Who was the lowest seed to win the ACC Women's Basketball Tournament

With the women's 2024 ACC Tournament in full swing, we’ve seen the good, the bad, and the shocking. It’s common during this time of the year to expect the unexpected in every round of the Big Dance and conference tourney time. 

Since 1978, nine different champions have hoisted the trophy, with a No. 1 seed taking the hardware 25 times over. In the last 10 years alone, a No. 1, 2, or 3 seed has taken the bragging rights for the tournament title.

It’s expected to see the player at the top of the food chain secure the title when all is said and done, but what about the underdogs? Since the tournament’s inception, there have been two lower seeds to win it all. 

Lowest seed to win women's ACC Tournament in history

The lowest seed to win the women's ACC Tournament is the No. 5 seed, which has happened twice, but not in the past three-plus decades.

The first No. 5 seed to win the ACC Tournament was the 1984 North Carolina Tar Heels

While “When Doves Cry” was at the top of the Hot 100, and Synthesizers were all the rage, 1984 was four decades from this year. While the Tar Heels saw an early exit in 2024, they shook tables in 1984 when the women’s team had a notable campaign in the ACC Tournament. Under the guidance of Jennifer Alley and led by notables such as Tresa Brown and Pam Leake, UNC toted a 24-8 record and a 9-5 conference record. 

After a single-game-high 41 points from Brown against Fairleigh Dickinson and a team-high of 60 rebounds over East Carolina, the Tar Heels entered the ACC tournament as a No. 5 seed. Despite this minor setback, fans likely expected them to be booted out within the first or second round. However, they went against all odds to cruise past Clemson and Virginia before securing the 99-76 dub over NC State. 

The Tar Heels would be the lowest seed to secure an ACC Tournament title and finished the year with a team average of 76 points per game, averaging a field goal percentage of 48.5 and rebounding 40.5 boards per game.

As for the most recent No. 5 seed to win the ACC Tournament, that distinction belongs to the 1986 Maryland Terrapins.

Once upon a time, Maryland wasn’t always a Big Ten school. They were in a more regionally appropriate conference in the ACC. With a 6-8 conference record, the Terrapins weren’t the highest-ranking seed that season, and a regular season record of 17-13 would make any fan believe that it just wasn’t their year. But little did we know they would end up with an ACC trophy come championship time. 

With Maryland collecting a dominant 77-55 win over NC State and a 92-68 victory over Virginia, Maryland was shocking the conference in the tournament. They then went on to take on UNC, who was the No. 2 seed entering tournament play. The matchup turned to the favor of the Terrapins, who upset the Tar Heels with a 90-74 win to get a shoe into the Big Dance. Though they fell to Ohio State, the Terrapins would be the last seed over No. 3 to take an ACC Victory.