Selection Sunday has come and gone, and it is now time to fill out those March Madness brackets. The Super Bowl might be the most popular sporting event of the year overall, but March Madness comes in second. What makes this tournament so popular? The popularity of the NCAA Tournament bracket has made this event second-to-none when it comes to office pools and competitions with friends.

At Doc’s Sports, we believe you can never have too much information when filling out your bracket. Every little nugget of information you get your hands on gives you an edge on your competition in your NCAA Tournament bracket pool. You never know what little tidbit could put you over the top.

50% Sign Up Bonus up to $250
To find your Topbet with us!
Click Here to signup with Topbet

NCAA Tournament seed history is an interesting thing to examine when preparing to fill out your bracket. Clearly, the No. 1 seeds fare extremely well in the tournament, and the No. 16 seeds are there just to enjoy the game. A closer look at the seed history from previous years yields some interesting facts that you’ll want to consider. Unless otherwise noted, these facts come from games played after the field was expanded to 64 teams in 1985 (it is now 68 teams).

NCAA Tournament Seed History: Key Numbers

0- The number of times the No. 16 seed has topped the No. 1 seed. They’ve now had 108 chances, but they have yet to pull it off. In 1996 Western Carolina lost just 73-71 to first-seeded Purdue. They had two great looks at a three-pointer to win it, but they couldn’t quite get it to fall.

0- The number of times a No. 12 seed has beaten a No. 1 seed. The 12 seed may be a good pick for a round or two, but they haven’t proven able to get past the top-seeded team. The No. 12 seed is 0-18 all-time against the No. 1 seed.

0- The number of times a No.7, No. 9, or No. 10 seed has reached the Final Four. 

1- The number of times all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four. It occurred in 2008 when UCLA, Kansas, Memphis, and North Carolina made it an all-chalk Final Four.

1- You may be tempted to get rid of the No. 1 seed after just one win, but history tells us it isn’t a winning proposition very often. The No.1 seed is an impressive 94-14 in the round of 32. Basically, the top seed should probably be in your Sweet 16.

2- The number of times there have been zero No. 1 seeds in the Final Four. This happened in 2006, and it happened again last year in 2011. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this happen a little more often now since there are so many players leaving early for the NBA.

2- The number of No. 6 seeds to win the NCAA Championship. NC State upset Houston in 1983, and then Danny Manning and Kansas won it in 1988.

2- The number of No. 5 seeds to reach the final game of the tournament. Florida did it in 2000 and Indiana did it in 2002, but both lost in the final game.

3- The number of times the No. 11 seed has reached the Final Four. LSU did it in 1986. George Mason did it in 2006. VCU shocked the world by doing it last year.

4- The number of times a No. 3 seed has won the NCAA Championship. Three has been a popular number over the last few years in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan won it in 1989. Carmelo Anthony and Syracuse won the title in 2003. Billy Donovan and the Gators cut down the nets in 2006. Kemba Walker and the UConn Huskies won it all last season.

8- The lowest seeded team to win the NCAA Championship. Villanova was a No. 8 seed when they won it in 1985.

16- The number of times a No. 1 seed has cut down the nets since 1985. A top-seeded team has won the NCAA Championship in four of the last five years.

3-2- The record of the No. 11 seed against the No. 1 seed in their five meetings over the last 26 years. This is pretty amazing when you consider the fact that the No. 12 seed is 0-18 against the No. 1 seed during the same period.

59-6- The No. 1 seed is a dominating 59-6 against the No. 9 seed.

67-65- The No.8 seed holds a minor 67-65 lead over the No. 9 seed. These are almost always close games, and it should come as no surprise that the two are almost dead even over the years.

6.5- The highest average number of the seeds in the Final Four. This occurred last year when VCU and Butler stunned the hoops world. The second-highest average seed in the Final Four was in 2000 when the average was 5.5.

Doc’s Sports is offering $60 worth of free member’s March Madness picks absolutely free – no obligation, no sales people – you don’t even have to enter credit card information. You can use this $60 credit any way you please on any of our top college basketball handicappers. Click here for more details and to take advantage of this free $60 picks credit today.