March Madness Miracles: Worst Records to Get an NCAA Tournament Bid

A number of teams have gone into March Madness with flawless, unbeaten records since the NCAA men’s basketball tournament was expanded to 64 participants in 1985. This isn’t about them, though. This is about the teams that went against the grain, the outliers.

These teams raised eyebrows and sparked debates because they limped into the tournament with losing or break-even records rather than dominating. Here are a every teams that, in spite of their season-long struggles, advanced to the Big Dance.

Year	Team	W	L	%	Seed	Conference	Tournament result
1995	Florida International	11	18	37.93%	16	A-Sun	First Round loss
1996	UCF	11	18	37.93%	16	A-Sun	First Round loss
1997	Fairfield	11	18	37.93%	16	MAAC	First Round loss
1985	Lehigh	12	18	40.00%	16	ECC	First Round loss
1999	Florida A&M	12	18	40.00%	16	MEAC	First Round loss
2023	Texas Southern	14	20	41.18%	16	SWAC	First Four loss
2005	Oakland	13	18	41.94%	16	Mid-Cont	First Round loss
2014	Cal Poly	14	19	42.42%	16	Big West	First Round loss
2016	Holy Cross	15	19	44.12%	16	Patriot	First Round loss
2018	Texas Southern	15	19	44.12%	16	SWAC	First Round loss
1993	East Carolina	13	16	44.83%	16	CAA	First Round loss
1996	San Jose State	13	16	44.83%	16	Big West	First Round loss
1998	Prairie View	13	16	44.83%	16	SWAC	First Round loss
1986	Montana State	14	16	46.67%	16	Big Sky	First Round loss
2012	Western Kentucky	16	18	47.06%	16	Sun Belt	First Round loss
1997	Jackson State	14	15	48.28%	16	SWAC	First Round loss
2003	UNC Asheville	15	16	48.39%	16	Big South	First Round loss
2004	Florida A&M	15	16	48.39%	16	MEAC	First Round loss
2025	Saint Francis	16	17	48.48%	TBD	NEC	TBD
2002	Siena	17	18	48.57%	16	MAAC	First Round loss
1985	Penn	13	13	50.00%	15	Ivy	First Round loss
1987	Penn	13	13	50.00%	16	Ivy	First Round loss
1987	Idaho State	15	15	50.00%	16	Big Sky	First Round loss
1987	Fairfield	15	15	50.00%	16	MAAC	First Round loss
2000	Lamar	15	15	50.00%	16	Southland	First Round loss
2015	Hampton	17	17	50.00%	16	MEAC	First Round loss
2024	Montana State	17	17	50.00%	16	Big Sky	First Four loss

Twenty teams concluded the regular season with a losing record yet still managed to secure a spot in the tournament. Additionally, seven teams qualified with an even .500 record. Except for one, all were assigned a No. 16 seed, and none advanced beyond the first round, suffering an average defeat margin of 25 points.

The lowest record is shared by three teams, each finishing at 11-18 (37.93 percent): the 1995 Florida International University (FIU), the 1996 University of Central Florida (UCF), and the 1997 Fairfield University.

Of these, FIU and UCF emerged from the Atlantic Sun Conference. In 1995, the Panthers recorded a 6-12 mark in regular season conference play but triumphed in three consecutive games to claim the conference title. UCF also finished with a 6-10 record before securing the championship.

Fairfield’s performance in 1997 was particularly noteworthy, as they ended the MAAC season with a 2-12 record, placing them last by two games. However, the Stags stunned the No. 1 seed Iona (22-8, 11-3 MAAC) in the first round of the conference tournament and subsequently defeated the No. 2 seed Canisius (17-12, 10-4 MAAC) to win the title and earn an automatic bid. They faced No. 1 seed North Carolina in the first round, where they lost 82-74.

The record for the worst performance by a team that won an NCAA tournament game (since the expansion in 1985) belongs to Villanova in 1991. The Wildcats entered the tournament with a 16-14 record after losing to Seton Hall in the Big East tournament semifinals. However, they had achieved five victories against ranked teams during the season, including three against top-10 opponents, which earned them a No. 9 seed through an at-large bid. They narrowly defeated Princeton 50-48 but were eliminated by No. 1 seed North Carolina, losing 84-69 in the second round.

Unsurprisingly, the 1985 Villanova team, often regarded as the ultimate Cinderella story, holds the record for the worst record among championship teams. After starting the season with eight consecutive wins, the Wildcats lost six of their final eleven games. On Selection Sunday, they held a record of 19-10 (65.5 percent) and were designated as a No. 8 seed.