The NCAA Tournament has traditionally been dominated by one seeds. That is not the case this season. Alabama and Houston, the final two No. 1 seeds left, both fell in shocking fashion on Friday night.
Dating back to 1985, a No. 1 seed has won the Big Dance 23 times. That includes each of the last five champions. But with Alabama — the No. 1 overall seed — and Houston both falling in the Sweet 16, that trend will not continue.
The Crimson Tide struggled mightily offensively against an extremely physical San Diego State team, and ultimately fell in a shocking 71-64 upset loss.
"SAN DIEGO STATE HAS DONE IT! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SCHOOL HISTORY, THEY'RE GOING TO THE ELITE EIGHT! THE 619 IS ALIVE! AND THE NO. 1 OVERALL SEED, ALABAMA, IS OUT!"- Ian Eagle 🏀🔥🎙️ #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/NkU3SAsElD
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 25, 2023
Meanwhile, just minutes later Miami wrapped up a dominant performance against Houston, eliminating the final No. 1 seed in convincing fashion.
Miami takes down Houston to advance to the Elite Eight!
For the first time in NCAA Tournament history, there will not be a 1-seed in the Elite Eight. 🏀 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/vGZvWlJB1A
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) March 25, 2023
These upsets mark a truly historic year for the Big Dance. This will be the first NCAA Tournament in history without a No. 1 seed in the Elite Eight.
College basketball has always been known to have a ton of parity compared to other sports. However, this insane stat has many seeing the rest of this NCAA Tournament completely wide open for any team to win.
No. 1 seeds pic.twitter.com/cjmKNPh1OW
— Bryan Horwath (@bryanhorwath) March 25, 2023
And with @CanesHoops defeat of Houston there are NO #1 SEEDS LEFT in men’s NCAA tournament, for first time in current format. Wide open for underrated Cinderellas. #MarchMadness @CanesWBB @FAUMBB @Princeton https://t.co/1nfLkcYXxw
— Linda Robertson (@lrobertsonmiami) March 25, 2023
1-seeds last weekend vs. 1-seeds now pic.twitter.com/WD3KMbKlDY
— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) March 25, 2023
For the first time ever, there will be no No. 1 seeds in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. So, Purdue didn’t really suck. They were trailblazers, paving the way for the failure of others.
— Jerry Palm (@jppalmCBS) March 25, 2023
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY, NO #1 SEEDS HAVE MADE THE ELITE EIGHT.
THIS IS MARCH!!!!! pic.twitter.com/ceY3rrjpf7
— SB Nation (@SBNation) March 25, 2023
These massive upsets have shifted the betting odds to win the NCAA Tournament in a big way. Alabama and Houston came into the day with the two best odds to win it all. It is now the UConn Huskies that have emerged as the favorite.
UConn (+260) is now the favorite to win the NCAA tournament @FDSportsbook 🏆 pic.twitter.com/vJsyInTcgN
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) March 25, 2023
It is always great for fans when there is truly a feeling that anyone remaining in the NCAA Tournament can win it all. That is now the case after losses from Alabama and Houston, and it should certainly be interesting to see who emerged out of the pack of teams left.
[Awful Announcing on Twitter, The Comeback on Twitter]
