Daniel Wilco | NCAA.com | March 29, 2021 How No. 12 seeds do in March Madness Oregon State vs. Loyola Chicago: Extended highlights from 2021 NCAA tournament Share *Note: All data is from the 1985 tournament to the present Probably the most volatile seed in all of college basketball, the No. 12 seed, has wreaked havoc on No. 5 seeds and brackets alike for years. That continued in 2021, when Oregon State became the second No. 12 seed to make the Elite Eight, following 2002 Missouri. The Beavers beat No. 5 Tennessee, No. 4 Oklahoma State and No. 8 Loyola Chicago before losing to No. 2 Houston in the Elite Eight. In 31 of the last 36 years, No. 12 seeds have won at least one first round game for a total record of 51-93 (35.4 percent) against No. 5 seeds. The only exceptions were in 1988, 2000, 2007, 2015 and 2018. The history of every NCAA seed 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 The 2019 NCAA tournament belonged to the No. 12 seeds. No. 12 seed Liberty upset Mississippi State 80-76 while No. 12 seeds Oregon and Murray State respectively rolled against No. 5 seeds Wisconsin and Marquette. Some other recent close victories include No. 12 seed Little Rock's 85-83 upset of No. 5 seed Purdue in 2016 and No. 12 seed Yale's 79-74 win against No. 5 seed Baylor the same year. MARCH MADNESS 2021: Complete schedule and dates for the 2021 tournament While more than 50 percent of the No. 12 seeds that won in the first round fail to advance past the second round (including those Little Rock and Yale teams), 22 teams have made it to the Sweet 16 — and now two have reached the Elite Eight. DePaul got the ball rolling in 1986 after beating Virginia by four in the opening round, and Oregon was the only No. 12 seed to advance to the Sweet 16 in 2019. Eastern Michigan’s 20-point win over Mississippi State in 1991 still stands as the largest victory by a No. 12 seed over a No. 5 seed, though Oregon and Murray State challenged that record in 2019 with wins by 18 and 19 points in the opening round. Missouri was the first program to make it to the Elite Eight as a 12 seed. In 2002, the Tigers’ run through the West regional bracket began with a 93-80 win against fifth-seeded Miami (Fla.). That game featured a ferocious Tiger squad where six players — including the entire starting lineup — eclipsed double-digits in points. Led by senior guard Clarence Gilbert, Missouri raced out to an eight-point halftime lead and tacked on a few more for the 13-point upset victory. The Tigers went on to upset fourth-seeded Ohio State and eighth-seeded UCLA before they lost in the Elite Eight to second-seeded Oklahoma. Utah State, which has been the No. 12 seed five times, is 1-4 against No. 5 seeds. Its lone win came in 2001 against Ohio State. Year Winner Loser Score 2000 Connecticut Utah State 75-67 2001 Utah State Ohio State 77-68 2006 Washington Utah State 75-61 2010 Texas A&M Utah State 69-53 2011 Kansas State Utah State 73-68 Eastern Michigan offered the biggest surprise in the first round on March 15, 1991, as the Eagles beat Mississippi State, 76-56. MARCH MADNESS Big Dance: Baylor wins its first-ever title | Watch 'One Shining Moment' | View the final bracket | Re-live every upset Don't miss: Check your bracket | Season milestones | All DI men's basketball news Perfect bracket tracker: Timeline of busted brackets Store: Shop official Baylor championship gear | Latest college basketball gear Listen: March Madness 365 podcast | Exclusive interviews & latest analysis College basketball rankings: Even unranked teams find success in the NCAA tournament Since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 — its modern format — only four of 35 national champions were unranked to start the season. That’s about one in every nine years. READ MORE Only .025 percent predicted the 2021 Final Four teams in the Bracket Challenge Game UCLA's upset of No. 1 Michigan in the Elite Eight turned what could have been a record-high number of perfect picks into a tiny number that went 4-for-4. READ MORE A huge majority of NCAA brackets have a No. 1 seed winning the 2021 championship Here is how many brackets predicted each seed to win the national championship, from Gonzaga and the No. 1 seeds through Drexel and the rest of the No. 16 seeds. READ MORE