It’s un-American to root for the chalk in the NCAA tournament, but it was the right thing to do last year, as all 4 #1 seeds got to the Final Four for the first time ever.   And that was less of a one-year anomoly than you think. Picking the higher ranked teams in your bracket is usually the right thing to do as well.

Just because the #1 seeds hadn’t filled out the entire Final Four before doesn’t mean that they haven’t performed remarkably well.  Indeed, the #1 seeds are #1’s for a reason, because they deserve the seeding.  #2’s have proven themselves worthy as well.

Over the past 18 years 49 of the 72 Final Four teams have been either a #1 seed or a #2 seed.  That’s a healthy 68% of the Final Four slots being filled by #1’s and #2’s.  33 have been #1’s and 16 have been #2 seeds. 

From a percentage standpoint that translates to 45.8% of #1 seeds making the Final Four and 22.2% of #2 seeds doing so.

And the numbers are similar when it comes to who hoists the hardware.  Each of the last 18 NCAA champions have been a top 4 seed.  12 #1’s, 3 #2’s, 2 #3’s, and a single #4 have earned titles.

Power conference teams have proven to dominate the tournament.  When Memphis made it last year the Tigers were only the 4th non-power conference team since the iconic UNLV outfits in 1990 and 1991 to earn a Final Four appearance.  Memphis joined George Mason (2006), Utah (1998), and UMass (1996) as the only teams not currently in the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 10, or ACC to make the Final Four since Tark’s heyday.  And while Memphis isn’t in a BCS Conference, the Tiger program has all the advantages of a major conference program as far as funding, fan support, coaching, and a sleazy network of AAU coaches and street agents top-notch recruiting.

Cinderellas make for great stories each March.  But they ordinarily fade away after a win or two. Power conference teams who have proven themselves enough to nab a top seeding are the ones who earn the title of Lords of the Big Dance.