NCAA Women’s Basketball: Records for Every Seed Since Tournament Expansion

One of the most captivating aspects of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament is the unpredictable drama of an upset. While they may wreak havoc on even the most carefully crafted brackets, the magic of a Cinderella run is what truly defines March Madness.

Since the tournament expanded to a 64-team format in 1994, lower-seeded teams have occasionally defied the odds to make unforgettable postseason runs. Among these, the No. 12 seeds stand out as the most successful underdogs. With 31 victories to their name since expansion, 12-seeds have consistently been the spark for early-round surprises.

In contrast, teams seeded 13 through 16 have faced far greater challenges. Combined, those four seed lines have tallied just 11 wins — and notably, No. 14 and No. 15 seeds have yet to record a single tournament victory.

Below is a breakdown of each seed’s performance in the tournament since the 64-team era began, including their best finishes and historical win-loss records.

Seed	Overall record	Best finish
No. 1	475-101	Champions (23 times)
No. 2	332-119	Champions (five times)
No. 3	272-121	Champions (three times)
No. 4	218-124	Runner-up (once, 1994 Louisiana Tech)
No. 5	148-124	Runner-up (once, 2013 Louisville)
No. 6	127-124	Final Four (once, 1997 Notre Dame)
No. 7	105-124	Final Four (twice)
No. 8	65-124	Sweet 16 (once, 2006 Boston College)
No. 9	68-124	Final Four (once, 1998 Arkansas)
No. 10	50-124	Elite Eight (once, 2017 Oregon)
No. 11	51-124	Elite Eight (once, 2011 Gonzaga)
No. 12	31-124	Sweet 16 (twice)
No. 13	10-124	Sweet 16 (three times)
No. 14	0-124	First round
No. 15	0-124	First round
No. 16	1-124	Second round (once, 1998 Harvard)

While upsets capture headlines and hearts, the data tells a clear story: higher seeds win more—and more often.

Since the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994, No. 1 seeds have dominated. Over 31 years, they’ve amassed 475 victories, averaging 15.3 wins per year. That breaks down to roughly 3.83 wins per team per tournament—essentially, a consistent march to the Elite Eight.

No. 2 seeds follow with 332 total wins, averaging 10.7 per year, or 2.68 per seed. That difference of more than one win per team highlights the substantial advantage of earning a top seed—while seeding isn’t everything, it clearly plays a critical role.

Only seeds 1 through 6 hold winning records in tournament play. Though No. 7 seeds enter the first round as favorites, they fall below .500 overall. Why? Their frequent first-round losses to 10 seeds, combined with second-round matchups against strong No. 2 seeds, limit their success. The same pattern applies to 8 and 9 seeds, who rarely advance past their second-round showdowns with top-ranked teams.

The most dominant display by a single seed line came when all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four. That feat—achieved in 2012, 2015, and 2018—resulted in 19 combined wins each time. Notably, the only losses suffered by No. 1 seeds in those tournaments came at the hands of fellow top seeds.