Betting handicappers looking to back the lower seeds in the NCAA March Madness tournament should be aware that #15 and #16 seeds hardly ever make it out of the first round. Sports betting fans have come to recognize that when a top seed faces a far lower seed, it is a safe wager to back the favorite. Although rare, low seed have proven the critics wrong and surpassed expectations by advancing.

Since 1985 only one low seed has ever won the entire tournament. In 85, Villanova ranked number eight became the lowest seed to ever win the tournament as they defeated top seed Georgetown 66 -64. From 1985 onwards, no team has reached the championship round that was ranked eighth or lower. However, the 2006 number 11 seed George Mason made it all the way to the final four before being defeated.

Throughout the history of the tournament, the number eight, 11, 12, 14, and 15 seeds are the only low seeds to ever make it past the first round. The 15th overall seed has made it as far as the second round four times, with the most recent coming in 2001 with a team from the University of Hampton. Conversely, the 14th seed was able to make it to the sweet 16 twice, Cleveland St. in 1986 and Chattanooga in 1997.

Bettors looking to back a 16 seed pulling an upset may appear ambitious. In the history of the March Madness tournament, no 16 seed has ever gone past the first round. Nevertheless, five number 16 seeds have given number ones a scare, by only losing by a handful of points. These games include:

1985: Fairleigh Dickinson lost to Michigan by four points 59 – 55.
1989: Princeton lost to Georgetown in the closest affair by one point 50 – 49
1989: East Tennessee St. lost by one to 72 – 71.
1990: Murray St. became the only 16 seed to take a number one to overtime when they lost to Michigan state by four points 75 – 71.
1996: Western Carolina vs. Purdue 73 – 71.