Elite No. 8: The lowest seed to ever win the NCAA Championship

Everybody loves a Cinderella story.

Seasoned March Madness fans know to have at least a few upsets in their bracket. It's generally safe to pick them early on -- a 10 seed over the 7, the occasional 12 seed over a 5 -- but as the tournament goes on, those selections become riskier and riskier.

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Sometimes, those risks pay off and get you an extra few points in your bracket. Once in a blue moon (read: once in history) an 8-seed wins the whole darn thing and the gamble really pays off.

The No. 8 seed Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team took home the NCAA Championship in 1985 and became the lowest seed ever to do so -- in the men's or women's tournament. They defeated No. 1 seeded Georgetown in the final game, and tackled plenty of other high seeds on their way to the top.

The championship was even more impressive since 1985 was the first ever tournament to include 64 teams after years of incremental expansion.

Villanova's first opponent in the bracket was the only seed they faced lower than themselves: No. 9 Dayton. The Wildcats came out on top, 51-49.

The next task was taking down Michigan, the No. 1 seed in the Southeast region that year. After winning that game 59-55, Villanova defeated No. 5 seeded Maryland to earn a trip to the Elite Eight. The Wildcats beat North Carolina there by a score of 56-44 to move on to the coveted Final Four.

The 1985 Final Four was comprised of two No. 1 seeds (Georgetown and St. John's, New York), a No. 2 seed (Memphis) and, of course, No. 8 seed Villanova. Georgetown handled St. John's 77-59 and Cinderella Villanova defeated Memphis 52-45 to earn their spots the championship game.

Villanova suffered two losses at the hands of Georgetown already that season, by scores of 52-50 and 57-50. It was time for the Wildcats to get revenge.

On April 1, 1985, the Villanova Wildcats and Georgetown Hoyas met in Lexington, Kentucky before 23,124 fans who ended up being witnesses to history.

During the game, Villanova posted the highest field goal percentage in the history of the Final Four, hitting over 78% of their shots. Senior Dwayne McClain put up 17 points and was the night's leading scorer as the Wildcats defeated the Hoyas 66-64. The monumental victory was also Villanova's first NCAA Championship ever.

Since Villanova's 1985 win, only two 8-seeds have returned to the championship game: the 2011 Butler Bulldogs and the 2014 Kentucky Wildcats.

Villanova made it back to the big game last year and once again took home the crown -- though they made it as a No. 2 seed that time around.

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