Eight there only one really worth talking about and that the 2008 Davidson Wildcats Led by baby face Stephen Curry Steph was not the household name you think of today

coming into this NCAA tournament. He was putting up great numbers, averaging 25.9 points per game

but unless you were a college basketball diehard, you didn't know what this Davidson team

was potentially capable of. In their first round matchup, Davidson found themselves down five at half

to seven seed Gonzaga before Stephen Curry would go off for 30 in the second half, winning 82-76

Steph ended that game with 40 points. In the second round against Georgetown, Steph would again lead a comeback victory

matching up against the third-seeded Wisconsin Badgers in the Sweet 16 with 24-year-old LeBron James in attendance

Wisconsin had the nation's best defense, and they only gave up 53 points per game

Steph ended up having 33 points himself, punching their ticket to the Elite Eight

Unfortunately, Steph and company ran into the eventual national champion in the Kansas Jayhawks

but to me, this is the greatest single-player run in NCAA history. We also have five 11 seeds

to ever have made the Final Four, with zero of them winning their Final Four game. Four of these

five teams are super interesting to me, so we're going to dive a little deeper into their runs

with 1986 LSU being the one team we'll skip over. 2006 George Mason. I was nine years old when the

Patriots made their Cinderella run and I remember hints of it. They were coached by Jim Laranega

who's currently the Miami head coach. They were a balanced starting five that all averaged double

digits and most notably defeated the number one seed UConn in the Elite Eight led by Rudy Gay

Up four with 11 seconds to go, George Mason would give up a floater and then miss the front end of

a one and one. UConn then comes down with a game tying layup as time expires. In overtime up 86-84

UConn would miss a corner three, sending the Patriots to the final four. 2011 VCU was the

third 11 seed to make a final four, but the first to do so coming from the first four. Matter of

fact, it was the first year the tournament had the first four. In the Sweet 16, they would defeat

the Morris Twins led Kansas Jayhawks before falling to the Butler Bulldogs in the final four

Then we have 2018 Loyola, a team that won its first three games by a grand total of four points

They would eventually fall to Jordan Poole, Duncan Robinson, and Mo Wagner of Michigan

And then finally, 2021 UCLA, who also came from the first four. Johnny Juzang led UCLA with 22.8

points per game in the tournament, and Jaime Jaquez balled out as well. Their final four game

versus Gonzaga was one of the best games in recent memory. They would lose 93-90 in overtime

on a Jalen Suggs deep desperation three that somehow banked in. As common as it is for a 12

seed to beat a five in the first round, surprisingly only two 12 seeds have ever made it to the Elite

eight with none advancing to the final four. Firstly, the 2002 Missouri Tigers coached by

Quinn Snyder, former jazz and current Hawks head coach. This team did start out nine and oh and was

ranked second in December before falling off a cliff. They then got it clicking when it mattered

in March. And then we have the most random elite eight run of all time. In my opinion, 2021 Oregon

State, the Beavers finished the regular season 17 and 13 with zero chance of making the NCAA

tournament. But then they went and won the Pac-12 tournament, giving them an automatic qualifying

bid. They propelled that momentum into the tournament, including defeating Cade Cunningham's

four-seeded Oklahoma State in the second round on their way to the Elite Eight. A 13 seed has never

made it to the Elite Eight, but it has to the Sweet 16 six times. The most recent being LaSalle

in 2013. Now, most of these teams on this list you won't recognize, but in 1998, Valparaiso was

one of these 13 seeds to make a Sweet 16. This Valpo team was led by Bryce Drew and is famous for

the game-winning shot he had versus the four-seed Ole Miss to put them into the second round. A fun

fact is that Bryce is now coaching at Grand Canyon, a 12-seed in this year's tournament

32 total 13 seeds have beaten a four in tournament history, most recently being Furman last year

when Virginia senior guard Kai Clark made one of the most ill-advised passes I've ever seen in March Madness history

We've had just two 14 seeds in tournament history make the Sweet 16

Chattanooga in 1997 and Cleveland State in 1986. Overall only 22 14 seeds have won a game in March Madness Most recently being Abilene Christian in 2021 and most famously 2015 Georgia State with RJ Hunter hitting one of the most memorable game threes over number 3 seeded Baylor

There have been 11-15 seeds to beat A2 in March Madness history

Most recently just last season when the Princeton Tigers defeated number 2 Arizona

Princeton would actually make the Sweet 16 last year before falling to the Creighton Blue Jays

There's something oddly special about 15 seeds. I don't know what it is. From 1985 to 2012

only four 15 seeds won a first round game, including 93 Santa Clara when Steve Nash was

a freshman. But in 2012, two 15 seeds beat number twos and something broke. Norfolk State, led by

Kyle O'Quinn, and Lehigh, led by CJ McCollum. The next season, Florida Gulf Coast would be the

first to make a Sweet 16 and get the nickname Dunk City. If you don't remember, this team was

absolutely electric. And then 2016, Middle Tennessee State. 2021, Oral Roberts, who went to the Sweet

16 as well and were led by the nation's leading scorer at the time, Max Acemus. They would almost

beat third-seeded Arkansas to become the first 15 seed ever to make an Elite Eight, but lost on a

last second shot. You can catch Max in the tournament again this year as he is now the

leading scorer for Texas, a 7 seed in the 2024 March Madness bracket. If you've made it this far

in the video, I know you've been waiting for this. There has in fact been a 15 seed to make an Elite

8, and it is none other than 2022 St. Peters. Led by a balanced scoring trio of Daryl Banks

KC Nadefo, and most famously Doug Eddard, St. Peters didn't have a player who played that was

over 6'8". They would defeat the 2022 Player of the Year, Oscar Shibwe in Kentucky in the first

round, number 7, Murray State, who was 31-2 that season, and then the 2022 fifth overall pick

Jaden Ivey, sophomore Zach Eadie, and number 3, Purdue in the Sweet 16. For 33 years, a 16 seed

didn't beat a 1, and some thought it would never happen. Because what you have to understand is 16

seeds are considered the six worst mid-major schools in the tournament but in 2018 the barrier

finally broke 16 seed university of maryland baltimore county beat the number one overall

seed in the 2018 ncaa tournament by 20 points interestingly enough virginia would actually go

on to win the whole thing the next season with largely the same team which is a crazy story in

its own. But then last season, something special happened again. Fairleigh Dickinson became the

second team ever to defeat a one seed in the NCAA tournament, defeating Purdue 63-58. What's

interesting about FDU is they didn't even win their own conference tournament last season. They lost by

one point to Merrimack, who was ineligible due to transferring from Division 2 to Division 1

Fairleigh Dickinson was a four-win team the year before, and it was their coach's first year as a

division one head coach. They were ranked the lowest of all 16 seeds and they were dead last

in the nation in average height. But after dominating a fellow 16 seed in the first four

head coach Tobin Anderson called his shot. He said, the more I watch Purdue, the more I think

we can beat them. I don't have to remind you how bad the internet trolled this man after those

comments, but look what happened. He was right. And as heartbreaking as it is, FDU would end up

losing to Florida Atlantic in the second round, 78 to 70, marking no 16 seed to ever make a Sweet 16

So what do you think? Will a 16 seed ever make a Sweet 16? Will a 15 ever make a Final Four? Or

will we ever see a 15 seed make an Elite Eight again? Will there ever be a national champion

that is lower than an 8 seed? Or with NIL, do you think that the parity between the greatest teams

and the lesser teams is just getting bigger and bigger in this sport

All I know is that when it comes to March, there are zero rules. Anything can happen

And eventually, given enough time, everything probably will. As I'm recording this, we are 24 hours away from the first four

and 72 away from the first round on Thursday. This is one of my favorite sporting events of the year

It's one of my favorite times of the year. If you enjoyed the video, click on this video here

The YouTube algorithm thinks you'll like it. And although I mainly do NBA content, we will be doing daily recap videos for Thursday, Friday

Saturday, and Sunday of March Madness. So subscribe and hit the notification bell if you look forward to those videos

And as always, we'll see you on the hardwood