History of No. 5 vs. No. 12 in NCAA Tournament

The 12-seed vs. 5-seed matchup has emerged as one of the more interesting March Madness matchups since the tournament expanded in 1985.

There have been 12 upsets in No. 12 vs No. 5 games since 2014. The most recent arrived in 2022 when New Mexico State defeated UConn 70-63.

Wisconsin enters this year’s tournament as a No. 5 seed with a first-round matchup against James Madison. Although the Badgers are favored by 5.5 points, the history behind 12-5 matches in March Madness cannot be understated. 

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In 2019, the Badgers dropped their opening game of the tournament to No. 12 Oregon 72-54. The same year, future NBA All-Star Ja Morant dropped a triple-double for 12-seeded Murray State en route to a 83-64 victory over 5-seed Marquette.

Here is a quick overview of all the essentials you need to know for the iconic 12-5 matchup. It doesn’t mean great things for the Badgers.

Facts:

• Since 1985, 12-seeds have defeated 5-seeds 53 times. Ahead of 2024’s tournament, the lower seed boasted a 53-99 mark (34.87 win percentage) 
• In 32 of the last 38 years, the 12-seed stole at least one first round game.
• Other 12-5 games featuring Wisconsin:
  • 2009: Wisconsin defeats No. 5 Florida State 61-59
  • 2013: Ole Miss defeats No. 5 Wisconsin 57-46

All-time seed-seed records: first round

• 1 vs. 16: 150-2
• 2 vs. 15: 141-11
• 3 vs. 14: 130-22
• 4 vs. 13: 120-32
• 6 vs. 11: 94-58
• 7 vs. 10: 92-59
• 8 vs 9: 74-78