March Madness: Getting to know the No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament
*Note: All data is from the 1985 tournament to the present.
 Know your seed |
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|---|---|
| No. 1 | No. 9 |
| No. 2 | No. 10 |
| No. 3 | No. 11 |
| No. 4 | No. 12 |
| No. 5 | No. 13 |
| No. 6 | No. 14 |
| No. 7 | No. 15 |
| No. 8 | No. 16 |
No program has seen greater success as a No. 5 seed than Michigan State. The Spartans have never lost to a No. 12 seed in the opening round and have advanced to a pair of Sweet 16s and Final Fours in six appearances as the No. 5 seed.
| Year | Winner | Loser | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Michigan State | Washington | 72-70 |
| 1991 | Michigan State | Green Bay | 60-58 |
| 1992 | Michigan State | Missouri State | 61-54 |
| 2005 | Michigan State | Old Dominion | 89-81 |
| 2008 | Michigan State | Temple | 71-62 |
| 2010 | Michigan State | New Mexico State | 70-67 |
Michigan State's most memorable run occurred during the 2010 tournament. The Spartans squeaked past No. 12 New Mexico State before needing a buzzer-beater to defeat No. 4 Maryland in the second round. Eventually, the run concluded with a two-point loss to Butler in the Final Four.
Conversely, Virginia hasn't had a ton of luck with its 2-3 record against No. 12 seeds. Two of those losses came in back-to-back tournaments, in 1986 and 1987. The Cavaliers however did advance to the Elite Eight as the No. 5 seed after escaping Providence in the first round.
The No. 5 seeds still win over 60 percent of the time with an 85-47 record versus 12 seeds, but the margin of victory is minimal at under five points.
Last year, all four No. 5 seeds were out of the tournament after the first weekend, including a first-round loss by Minnesota to No. 12 seed Middle Tennessee.
However, if the No. 5 seed can get past the first round, they've been able to advance as far as the tournament final, where three teams have reached the championship but failed to win.