NCAA

NCAA Tournament has zero No. 1 seeds in Elite Eight for first time since seeding began in 1979

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated27 Mar 2023

2023 NCAA Tournament has zero No 1 seeds in Elite Eight for first time since seeding began in 1979

The 2023 NCAA Tournament now has zero No. 1 seeds in the Elite Eight for the first time since seeding began in 1979. During the First Round, No. 1 Purdue lost 63-58 to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson. In the Second Round, No. 8 Arkansas knocked off No. 1 Kansas, winning 72-71 at Wells Fargo Arena.

Then, in the Sweet 16 on Friday night, No. 1 Alabama lost 71-64 against No. 5 San Diego State, and then No. 5 Miami upsetted No. 1 Houston 89-75. Of course, the majority of March Madness brackets projected both Alabama and Houston reaching the Final Four.

According to a few college basketball betting sites, No. 4 UConn is now the favorite to win the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Sportsbooks show No. 2 Texas with second-shortest odds, followed by No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 6 Creighton.

In Alabama’s upset loss to San Diego State in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament, the Crimson Tide finished their performance with 14 turnovers and 3-for-27 (11.1%) shooting from 3-point range. The Aztecs outscored them 28-23 in the first half. “Everybody is really disappointed in the loss,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “It ended too soon.”

Sportsbooks had San Diego State as a 6.5-point underdog against Alabama. Entering the South Region matchup, the Crimson Tide were 29-3 as selected favorites, whereas the Aztecs were 1-2 as underdogs. San Diego State arrived at KFC Yum! Center on a six-game win streak.

NCAA Tournament is without a single No. 1-seeded team in Elite Eight for first time since seeding began in 1979

Additionally, in Miami’s 89-75 victory versus top-seeded Houston, sophomore guard Nijel Pack led the Hurricanes in scoring with 26 points in 34 minutes of action. Senior guard Jordan Miller ended his outing with 13 points, six rebounds, and four assists in 32 minutes.

Houston entered as 33-3 favorites for the season, which included NCAA Tournament wins. Miami upsetted the Cougars as a 7.5-point underdog. “We were all hyped up,” Jordan Miller said. “We love when Coach L [Jim Larrañaga] dances. That’s probably the best celebration we could look forward to. We just wanted it really bad.”

The fifth-seeded Hurricanes made their second straight Elite Eight and will now play second-seeded Texas in the Midwest Region final. Larrañaga is seeking his first Final Four with Miami and second career appearance. In 2006, the veteran coach led George Mason to the Final Four as an 11 seed.

Moreover, the Creighton Bluyjays advanced to their first Elite Eight in program history after winning 86-75 over No. 15 Princeton. Only 10.08% of brackets had Creighton reaching this round of the NCAA Tournament. “This is why I came to Creighton, to make a run with these guys,” said senior guard Baylor Scheierman.

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