🏀 March Madness Stats & Records: 2026 NCAA Tournament Betting Trends
Fill out a perfect March Madness bracket is nearly impossible, but you can increase your odds by understanding historical patterns that define the tournament.
From seeds that overperform to the betting trends that indicate a deep run, the 2026 March Madness stats and tournament records will help you turn your bracket guesswork into data-backed picks.
📊 March Madness stats & all-time records
March Madness is known for creating heroes, and these players etched their name in NCAA Tournament lore with some of the best performances in college basketball history.
No single-game or single-tournaments records fell last year.
NCAA Tournament single-game records
| Stat | Record | Matchup |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 61 - Austin Carr (Notre Dame) | First round vs. Ohio (1970) |
| Points (modern) | 50 - David Robinson (Navy) | First round vs. Michigan (1987) |
| Rebounds | 34 - Fred Cohen (Temple) | Elite Eight vs. UConn (1956) |
| Rebounds (modern) | 23 - Angel Delgado (Seton Hall) | Second round vs. Kansas (2018) |
| Assists | 19 - Markquis Nowell (Kansas State) | Sweet 16 vs. Michigan State (2023) |
| Blocks | 11 - Shaquille O'Neal (LSU) | First round vs. BYU (1992) |
| Steals | 8 - Tied (Ty Lawson, Russ Smith, JD Notae) | Multiple (last 2022) |
| 3-pointers | 11 - Jeff Fryer (Loyola Marymount) | Second round vs. Michigan (1990) |
NCAA Tournament single-tournament records
| Stat | Record | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 184 - Glen Rice (Michigan) | 1989 |
| Points/game | 52.7 - Austin Carr (Notre Dame) | 1970 |
| Rebounds | 102 - Tom Gola (La Salle) | 1954 |
| Rebounds (modern) | 81 - Nick Collison (Kansas) | 2003 |
| Assists | 61 - Mark Wade (UNLV) | 1987 |
| Blocks | 31 - Jeff Withey (Kansas) | 2012 |
| Steals | 23 - Mookie Blaylock (Oklahoma) | 1988 |
| 3-pointers | 28 - Carsen Edwards (Purdue) | 2019 |
🏆 Most March Madness championships by school
The Florida Gators are the defending champs, joining Villanova with three titles, tied for the eighth most overall.
| Team | Championships | Modern titles | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 11 | 1 | 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1995 |
| Kentucky | 8 | 3 | 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, 2012 |
| North Carolina | 6 | 4 | 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017 |
| UConn | 6 | 6 | 1999, 2004, 2011, 2024, 2023, 2024 |
| Duke | 5 | 5 | 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015 |
| Indiana | 5 | 1 | 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987 |
| Kansas | 4 | 3 | 1952, 1998, 2008, 2022 |
| Florida | 3 | 3 | 2006, 2007, 2025 |
| Villanova | 3 | 3 | 1985, 2016, 2018 |
| Louisville | 3* | 2* | 1980, 1986, 2013* |
| Cincinnati | 2 | 0 | 1961, 1962 |
| Michigan State | 2 | 1 | 1979, 2000 |
| NC State | 2 | 0 | 1974, 1983 |
| Oklahoma State | 2 | 0 | 1945, 1946 |
| San Francisco | 2 | 0 | 1955, 1956 |
*One of Louisville's three titles (2013) was vacated by the NCAA in 2017
Led by legendary coach John Wooden, UCLA took home a record 10 championships from 1964 until Wooden's retirement in 1975. The Bruins have won just one title in the modern era, though, as the other blue bloods have climbed up this list.
Only eight of the 15 teams with multiple titles have done so since the expansion to 64 teams in 1985, with UConn's six championships leading the way entering the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
UConn (2023-24), Duke (1991-92), and Florida (2006-07) are the only schools to win back-to-back championships in the modern era.
🥇 Best March Madness finishes & championships by seed
The No. 1 seed has dominated the NCAA Tournament over the years, winning 26 national championships - almost twice as many as all other seeds combined. The No. 5 seed is the highest to win it all, while the No. 8 remains the lowest to cut down the nets.
Here's a look at the best finish for each seed in March Madness history:
| Seed | Best finish |
|---|---|
| No. 1 | National champion (x26) |
| No. 2 | National champion (x5) |
| No. 3 | National champion (x4) |
| No. 4 | National champion (x2) |
| No. 5 | Runner-up (x4) |
| No. 6 | National champion (x1) |
| No. 7 | National champion (x1) |
| No. 8 | National champion (x1) |
| No. 9 | Final Four (x2) |
| No. 10 | Final Four (x1) |
| No. 11 | Final Four (x6) |
| No. 12 | Elite Eight (x2) |
| No. 13 | Sweet 16 (x3) |
| No. 14 | Sweet 16 (x2) |
| No. 15 | Elite Eight (x1) |
| No. 16 | Second round (x2) |
🔢 All-time records for every seed in March Madness
Unsurprisingly, the No. 1 seed has more wins (515) than any other in the history of March Madness, and the list mostly falls in line from there. The clear exception is the No. 11 seed, which has won more games than either the No. 9 seed or No. 10 seed.
Here's a look at the record for every seed in NCAA Tournament history, updating following last year's action:
| Seed | Overall record |
|---|---|
| No. 1 | 537-134 |
| No. 2 | 373-155 |
| No. 3 | 294-156 |
| No. 4 | 250-158 |
| No. 5 | 183-160 |
| No. 6 | 168-159 |
| No. 7 | 141-159 |
| No. 8 | 113-159 |
| No. 9 | 98-160 |
| No. 10 | 97-159 |
| No. 11 | 105-160 |
| No. 12 | 81-160 |
| No. 13 | 39-160 |
| No. 14 | 25-160 |
| No. 15 | 16-160 |
| No. 16 | 2-160 |
1️⃣ March Madness No. 1 seed trends
Here's a look at some trends and history surrounding the March Madness top seeds:
- Most times seeded No. 1: North Carolina (18)
- All four No. 1 seeds made Final Four: Twice (2008, 2025)
- No No. 1 seeds made Final Four: Four (1980, 2006, 2011, 2023)
- Championship games featuring two No. 1 seeds: 11 (1982, 1983, 1999, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2021, 2024, 2025)
- Championship game featuring no No. 1 seeds (modern era): Eight
- Only team to beat three No. 1 seeds: Arizona (1997 - beat No. 1 Kansas in Elite Eight, No. 1 North Carolina in Final Four, No. 1 Kentucky in championship game)
#️⃣ Hardest path
No top seed has ever won the NCAA Tournament when faced with the hardest path: No. 16 (first round), No. 8 (second round), No. 4 (Sweet 16), No. 2 (Elite Eight), No. 1 (Final Four), No. 1 (championship). That said, two No. 1 seeds have won the first five:
- Maryland (2002): won the first five, but beat a No. 5 seed in the championship
- Wisconsin (2015): won the first five, but lost to a No. 1 seed in the championship
🏀 Biggest March Madness upsets in NCAA Tournament history
Here's a look at the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history by point spread. As it happens, all these upsets happened in the first round, and all included a No. 16 beating a No. 1 or a No. 15 beating a No. 2.
| Year | Matchup | Point spread | Final score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Fairleigh Dickinson (16) def. Purdue (1) | 23 points | 63-58 |
| 2012 | Norfolk State (15) def. Missouri (2) | 21.5 points | 86-84 |
| 2018 | UMBC (16) def. Virginia (1) | 20.5 points | 74-54 |
| 1993 | Santa Clara (15) def. Arizona (2) | 20 points | 64-61 |
| 2022 | Saint Peter's (15) def. Kentucky (2) | 18.5 points | 85-79 (OT) |
| 1997 | Coppin State (15) def. South Carolina (2) | 18.5 points | 78-65 |
👠 Best March Madness Cinderellas to win NCAA Tournament
Here are the best March Madness Cinderellas to win the NCAA Tournament based on their betting odds entering the tournament. Only one team has won it all with odds longer than 40/1 entering the Big Dance, and it beat an even lower seed in the final.
| Pre-tournament odds | Team (seed) | Championship result |
|---|---|---|
| +9500 | 2014 UConn (7) | Def. Kentucky (8), 60-54 |
| +3500 | 1985 Villanova (8) | Def. Georgetown (1), 66-64 |
| +2500 | 2011 UConn (3) | Def. Butler (8), 53-41 |
| +2000 | 1988 Kentucky (6) | Def. Oklahoma (6), 83-79 |
| +1800 | 1997 Arizona (4) | Def. Kentucky (1), 84-79 (OT) |
| +1600 | 2023 UConn (4) | Def. San Diego State (5), 76-59 |
📜 NCAA Tournament history & timeline
While we've become accustomed to the current six-round format of the NCAA Tournament, it wasn't always this way. In fact, the original tournament had just eight teams when Oregon won it all, and it wasn't until 1979 that teams were even seeded.
Here's a look at the full NCAA Tournament history and timeline:
- First tournament: 1939 (Eight teams - Oregon champion)
- Expansion to 16 teams: 1951
- Expansion to 22-25 teams: 1953
- Expansion to 32 teams: 1975
- Expansion to 40 teams: 1979 (seeding begins)
- Expansion to 48 teams: 1980
- Expansion to 52 teams: 1982
- Expansion to 53 teams: 1983
- Expansion to 64 teams: 1985 (considered the "modern era")
- Expansion to 65 teams: 2001
- Expansion to 68 teams: 2011
- Tournaments canceled: 2020 (COVID-19)
📅 March Madness 2026 key dates
- Selection Sunday: March 15
- First Four: March 17-18
- First round: March 19-20
- Second round: March 21-23
- Sweet 16: March 26-27
- Elite Eight: March 28-29
- Final Four: Saturday, April 4
- National championship game: Monday, April 6
📃 Affiliate disclosure
Sportsbook Review may receive a commission if you sign up through our links. Not intended for use in MA. Bonuses not applicable in Ontario. 21+ only. (Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
Related Articles
