Round of 64 Tidbits - Thursday Afternoon

#7 Dayton 63 #10 Nevada 60

Dayton wins their first tournament game since 2015 (66-53 over Providence in Round of 64)

Nevada has lost their last 4 tournament games.  Their last win was in 2018.  It is their longest tournament losing streak in school history.

#11 Oregon 87 #6 South Carolina 73

Oregon wins their first tournament game since 2021 (95-80 over Iowa in the Round of 32)

Oregon’s win is their first tournament win against an SEC team.  They are 1-2 vs the SEC.

Oregon has won their last seven Round of 64 games dating back to 2013.

South Carolina is 1-5in the Round of 64.  Their only win was in 2017 when they went to the Final Four.  Three oh the five losses are as the higher seed.

#3 Illinois 85 #14 Morehead State 69

Illinois wins first tournament game since 2022 (54-53 over Chattanooga in Round of 64)

Morehead State's last tournament win was in 2011 (62-61 over Louisville in Round of 64)

#1 North Carolina 90 #16 Wagner 62

North Carolina wins their first tournament game since 2022 (81-77 over Duke in Final Four)

North Carolina is 35-2 playing in the state of North Carolina.  Had won 30 straight before losing to Texas A&M 86-65 in 2018 Round of 32.

ACC is 6-0 vs. the Northeast Conference in the tournament

#2  Arizona 85 #15 Long Beach State 65

Arizona wins their first tournament game since 2022 (85-80 over TCU in the Round of 32). 

Arizona has won 7 straight tournament game in Utah (Last loss was 66-59 to Wisconsin in 2000 Round of 32)

Arizona ended a 4-game tournament losing streak on Thursdays.

Long Beach State's last tournament win was in 1973 (84-80 over Arizona State in Regional Third Place Game)

Long Beach State has lost 6 straight tournament games

#3 Creighton 77 #14 Akron 60

Creighton is in the Round of 32 for the 4th straight tournament.  That is the longest streak in school history.

Creighton wins their 7th game of the decade, which ties them for 7th most with Miami, Florida.

Akron is still looking for their first tournament win.  They are 0-6 all-time.

#11 Duquesne 71 #6 Brigham Young 67

Duquesne wins their first tournament game since 1969 (75-72 over St. John's in Regional Third Place Game)

Keith Dambrot is the 4th Duquesne coach to win a tournament game.  This was his first tournament game as Duquesne's coach.

Duquesne is the 20th A-10 team to win a tournament game.

BYU has now lost 5 straight tournament games.  Their last tournament win was in 2012.

#9 Michigan State 69 #8 Mississippi State 51 

Michigan State advances to the Round of 32 for the 3rd straight tournament

Michigan State has won 10 straight tournament games against the SEC and 11-1 overall (The only loss was 52-49 to Kentucky in the 1978 Elite Eight)

Michigan State is 5-0 vs. #8 seeds (Only Kentucky is better at 7-0)

Mississippi State has now lost 5 straight tournament games.  Their last tournament win was in 2008.

First Four Tidbits - Wednesday

Grambling State 88 Montana State 81(OT)

Grambling State wins in their first ever tournament game.  They are the first team to win in their first tournament game since 2017, when both Northwestern and UC Davis both won in their first game.  

Grambling State is the 7th team to play their first tournament game in the First Four and win.

• 2001 - Northwestern State 71 Winthrop 67
• 2003 - UNC Asheville 92 Texas Southern 84
• 2005 - Oakland 79 Alabama A&M 69
• 2010 - Arkansas-Pine Bluff 61 Winthrop 44
• 2014 - Cal Poly 81 Texas Southern 69
• 2017 - UC Davis 67 North Carolina Central 63
• 2024 - Grambling State 88 Montana State 81

Montana State's loss is the 18th consecutive tournament loss for the Big Sky Conference.  It is the 3rd longest losing streak by a conference in tournament history.

• Northeast - 23 games (1983 to 2005)
• Ohio Valley - 20 games (1989 to 2008)
• Big Sky - 18 games (2006 to 2024)
• SWAC - 17 games (1993 to 2009)

Montana State's 81 points are the most they scored in six tournament games.  Their previous high was 74 vs. St. John's in the 1986 Round of 64.

This is the fifth overtime game in the First Four (started in 2011) and the second time the #16 seeds have played an overtime game.

• 2011 - UNC Asheville 81 Little Rock 77
• 2014 - Tennessee 78 Iowa 65
• 2021 - UCLA 86 Michigan State 80
• 2022 - Notre Dame 89 Rutgers 87 (2 OT)
• 2024 - Grambling State 88 Montana State 81

Colorado 60 Boise State 53

Colorado wins their first tournament game since 2021 when they defeated Georgetown 96-73 in the Round of 64.

Tad Boyle wins his 3rd tournament game as the coach of Colorado.  The 3rd win ties Bebe Lee and Sox Walseth for the most tournament wins in Colorado history.

Colorado's win is the Pac 12's fifth First Four win in its ninth First Four game. Both are tournament highs for at-large teams.

Boise State is now 0-10 in the NCAA Tournament.  It is the first school to lose its first 10 tournament games.

Boise State is the non-16 seed to lose 3 First Four games.  They are 0-3 in the First Four.

Boise State's 53 points are tied with the fewest points they have scored in 10 tournament games.  They also scored 53 points against Memphis in the 2022 Round of 64.

First Four Tidbits - Tuesday

Wagner 71 Howard 68

Wagner wins their 1st tournament game in their 2nd appearance with their 71-68 win over Howard.  They had previously lost to Pittsburgh 87-61 in the 2003 Round of 64.

With Fairleigh Dickinson winning 2 games in last year's tournament, this is the first time in tournament history that the Northeast Conference has won a tournament game in consecutive years.

Howard is now 0-4 in the NCAA Tournament.

Colorado State 67 Virginia 42

Colorado State wins their 1st tournament game since 2013 when they defeated Missouri 84-72 in the Round of 64.

Colorado State coach Niko Medved wins his first tournament game.  He is the 4th Colorado State coach to win an NCAA tournament game.

Colorado State's 25-point win is their largest margin of victory in 5 tournament wins.  Their previous high was 22 vs. Florida in the 1989 Round of 64.

Virginia's 42 points are the fewest that Colorado State has allowed in 17 tournament games.  Their previous low allowed was 46 vs. Florida in the 1989 Round of 64.

Virginia has lost three straight tournament games since winning the 2019 NCAA Tournament. They are the third team to ever lose their next three tournament games after losing the National Championship.  

• Wyoming lost their next 6 tournament games after winning the 1943 tournament.
• Utah lost their next 3 tournament games after winning the 1944 tournament.

Virginia has never won a tournament game when seeded #8 or worse.

Is 2024 East Regional the toughest in Tournament History?

UConn is the overall #1 seed in this year's tournament and the #1 team in the final AP Poll. Normally, that should give them the easiest road to the Final Four. However, further analysis might suggest that the committee not only gave UConn the toughest road to the Final Four this year, but maybe the toughest road in tournament history.

All Top 4 seeds in the East Regional won their conference Tournaments. Since 1985, that is only the 4th time that has happened.

1995 - There were 8 total tournament champions that received a Top 4 seed, with 4 in the East
#1 - Wake Forest (ACC) - AP #3
#2 - UMass (A10) - AP #7
#3 - Villanova (Big East) - AP #9
#4 - Oklahoma State (Big 8) - AP #14

2002 - There were 7 total tournament champions that received a Top 4 seed, with 4 in the West
#1 - Cincinnati (Conf USA) - AP #5
#2 - Oklahoma (Big 12) - AP #3
#3 - Arizona (Pac 10) - AP #7
#4 - Ohio State (Big 10) - AP #14

2006 - There were 7 total tournament champions that received a Top 4 seed, with 4 in the West
#1 - Memphis (Conf USA) - AP #4
#2 - UCLA (Pac 10) - AP #7
#3 - Gonzaga (WCC) - AP #5
#4 - Kansas (Big 12) - AP #12

2024 - There are 4 total tournament champions that received a Top 4 seed, with ALL 4 in the East
#1 - UConn (Big East) - AP #1
#2 - Iowa State (Big 12) - AP #4
#3 - Illinois (Big 10) - AP #7
#4 - Auburn (SEC) - AP #10

This is the first time in a 64+ team tournament that only one regional has had all of the Top four tournament champions. It is the only time that a regional that had all of the top four tournament champions ranked in the Top 10.

In terms of AP Ranking, the combined ranking of the East regional is the lowest in tournament history (since 1985 expansion), tied with the 2014 Midwest Regional.

#1 - Wichita State - AP #2
#2 - Michigan - AP #7
#3 - Duke - AP #8
#4 - Louisville - AP #5

Lastly, the NET has not been around for too long.  While it started in 2019, I was only able to find NET rankings for Selection Sunday since 2021.  

The NET ranking for the top 4 seeds in the East Regional are 

• UConn - #2
• Iowa State - #6
• Illinois - #13
• Auburn - #5

The sum of those rankings is 26.

Here is the sum of the rankings for all of the regionals for 2024:

• East 26
• West 36
• Midwest 40
• South 43

For the previous three seasons, here is the combined NET ranking for each regional for the Top 4 seeds:

2023

• West 26
• East 45
• South 54
• Midwest 60

2022

• East 32
• South 32
• West 42
• Midwest 73

2021

• West 30
• South 46
• East 57
• Midwest 61

This year's East Regional has the best NET rankings, tied with last year's West Regional, which coincidentally included UConn as the #4 seed.

Selection Sunday Tidbits

 New Teams

Every Tournament in history has had at least one new tournament team.  This year's new tournament teams are Stetson and Grambling State.

This will be the 7th time that Connecticut will be the opponent in a school's first tournament game.

• 1951 - St. John's 63 Connecticut 52 (Also Connecticut's first tournament game)
• 1956 - Connecticut 84 Manhattan 75
• 1957 - Syracuse 82 Connecticut 76
• 1959 - Boston 60 Connecticut 58
• 1976 - Connecticut 80 Hofstra 78
• 2006 - Connecticut 72 Albany 59
• 2024 - Connecticut vs. Stetson

New Coaches 

There are 8 coaches who are coaching in the tournament for the first time. 

• Mark Byington, James Madison
• Donald Copeland, Wagner
• Donte Jackson, Grambling State
• Donnie Jones, Stetson
• Matt Logie, Montana State
• Bashir Mason, Saint Peter's
• Bucky McMillan, Samford
• Kyle Smith, Washington State

Coach First Year with New Team 

Ten coaches have coached in the tournament but are making their first appearance with their current team.

• Keith Dambrot, Duquesne (2009, 2011, 2013 - Akron)
• Todd Golden, Florida (2022 - San Francisco)
• Anthony Grant, Dayton (2007, 2009 - VCU; 2012 - Alabama)
• Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska (2012-15 - Iowa State)
• Steve Lutz, Western Kentucky (2022-23 - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi)
• Grant McCasland, Texas Tech (2021 - North Texas)
• Lamont Paris, South Carolina (2022 - Chattanooga)
• Richard Pitino, New Mexico (2017, 2019 - Minnesota)
• Danny Sprinkle, Utah State (2022-23 - Montana State)
• Will Wade, McNeese (2016-17 - VCU; 2021 - LSU)

Consecutive Tournaments

• Kansas 34
• Michigan State 26
• Gonzaga 25
• Purdue 9
• Houston 6
• Tennessee 6
• Baylor 5
• Colgate 5
• Alabama 4
• Connecticut 4
• Creighton 4
• Illinois 4
• San Diego State 4
• Texas 4
• Arizona 3
• Auburn 3
• Boise State 3
• Duke 3
• Iowa State 3
• Kentucky 3
• Marquette 3
• Montana State 3
• Saint Mary's 3
• TCU 3
• Vermont 3

Consecutive Appearances Snapped

• Iowa 4
• Arkansas 3
• Southern California 3
• Texas Southern 3
• UCLA 3
• Indiana 2
• Memphis 2
• Miami, Fla 2
• Providence 2
• Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 2

Top 10 Longest Droughts Broken

• Duquesne 1977
• Samford 2000
• McNeese 2002
• Wagner 2003
• Washington State 2008
• Oakland 2011
• Long Beach State 2012
• James Madison 2013
• Western Kentucky 2013
• Nebraska 2014
• New Mexico 2014

Consecutive Top 4 Seeds

• #4 Kansas 23
• #1 Purdue 7
• #3 Baylor 4
• #2 Arizona 3
• #2 Tennessee 3
• #4 Alabama 2
• #1Connecticut 2
• #1 Houston 2
• #2 Marquette 2

Last Top 4 Seed (for those that weren't Top 4 last year)

• #3 Illinois (#4 in 2022)
• #3 Kentucky (#2 in 2022)
• #4 Auburn (#2 in 2022)
• #4 Duke (#2 in 2022)
• #1 North Carolina (#1 in 2019)
• #2 Iowa State (#4 in 2016)
• #3 Creighton (#3 in 2014)

Consecutive Top 4 Seeds Snapped

• Gonzaga 6
• UCLA 2

#1 Seed History

• North Carolina - 18th #1 Seed (63-12, 10 Final Fours, 5 National Championships)
• Connecticut - 6th #1 Seed (18-14, 2 Final Fours, 1 National Championship)
• Purdue - 5th #1 Seed (6-4, 1 Elite Eight - Lost in 1994)
• Houston - 3rd #1 Seed (6-2, 1 Final Four, Lost 1983 National Championship Game)

Other Seeds - Teams achieving best seeds in school history

• Iowa State - #2 (3rd Time - 2000 and 2001)
• Marquette - #2 (2nd Time - 2023)
• Tennessee - #2 (4th Time - 2006, 2008, and 2019)
• Creighton - #3 (2nd Time - 2014)
• Saint Mary's - #5 (3rd Time - 2022 and 2023)
• Utah State - #8 (2nd Time - 2019)
• Florida Atlantic - #8 (1st Time)
• Duquesne - #11 (1st Time)
• Grand Canyon - #12 (1st Time)
• McNeese - #12 (1st Time)
• Samford - #13 (2nd Time - 2000)
• Vermont - #13 (5th Time - 20045, 2017, 2019, and 2022)
• Colgate - #14 (3rd Time - 2021 and 2022)
• Grambling State - #16 (1st Time)
• Stetson - #16 (1st Time)

 

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.

Final Four Tidbits - Saturday

Connecticut 72 Miami, Florida 59

Connecticut is in their 5th National Championship Game and their first since 2014.

Connecticut is 5-1 in National Semifinal Games.

Big East teams have a 7-game winning streak in National Championship Games.

Connecticut has been a different seed in all 5 Championship Game appearances.  The 5 different seeds is the most all-time.

• #1 - 1999
• #2 - 2004
• #3 - 2011
• #4 - 2023
• #7 - 2014

Connecticut is tournament-best 41-15 (.732 winning pct) all-time when seeded other than a #1 seed.

Connecticut is the first Big East team in the National Championship Game since 2018 when Villanova defeated Michigan.

Connecticut is the 2nd #4 seed to play in the National Championship Game (1997 Arizona)

Connecticut has won 6 straight games against #5 seeds.  They have defeated two #5 seeds in this tournament and will face another #5 seed in the National Championship Game.

All of the previous teams that won all their games by double digits were #1 seeds.  Connecticut (#4 seed) is the first to do it without a #1 seed.

Connecticut has won 7 straight tournament games played in the state of Texas.  Three of their National Championships were won in Texas (2004, 2011, 2014)

Connecticut becomes the 6th team to advance to the National Championship Game by winning all five of their tournament games by double digits.  The others are:

• 2000 Michigan State
• 2001 Duke
• 2009 North Carolina
• 2016 North Carolina
• 2018 Villanova

All but 2016 North Carolina won the National Championship by Double Digits.  2016 North Carolina lost the Championship Game to Villanova.

Connecticut's margin of victory in their first five games is 103.  It is the 5th largest margin of victory in tournament history:

• 1999 Duke - 126
• 2016 Villanova - 121
• 1996 Kentucky - 120
• 2009 North Carolina - 104
• 2023 Connecticut - 103
• 2021 Gonzaga - 99

Miami's loss is the first one for an ACC team in the National Semifinals against a non-conference team since 2008 when North Carolina lost to Kansas.  It ends a 5-game winning streak by ACC teams in National Semifinal games.

Miami is 0-3 vs. the Big East all-time in the tournament.

San Diego State 72 Florida Atlantic 71

San Diego State is in their first National Championship Game.

San Diego State is the first Mountain West team to ever play in the National Championship Game

San Diego State is the 4th #5 seed to play in a National Championship Game (2000 Florida, 2002 Indiana, 2010 Butler)

Mountain West is 2-1 vs. Conference USA in tournament:

• 2023 - National Semifinals - San Diego State 72 Florida Atlantic 71
• 2001 - First Round - Utah 48 Saint Louis 45
• 2000 - First Round - Cincinnati 84 Brigham Young 59

San Diego State and Florida Atlantic is the first matchup of first-time Final Four teams since 2017 when Gonzaga and South Carolina faced each other.  Here are matchups when both teams were making first final four appearance:

• 2023 - San Diego State 72 Florida Atlantic 71
• 2017 - Gonzaga 77 South Carolina 73
• 1973 - Memphis 98 Providence 85
• 1970 - Jacksonville 91 St. Bonaventure 83
• 1963 - Loyola Chicago 94 Duke 75
• 1959 - West Virginia 94 Louisville 79
• 1954 - La Salle 69 Penn State 54
• 1948 - Baylor 60 Kansas State 52
• 1947 - Holy Cross 60 CCNY 45
• 1944 - Utah 40 Iowa State 31
• 1939 to 1943 - All Teams were in first Final Four

San Diego State is 2-1 vs. #9 seeds.  They lost to #9 seed Creighton in 2022 First Round.

San Diego State has won 4 straight Saturday games in the tournament.

San Diego State has won 2 straight games by 1 point.  They never had a 1-point game in tournament history before that.

#9 seeds are now 0-3 in National Semifinal games