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5. An 11 seed has beaten a 6 seed in 20 straight years
Last year it was Drake over Missouri. In 2024, it happened three times with Duquesne over BYU, Oregon over South Carolina, and NC State over Texas Tech. In 2023, Pittsburgh upset Iowa State, and in 2022, there were three more instances with Michigan beating Colorado State, Iowa State beating LSU, and Notre Dame beating Alabama.
The point here is that it happens all the time. There have been 62 No. 11 seeds to win their opening-round matchup against a 6 seed since 1985, for a 38.75% winning percentage. That number is a lot closer to 50/50 than it should be, and it shows just how common this upset really is.
Look for USF to ignore the “11 seed” label and come ready to play.