Has an 11 seed made the Final Four? Taking a closer look at previous March Madness records

Everyone loves to rally around the underdog especially when a lower-ranked team marches to the Final Four.

There have been Cinderella stories in March Madness wherein a longshot squad suddenly catches fire and tears down the tournament, ruining fans' brackets.Among the pairings fans should look upon is the No. 11 seed.

The 11-vs-6 pairing has the third-best chance of causing an upset, as 58 11-seed teams have gone through the next round in 152 tries.

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Has a No. 11 seed team made the Final Four?

The 2020-21 UCLA Bruins were three points away from making the final but Gonzaga held them off in overtime.

There were five teams who started March Madness at No. 11 and came close to making it to the NCAA championship. Here's the list of 11th-seeded teams that made the Final Four.

#1 UCLA Bruins (2021)

This UCLA team is very special, as it began as a First Four team and ran past their foes to the Final Four.

The Johnny Juzang-led squad came from behind to beat Michigan State in the First Four and won their next three games against BYU, Abilene Christian and Alabama in double digits.

The Bruins made it to the Final Four by holding Michigan to zero field goals en route a 51-49 win in the Elite Eight. They lost to Gonzaga in overtime in the Final Four.

#2 Loyola Chicago (2018)

Loyola Chicago's Cinderella run began when Donte Ingram buried a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to edge Miami, 64-62, in the first round. The Ramblers would again need another miracle in the Round of 32 to beat Tennessee, 63-62, as Clayton Custer hit the go-ahead jumper.

Loyola Chicago made the Elite Eight with a one-point win over Nevada and easily beat Kansas State to make it to the Final Four. Unfortunately, the Ramblers ran out of magic, as they were stopped by Michigan, 69-57.

#3 VCU (2011)

Like UCLA, VCU began March Madness as a First Four entrant. They beat USC, Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State to seal an Elite Eight meeting with top seed Kansas.

The Rams, powered by Jamie Skeen's 26 points, ran past the Jayhawks, 71-61, to secure a Final Four berth. They fell to No. 8 seed Butler in the Final Four.

#4 George Mason (2006)

The Patriots almost didn't make it to the 2006 Tournament, but the selection committee decided to give them at-large bid, and they took advantage of it. They surprised Michigan State in the first round and stunned North Carolina in the second.

George Mason made it to the Elite Eight, as they outplayed Wichita State and set up a meeting with top seed UConn. Five players scored in double-figures for the Patriots, which was enough to upset the Huskies in overtime and claim a Final Four slot.

Unfortunately, George Mason's run was halted by the surging Florida squad composed of Al Horford and Joakim Noah.

#5 LSU (1986)

The Tigers secured a slot in the NCAA Tournament despite winning 50% of its games in the SEC. They proved critics wrong when they demolished Purdue in the first round.

They edged Memphis and beat Georgia Tech in the next two rounds to set up a meeting with Kentucky, who beat them three times that year. LSU finally ended its losing skid to the Wildcats, winning the Elite Eight meeting by two points.

However, the Tigers' run was halted in the Final Four by Louisville, who eventually won the 1986 championship. Four teams will try to follow the magical runs of these five as their campaigns begin on Mar. 21 with the Round of 64.

Here's a look at this year's No. 11 seeds for March Madness games

• No. 11 Duquesne (24-11) takes on No. 6 BYU (23-10) in the East Region
• No. 11 New Mexico (26-9) takes on No. 6 Clemson (21-11) in the West Region
• No. 11 NC State (22-14) takes on No. 6 Texas Tech (23-10) in the South Region
• No. 11 Oregon (23-11) takes on No. 6 South Carolina (26-7) in the Midwest Region

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Full bracket and schedule for March Madness 2024

Here's a look at the 68-team bracket for March Madness this year, including TV schedule (all timings are in ET):

Tuesday, March 19 (First Four in Dayton, Ohio)

• (16) Wagner vs. (16) Howard | 6:40 p.m. | truTV
• (10) Colorado State vs. (10) Virginia | 9:10 p.m. | truTV

Wednesday, March 20 (First Four in Dayton, Ohio)

• (16) Grambling vs. (16) Montana State | 6:40 p.m. | truTV
• (10) Colorado vs. (10) Boise State | 9:10 p.m. | truTV

Thursday, March 21 (Round of 64)

• (8) Mississippi State vs. (9) Michigan State | 12:15 p.m. | CBS
• (6) BYU vs. (11) Duquesne | 12:40 p.m. | truTV
• (3) Creighton vs. (14) Akron | 1:30 p.m. | TNT
• (2) Arizona vs. (15) Long Beach State | 2 p.m. | TBS
• (1) North Carolina vs. (16) Howard/(16) Wagner | 2:45 p.m. | CBS
• (3) Illinois vs. (14) Morehead State | 3:10 p.m. | truTV
• (6) South Carolina vs. (11) Oregon | 4 p.m. | TNT
• (7) Dayton vs. (10) Nevada | 4:30 p.m. | TBS
• (7) Texas vs. (10) Colorado State/(10) Virginia | 6:50 p.m. | TNT
• (3) Kentucky vs. (14) Oakland | 7:10 p.m. | CBS
• (5) Gonzaga vs. (12) McNeese | 7:25 p.m. | TBS
• (2) Iowa State vs. (15) South Dakota State | 7:35 p.m. | truTV
• (2) Tennessee vs. (15) Saint Peter's | 9:20 p.m. | TNT
• (6) Texas Tech vs. (11) NC State | 9:40 p.m. | CBS
• (4) Kansas vs. (13) Samford | 9:55 p.m. | TBS
• (7) Washington State vs. (10) Drake | 10:05 p.m. | truTV

Friday, March 22 (Round of 64)

• (8) Florida Atlantic vs. (9) Northwestern | 12:15 p.m. | CBS
• (3) Baylor vs. (14) Colgate | 12:40 p.m. | truTV
• (5) San Diego State vs. (12) UAB | 1:45 p.m. | TNT
• (2) Marquette vs. (15) Western Kentucky | 2 p.m. | TBS
• (1) UConn vs. (16) Stetson | 2:45 p.m. | CBS
• (6) Clemson vs. (11) New Mexico | 3:10 p.m. | truTV
• (4) Auburn vs. (13) Yale | 4:15 p.m. | TNT
• (7) Florida vs. (10) Colorado/(10) Boise State | 4:30 p.m. | TBS
• (8) Nebraska vs. (9) Texas A&M | 6:50 p.m. | TNT
• (4) Duke vs. (13) Vermont | 7:10 p.m. | CBS
• (1) Purdue vs. (16) Grambling/Montana State | 7:25 p.m. | TBS
• (4) Alabama vs. (13) College of Charleston | 7:35 p.m. | truTV
• (1) Houston vs. (16) Longwood | 9:20 p.m. | TNT
• (5) Wisconsin vs. (12) James Madison | 9:40 p.m. | CBS
• (8) Utah State vs. (9) TCU | 9:55 p.m. | TBS
• (5) Saint Mary's vs. (12) Grand Canyon | 10:05 p.m. | truTV

The Sweet 16 will be held on Mar. 28-29, followed by the Elite Eight from Mar. 30-31. The Final Four is on Apr. 6, and the NCAA championship game will occur on Apr. 8.