The six No. 11 seeds to reach the Final Four after NC State’s unlikely run
Add North Carolina State to the NCAA men’s tournament record book.
The magical postseason run for the Wolfpack will continue after they beat Duke in the Elite Eight to book their first trip to the Final Four since 1983. The Final Four appearance is significant as No. 11 seed equaled six other teams as the lowest seed to ever make the national semifinals.
The exclusive list of teams that went from tournament afterthoughts to the ultimate includes two who had to win an extra game in the Final Four. But this year, NC State might have had the most-difficult run as it wouldn’t have been in the field without five wins in five days at the ACC tournament. The Wolfpack hope to end its season with much more success than past No. 11 seeds.
Here are all the No. 11 seeds to make the Final Four, how they did it and how their tournament run ended.
LSU, 1986
The first No. 11 seed to make the Final Four, LSU stumbled after an 14-0 start to the season thanks to several injuries and players being ruled out due to academic reasons. Still, Dale Brown’s squad was able to achieve success no one saw coming.
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Playing at home in the first two rounds, the Tigers opened the tournament against Purdue and beat them in a double-overtime thriller. In the second round, LSU overcame a halftime deficit against No. 3 seed Memphis State and won after Anthony Wilson hit a buzzer-beating winner. In the Sweet 16, the Tigers beat No. 2 seed Georgia Tech and in the Elite Eight, LSU made history with a win over No. 1 seed Kentucky to advance to the Final Four.
The Cinderella run ended with a Final Four loss in the semifinals to Louisville, which ended up winning the national championship.
George Mason, 2006
It took 20 years for the next No. 11 seed to make the Final Four with George Mason going from never having won a tournament game to make it to the last four teams.
The Patriots got the No. 11 seed despite not winning the Colonial Athletic Association tournament based on a strong regular season. They opened March Madness with a win over Michigan State before beating defending national champion and No. 3 seed North Carolina in the second round. In the Sweet 16 in nearby Washington, D.C., George Mason handled No. 7 seed Wichita State. In the Elite Eight, George Mason then stunned No. 1 overall seed Connecticut in overtime to clinch a Final Four spot in one of the most memorable moments in tournament history.
George Mason would lose in the semifinals to eventual national champion Florida.
Virginia Commonwealth, 2011
In 2011, the NCAA introduced the First Four and Virginia Commonwealth took advantage of its at-large bid to go from First Four to Final four.
In the opening round, VCU beat Southern California before it took down Georgetown in emphatic fashion in the first round. In the second round, the Rams easily took down No. 3 seed Purdue and survived in overtime against No. 10 seed Florida State in the Sweet 16. VCU then punched its ticket to the Final Four with a win over No. 1 seed Kansas.
VCU would go against another team on a Cinderella run in No. 8 seed Butler in the Final Four, which the Bulldogs would win before narrowly losing to Duke in the national championship game.
Loyola Chicago, 2018
Sister Jean was the story of the 2018 tournament when Loyola Chicago won several dramatic games to reach the Final Four.
The Missouri Valley Conference champions started the tournament with a bang when Donte Ingram drilled a game-winner in the final seconds to beat Miami (Fla.). In the second round, Clayton Custer hit a jumper in the final seconds to beat No. 3 seed Tennessee by one. In the Sweet 16, Marques Townes put No. 7 seed Nevada away with a 3-pointer to advance to the Elite Eight, where the Ramblers would comfortably beat Kansas State to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 1963.
In the Final Four, Loyola Chicago lost to Michigan, who then lost to Villanova in the national title game.
UCLA, 2021
Invoking the spirit of VCU in 2011, UCLA became the second team to go from the First Four to Final Four when it did the achievement in 2021.
UCLA came back from a second half deficit against Michigan State to beat the Spartans in overtime of the First Four. In the first round, the Bruins beat Brigham Young and then No. 14 seed Abilene Christian in the second round. In the Sweet 16, UCLA was able to overcome a buzzer-beater to force overtime and beat No. 2 seed Alabama, and in the Elite Eight, held off No. 1 seed Michigan to make the program’s 18th Final Four.
In the Final Four, UCLA faced top overall seed Gonzaga and lost on a half court buzzer beating shot from Jalen Suggs in one of best shots in tournament history. The Bulldogs would lose to Baylor in the championship game.
NC State, 2024
The newest No. 11 seed to make the Final Four, NC State secured its trip after it needed to win the ACC tournament just to even make the tournament.
The Wolfpack beat Texas Tech in the first round and then took down No. 14 seed Oakland in the second round. In the Sweet 16, NC State beat No. 2 seed Marquette and then used a furious second half comeback to beat No. 4 seed Duke in the Elite Eight to secure the Final Four trip.
NC State will now try to be the first No. 11 seed to win a Final Four game, and make even more history as the first one to win a national championship. The Wolfpack will play Purdue in the Final Four.