What is a seed in March Madness?
A seed is a team's rank inside its region. Seed 1 is the strongest team there. Seed 16 is the weakest.
Who sets the seeds?
A committee ranks the teams before the tournament starts.
It splits the field into four regions.
Each region gets seeds 1 through 16.
In 2027, the tournament starts with 76 teams.
An opening round trims the field to 64 first.
Then every region holds the same 16 seeds.
How the first round pairs up
First-round games pair seeds that add up to 17.
| Game | What it means |
|---|---|
| 1 seed vs 16 seed | Best team vs weakest team |
| 2 seed vs 15 seed | Same idea, one step closer |
| 3 seed vs 14 seed | Strong favorite |
| 4 seed vs 13 seed | Strong favorite |
| 5 seed vs 12 seed | The famous upset game |
| 6 seed vs 11 seed | Favorite, but not by much |
| 7 seed vs 10 seed | Nearly even |
| 8 seed vs 9 seed | A coin flip |
The best teams get the weakest first games.
Big teams meet late, if they keep winning.
A worked example, from our picker
Our picker scores every team by seed strength.
A 1 seed starts at 32. A 16 seed starts at 2.
So a 5 seed starts at 24, and a 12 seed starts at 10.
The favorite starts 14 points ahead in that game.
Your answers can still flip it. That is the fun part.
See how to pick upsets for when flipping works.
A seed is a rank, not a promise
Since 1985, the lower seed has won about one first-round game in three.
The lowest seed to win the title is 8.
That was Villanova, in 1985.
See how often upsets happen for the full seed math.
Five questions start it. You finish it.
Our picker opens on Selection Sunday, March 14, 2027. Five answers start your bracket. You can flip any pick. Free forever, no ads, no accounts.
Common questions
What is a seed in March Madness?
A seed is a team's rank inside its region, from 1 to 16. A committee ranks every team before the tournament starts. Seed 1 is the strongest team in the region, and seed 16 is the weakest.
Why does a 1 seed play a 16 seed first?
To reward the best teams and save the big games for late. First-round games pair seeds that add up to 17: 1 plays 16, 2 plays 15, and so on. A 1 seed has beaten a 16 seed in all but two of more than 160 tries.
More bracket basics
- How to fill out a March Madness bracket
- What is a March Madness bracket?
- How does bracket scoring work?
- What is a Cinderella team?
- When is Selection Sunday 2027?
- How often do upsets happen?
- How to pick upsets
- What is March Madness?
- Has anyone ever had a perfect bracket?
- Fill out a bracket if you know nothing about basketball