Overall, No. 3 seeds are 122-22 in the first round after they went 3-1 in 2021 and all four No. 3 seeds won in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Only seven No. 3 seeds in the past 13 years have failed to advance to the second round, with a pair of No. 3 seeds losing in the same year, in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, for the first time since 1986, when Baylor fell to Georgia State and UAB knocked off Iowa State.
Last season, No. 14 seed Abilene Christian upset No. 3 seed Texas, 53-52.
The only two Final Fours that haven't featured a No. 1 seed eventually crowned a No. 3 seed as the champion. The 2006 Florida Gators and the 2011 Connecticut Huskies hold that distinction and both teams won their opening round against the No. 14 seed by more than 25 points.
| Year | Winner | Loser | Score | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Florida | South Alabama | 76-50 | 26 |
| 2011 | Connecticut | Bucknell | 81-52 | 29 |
West Virginia’s stunning upset at the hands of Stephen F. Austin in the 2016 NCAA Tournament marked the fourth consecutive tournament where at least one No. 3 seed suffered a first-round upset. All four No. 3 seeds won their opening game in 2019, and by an average margin of victory of 15.5 points. However, Houston's 29-point win over Georgia State skews that data some.
Four programs have been a No. 3 seed at least five times: Michigan, Duke, Syracuse and Pittsburgh. The Wolverines notched a No. 3 seed for the sixth time in 2018 and made a run to the national championship game, where they fell to Villanova. The Blue Devils are the only team in that group to lose an opening-round game as a No. 3 seed with their loss to Mercer in 2014.
Both Michigan and Syracuse have won national championships as the No. 3 seed, with the Wolverines in 1989 and the Orange in 2003. In those respective years, Michigan escaped Xavier in the opening round by five points, while the Orange easily cruised to a 77-63 win over Manhattan.
Michigan needed extra time to defeat fellow No. 3 seed Seton Hall in the 1989 national championship game. The Wolverines came away with a 80-79 victory thanks to clutch free throws made by Rumael Robinson in the final seconds. Syracuse defeated Kansas in the 2003 national championship behind the stellar 20-point, 10-rebound performance by some guy named Carmelo Anthony.
One of the lowest-scoring first-round games in NCAA tournament history occurred between No. 3 Kansas and No. 14 Ohio in the 1985 NCAA Tournament. While the Jayhawks won by 11, the teams combined for only 87 points. Since that game, 1995 Purdue is the only other No. 3 seed that has failed to score at least 50 against a No. 14 seed, although Texas came close in 2021 with its 52 points against Abilene Christian.
