What’s the best performance by a No. 6 seed coming into the 2023 NCAA Tournament?

The first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament will begin on Thursday, March 16. The No. 6 seed will face the No. 11 seed, which is a tougher matchup than you may expect. No. 6 seeds have swept in the opening round just five times, so there is bound to be an 11-seed pulling an upset.

No. 6 seeds have a 91-57 record against No. 11 seeds since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Only two No. 6 seeds have ever made the national championship game. Kansas pulled off the championship victory after they took down No. 11 Xavier, No. 14 Murray State and No. 7 Vanderbilt throughout the tournament. No. 6 Michigan made it to the 1992 championship game but came up short.

2022 was a bad year to be a No. 6 seed. LSU lost to Iowa State, Alabama lost to Notre Dame, and Colorado State fell to Michigan. The lone No. 6 seed to advance last year was Texas, who beat Virginia Tech 81-73. Their luck was short-lived as they fell to No. 3 Purdue in the second round.

2023 NCAA Tournament No. 6 seeds

West: TCU
South: Creighton
East: Kentucky
Midwest: Iowa State