National Championship Tidbits

Connecticut 76 San Diego State 59

Connecticut wins their 5th National Championship which is tied for 4th all-time with Duke and Indiana. Only UCLA (11), Kentucky (8) and North Carolina (6) have more.

Connecticut is 5-0 in National Championship Games.  That is the most wins without a loss in tournament history.  Louisville is 2nd at 3-0.

Connecticut has won 5 Championships since 1999.  Most by any other team is 3 (North Carolina, Duke)

Connecticut wins a championship in the 4th different decade.  Only Kentucky and North Carolina have won in more decades with 5.  Kansas and Indiana also have titles in 4 different decades.

Connecticut has won a Championship as 5 different seeds (#1, #2, #3, #4, #7).  Most by any other team is Villanova with 3 (#1, #2, #8)

Connecticut joins 1990 UNLV and 2019 Virginia as the only teams to win a National Championship without defeating a #1 or #2 seed in the tournament.

Connecticut joins 2011 Connecticut team as only the second team to win a National Championship without being a #1 seed or defeating a #1 seed in the tournament.

Connecticut joins 1997 Arizona as the only #4 seeds to win a National Championship.

Connecticut has won 7 straight games against #5 seeds including 3 wins in this tournament.

Dan Hurley becomes the first coach since Kevin Ollie (2014-Connecticut) to win the National Championship in the same tournament that he won his first tournament game.  Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams, Hurley, Ollie and Steve Fisher (1989-Michigan) are the only coaches to do so.

Connecticut becomes the 5th team to win the National Championship by winning all six of their tournament games by double digits.  The others are:

• 2000 Michigan State
• 2001 Duke
• 2009 North Carolina
• 2018 Villanova
• 2023 Connecticut

Connecticut's margin of victory in their six games is 120.  It is the 4th largest margin of victory in tournament history for a champion:

• 1996 Kentucky - 129
• 2016 Villanova - 124
• 2009 North Carolina - 121
• 2023 Connecticut - 120
• 1990 UNLV - 112

Connecticut's 17-point margin of victory is tied for the 9th largest win in a National Championship Game in tournament history.

Big East has won 8 straight National Championship Games and is 10-5 overall.  Last loss was 1996 when Kentucky defeated Syracuse.

Connecticut is 2-0 vs. San Diego State in the tournament.  They also defeated San Diego State in the 2011 Sweet Sixteen.

Big East is 9-2 all-time against the Mountain West in the tournament.

Arkansas defeated the defending Champion (Kansas) and lost to the eventual Champion (Connecticut).  It was the 2nd consecutive year that happened.  North Carolina defeated Baylor and lost to Kansas last year.  It is the 3rd time in tournament history it has happened in back-to-back years.

San Diego State is 0-3 vs. #4 seeds in the tournament.