March Madness

Where 2023 Final Four Ranks Among Lowest-Seeded Fields in March Madness History

One 4-seed, two 5-seeds and a 9-seed make up this year's Final Four

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The 2023 Final Four seed is set -- and none of the teams are top-three seeds.

The 12 best teams seed-wise were all eliminated by the end of the Elite Eight, setting up one of the lowest-seeded Final Fours in men's NCAA Tournament history.

No. 4 UConn is the highest seed still standing and No. 9 Flordia Atlantic is the lowest, with 5-seeds Miami and San Diego State completing the unforeseen group of regional champions.

San Diego beats Creighton on a last-second free throw to make their first Final Four while Miami storms back in the second half over Texas to clinch a Final Four berth for the first time in school history.

The Huskies are also the only one of the four programs with any previous Final Four appearances. FAU, Miami and SDSU have all advanced beyond the Elite Eight for the first time.

So where exactly does this year's Final Four rank among the lowest-seeded fields in March Madness history?

Which Final Four had the lowest combined seed in March Madness history?

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The lowest-seeded Final Four came back in 2011 with No. 3 UConn, No. 4 Kentucky,  No. 8 Butler and No. 11 VCU. The four schools had an average seed of 6.5, besting the previous record of 5.5 from 2000.

The 2023 field of FAU, Miami, SDSU and UConn comes in second all time with an average ranking of 5.75. Even if No. 6 Creighton had defeated SDSU, it still wouldn't have been enough to top the record mark of 6.5.

RELATED: What Are the Lowest Seeds to Make the Final Four, Win NCAA Tournament?

Here’s a look at the seven previous Final Fours that featured an average seed of four or lower since seeding began in 1979 (tournament champion listed first, runner-up listed second):

2011: 6.5 (No. 3 UConn, No. 8 Butler, No. 4 Kentucky, No. 11 VCU)

2000: 5.5 (No. 1 Michigan State, No. 5 Florida, No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 8 UNC)

1980: 5.25 (No. 2 Louisville, No. 8 UCLA, No. 5 Iowa, No. 6 Purdue)

2006: 5 (No. 3 Florida, No. 2 UCLA, No. 11 George Mason, No. 4 LSU)

2013: 4.5 (No. 1 Louisville, No. 4 Michigan, No. 4 Syracuse, No. 9 Wichita State)

2014: 4.5 (No. 7 UConn, No. 8 Kentucky, No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Wisconsin)

2018: 4 (No. 1 Villanova, No. 3 Michigan, No. 1 Kansas, No. 11 Loyola Chicago)

For the first time in men's NCAA tournament history there will be no number 1 seeded teams competing in the Elite 8.
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