For the first time in the history of the NCAA Tournament, the Elite Eight round will be devoid of a No. 1 seed.
With losses by top two overall seeds Alabama and Houston on Friday in the Sweet 16, the highest-remaining seed is 2-seed Texas, which still must face off vs. 3-seed Xavier to secure its ticket to the Elite Eight. Fellow 3 seeds Gonzaga and Kansas State have already done so with victories on Thursday.
Does that make this the most anti-chalk NCAA Tournament bracket of all time? There's certainly an argument for it. Purdue became only the second 1 seed in the history of the tournament to lose in the first round, falling to basketball darlings Fairleigh Dickinson. Arkansas was similarly merciless in the second round against 1-seed Kansas, leaving only the Crimson Tide and Cougars to carry the banner for 1 seeds moving forward.
TSN's MARCH MADNESS HQ
Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Predictor tool
Neither squad managed to last another round, as both teams suffered Sweet 16 exits, securing a never-before-seen Elite Eight. With that, The Sporting News breaks down the historic nature of this NCAA Tournament first, and the closest comparisons March Madness could offer:
Have four 1 seeds missed the Final Four?
Yes, four NCAA Tournaments — including 2023 — have featured a Final Four without any 1 seeds. Purdue was the first to lose this year, in the first round to 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson; Kansas lost in the second round to 8-seed Arkansas; and 1-seeds Alabama and Houston lost in the Sweet 16 to 5-seeds San Diego State and Miami, respectively.
The last time every 1 seed missed the Final Four came in 2011, when each of Ohio State, Pitt, Kansas and Duke lost. Only Kansas out of the Southwest Region made it to the Elite Eight, where the Jayhawks lost to 11-seed VCU.
The only other expanded bracket-era tournament to feature no top seeds in the Final Four was in 2006. The only other time in history that has happened was in 1980, when the tournament still held 48 teams and was in just its second year under the seeding format.
| Tournament | 1 seeds | Round reached |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Alabama | Sweet 16 |
| Houston | Sweet 16 | |
| Kansas | Second round | |
| Purdue | First round | |
| 2011 | Kansas | Elite Eight |
| Ohio State | Sweet 16 | |
| Duke | Sweet 16 | |
| Pitt | Second round | |
| 2006 | Memphis | Elite Eight |
| Villanova | Elite Eight | |
| UConn | Elite Eight | |
| Duke | Sweet 16 | |
| 1980 | LSU | Elite Eight |
| Syracuse | Sweet 16 | |
| Kentucky | Sweet 16 | |
| DePaul | Second round |
MORE: March Madness schedule today: Times, TV channels, scores for Friday's NCAA Sweet 16 games
Have four 1 seeds missed the Elite Eight?
The 2023 NCAA Tournament is the first since seeding began in 1979 that no 1 seeds have made the Elite Eight. Each of the tournaments in 2011, 2006 and 1980 had at least one 1 seed make the Elite Eight:
2011
- Kansas
2006
- Memphis
- Villanova
- UConn
1980
- LSU