NCAA men’s bracket preview: The No. 1 Seeds

In the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the four top-ranked teams are assigned number-one seeds in their respective regions. If you are betting on the games or filling out brackets, the No. 1 seeds are popular. These teams are generally considered to be the strongest in the tournament and are given favorable matchups in the early rounds. Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, number-one seeds have performed extremely well in the tournament, winning the championship 23 times in 38 tournaments (as of 2021).

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2023 Frontrunners to be the No. 1 Seed

Alabama is the overall 1-seed in the NCAA tournament men’s basketball selection committee’s bracket preview, with Houston, Purdue, and Kansas the 1-seeds after Alabama.

The performance of the number one seeds in the tournament is remarkable. In the first round of the tournament, the number one seeds have won every game they have played, with a record of 136-0 (as of 2021). In fact, they have only been seriously challenged a handful of times, with most of their wins coming by double digits.

Number one seeds also perform extremely well in the second round, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen round in almost every tournament. In the 38 tournaments since the field expanded to 64 teams, only four number-one seeds have failed to make it to the Sweet Sixteen round. This means that number one seeds have advanced to the second weekend of the tournament in over 90% of tournaments.

Sweet 16 results

Once they reach the Sweet Sixteen, number one seeds generally continue to perform well. They have advanced to the Elite Eight round in over 80% of tournaments, and have a strong chance of making the Final Four. In fact, at least one number-one seed has advanced to the Final Four in all but eight tournaments since 1985.

Number one seeds are also very successful in championship games. In the 38 tournaments since 1985, number-one seeds have appeared in the championship game 29 times, winning 23 of those games. This means that 60% of the time, the national champion has been a number one seed.

While number-one seeds are generally successful in the tournament, upsets do happen. In the history of the tournament, number-one seeds have been upset by lower-seeded teams 13 times. The most recent example of this was in the 2018 tournament, when the University of Maryland, Baltimore County became the first 16-seed to beat a number one seed, defeating the University of Virginia 74-54.

Despite these upsets, number one seeds remain the most successful teams in the tournament. They have a higher winning percentage than any other seed and have won more championships than any other seed. This is in part due to the fact that they are given favorable matchups in the early rounds, but it is also because they are generally the best teams in the tournament.

What’s the play? 

In conclusion, number-one seeds have historically performed very well in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. They have won the championship more often than any other seed and have a higher winning percentage than any other seed. While upsets can and do happen, number-one seeds are generally considered the favorites to win the tournament, and for good reason.

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