CORRECTION:
the total is 53 this year
This tournament so far has been pretty chalky, and a tough field remains. Here is how it ranks since 1985, when the field expanded to 64 teams:
- #1 (tie): 2009 and 2019 - 3.06 avg seed, total 49. 4 #1s, 4 #2s, 4 #3s, 2 #4s, 1 #5, 1 #12!
- #3: 1989 - 3.125 avg seed, total 50. 4 #1s, 4 #2s, 3 #3s, 2 #4s, 2 #5s, 1 #11.
- #4 (tie): 2007 - weakest was a 7-seed. 1-seed FLA won its second straight (good omen for UConn)
- #4 (tie): 1995 - weakest was a 6-seed. 1-seed UCLA beat our ouster, ARK, in the championship, denying ARK a second-straight.
Of note: 2007 yielded the strongest Elite 8 ever with 4 #1s, 3 #2s, 1 #3 (1.125 avg seed, total 9)