The lowest seed ever to win March Madness is a No. 8 seed: Villanova in 1985. They beat top-seeded Georgetown 66-64 in the championship game.

Quick context

That Villanova team is still the benchmark for the biggest Cinderella title run in men’s NCAA tournament history.

A No. 7 seed has also won the title, but no seed lower than No. 8 has ever won the men’s tournament.

Notable near misses

  • No. 8 Butler reached the final in 2011 but lost.
  • No. 8 Kentucky reached the final in 2014 but lost.
  • No. 8 North Carolina reached the final in 2022 but lost.

TL;DR

No. 8 seed is the lowest seed to win it all, and that was Villanova in 1985.