11 seeds in the Final Four: How NC State's 2024 March Madness run compares to NCAA history

Gilbert McGregor

11 seeds in the Final Four: How NC State's 2024 March Madness run compares to NCAA history image

The NC State Wolfpack just won't stop dancing.

NC State punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament by winning five games in five days to complete a historic run to win the program's first ACC Tournament title in 37 years. The winning didn't stop there either, as the 11-seed Wolfpack have now won four NCAA Tournament games to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 1983.

It's not often that you see an 11-seed advance this far in the big dance, but it has happened before. NC State has etched its name in history and looks to make more when it heads to Phoenix.

Take a look back at the history of 11 seeds that have advanced to the Final Four.

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Last time a No. 11 seed made the Final Four

NC State is the first No. 11 seed to advance to the Final Four since UCLA did so in 2021. The Bruins' incredible run during the Indianapolis bubble tournament ended when they suffered a heartbreaking loss to Gonzaga in the national semifinal game.

Before UCLA's run, Loyola-Chicago made a run to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed in 2018. The Ramblers' run began with a thrilling win at the buzzer and included upsets of teams seeded third, seventh and ninth.

NC State's run is impressive in that it has now moved past No. 6 seed Texas Tech, No. 14 seed Oakland, No. 2 seed Marquette and defeated No. 4 seed Duke, their second postseason win over the Blue Devils in the past three weeks.

Here's a look at the short list of No. 11 seeds that NC State joins with its Final Four run.

MORE: Will NC State breakout star DJ Burns Jr. get drafted?

How many No. 11 seeds have made the Final Four?

Since the tournament's expansion, just six No. 11 seeds have reached the Final Four. Five of the six runs have come in the last 20 years.

In the history of the NCAA Tournament, no seed lower than No. 11 has advanced to the Final Four. No. 11 seeds are 0-5 in the Final Four and none have advanced to the National Championship game.

MORE: A timeline of NC State's unlikely NCAA Tournament run

Based on the margin of defeat, UCLA came the closest to advancing — it was on the wrong end of a Jalen Suggs buzzer-beater in a three-point overtime loss in 2021.

Year Team Result
1986 LSU Lost in Final Four
2006 George Mason Lost in Final Four
2011 VCU Lost in Final Four
2018 Loyola-Chicago Lost in Final Four
2021 UCLA Lost in Final Four
2024 NC State TBD

NC State can rewrite history with a win over Purdue in the Final Four. As it stands, No. 8 is the lowest seed to advance to the national title game. NC State won the national championship as a No. 6 seed in 1983.

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.