Elite Eight
In the NCAA men's Division I basketball championship or the NCAA women's Division I basketball championship, the "Elite Eight" comprises the final eight teams, representing the regional finals, or national quarterfinals. In Division I and Division III, the Elite Eight consists of the two teams in each of the four regional championship games. The winners advance to the Final Four. Since 1997, when the NCAA trademarked the phrase, in Division II, the Elite Eight consists of the eight winners of the eight Division II regions. Like the Division I Final Four, the Division II Elite Eight games are all held in one predetermined location.
In the men's Division I, the lowest-seeded team ever to reach this round in the modern 64-team tournament era is No. 15 seed Saint Peter's University in 2022.
Two No. 12 seeds have advanced to the Elite Eight: Missouri in 2002, and the Oregon State Beavers in 2021.
Ten No. 11 seeds have advanced to the Elite Eight: LSU, Loyola Marymount, Temple, George Mason, Virginia Commonwealth, Dayton, Xavier, Loyola Chicago, UCLA, and North Carolina State. There have only been four seasons where two double-digit-seeded teams have made it to the Elite Eight: 1990 ; 2002 ; 2021, where both were from the same conference ; and 2022.
On average, three of the four No. 1 seeds make it to the Elite Eight each year. There has only been one occurrence in history in which no No. 1 seeds made the Elite Eight. In men's play, the Elite Eight exists intact for less than 24 hours between the second Friday evening and the following Saturday afternoon of the tournament. The Elite Eight also represents the halfway mark of the men's tournament since each qualifying team must win three rounds to reach the national quarterfinals, with three rounds remaining to reach and win the national championship game.
Like "March Madness," the phrase "Elite Eight" originally referred to the Illinois High School Boys Basketball Championship, the single-elimination high school basketball tournament run by the Illinois High School Association. When the IHSA finals were reduced from sixteen to eight teams in 1956, a replacement nickname for Sweet Sixteen was needed, and Elite Eight won popular favor. The IHSA trademarked the term in 1995; the trademark rights are now held by the March Madness Athletic Association, a joint venture between the NCAA and IHSA formed after a 1996 court case allowed both organizations to use "March Madness" for their own tournaments.
The Elite Eight can also refer to the eight NCAA Division I baseball teams that reach the College World Series.
In addition, the term is often colloquially used to denote quarterfinalists in the four major North American professional sports; i.e., the teams that reach the American League Division Series and the National League Division Series in Major League Baseball, the Divisional Playoffs in either conference of the National Football League, and the conference semi-finals in the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League.
NCAA men's Division I tournament
- During the first 12 years of the tournament only eight teams competed, meaning every team that qualified in those years was an automatic "Elite Eight" team.
- Idaho State stunned UCLA to reach the Elite Eight in the 32-team 1977 NCAA Tournament, ending the Bruins' streak of consecutive Final Four appearances at 10, dating back to the John Wooden era.
- Between the beginning of traditional seeding in 1979 and the expansion of the tournament to 64 teams in 1985, four teams seeded No. 9 or lower advanced to the Elite Eight: No. 9 Penn and No. 10 St. John's in the 40-team 1979 edition, No. 9 Saint Joseph's in the 48-team 1981 tournament, and No. 10 Dayton in the 53-team 1984 tournament.
Double-digit seeds to reach the Men's Elite Eight (since 1985)
10 seeds
Six teams seeded No. 10 have reached the regional final round with two advancing to the Final Four.| Year | Team | Notes |
| 1997 | Providence | First 10 seed to advance to Elite Eight in 64-team field; lost to eventual National champion Arizona, 96–92 in OT. |
| 1999 | Gonzaga | Lost to eventual National champion UConn, 67–62 |
| 2002 | Kent State | First time two double-digit seeds reached the Elite Eight in the same tournament |
| 2008 | Davidson | Stephen Curry propelled the Wildcats to a near upset of eventual National champion Kansas. |
| 2016 | Syracuse | |
| 2022 | Miami | Head coach Jim Larrañaga was the first to take two double-digit-seeded teams to the Elite Eight under different schools |
11 seeds
A total of ten teams seeded No. 11 have reached the Elite Eight more than all other double-digit seeds combined. Six advanced to the Final Four.| Year | Team | Notes |
| 1986 | LSU | First double-digit seed to advance to Elite Eight in 64-team field and first double-digit seed to reach Final Four |
| 1990 | Loyola Marymount | One of the team's stars, Hank Gathers, collapsed and died on the court during the WCC Tournament, and teammates honored Gathers during the tournament. Lost to eventual National champion UNLV. |
| 2001 | Temple | Finished the 2001 regular season on a remarkable run, winning the Atlantic 10 tournament behind play of Lynn Greer before succumbing to Michigan State. |
| 2006 | George Mason | First 11 seed to advance to the Final Four since 1986, after defeating 1 seed UConn in overtime in the Elite Eight |
| 2011 | Virginia Commonwealth | The first "First Four" team to advance to the Elite Eight and Final Four |
| 2014 | Dayton | |
| 2017 | Xavier | |
| 2018 | Loyola–Chicago | Reached the Final Four |
| 2021 | UCLA Bruins | The second First Four team to advance to the Final Four |
| 2024 | NC State Wolfpack | The program's first Final Four since capturing the 1983 National championship |
12 seeds
Two twelve seeds have reached the regional final round. Neither advanced to the Final Four.| Year | Team | Notes |
| 2002 | Missouri | First 12 seed to advance to Elite Eight |
| 2021 | Oregon State |