Teams will battle in the Round of 32 on Saturday and Sunday to see who advances to the second weekend of March Madness. The winners will be one step closer to achieving their dream: winning a national championship.
The Round of 32 is where the madness continues. Over the years, we have seen No. 1 seeds toppled by an 8 or 9 seed in the second round. We have seen double-digit seeds do the unthinkable and establish themselves as a “Cinderella story” after advancing to the second weekend — like No. 15 Oral Roberts last year.
Let’s look at some of the data that can walk you through the Round of 32.
Round of 32 Data
The upsets keep on coming in the second round, and the trends reflect that. Here is some of the data in the Round of 32 that will help you in the second round of your brackets.
While these could be the most useful pieces of data for the Round of 32, there’s plenty of more helpful data:
- The winner of the Pac-12 Tournament has won multiple games in 7 of the past 8 tournaments.
- Even the improbable No. 12 seed Oregon State did this last season, advancing to the Elite 8.
- In the Round of 32, an average of 3.7 upsets happen in this round.
- Since 2000, an average of 6.1 teams with a seed of 4 or higher lose before the Sweet 16.
- In the last 21 tournaments, 10 teams with a 4 seed or higher losing before the Sweet 16 has never happened. The most were 9 teams in 2000, 2018, 2021.
- Since 2000, the fewest 4 seeds or higher to lose before the Sweet 16 was 2 in 2009 and ’19.
- Since 2011, a game consisting of two double-digit seeds has happened in the second round in 8 of 10 tournaments.
- Pick no more than one double-digit matchup in the second round; two double-digit matchups within the same tournament has happened only twice since 2000.
- A 12 vs. 13 matchup has been the most common, it has been 4 of the last 8 double-digit games in the second round. An 11 vs. 14 game has been 3 of the last 8, and 10 vs. 15 has happened once since 2011.
- In the last 5 tournaments, there has been a 2 vs. 10 and a 3 vs. 11 game within the second round in every tournament.
That wraps it up for data to use when filling out the Round of 32 in your brackets.
Once again, several tidbits are extremely useful for working through brackets. For example, the statistics on teams with a 4 seed or higher losing before the Sweet 16 gives a real picture of how many upsets must happen early on. Also, having a No. 1 seed losing in the Round of 32 is another potential game-changer if you hit the right pick.
Using every piece of data can be overwhelming and unrealistic for some, so choose what feels the most useful for you. Either way, this data will help you feel more comfortable with your bracket in the end. It’s all about consistency with brackets, and the data delivers just that.
Don’t forget to look over the data for the Sweet 16!
