Selection Sunday 2013: Top 25 Most Overrated Top Seeds in History

The NCAA tournament is where Cinderellas become alive, but it is also where projected favorites fall early.

This time of year is called "March Madness" because truly anything can happen in an exhilarating, one-game elimination tournament like this one.

While the upsets are always exciting, the results also show which teams really did not deserve a high seed to begin with.

These are the most overrated seeds in the history of the tournament. 

25. Syracuse, 2005

Only two years after winning the national championship, Syracuse was looking to contend once again behind Hakim Warrick and Gerry McNamara.

After winning the Big East Tournament, the committee rewarded the Orange with a respectable No. 4 seed.

This ended up being way too high, as the team fell in the first round to No. 13 Vermont. 

Amazingly, Syracuse went through the same routine the next year. However, the Orange only got a No. 5 seed after winning the conference tournament. 

24. Kansas, 2010

Kansas put together an impressive season in 2010, but it appeared that the squad had simply not faced good-enough competition.

In the second round, the No. 1 seed fell victim to Northern Iowa from the Missouri Valley Conference.

Ali Farokhmanesh hit a big shot late for the Panthers, and Kansas was sent home early like so many times before.

The Jayhawks have had some great seasons in their history, but they have also had quite a few disappointing performances, including 2010.

23. Duke, 2006

Duke seemed like the overwhelming favorite to win the 2006 NCAA tournament.

With J.J. Redick and Sheldon Williams on the roster, most analysts proclaimed that no one could beat the Blue Devils.

However, LSU had a different story, and the No. 4 seed upset the overall top seed in the Sweet 16. The All-American Redick was held to just 3-of-18 from the floor.

There were worse performances by No. 1 seeds, but few came in with such high expectations as this Duke team and failed so quickly. 

22. North Carolina, 1999

North Carolina was not the first or last No. 3 seed to lose to a No. 14 team.

However, a matchup between the Tar Heels and Weber State should typically be more of a blowout than an actual game. 

This was not the case in 1999, and the underdog was able to come away with a 76-74 victory.

Maybe the selection committee should have been paying attention to the 23-point drubbing that North Carolina took at the hands of Duke in the game before this contest. 

21. UCLA, 1996

In 1996, Princeton pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history, as the Tigers stunned defending-national-champion UCLA.

The No. 13 seed utilized its iconic Princeton offense to slow down the game and pick apart the Bruins with back-door cuts. 

While the win justified the Ivy League, it also showed that UCLA did not deserve the ranking. It seems that teams should not get a protected seed based on name or success in previous years.

20. Iowa, 2006

Iowa is not the first team you think about when discussing Big Ten powers, but a solid year in 2006 allowed the squad to earn a No. 3 seed.

However, the 4-7 road record came back to haunt the Hawkeyes as they were unable to advance past the first round in the NCAA tournament.

Northwestern State pulled off the victory with a clutch late shot, and then quickly faded into oblivion. 

19. North Carolina, 1994

With freshmen Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse on the roster to go along with a full host of talented players, North Carolina was expected to go far as the No. 1 seed in 1994.

Still, a six-loss team rarely gets selected as a top seed. This tournament proved that theory correct.

The Tar Heels were able to get past Liberty in the first round, but they fell to Boston College 75-72 in Round 2.

North Carolina has many more good years than bad ones, so it might be okay to let this one slide.

18. Vanderbilt, 2008

Vanderbilt was only a No. 4 seed in 2008, but this was one of the most misplaced seeds in a long time.

The Commodores had a 26-7 record on the season with a few impressive wins. Unfortunately, each of the seven losses took place on the road or on neutral courts.

This should have been a sign that they were very dependent on the home-court advantage.

In the tournament, they ended up facing No. 13 seed Siena, who absolutely tore apart the higher seed by a final score of 83-62. 

Considering how bad the score was, it is hard to not put Vanderbilt higher on this list. 

17. Tennessee, 2006

Few good teams have faded down the stretch worse than Tennessee in 2006.

After starting the year with a 19-3 record, the Volunteers lost four-of-six to enter the tournament. It was so bad that the No. 2 seed was becoming a regular upset pick in brackets across the country.

They survived the first round with a two-point victory over Winthrop, but Wichita State took care of business in the second round.

While this team was at least able win a game, this team was nowhere near worthy of being on the second line.  

16. Arizona, 2000

Only three years removed from its national championship win, Arizona had been named a No. 1 seed in the 2000 tournament. 

After a 24-point win over No. 16 seed Jackson State, everything seemed like it was going according to plan.

However, the Wildcats were unable to even reach the Sweet 16 as Wisconsin pulled the 66-59 upset.

Gilbert Arenas and company simply did not live up to the status of a No. 1 seed.

15. Pittsburgh, 2011

It is tough to punish a team based on the school's history in March Madness, but that is what should have happened to Pittsburgh in 2011.

The Panthers had gotten into a habit of early exits, and this No. 1-seeded team continued the trend.

After two fouls in the final two seconds, Butler pulled off the upset in the second round, eliminating Pittsburgh much earlier than anticipated.

Of course, the Bulldogs eventually went to their second consecutive national title game, so it is possible Pittsburgh was just unlucky with the seeding. 

14. Duke, 2002

Like in 2006 and many other years before and after, Duke came into the NCAA tournament as favorites to win it all.

Like in 2006 and many other years before and after, Duke failed to live up to expectations.

The team with Jay Williams and Carlos Boozer fell to Indiana in the Sweet 16, as the Blue Devils were unable to win a second tournament in a row.

Although Mike Krzyzewski has plenty of early exits in the tournament, the upsets are a testament to how many times he has been able to bring his teams to being one of the top seeds almost every year.

13. Indiana, 1986

Before winning the national championship in 1987, Bobby Knight had to deal with some disappointment in his 1986 team.

Well, a lot of disappointment.

Indiana became one of the first three-seeds to lose in the first round of the tournament, losing to Cleveland State 83-79. 

Amazingly, the Vikings were then able to reach the Sweet 16 with a win over St. Joseph's. Still, Indiana was probably not too happy. 

12. Notre Dame, 1986

While Indiana was losing to No. 14 Cleveland State, Notre Dame was sharing the struggles of its in-state rival.

Behind coach Digger Phelps, the Fighting Irish lost 90-83 to Little Rock.

Before this tournament, a No. 3 seed had never lost in the first round. In 1986, it happened twice to two teams that knew each other well. 

11. LSU, 1985

In 1985, LSU became the first No. 4 seed to lose in the first round.

To make matters worse, the 78-55 rout was the worst loss a No. 4 seed has ever suffered in the tournament, as Navy seemed like the far superior team.

One year later, LSU made a miraculous run to the tournament as an 11th seed, so it appears the Tigers just did not know themselves well enough to play to their own potential. 

10. Cincinnati, 2000

This tournament forced the selection committee to reconsider the entire seeding process.

Cincinnati was one of the top teams in the country behind All-American Kenyon Martin. Unfortunately, Martin broke his leg late in the year and was unable to play in the tournament.

On Selection Sunday, Cincinnati was named as a No. 2 seed. This angered head coach Bob Huggins, who thought they should be on the top line.

Even the second seed ended up being too generous, though, as the squad fell to No. 7 Tulsa in the second round.

Without Martin, this team was simply nowhere near as good.

9. Georgetown, 2010

Georgetown had an up-and-down year in 2010 and ended up with only a 10-8 record in the Big East.

Still, the Hoyas were given a No. 3 seed and were picked by many to go deep in the tournament.

This was a mistake.

Ohio not only pulled off the upset but also completely dominated Georgetown, winning 97-83. Few people watching the game could have guessed which was the higher-ranked team.

It should not have been the Hoyas. 

8. Stanford, 2000

The 2000 NCAA tournament truly exemplified March Madness. 

By the Sweet 16, only two No. 1 seeds and one No. 2 seed remained. Michigan State was the only top seed to even reach the Elite Eight.

Stanford was one of those squads that fell apart early, dropping the second-round contest to North Carolina, scoring only 53 points in the loss.

Even Jason and Jarron Collins could not help this squad. 

7. Kentucky, 2004

Throughout the 2004 season, Kentucky was solid but relatively unspectacular.

Most of the headlines in this season went to the impressive run of St. Joseph's and the talented team at Duke.

However, it was the Wildcats that were given the first-ever top overall seed, as the tournament was looking to plan ahead for the Final Four.

That ended up being incredibly unnecessary as Kentucky did not even reach the Sweet 16, losing to UAB 76-75 in the second round. 

This probably made the committee rethink the new rule change. 

6. Arizona, 1993

If you are listed as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, it usually means you put together a pretty good season.

However, losing in the first round ruins any sort of good feeling that was built up.

In 1993, Arizona became only the second team in history to lose to a No. 15 seed.

Of course, the Wildcats get a little bit of a pass because they were beaten by a little-known young point guard named Steve Nash. 

5. Iowa State, 2001

Behind Big 12 Player of the Year Jamaal Tinsley, Iowa State had one of its best seasons in program history in 2001, winning the conference regular-season title.

Scoring only 49 points in a loss to Kansas in the Big 12 tournament could have been eye-opening, but the Cyclones remained a No. 2 seed in the tournament. 

However, that did not last long and Iowa State became the first team in four years to lose to a No. 15 seed, as Hampton pulled off the 58-57 upset.

Iowa State has not been all that noteworthy since. 

4. Missouri, 2012

With a 30-4 record, a Big 12 tournament title and a senior-loaded roster, many expected Missouri to be a sleeper in the 2012 tournament.

However, the team had major faults that had been overlooked, most notably its inability to rebound.

That ended up hurting in the first round when Kyle O'Quinn and Norfolk State got red-hot from three and out-rebounded Mizzou to help the team win 86-84.

Missouri ended up being the first No. 2 seed in 11 years to lose in the first round. Of course, they got company very quickly...

3. Duke, 2012

Mere hours after Norfolk State pulled off the biggest upset in years over Missouri, Lehigh did the same thing to Duke.

Without Ryan Kelly, the Blue Devils struggled at both rebounding and three-point shooting. This is the type of injury that likely would have hurt the seed if it was more widely known.

Still, this game remains a low-point in an otherwise proud history for Duke. 

2. Syracuse, 1991

In the five years prior to this game, No. 4 seeds and No. 3 seeds had started to lose in the first round. 

However, it was almost unfathomable for a No. 2 seed to lose to a No. 15 in the NCAA tournament.

That was until Richmond pulled off one of the biggest upsets to date by winning 73-69 over the Orange.

That 1991 Syracuse squad likely cannot wait (secretly, of course) for a No. 1 seed to lose to help people forget about this embarrassment.

1. South Carolina, 1997

South Carolina was a No. 2 seed that lost to No. 15-seeded Coppin State. 

What makes this the worst out of the six teams to suffer the same fate? The score.

Coppin State earned a 78-65 victory, the only time in history that this matchup has led to a double-digit defeat by the higher seed.

The Gamecocks had a few big wins that season, but the same team lost by double digits four different times during the year. It seems the committee really gave them much more credit than they deserved.

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