2026 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament

March Madness brackets bring an excitement that is hard to match for many sports fans.

In terms of impact, this year's freshman class is arguably the best we have ever seen, which is just another reason to be juiced about the 2026 NCAA tournament.

As you get ready to fill out your ESPN Tournament Challenge bracket, we are here to provide facts and trends to inform your picks or, at the very least, entertain you.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, stats referenced are since 1985 (also called the "modern era" throughout the story). In addition, all results mentioned ignore any subsequent vacating by the NCAA. For example, we consider Louisville the winner of the 2013 national championship game, even though its appearance has been vacated.

Last year, we saw all four No. 1 seeds reach the Final Four for the second time, and some feel it could happen again this year, as the top seeds are quite formidable. History says otherwise, though.

1. We have never even had more than twoNo. 1 seeds make the Final Four in back-to-back years.

Is this the year we see it occur? We'll find out over the next three weeks.

Last year, the SEC sent a record 14 teams to the tournament, including eventual national champion Florida.

2. That was only the second time in the past 11 tournaments that the champ came from the conference with the most bids (or tied for the most).

This year, the SEC once again leads the way with 10 teams in the field of 68. The trend below says that doesn't bode well for representatives from the league.

3. Since seeding began in 1979, the conference with the most bids (or tied for the most) has never produced the national champion in back-to-back years.

Speaking of national champs, No. 1 seed Florida is not only looking to defend its crown, the Gators are attempting to do so for the second time in the past 20 seasons (they won back-to-back titles in 2006-07). That would put them in the same sentence as college basketball's ultimate dynasty.

4. Florida is trying to become the second school to repeat as national champions multiple times, joining UCLA, which won nine titles in a 10-year span from 1964 to 1973.

Then there's the story of Miami (Ohio), which enters the tournament at 31-1 but as a No. 11 seed, due to an underwhelming schedule.

Not counting the 2021 season, in which COVID protocols caused unbalanced schedules and fewer games played, Miami is the 20th team to enter the tournament with only one defeat since seeding began in 1979 ... and is the lowest-seeded of them all.

5. The RedHawks are the sixth team with fewer than two losses to not be seeded No. 1. The previous five teams won a total of five games, and only one (Texas Tech in 1996) reached the Sweet 16.

Now, let's go round by round through the bracket, unveiling more trends to keep an eye on.

Jump to: Seeds| Conferences| Teams

(Mostly) seed-related facts

First Four

6. At least one First Four participant has advanced to the second round in 12 of 14 tournaments.

• Five of them have reached the Sweet 16, including a pair of Final Four teams (UCLA in 2021 and VCU in 2011).

First/second rounds

7. Six of the past seven at-large teams with 14-plus losses to reach the first round won their first-round game.

• No. 11 seed Texas is the only team that fits this description in this year's field. They begin in the First Four vs. NC State on Tuesday.

8. In the past three years, 10 teams with sub-.500 conference records earned an at-large bid. Eight of those 10 failed to win a game in the tournament.

• Arkansas accounted for the only wins by these teams, advancing to the Sweet 16 both times (as an 8-seed in 2023 and a 10-seed in 2025).


• This year, SMU (8-10 in the ACC) is the only team that made the field despite a losing record in conference play.

9. At least one top-4 seed has lost in the first round in 15 of the past 17 tournaments.

• Last year was one of the two years during this stretch that it didn't happen.


• We have never had two consecutive tournaments in which every top-4 seed won in the first round.

10. A No. 15 seed has won a first-round game in three of the past five years, and each of those teams went on to reach at least the Sweet 16.

• Princeton (2023), Saint Peter's (2022, Elite Eight), Oral Roberts (2021)


• Nine of the 11 No. 15 seeds to win in the first round finished in the top two in their conference standings.


• Tennessee State is the only 15-seed in the field that finished in the top two in its conference this season.

11. No. 14 seeds have won only two first-round games in the past eight tournaments. The only longer stretch with only two wins by 14-seeds was at the beginning of the century (2000 to 2009).

12. At least one No. 13 seed has won a first-round game in 28 of 40 tournaments. A 13-seed did not win in last year's first round. Only once before have No. 13 seeds gone winless in consecutive years (2014-15).

13. At least one No. 12 seed has won a first-round game in 34 of 40 tournaments. Multiple 12-seeds have won in the first round three of the past four years.

Sweet 16

14. A double-digit seed has advanced to the Sweet 16 in each of the past 17 tournaments and 38 of 40 overall, but there have been fewer in recent years.

• Exactly one double-digit seed has reached the Sweet 16 in the past three years.


• It's the first time in the modern era we have had three straight tournaments without multiple double-digit seeds making the Sweet 16.

15. Specifically, No. 11 seeds have been the most common bracket buster in the 68-team era.

• At least one 11-seed has made the Sweet 16 in eight of the past 11 tournaments.


• Multiple 11-seeds have reached the second weekend in five of the past 14 tourneys.

16. Since the tournament expanded to 68 teams in 2011, there have been just as many No. 15 seeds to reach the Sweet 16 as 9-seeds and 12-seeds (four).

17. This is the 40th anniversary of the first No. 14 seed to advance to the Sweet 16 (Cleveland State in 1986). It has happened only once since then (Chattanooga in 1997).

18. The last time a No. 13 seed made the Sweet 16 was 2013 (La Salle), the longest stretch ever without a Sweet 16 appearance for 13-seeds.

19. From 1985 to 2013, No. 12 seeds never went more than two straight years without a Sweet 16 appearance. Since then, only two 12-seeds have reached the Sweet 16 in the past 11 tournaments (Oregon in 2019 and Oregon State in 2021).

20. Not a single No. 11 seed reached the Sweet 16 in 2025. The last time there were consecutive tourneys without an 11-seed making the Sweet 16 was 2007 to 2009.

21. Only two No. 10 seeds have reached the Sweet 16 in the past eight tourneys. That's the fewest in any eight-tournament span in the modern era.

22. All four No. 2 seeds have reached the Sweet 16 only three times in the past 28 tournaments. In none of those three instances did more than two No. 2 seeds make the Elite Eight, though.

Elite Eight

23. Last year was just the second time in the past 15 tournaments that all four No. 1 seeds made it to the Elite Eight.

24. Only once has there been an Elite Eight without any No. 1 seeds present (2023).

25. At least three No. 2 seeds have advanced to the Elite Eight on six occasions. Last year, it happened for the first time since 2007.

26. At least two teams seeded 6th or worse have reached the Elite Eight in seven of the past nine tournaments.

Final Four

27. For the first time in tournament history, a No. 2 seed hasn't reached the Final Four in any of the past three years.

28. A No. 3 seed hasn't made the Final Four since 2019. That's only the second time in the modern era that 3-seeds have failed to reach the Final Four in five consecutive tourneys (also 2012 to 2016).

29. At least one No. 1 seed has reached the Final Four in 12 of the past 13 tournaments.

30. Either one or two No. 1 seeds have made the Final Four in 31 of 40 tourneys.

31. Last year marked the second time all four No. 1 seeds made the Final Four (also 2008).

32. Only three times in the modern era have we had a Final Four without any No. 1 seeds (2006, 2011, 2023).

33. Last year snapped a streak of 14 straight Final Fours with at least one team seeded fourth or worse.

34. At least one team seeded seventh or worse has reached the Final Four in 10 of the past 12 tourneys.

• In the first 32 years of seeding (1979 to 2010), this happened only seven times.

35. The last time a No. 6 seed made the Final Four was 1992 (Michigan). That drought is by far the longest among seeds that have a Final Four appearance.

Championship game

36. Fourteen of the past 18 champions were No. 1 seeds.

• Since the committee began naming the overall No. 1 seed in 2004, only four of 21 won the title, while eight of them lost in the Sweet 16 or earlier.


• This year's overall No. 1 seed is Duke.

37. Just one No. 2 seed has made it to the championship game in the past 12 tournaments.

• Villanova won the title in 2016 as a 2-seed.


• Eight consecutive tourneys without a No. 2 reaching the title game is the longest drought ever.

38. A No. 5 seed has never won the championship, the only seed among the top 8 that hasn't done so.

• There have been four 5-seeds to play in the title game: San Diego State (2023), Butler (2010), Indiana (2002) and Florida (2000).

39. No team has won a national championship after losing its first game in the conference tournament.

• The highest-seeded teams to lose their conference tourney openers this year were Illinois and Michigan State (both 3-seeds) and Alabama and Nebraska (both 4-seeds).

40. The national champion has come from a conference that received at least four bids in 37 of 40 tournaments in the modern era.

• The exceptions: UConn (Big East) in 2024, UNLV (Big West) in 1990 and Louisville (Metro) in 1986 came from conferences that received three bids.


• This year, No. 3 seed Gonzaga from the WCC, and No. 2 seed UConn and No. 5 seed St. John's from the Big East are the highest seeds from a league that received fewer than four bids.

Jump to: Seeds| Conferences| Teams

Conferences

The SEC received 10 bids in this year's tournament field, most of any conference.

41. The only two previous times a conference received 10 or more bids, the national champion came from that conference.

• Last year, the SEC earned a record 14 bids. Half of those teams reached the Sweet 16 and the league supplied half of the Elite Eight and Final Four teams, including the champion in No. 1 seed Florida.


• In 2011, the Big East sent 11 teams to the tournament. Surprisingly, only two of those 11 survived the first weekend, but eventual champion and No. 3 seed UConn was one of them.

42. The ACC has had at least one team reach the Elite Eight in 36 of 40 tournaments.

• Multiple Sweet 16 teams in 33 of 40.


• 10 Final Four teams (including three champions) in the past 10 tourneys.


• Last year was the first time the ACC had fewer than two teams reach the second round in the modern era.

43. The American Conference hasn't won an NCAA tournament game since 2023, which was Houston's final season before leaving for the Big 12.

• No. 11 seed South Florida is the conference's only rep, the second straight year as a one-bid league after earning multiple bids each year since its creation in the 2013-14 season.


• This is also the first time the highest-seeded American Conference team was worse than a No. 9.

44. The Atlantic 10 Conference has only three wins in the past six NCAA tournaments.

• The last A-10 team to reach the Sweet 16 was 11-seed Dayton in 2014. The Flyers reached the Elite Eight that year.

45. UConn, beware: Over the past 15 years, it hasn't been good to be a No. 2 seed from the Big East, except if you're Villanova. Five of the past six No. 2 seeds not named Villanova have failed to make it out of the first weekend. And the one that did lost to an 11-seed a round later.

46. The Big Sky hasn't won an NCAA tourney game since 2006, when No. 12 seed Montana knocked off Nevada in the first round.

47. Big South Conference teams are 1-29 in first-round games. The only win came in 2007 when 11-seed Winthrop beat Notre Dame. It is the only time the conference has ever received better than a 12-seed.

48.The Big Ten has not won a national championship since Michigan State in 2000. Conference teams are 0-8 in the title game since then.

49.Of the past five Big West teams to be seeded 13th or better, two won their first-round games and the others lost by one, two and three points.

50.A Coastal Athletic Association team has not won a first-round game since VCU left the league after the 2012 season.

51. Conference USA has gone winless in back-to-back tournaments for the first time since 2010 to 2012.

• This wouldn't normally be noteworthy for a conference that has been a one-bid league since 2013, but the league's representative has won its first-round game in six of the past 10 years, despite being seeded 12th or worse in all but one of those years.

52. Ivy League teams are 6-8 in the first round since 2010, despite being seeded 12th or worse each time.

53. This is the first time the MAC has earned two bids since 1999, and only the sixth time ever. The past three at-large teams from the MAC won their first-round game and the other two lost in OT.

• No. 11 seed Miami (Ohio) earned an at-large bid and will play SMU in the First Four on Wednesday, while No. 12 seed Akron earned the auto-bid and faces Texas Tech.


• MAC teams seeded 11th or better are 7-5 in the first round.

54. Missouri Valley Conference teams seeded 10th or worse have won five first-round games since 2016. Only the ACC (seven), Big Ten (seven) and Pac-12 (six) have more in that span.

55. Only 8 of 69 (11.6%) Mountain West teams to make the tournament reached the Sweet 16 in league history. That is the worst rate among the 12 conferences with an average seed of 11.5 or better since 2000.

• This is the first time since 2017 the conference received only one bid.


• Mountain West teams are 4-4 in the first round the past two years after going 2-12 from 2016 to 2023.

56. This is the first time a Northeast Conference team is not in the First Four since 2012, snapping a streak of 12 straight tournaments beginning the journey in Dayton.

57. Patriot League teams are 3-28 in the first round, including 11 straight losses.

58. Last year, Florida became the first SEC team to reach the title game since 2014 and the first to win it all since 2012.

• The conference has had three Final Four teams in the past two years, after just three in the previous eight tournaments (2015 to 2023).

59. Southern Conference teams are 2-13 in the first round since 2010, but eight of those 13 losses have been by single digits. That's despite the fact the SoCon has been a 12-seed or worse in all 13 defeats.

60. The Southland Conference has four first-round wins in the past 11 tournaments. Prior to that, the league had just one win in the first round in the previous 28 years (1986 to 2013).

61. Sun Belt Conference teams have won 15 first-round games in the modern era, but only two have come from teams seeded 13th or worse.

• This year's Sun Belt rep is No. 13 seed Troy.

62. The SWAC is 1-28 in the first round, including 21 straight losses. The only win came when 13-seed Southern beat Georgia Tech in 1993.

• However, the conference is 4-1 in the First Four the past five years. Prairie View A&M faces Lehigh in the First Four on Wednesday.

63. This is the fourth time the West Coast Conference has had three teams make the field (also 2008, 2012 and 2022). Gonzaga has accounted for 14 of the conference's 16 trips to the Sweet 16 (Saint Mary's in 2010 and Loyola Marymount in 1990).

Jump to: Seeds| Conferences| Teams

Teams/Coaches

64.Akron Zips

• This is the third straight appearance for the Zips, who are still seeking their first NCAA tourney victory (0-7).

65.Alabama Crimson Tide

• The Crimson Tide have lost in the Final Four and Elite Eight the past two years, falling to No. 1 seeds each time.


• Prior to this, Alabama had just one Elite Eight appearance in school history (2004), so it should come as no surprise the Tide are attempting to make the Sweet 16 in four straight years for the first time in school history.

66.Arizona Wildcats

• This is the 25th anniversary of Arizona's last championship game appearance (a loss to Duke), which is also the last time they made the Final Four.


• The Wildcats haven't defeated a team seeded better than fifth since 2015, which is the last time they reached the Elite Eight.


• Arizona has failed to live up to expectations as a No. 1 seed. The Wildcats have made the Final Four only once in their previous seven trips as a top seed and have never reached the title game.

67.Arkansas Razorbacks

• The Razorbacks have advanced to at least the Sweet 16 in its past four tourney appearances, including as an 8-seed in 2023 and 10-seed last year.

68.BYU Cougars

• BYU has the most NCAA tournament appearances without reaching the Final Four (32).


• The Cougars are looking to make the Sweet 16 in consecutive years for the first time in the modern era.

69.Clemson Tigers

• The Tigers are 1-5 in the first round when they are a No. 7 seed or worse. That win came in 1989 as a No. 9 seed over Saint Mary's.

70.Duke Blue Devils

• The Blue Devils are seeking their first title since 2015. Each of their past four championships came as a No. 1 seed.


• They are also trying to get to the Final Four in consecutive years for the first time since they went to three straight title games from 1990 to 1992.


• This is the first time Duke has been a No. 1 seed in back-to-back years since 2010 and 2011.


• In their past five trips as a 1-seed -- all since 2010 -- the Blue Devils won two championships and lost in the Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four once each.

71.Florida Gators

• Since 2007, only one defending national champion has advanced past the Sweet 16 (UConn repeated in 2024).


• Florida has made the Final Four all three times it has been a No. 1 seed (including titles in 2007 and 2025).

72.Georgia Bulldogs

• The Bulldogs haven't won an NCAA tournament game in 24 years. This is Georgia's best seed since being a No. 3 in 2002.


• This is the 30th anniversary of Georgia's only Sweet 16 appearance in the modern era, when the Bulldogs were an 8-seed and upset No. 1 seed Purdue in the second round before losing in OT to John Wallace and Syracuse in heartbreaking fashion.

73.Gonzaga Bulldogs

• The Zags' streak of nine straight Sweet 16 appearances (second longest in tournament history) was snapped last year.


• Gonzaga has won 16 straight first-round games.


• In three previous trips as a 3-seed, the Bulldogs were eliminated in the Elite Eight (2023), Sweet 16 (2006) and second round (2005).

74.Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors

• This is the Rainbow Warriors' first appearance in 10 years, which resulted in their first NCAA tournament victory when they beat Cal in the first round as a No. 13 seed.

75.Houston Cougars

• Houston has made six straight Sweet 16s -- the longest active streak -- and is looking to make the championship game in back-to-back years for the first time since 1983 and 1984. The Cougars have never won the title.

76.Illinois Fighting Illini

• Of the three previous times the Fighting Illini have been a top-4 seed under Brad Underwood, they survived the first weekend only once.


• They made the Elite Eight in 2024 as a No. 3 seed, but lost in the second round as a No. 1 in 2021 (to 8-seed Loyola Chicago) and as a No. 4 in 2022 (to 5-seed Houston).

77.Iowa Hawkeyes

• The Hawkeyes have only five NCAA tournament wins this century and none after the first round.


• Their last Sweet 16 appearance came in 1999.

78.Iowa State Cyclones

It's been a mixed bag of tournament results for the Cyclones under T.J. Otzelberger.

• They have been to a pair of Sweet 16s -- a surprising ride as an 11-seed in 2022 and a tough loss to Illinois as a 2-seed in 2024.


• On the other hand, they scored 41 points and lost in the first round as a 6-seed in 2023, and last year as a No. 3 seed, they were upset by Ole Miss in the second round.

79.Kansas Jayhawks

• The Jayhawks have lost in the first or second round in three straight years and five of the past six tournaments (they won the title in 2022).


• Kansas' past five NCAA tournament losses have come to teams seeded 10th, fifth, eighth, sixth and fifth, dating back to 2019.


• The last time Kansas reached the Sweet 16 when it wasn't a No. 1 seed was 2012, when it lost in the title game to Kentucky as a No. 2 seed.

80.Kentucky Wildcats

• Last year, in Mark Pope's first season at the helm, the Wildcats reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019.


• Kentucky earned a No. 7 seed, its lowest seed since 2014. That year, the Wildcats were an 8-seed but made a run to the championship game, where they lost to another surprise team, No. 7 seed UConn.


• However, that is the only time in the past 40 years that Kentucky has advanced to the second week of tourney play as a 6-seed or worse.

81.Lehigh Mountain Hawks

• This is the first tournament appearance for the Mountain Hawks since 2012, when they upset Duke in the first round as a 15-seed, paced by CJ McCollum and head coach Brett Reed, who is still leading the program. It is Lehigh's only NCAA tournament victory.

82.Louisville Cardinals

• The Cardinals haven't reached the Sweet 16 since 2015.


• Dating back to 1999, Louisville is 1-6 in its past seven first-round games when seeded worse than fourth. Each of the past six such games were decided by 10 points or more.


• Since winning the national title in 2013, Louisville has been knocked out by a lower-seeded team in all five tournament trips (albeit in four different rounds).


• Head coach Pat Kelsey is seeking his first NCAA tournament victory (0-5 at Winthrop, Charleston and Louisville). This is his first time being seeded higher than eighth.

83.McNeese Cowboys

• The Cowboys are making their third straight appearance. Last year, they earned their first NCAA tournament win when they knocked off Clemson in the first round as a No. 12 seed.

84.Miami Hurricanes

• This is the Hurricanes' first tourney appearance since their run to the Final Four in 2023 as a No. 5 seed.


• The year before that, they advanced to the Elite Eight as a No. 10 seed.

85.Miami (Ohio) RedHawks

• Miami won its first-round game each of the past two times it earned an at-large bid (1995 over Arizona as a 12-seed and 1999 over Washington as a 10-seed).


• In 1995, Miami fell to Virginia in OT in the second round, but it went a step further in 1999, when Wally Szczerbiak carried Miami to the Sweet 16.


• This is the RedHawks' first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007, when they were a 14-seed and lost by 2 points to No. 3 seed Oregon in the first round.


• Four of Miami's five first-round losses in the modern era have come by five or fewer points, all as a double-digit seed.

86.Michigan Wolverines

• Michigan has advanced to the Sweet 16 or deeper in each of its past six NCAA tournament appearances (2017-25).


• This is Dusty May's first appearance as the head coach of a top-4 seed. He already has a Final Four as a 9-seed (2023 at Florida Atlantic) and a Sweet 16 as a 5-seed (last year at Michigan).

This is the fourth time the Wolverines have been a No. 1 seed. All three previous instances had a level of drama attached them:

• Advanced to the Elite Eight in 2021, but were upset by 11-seed UCLA


• Lost to North Carolina in the 1993 national championship game


• Upset in the second round by 8-seed and eventual national champion Villanova in 1985

87.Michigan State Spartans

• Four of the first five times the Spartans were a top-4 seed under Tom Izzo, they advanced to the Final Four (including a championship in 2000). Since 2010, though, Michigan State has only one Final Four appearance in its past seven trips as a top-4 seed.


• It has not made it to the title game since 2009.

88.Missouri Tigers

• The Tigers are tied for the second-most NCAA tournament appearances without making the Final Four (30).


• Missouri has just one NCAA tournament victory since the field expanded to 68 teams in 2011. The Tigers are 1-7 in that span.

89.NC State Wolfpack

• This is the 10th straight tournament appearance in which the Wolfpack have been a No. 8 seed or worse.


• NC State won four games as an 11-seed en route to the Final Four in 2024. Those are its only NCAA tournament wins in the past 10 years.


• The Wolfpack advanced to at least the Sweet 16 two of the past three times they were an 11-seed.

90.Nebraska Cornhuskers

• The Cornhuskers are the only power conference team without an NCAA tournament win (0-8). Only Boise State has played more tourney games without one.


• Nebraska is a No. 4 seed, the second highest in school history.

91.North Carolina Tar Heels

• North Carolina is 33-3 in first-round games in the modern era, but it has lost two of its past four (including last year to Ole Miss).

92.Northern Iowa Panthers

• This is the Panthers' first tourney appearance since 2016, when they beat 6-seed Texas in the first round on Paul Jesperson's halfcourt buzzer-beater.


• The tables were turned in the next round, though, when UNI blew a 10-point lead in the final 30 seconds of regulation and lost to Texas A&M in double overtime.

93.Ohio State Buckeyes

• The Buckeyes haven't won multiple games in a single tournament since reaching the Elite Eight in 2013.

94.Pennsylvania Quakers

• This is Penn's first tourney appearance since 2018 and only their second in the past 19 years.


• The Quakers have lost 15 of their past 16 NCAA tournament games, dating back to 1980. Their only win in that span came against Nebraska in 1994.


• Head coach Fran McCaffery is going to the tournament with his fifth school (also Iowa, Siena, UNC Greensboro and Lehigh).

95.Purdue Boilermakers

• Purdue is trying to become the first AP preseason No. 1 to win the national title since North Carolina in 2009. The last to even advance to the second week of tourney play was Gonzaga in 2022.


• The Boilermakers have advanced to at least the Sweet 16 in three of the past four years, including a runner-up finish in 2024.


• In Purdue's past six appearances -- all as a top-4 seed -- it has lost to a 1-seed three times and teams seeded 13th, 15th and 16th the other three years.

96.Saint Louis Billikens

• The Billikens have never won two straight NCAA tournament games.


• Saint Louis' last tourney victory was in 2014 in overtime vs. No. 12 seed NC State.

97.Saint Mary's Gaels

• Saint Mary's has won multiple games in a single tournament just once (Sweet 16 in 2010).


• Since 2013, the Gaels are 5-1 vs. double-digit seeds and 0-6 against everyone else.

98.Santa Clara Broncos

• This is the Broncos' first NCAA tournament appearance since 1996, when they were a 10-seed led by Steve Nash and upset Maryland in the first round. They are a 10-seed this year.


• Head coach Herb Sendek is seeking his first tourney victory since 2009, when he was at Arizona State.

99.Siena Saints

• The Saints are making their first appearance since 2010. They are 3-3 all time in the first round, winning games as a No. 9, 13 and 14 seed.


• Gerry McNamara is making his first NCAA tournament appearance as a head coach. He was 8-3 in the tourney as a player at Syracuse and won a championship as a freshman in 2003.

100.SMU Mustangs

• The Mustangs are seeking their first NCAA tourney victory since 1988. This is just their fourth appearance since then.


• Andy Enfield won a first-round game as a double-digit seed in each of his previous two coaching stops (USC in 2017, FGCU in 2013). He took USC to the Elite Eight in 2021 and FGCU to the Sweet 16 in 2013.

101.South Florida Bulls

• This is the first appearance for the Bulls since 2012, when they began in the First Four and earned the first two NCAA tournament wins in school history.

102.St. John's Red Storm

• Last year, the Red Storm earned their first NCAA tournament win since 2000, but they were upset by No. 10 seed Arkansas in the second round.


• The last time they reached the second week of tourney play was 1999, when they made the Elite Eight as a No. 3 seed.


• It has been 11 years since Rick Pitino advanced past the first weekend of play. He took Louisville to the Elite Eight as a No. 4 seed in 2015.

103.TCU Horned Frogs

• The Horned Frogs have never won two games in a single NCAA tournament.


• Jamie Dixon has been a part of TCU's past three tourney wins: two as the head coach (2022 and 2023) and one as a starting guard (1987).

104.Tennessee Volunteers

• The Vols have the fourth-most NCAA tournament appearances without making the Final Four (27).


• Tennessee was knocked out in the Elite Eight by the eventual runner-up the past two years.

Seeding has mattered for Rick Barnes during his career.

• His teams have advanced to at least the Elite Eight in five of six previous appearances as a top-2 seed (all at Texas and Tennessee).


• However, his teams have never advanced past the Sweet 16 in 23 appearances as a No. 3 seed or worse.

105.Tennessee State Tigers

• This is the Tigers' first tourney trip since 1994. They are led by Nolan Smith, who is in his first season as a head coach. Smith was 11-3 in the NCAA tournament as a player at Duke, including a national championship in 2010.

106.Texas Longhorns

• Including last year's loss in the First Four, the Longhorns are 0-6 as an 8-seed or worse since 2005, all decided by single digits (two in OT).

107.Texas A&M Aggies

• The Aggies have never advanced past the Sweet 16 in school history. The last time they reached the Sweet 16 was 2018.


• The Aggies have won four straight first-round games as a No. 9 seed or worse, but they lost in the second round in each of those years.

108.Texas Tech Red Raiders

The Red Raiders are a 5-seed this year. Historically, they haven't fared well as anything other than a 3-seed.

• In five appearances as a No. 3 seed, Texas Tech lost in the Sweet 16 twice, Elite Eight twice and were national runner-up in 2019.


• They have four wins total in their other 10 tourney trips in the modern era (all as a 6-seed or worse).

109.UCF Knights

• The Golden Knights are making their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2019, when they earned their first win in school history over VCU and nearly knocked off No. 1 seed Duke in the second round.

110.UCLA Bruins

• Last year was the first time in four trips under Mick Cronin that the Bruins didn't make it to the second week of tourney play.


• They have lost in the Sweet 16 twice (as a 2- and 4-seed) and the Final Four once (as an 11-seed) under Cronin.


• UCLA is 8-1 in the first round as a 7-seed or worse in the modern era, including a pair of wins as an 11-seed (2015 and 2021).

111.UConn Huskies

• In the 68-team era (since 2011), the Huskies have four national championships. Only one other team (Villanova) has more than one.


• UConn has advanced to at least the Elite Eight in nine of its past 11 appearances as a top-4 seed, dating back to 1998. Under these conditions, the Huskies have five titles and a Final Four to show for it.

112.UMBC Retrievers

• This is the Retrievers' first NCAA tourney appearance since 2018, when they beat Virginia to become the first No. 16 seed to win in the first round. That's also the only time an America East team won a first-round game in the past 20 years.

113.Utah State Aggies

• This is a school-record fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance for the Aggies.


• They are 2-20 in the NCAA tournament since reaching the Elite Eight in 1970.

114.Vanderbilt Commodores

• Since its Sweet 16 appearance in 2007, Vandy has lost seven of eight NCAA tournament games. The Commodores' last win came in 2012.


• Five of those seven losses came by three or fewer points.


• Six of those seven losses came against teams seeded seventh or worse.

115.VCU Rams

• The Rams have only one win in the past 11 tourneys. The only time VCU has won multiple games in a single tournament was in the magical 2011 season when the Rams went from the First Four to the Final Four.

116.Villanova Wildcats

• This is Villanova's first tournament appearance since 2022, ending the Wildcats' longest NCAA drought since 2000 to 2004.


• Kevin Willard made his first Sweet 16 as a head coach last year with Maryland.


• The Wildcats are a 8-seed, their lowest seed since 2013. They have lost four of their past five first-round games when seeded seventh or worse.

117.Virginia Cavaliers

• The Cavaliers haven't won an NCAA tournament game since winning the 2019 national championship.


• Virginia has advanced to the second week of tournament play only three times in the past 30 years (all as a No. 1 seed).


• The last time they made the Sweet 16 as anything other than a 1-seed was 1995.

118.Wisconsin Badgers

• Since advancing to the Sweet 16 or farther four straight years from 2014 to 2017, the Badgers have been ousted by a No. 11 or 12 seed in three of their past five appearances.