Has There Ever Been a Final Four Without a No. 1 Seed?

Since the NCAA Tournament began seeding teams in 1979, four Final Fours haven’t included a No. 1 seed: 1980, 2006, 2011, and 2023.

The 2023 tournament was the first in which all four No. 1 seeds failed to reach the Elite Eight.

1980 Final Four

The 48-team 1980 NCAA Tournament ended with the Final Four at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis.

• No. 5 Iowa vs. No. 2 Louisville
• No. 6 Purdue vs. 8 UCLA

Louisville beat UCLA in the title game. Had the Bruins won, they would’ve been the lowest seed to win the national championship.

2006 Final Four

The 65-team 2006 tournament ended with the Final Four at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.

• No. 4 LSU vs. No. 2 UCLA
• No. 3 Florida vs. No. 11 George Mason

George Mason became the second 11-seed in Final Four history (1986 LSU), which is still the lowest seed to make the Final Four. Three more teams have since joined the Tigers and Patriots: VCU (2011), Loyola Chicago (2018), and UCLA (2021).

2011 Final Four

The 68-team 2011 tournament ended with the Final Four at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

• No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 3 UConn
• No. 11 VCU vs. No. 8 Butler

A No. 8 seed was once again denied in its attempt to join Villanova as the lowest-seeded national champions.

2023 Final Four

The 2023 Final Four in Houston didn’t feature a No. 1 seed after all four 1-seeds lost before the Elite Eight.

• No. 9 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 5 San Diego State
• No. 5 Miami (FL) vs. No. 4 UConn

Purdue was the first 1-seed to lose (first round), followed by Kansas (second round), Houston (Sweet 16) and Alabama (Sweet 16).