With the madness of March fully upon us, fans of dozens of programs across the country have hope that 2023 is their year to hoist some hardware across Maryland sports betting.
Since 2000, 12 different programs have won at least one national title in the 68-team event, with only UNC, Villanova, Kansas, Duke, Florida and UConn winning more than one.
Each of the last five champions have entered the tournament as a No. 1 seed, with Villanova being the last to do so from a lower number (doing so in 2016 as a two seed).
Since 2000, the lowest seeded team to win it all was UConn in 2014, which ran the table as a seven seed, while the only other non-No. 1 seeds to win titles since 2000 were Villanova in 2016, UConn in 2011 (three seed), Florida in 2006 (three seed), UConn in 2004 (two seed) and Syracuse in 2003 (three seed).
BetMaryland.com utilized Championship history to calculate the average seeding of the 37 NCAA tournament winners since 1985.
Keep it here at BetMaryland throughout March Madness for the best Maryland sportsbook promotions.
Average Seed of NCAA Tournament Winner (Since 1985)
What Seeding History Tells Us About Maryland’s Chances
Terps fans who were looking to see Kevin Willard’s team smash through the glass ceiling before Saturday's loss to Alabama could have looked to the Huskies as an exemplar of what’s possible with the right mix of talent and luck. The Huskies won it all in 2014, despite entering the Big Dance as a seven seed, thanks in large part to the one-man scoring machine that was Shabazz Napier.
Napier torched opponents all year long, averaging 18 points per game while hitting 44.8% of his shots from the field. Napier saved his best for last, scoring 20 points or more in four of the team’s six tournament games, averaging 21.2 points per game during UConn’s six NCAA games.
Fast forward nine years, and the Terps with their first round victory took one step along their path towards a second title in school history across Maryland sports betting apps before ultimately coming up short.
Thanks to the late-game scoring prowess of forward Julian Reese, who had a team-high 17 points, and three others that scored in double figures, Maryland was able to outlast West Virginia in its tournament opener, beating the Mountaineers, 67-65. But the buck stopped against the Crimson Tide, which wasn't a shock considering the Terps were +8000 to win the title at BetMGM Maryland Sportsbook.
Speaking of that Huskies team for inspiration, UConn's championship run saw it escape its opener over 10th seed St. Joseph’s in overtime, 89-81.
After that, the Huskies beat Villanova by 12 points (77-65), before surviving tight contests against Iowa State and Michigan State in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. From there, the Kevin Ollie-coached club knocked off Florida, 63-53, before outlasting Kentucky in the title game, 60-54.
