What's the Farthest a 14-Seed Has Ever Gone in the NCAA Tournament (Men's and Women's)?

The history of the NCAA tournament is full of miracle runs by teams emerging from the depths of the bracket to shock the college basketball world.

However, the No. 14 seed holds very little nostalgia when it comes to upsets in the men’s and women’s tournaments.

Farthest a 14-Seed Has Advanced (Men's)

Since the men’s NCAA tournament expanded to 64 schools in 1985, No. 14 seeds have enjoyed some success at overcoming long odds to escape the first round.

Of the 33-123 record against No. 3 seeds, two No. 14 seeds have reached the tourney’s second weekend. The 1986 Cleveland State and 1997 Chattanooga teams both won their first two games to advance to the Sweet 16.

Both squads failed to advance to the Elite Eight. Cleveland State lost 71-70 to seventh-seeded Navy and 1987 NBA Draft No. 1 overall pick David Robinson, while Chattanooga fell 71-65 to No. 10 Providence, which featured future NBA players God Shammgod and Austin Croshere.

Farthest a 14-Seed Has Advanced (Women's)

Since the women's NCAA tourney expanded to 64 teams in 1994, No. 14 seeds have failed to escape the first round. They have lost every game, going 0-120 against No. 3 seeds.

To be fair, it’s always been a struggle for every lower-seeded school in the women’s tournament. No. 15 seeds are also winless against No. 2 seeds. And squads seeded 13 through 16 have combined to win only 11 games.

Farthest 14-Seed Runs (Men's and Women's)

Why 14-Seeds Struggle to Advance

Teams seeded 14th typically come from mid-major or smaller conferences, and they ultimately have their tourney runs ended by a more talented squad from a marquee league.

A 14 vs. 3 upset victory has occurred 23 times in the men's tournament. Every No. 14 seed was a small conference representative, from the Mid-Continent Conference (1986 Cleveland State) to the Horizon League (2024 Oakland, which stunned Kentucky 80-76).

Memorable 14-Seed Wins (Men's)

The 1986 Cleveland State squad made headlines by knocking off Bobby Knight’s Indiana in a 83-79 first-round upset. Kevin Mackey’s Vikings employed a pressure defense that overwhelmed the Hoosiers (who would use the defeat as motivation to win the 1987 national title) and sixth-seeded St. Joseph’s in a 75-69 second-round triumph.

Mackey’s underdog but deep roster—led by freshman Ken “Mouse” McFadden, a New York City point guard who was Mackey’s lone recruit that season—became the Cinderella story of the '86 NCAA tourney.

“Our style of play is different,” Mackey told CBS Sports. “I think our approach is different with 10 kids. The fact the kids play so hard, they’re so happy to be here, they’ve been so long out of the spotlight, they really relish it.”

When the 1997 Chattanooga squad found out it would face No. 3 Georgia in the first round, the Mocs were not intimidated by the challenge. They felt emboldened, so much so that they swelled with confidence.

“I can remember looking at everybody and saying, ‘We’re going to win this game,’” sophomore guard Wes Moore said.

Their instincts were proven right.

Chattanooga raced out to a 17-2 lead, held firm with a 46-31 halftime cushion and weathered a Bulldogs comeback to prevail 73-70 for the Southern Conference’s biggest upset win in the NCAA Tournament.

The Mocs endured another tough battle in a second-round struggle against No. 6 Illinois. Head coach Mack McCarthy’s technical foul early in the second half provided the spark, firing up Chattanooga to increase its defensive intensity and shut down the Illini attack. The 75-63 triumph made national headlines the next day.

“Being on the cover of USA Today was definitely one of those ‘I’ve arrived’ moments,” said forward Johnny Taylor, who would make more news that summer as the 17th overall selection by the Orlando Magic in the 1997 NBA draft.

Memorable 14-Seed Games (Women's)

In the women's NCAA tournament, 14th seeds have come close to tasting victory, losing by two points three times and by three points twice.

In 2003, No. 14 Austin Peay fell 72-70 to No. 3 North Carolina, which held on after getting the go-ahead basket by guard Nikita Bell with just over 20 seconds left.

In 2004, No. 14 Eastern Michigan overcame a 20-point deficit against No. 3 Boston College and tied the game with 15 seconds remaining, but it fell 58-56 on a last-second layup by BC’s Kathrin Ress.

Lastly, in 2012, No. 14 Creighton suffered a heartbreaking 69-67 defeat against No. 3 St. John’s. The Bluejays were headed for overtime after Carli Tritz made two free throws to even the score at 67, but Red Storm guard Nadirah McKenith drove the length of the floor to beat the buzzer—and Creighton—with a floater in the lane.

McKenith called it “the biggest shot of my life.”

“I was praying that it was going in,” she told reporters afterward. “I practice that shot every day in practice and this one just happened to go in.”