When filling out a men’s NCAA Tournament bracket, people often get ridiculed for still having the top seeds remaining as the field dwindles toward the Final Four.
But with the Elite Eight field set, those that went chalk are looking smart. Only teams seeded No. 3 or better remain in March Madness.
With all four No. 1 seeds, three No. 2s and one No. 3 left, the combined seed total of 13 is the lowest in the Elite Eight since 2007.
It’s a dramatic difference from last year’s Elite Eight. Thanks to NC State’s Final Four run, the combined total was 32. It was even higher in prior years: 37 in 2023 and 47 in 2022 − the highest since seeding began in 1979.
This year’s total of 13 matches 2007 for the lowest ever.
It wasn’t an easy path for all of the Elite Eight participants, though.
Yeah, teams like Duke and Alabama cruised, but teams like Texas Tech and Houston needed buckets in the final seconds to avoid elimination.
However, the eight teams still standing reaffirm what’s been thought for much of the season: there is clear separation between those at the top of the sport and the rest.
Comparing the 2007 and 2025 Elite Eights, the one 18 years ago did have better team records entering the tournament. In 2007, the Elite Eight teams combined for a 226-39 record when the bracket was unveiled. This year, the teams were 223-45.
But looking at the metrics, it’s clear this year’s crop is in a class of its own. In 2007, the top six teams in KenPom made it, but there was the outlier in Oregon, which was No. 18. By definition, not the strongest team to make it. Meanwhile, all of the remaining teams this season are ranked in the top nine of KenPom. At No. 8 is Gonzaga, which fell just short to Houston in the second round, and No. 10 is Maryland, which lost to Florida on Thursday.
With complete dominance from the game’s best, it begs the question: is this what the NCAA Tournament is going to be like in the NIL era, or is this just an anomaly year where upsets just didn’t happen?
No matter the results on Saturday or Sunday, it will be hard to claim any team had a fluke run to the Final Four. Aside from Texas Tech, the remaining squads all had to play a single-digit seed in the Sweet 16, and whoever ends up in San Antonio will have to beat a top 12 overall seed to get there.
There were no Cinderella teams in the Sweet 16. Now, the Elite Eight will be filled with true national championship contenders. The last time all four top seeds made the Elite Eight was in 2016, but only one ended up advancing. With how things are looking, we could be on the cusp of the first all-No. 1 seed Final Four since 2008.
If not, it will still be a final weekend full of heavyweights.
