2023 March Madness bracket facts for men’s NCAA tournament

The wait is over. We now have a bracket for the 2023 NCAA tournament. Let the official start of March Madness begin.

On the periphery, this is additionally the initial NCAA tournament in 40 years devoid of Mike Krzyzewski or Roy Williams. Rendering an already capricious occasion feel even more challenging to grasp, there is enthusiasm surrounding the absence of an obvious frontrunner to claim victory. There are numerous captivating narratives for this year’s men’s basketball tournament, one of which revolves around the enthusiasm.

Fill out your bracket by choosing the champion for every match of the 2023 men’s NCAA tournament. Participate in the Tournament Challenge.

Since many of our ESPN college basketball analysts will be breaking down all the key matchups and making their picks in the days to come, this column is designed to occupy only one lane, based on historical facts.

There are many fun nuggets to discuss about the 2023 tournament, including notable trends and lack of success for specific coaches and schools. In this context, we will narrow down our favorite teams to 68 and honor the number of teams in the field.

Hopefully, you will find something interesting to discuss while watching the Big Dance with your friends and/or family. You can lean in a particular direction and decide whether to submit as many as 25 brackets below, as you said for the ESPN Tournament Challenge. Just be clear that this column is not intended to be predictive.

The winner of the 2013 national championship game, Louisville, has had its appearance vacated by the NCAA. For example, even though we consider Louisville the winner, we ignore any subsequent vacating and mention all the results. The NCAA stands on its own to avoid confusion. Additionally, any historical reference to the “first round” should be understood as the round of 64 and the “second round” as the round of 32, unless otherwise noted. All stats referenced since 1985, also called the “modern era,” are noted.Output: In order to avoid confusion, we must acknowledge that the winner of the 2013 national championship game, Louisville, has had its appearance vacated by the NCAA. For instance, despite considering Louisville as the winner, we must disregard any later vacating and acknowledge all the results. The NCAA takes a stand on its own to prevent any confusion. Furthermore, any historical reference to the “first round” should be interpreted as the round of 64, and the “second round” as the round of

Seeds

Initial Four/Early Rounds

• This year’s First Four includes Mississippi State, Pittsburgh, Arizona State, and Nevada as the at-large teams. • The Sweet 16 was reached by three other teams. • Two teams, UCLA in 2021 and VCU in 2011, have made it to the Final Four. • In 10 out of the 11 tournaments that the First Four has existed, at least one of its at-large participants has progressed to the second round.

Saint Peter’s caused an upset by defeating the No. 2 seed Kentucky in the previous year. In the past 14 tournaments, they have lost in the first round at least 13 times, with at least one top-4 seed being eliminated.

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In the 2015 tournament, the State and Baylor teams, both seeded 3rd, made it to the half. In the past, Iowa State (2015), Baylor (2015), West Virginia (2016), and Texas (2015) all lost as the 14th seed. Similarly, in the Big 12 Conference, four teams seeded 3rd have lost to the 14th seed in the past.

Interestingly, out of the 37 tournaments, only four of them had single-digit seeds that won at least one game. What’s even more intriguing is that the matchups in the first round, between seeds 13 and 4, were determined by single digits. This pattern has occurred in 12 out of the 16 matchups in the past.

In 32 out of 37 tournaments, a minimum of one No. 12 seed has triumphed over a No. 5 seed. • (Richmond defeated Iowa, New Mexico State defeated UConn) a duo of 12-seeds caused surprises last year.

Princeton, Vermont, UNC Asheville, and Colgate emerged as champions or shared the top spot in their respective conference rankings this season. Eight out of the ten victors secured a position within the top two of their conference standings. The record of 15th seeds stands at 10-138 in first-round matchups. In the previous year, Oral Roberts reached the Sweet 16 in 2021, while Saint Peter’s advanced to the Elite Eight. Over the past two years, we have witnessed a 15-seed triumph in multiple games. However, there has never been a streak of three consecutive tournaments with a victory by a No. 15 seed.

In this year’s competition, West Virginia stands out as the sole team granted a spot despite having a conference play record of four games below .500. Surprisingly, even though they achieved a 7-11 record in the Big 12, they managed to secure a place. Last year, Iowa State, an 11th-seeded team, made history by becoming the first team of its kind to advance to the Sweet 16. It is peculiar yet factual that teams granted a spot despite finishing four games below .500 in conference play have a perfect record of 5-0 in the first round.

Teams not meeting the .500 mark in conference with 4 or more games

2022(11) Iowa State*7-11 defeated LSU by 5, resulting in a first-round win-loss record of 2019(9) Oklahoma7-11 defeating Ole Miss by 23, resulting in a first-round win-loss record of 2019(11) Ohio State8-12 defeating Iowa St. By 3, resulting in a first-round win-loss record of 1998(12) Florida State6-10 defeating TCU by 9, resulting in a first-round win-loss record of 1992(10) Iowa State5-9 defeating Charlotte by 2, making them the only team to win in the second round.

In the last 10 meetings against 11-seeds, they have a record of 4-6. On the other hand, 3-seeds have been very successful against 6-seeds, with a record of 9-1 in the past 10 meetings. It is interesting to note that while No. 3 seeds have been dominating No. 6 seeds, they have been facing challenges against No. 11 seeds, resulting in a surprising outcome in the second round with a record of 8.

Sixteenth Birthday

9. Only on two occasions in the last 25 tournaments have all four teams seeded second made it to the Sweet 16.

In 2021, the University of Southern California proceeded to advance to the Elite Eight. Only on one occasion has a No. 6 seed made it to the Sweet 16 in the previous five tournaments.

11. In 10 out of the last 12 tournaments, at least one team seeded No. 11 has advanced to the Sweet 16.

In the past two years, four double-digit seeded teams have made it to the Sweet 16 in 14 out of 16 consecutive tournaments, which is worse than the previous 35 tournaments where only 10th seeded teams have advanced.

Top Eight

13. In six of the past eight tournaments, at least two teams seeded No. 6 or worse have reached the Elite Eight.

In the past 12 tournaments, only the No. 1 seed has reached the Elite Eight at least once.

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament

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2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament

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Providence (1987), Kansas (1988), and Michigan (1992) achieved this feat, being the only teams seeded 6th to reach the Final Four. This marks the longest period of time without a Final Four appearance among all seedings. It has been 31 years and 16 tournaments since the last time a team seeded 6th made it to the Final Four.

In the initial 32 years of seeding (1979-2010), this occurrence only transpired a total of eight times. In eight out of the last nine tournaments, a team with a seed of No. 7 or lower has successfully made it to the Final Four.

None of the teams that were a top-2 seed and in the AP top 10 after entering the season unranked managed to reach the Final Four. Purdue, which started the season unranked, defied the odds by earning a No. 1 seed and currently holds the third spot in the AP poll. However, in the first or second round, five out of the 12 teams that were seeded No. 1 and met these criteria were eliminated. Similarly, Marquette, also unranked at the beginning of the season, earned a No. 2 seed and is currently ranked sixth in the AP poll. Unfortunately, 14 out of the 22 teams that were seeded No. 2 and met these criteria were unable to advance past the first or second round.

Final Match

Out of all the seeds, the No. 8 seed has the highest number of appearances, with the remaining 15 appearances distributed among other seeds. It is surprising to note that out of the 86 teams that have made it to the title game since seeding was introduced in 1979, a staggering 71 of them have been seeded in the top 3.

Amongst all the seeds, no other seed has won more than one championship title in that period. Over the past 15 tournaments, 12 of them, and the last five consecutive champions, have all been No. 1 seeds. This makes it a total of 20 championships won by No. 1 seeds.

Alabama is the top seed for this year. • They are more likely to lose during the first weekend than champions (three) who have lost in the Sweet 16 or earlier. • Seven of the previous 18 No. 1 seeds overall have lost in the Sweet 16. • However, it has been 10 years since the last time the overall No. 1 seed won the championship (Louisville in 2013).

In this modern era of the tournament, Gonzaga, the No. 3 seed, and Houston, the No. 1 seed, are the highest-seeded teams looking to continue their winning streak. In the past 33 years, only schools from the Metro Conference (Louisville in 1986) and the West Big Conference (UNLV in 1990) have received more than four bids. It has been a long time since a champion came from a conference that received fewer than four bids.

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament

• Baylor in 2021, Kansas in 2022 • The ACC did it last, with Duke (1991 and 1992) and North Carolina (1993) • Big 12 has had a Final Four team in four straight tournaments for the first time • The conference has four top-4 seeds in this year’s tourney: Kansas, Texas, Baylor and Kansas State

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament28. ACC has had at least one team reach the Sweet 16 in all 37 tournaments.

• Multiple Sweet 16 teams in 32 of 37 • At least one Elite Eight team in 33 of 37 • At least one Final Four team in 25 of 37 • At least one team in the title game in 18 of 37

Negative vibes

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament29. Mountain West has never had a team get past the Sweet 16 … but it gets worse.

• Since the conference’s formation in 1999-2000, 17 other conferences have had a team reach the Elite Eight • MW teams are 0-7 in the first round the past three tournaments (1-10 since 2016) • The four years in which the MW earned four or more bids (2010, 2012, 2013, 2022), the league won five games total (none after the first round) • Mountain West teams seeded 10th or worse are 1-23 all time, with 20 straight losses since the only win in 2002

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament30. It’s been a long time since a Big Ten (23 years) or Pac-12 school (26 years) won a national title.

• Last year, none of the nine Big Ten teams selected advanced past the Sweet 16 • This year, the Big Ten received eight bids, highlighted by No. 1 seed Purdue • Meanwhile, the Pac-12 earned four bids this year, including a pair of high seeds in UCLA and Arizona.

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament

• This year’s conference rep, Furman, is a No. 13 seed • The SoCon has just one tourney win since Davidson’s Elite Eight run in 2008 (Wofford as a 7-seed in 2019) • SoCon teams are 4-33 in the first round. Two of those wins were by teams seeded 11th or worse (Chattanooga in 1997, East Tennessee State in 1992)

Mixed bag

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament32. SEC has had an Elite Eight team in 24 of the past 30 tourneys but hasn’t won a title since 2012.

• The last SEC team to reach the title game was 8-seed Kentucky in 2014 • Since 2016, none of the 15 SEC teams to earn a top-4 seed has reached the Final Four • The only two SEC teams to advance to the Final Four since 2016 were seeded No. 5 (Auburn in 2019) and No. 7 (South Carolina in 2017) • Alabama is the first SEC team to earn a No. 1 seed since 2015 (Kentucky)

Thorns in the side

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament33. Missouri Valley Conference has won a first-round game in eight of the past 10 tourneys.

• However, 17 of the 19 total NCAA tourney wins in that span came from teams no longer in the conference (Loyola Chicago, Wichita State, Creighton)

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament34. Conference USA and MAC teams have also enjoyed early success recently.

• C-USA has won a first-round game in five of the past seven tournaments despite never receiving multiple bids or having a team seeded better than 12th • The MAC has had a team win a first-round game in three of the past four tournaments

Droughts for former tourney “troublemakers”

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament35. It’s been more than a decade since a team from the Horizon League (2011) or CAA (2012) won a first-round game.

• Horizon’s last win came from Butler, which left the league after the next season • CAA’s last win came from VCU in its final year in the league

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament36. Atlantic 10 hasn’t had a team reach the Sweet 16 in nine years.

• From 2008 to 2014, the conference had a Sweet 16 team each year • This is the first time since 2005 that the A-10 earned just one tourney bid (VCU is a No. 12 seed)

Teams/Coaches

Although there is always something to say about each of the 68 teams that made the tourney field, we needed to be selective, so here are some of the best tidbits and trends we could dig up. Schools are listed alphabetically to make them easier to find.

Warning: Unfortunately, not all nuggets below paint a pretty picture, but they are indeed factual.

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament37. Alabama

• This is its first time as a No. 1 seed. In three trips as a 2-seed, it advanced no further than the Sweet 16, losing to teams seeded sixth, 10th and 11th. • The Crimson Tide have never reached the Final Four • Their only Elite Eight appearance was 19 years ago as an 8-seed

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament38. Arizona

• Has reached the Final Four just three of the 14 times it has been a top-2 seed • The Wildcats’ last Final Four appearance was 2001 (lost to Duke in title game)

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament39. Arkansas

• Trying to reach the Elite Eight three years in a row for the first time in school history

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament40. Auburn

• 10-0 in first-round games in the modern era (no other school without a first-round loss has more than three wins) • Six of those 10 wins came as a No. 7 seed or worse

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament41. Baylor

• This is the fifth time in the past eight tournaments the Bears have been a No. 3 seed or better • The previous four instances in this span have brought mixed results: a championship in 2021 but losses to Nos. 7, 8 and 14 seeds in the other three years

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament

• Still seeking its first NCAA tournament victory (0-8) • This is the fourth time Leon Rice has taken the Broncos to the Dance. Two of his three losses have come in the First Four.

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament43. Charleston

• The Cougars’ only NCAA tournament win came in 1997 vs. Maryland as a No. 12 seed • All six tourney games in school history have been decided by 10 or fewer points, despite Charleston being a 12-seed or worse in four of those five appearances

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament44. Creighton

• The Bluejays’ only Sweet 16 appearance in the modern era came in 2021 as a No. 5 seed • They have never defeated a top-4 seed (0-8, with seven games decided by double digits … the exception: last year vs. Kansas in the second round) • Last win vs. a team seeded better than No. 8 was in 2002 (in double-overtime vs. 5-seed Florida)

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament45. Duke

• This is the fourth time in school history Duke isn’t a top-4 seed. In the most recent two previous instances, it lost in the first round (2007 as a No. 6 vs. VCU, 1996 as a No. 8 vs. Eastern Michigan).

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament46. Florida Atlantic

• FAU, a No. 9 seed, is the highest-seeded team in this year’s field that has yet to win an NCAA tournament game. The Owls’ only previous appearance was in 2002. • Since 2000, teams that were single-digit seeds and seeking their first NCAA tourney win in school history are 4-2 in the first round

Single-digit seeds seeking first NCAA tourney winSince 2000

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament47. Gonzaga

• Only the second time in the past six tourneys the Zags are not a No. 1 seed. They reached the Sweet 16 as a 4-seed in 2018. • They have made the Sweet 16 in seven straight tournaments, the longest active streak • Gonzaga has won 13 straight first-round games

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament48. Houston

• First time as a No. 1 seed since 1983, when the Cougars lost to NC State in the championship game • Houston has reached three straight Sweet 16s and back-to-back Elite Eights, including a Final Four trip in 2021

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament49. Illinois

• Seeking first Sweet 16 since 2005, when the Fighting Illini fell to North Carolina in the title game • They haven’t defeated a team seeded better than No. 8 since then

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament50. Indiana

• Best seed since being a No. 1 in 2013, when they were knocked out in the Sweet 16 by Syracuse • Hoosiers have advanced past the Sweet 16 just once since 1994 (runner-up in 2002)

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament51. Kansas

• 33rd consecutive tournament appearance (longest streak ever) and 22nd straight as a top-4 seed • 11th time in past 13 tourneys as a top-2 seed • Reached the Elite Eight or better each of the past four times as a 1-seed (2016, 2017, 2018, 2022), highlighted by last year’s championship • Each of the past four times they weren’t a No. 1 seed, they lost in the second round (2014, 2015, 2019, 2021)

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament

• Wildcats lost in the first round each of the past two times they were a top-4 seed (2019 to No. 13 UC Irvine, 2013 to No. 13 La Salle) • Reached the Elite Eight the other two times they were a top-4 seed (2010 as a 2-seed, 1988 as a 4-seed)

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament53. Kentucky

• This is just the second time the Wildcats have been worse than a 5-seed under John Calipari. In 2014, Kentucky reached the title game as an 8-seed but lost to UConn.

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament54. Marquette

Most consecutive tournament-opener lossesAll as No. 10 seed or better

• Last tourney win was 10 years ago when it reached the Elite Eight as a No. 3 seed. The Golden Eagles are 0-3 since then, with all losses by 19 or more (as a 5-, 9- and 10-seed). • It’s also been 10 years since Shaka Smart won an NCAA tournament game (with VCU). He has lost six straight first-round games (five by 4 or fewer points, including three in OT), all as a 10-seed or better, the longest such streak ever.

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament55. Maryland

• Since 2004, the Terps are 9-1 vs. teams seeded No. 7 or worse, but 0-8 vs. teams seeded No. 6 or better • The only Sweet 16 trip in this span came in 2016, when they defeated No. 12 seed South Dakota State and No. 13 seed Hawaii to get there • Kevin Willard, who is making his first tourney appearance with Maryland, is 1-5 in the NCAA tournament, all with Seton Hall and all when seeded between sixth and 10th

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament56. Miami (Fla.)

• Canes are trying to win an NCAA tourney game in consecutive years for the second time ever (1999 and 2000 under Leonard Hamilton) • Jim Larranaga has advanced past the Sweet 16 twice in his coaching career, both times as a double-digit seed (Final Four in 2006 with George Mason, Elite Eight last year with Miami)

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament57. Missouri

• Tigers haven’t won an NCAA tournament game since 2010 • They have lost five straight first-round games (they were favored or a 1-point underdog in each game)

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament58. NC State

• The Wolfpack’s most recent three trips to the Sweet 16 came as Nos. 8, 10 and 11 seeds, dating to 2005.

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament59. Northwestern

Won first-round gameIn each of first two NCAA tourney apps.

• Trying to become the fifth school since 1985 to win a first-round game in each of its first two NCAA tournament appearances • In 2017, as a No. 8 seed, the Wildcats defeated Vanderbilt in the first round before falling to No. 1 seed Gonzaga in the second round

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament60. Purdue

• First time as a No. 1 seed since 1996 • Seeking its first Final Four appearance since 1980 • The Boilermakers have advanced past the Sweet 16 just once in six previous trips as a top-2 seed (Elite Eight in 1994) • They have made the Sweet 16 or better in four of the past five tournaments, but have been eliminated by No. 15 and 13 seeds the past two years

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament

• In seven previous trips as a top-4 seed in the modern era, the Vols have never advanced past the Sweet 16. This year, they have to overcome the loss of point guard Zakai Zeigler (ACL).

Worst win pct. vs. higher seedsHead coaches, NCAA tournament history

• Only one of Rick Barnes’ 25 career NCAA tournament victories has come against a higher-seeded team. His 1-11 mark against higher-seeded teams is the worst among coaches with at least 10 games vs. higher seeds. • Since Barnes’ most recent Elite Eight trip 15 years ago with Texas, his teams have not beaten a single-digit seed (0-7) and have made the Sweet 16 just once in 10 appearances

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament62. Texas

• The Longhorns haven’t won a game after the first round in 15 years. In fairness, they have been a 6-seed or worse in eight of their 10 appearances since. • Rodney Terry is trying to become the second interim head coach to win a men’s or women’s national championship (Steve Fisher with Michigan men in 1989)

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament63. Texas A&M

• The Aggies have reached the Sweet 16 in each of their past two tourney trips (2018, 2016) • In five previous tournament appearances as a No. 6 seed or worse, Buzz Williams reached the Sweet 16 once (2011 as a No. 11 seed at Marquette)

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament64. UCLA

• This is the first time the Bruins are a top-2 seed since 2008, when they reached the Final Four as a No. 1 seed • UCLA is seeking its third straight Sweet 16 appearance, a streak it has achieved just two other times in the modern era (2006-08 and 2000-02)

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament65. UConn

• Huskies have just one tourney win since their 2014 national championship season. This is their best seed since 2011, when they won the national title as a No. 3 seed. • They have lost in the first round each of the past two years under Dan Hurley. Before that, they were 18-2 in the first round in the modern era.

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament66. Utah State

• Since reaching the Elite Eight in 1970, the Aggies are 1-17 in the NCAA tournament • The one win came in overtime over Ohio State in 2001 as a No. 12 seed

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament67. Virginia

• Three of Cavaliers’ past four tournament defeats have come against teams seeded at least nine spots worse than they were: 2021 first round vs. No. 13 Ohio, 2018 first round vs. No. 16 UMBC and 2016 Elite Eight vs. No. 10 Syracuse

2023 March Madness bracket facts for men's NCAA tournament68. Xavier

• The Musketeers have never reached the Final Four in 28 previous NCAA tournament appearances • In five prior trips as a top-4 seed, the Musketeers lost in the second round three times, Sweet 16 once and Elite Eight once • Sean Miller’s teams at Arizona and Xavier have earned a No. 5 seed or better seven previous times. Six of those seven teams reached the Sweet 16, and four reached the Elite Eight. However, he is 0-4 in the Elite Eight and is still seeking his first Final Four appearance as a coach.

Special thanks to ESPN Stats & Information for its help.