Championship Game - Tidbits

#1 Connecticut 75 #1 Purdue 60

Connecticut wins their 2nd straight National Championship and their 6th overall.

Connecticut becomes the first team to win back-to-back National Championships since Florida in 2006-2007.

Teams that have won back-to-back Championships:

• Oklahoma State - 1945 & 1946
• Kentucky - 1948 & 1949
• San Francisco - 1955 & 1956
• Cincinnati - 1961 & 1962
• UCLA - 1964 & 1965; 1967 to 1973
• Duke - 1991 & 1992
• Florida - 2006 & 2007
• Connecticut - 2023 & 2024

Connecticut is tied with North Carolina with 6 National Championships.  Only UCLA (11) and Kentucky (8) have won more.

Connecticut is 6-0 all-time in Championship Games.

Connecticut has won 12 tournament games in a row.  That is tied for 3rd most all-time.

• UCLA 38 (1964-1974)
• Duke 13 (1991-1993)
• Kentucky 12 (1945-1952)
• Cincinnati 12 (1960-1963)
• Florida 12 (2006-2007)
• Connecticut 12 (2023-2024)

Connecticut has won all 12 games by double digits which is the longest streak in tournament history.

Connecticut is tied with Gonzaga for the most tournament wins this decade with 12.

Dan Hurley becomes the 16th coach to win multiple National Championships.

Connecticut breaks the record for the largest margin of victory for a National Champion in their 6 wins.  They won by a combined 140 points.  The previous record was 129 by Kentucky in 1996.

Connecticut becomes just the 5th AP #1 ranked team to win the National Championship since the field expanded in 1985.

• 1992 Duke
• 1995 UCLA
• 2001 Duke
• 2012 Kentucky
• 2024 Connecticut

Connecticut is the 4th Overall #1 Seed to win the National Championship since it started in 2004.

• 2007 Florida
• 2012 Kentucky
• 2013 Louisville
• 2024 Connecticut

The Big East has won nine straight National Championship Games.  Their last loss in a Championship Game was in 1996 by Syracuse against Kentucky.

The Big Ten has lost eight straight National Championship Games. Their last win in a Championship Game was in 2000 when Michigan State defeated Florida.

The Big East is 3-2 against the Big Ten in the National Championship, having won the last three.

Connecticut defeated three Big Ten teams in this year's tournament.  They become the 8th team to defeat at least 3 teams from the same conference in a single tournament:

• 1992 Duke - Big Ten (Iowa, Indiana, Michigan)
• 2001 Duke - Pac Ten (UCLA, USC, Arizona)
• 2003 Syracuse - Big Twelve (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Kansas)
• 2005 North Carolina - Big Ten (Wisconsin, Michigan State, Illinois)
• 2012 Kentucky - Big Twelve (Iowa State, Baylor, Kansas)
• 2018 Villanova - Big Twelve (West Virginia, Texas Tech, Kansas)
• 2022 Kansas - Big East (Creighton, Providence, Villanova)
• 2024 Connecticut - Big Ten (Northwestern, Illinois, Purdue)

Connecticut is a tournament-best 8-0 playing in the state of Arizona.

Connecticut is tied for a tournament-best 4-0 vs. teams from Indiana (tied with Boston College and Virginia)

Connecticut is 2-0 vs. Purdue in the tournament.  They also defeated Purdue 72-60 in the 2009 Sweet Sixteen.

Purdue has the most tournament wins without a championship with 49.

Purdue is 0-2 in the National Championship Games.

Purdue is 0-8 against #1 Seeds.

Final Four Tidbits

#1 Connecticut 86 #4 Alabama 72

Connecticut is in the National Championship for the second straight year and the 6th time overall.

Connecticut is 6-1 in National Semifinal games.

Connecticut is the first AP #1 team to play in the National Championship Game since Gonzaga in 2021.  The last AP #1 ranked team to win the National Championship was Kentucky in 2012.

Connecticut is the 7th overall #1 seed (out of 20) to play in the National Championship Game.  Only three overall #1 seeds (2007 Florida, 2012 Kentucky, 2013 Louisville) have won the National Championship.

Connecticut is 2-0 vs. Alabama in the tournament.  They also defeated Alabama 87-71 in the 2004 Elite Eight.

Connecticut has won 8 straight tournament games against the SEC.

#1 seeds are 5-1 vs. #4 seeds in the National Semifinals. (Arizona in 1997 is the only #4 seed to win). 

Connecticut also defeated a #4 seed in the National Semifinals (Ohio State) in their only other appearance as a #1 seed in the Final Four (in 1999).

Connecticut is tied with Utah for a tournament-best 7-0 in games played in the state of Arizona.

Connecticut has won 11 tournament games this decade, which is tied with Houston for 2nd most behind Gonzaga, who has won 12 games.

 Alabama is 2-6 vs. #1 seeds and 1-3 vs. AP #1 ranked teams.

#1 Purdue 63 #11 North Carolina State 50

Purdue is in the National Championship Game for the first time since 1969 and the 2nd time in school history.

Purdue is the first Big Ten team in the National Championship Game since 2018 when Michigan lost to Villanova.

Purdue is the third team ranked #3 in the AP poll to play in the National Championship Game in the past 4 years.  The other two (2021-Baylor, 2022-Kansas) won the National Championship.

Purdue ends a 3-game tournament losing streak against the ACC.

North Carolina State is 2-2 in National Semifinal Games.

North Carolina State is 3-4 vs. #1 seeds.

#1 Seeds are 6-4 vs. #11 Seeds all-time.

#11 seeds are 0-6 in National Semifinals.

An ACC team loses in the National Semifinals for the third straight year.

Elite Eight Tidbits - Sunday

#11 North Carolina State 76 #4 Duke 64

North Carolina State is in the Final Four for the first time since 1983 and the 4th time overall.

North Carolina State is the 4th different ACC team to advance to the Final Four in the past three tournaments (2022 - North Carolina, Duke; 2023 - Miami, Florida)

North Carolina State is 2-0 against ACC teams in the Elite Eight. They also defeated Virginia 63-62 in the 1983 Elite Eight.

North Carolina State is the 6th #11 seed to advance to the Final Four.

• 1986 - LSU
• 2006 - George Mason
• 2011 - VCU
• 2018 - Loyola Chicago
• 2021 - UCLA

Duke loses in the Elite Eight for the 3rd time since 2018.

Duke is 9-4 as the higher seed in the Elite Eight.

Duke is 3-2 vs. ACC teams in the tournament.

Duke snaps a 5-game winning streak in tournament games played in Texas.

#1 Purdue 72 #2 Tennessee 66

Purdue is in the Final Four for the first time since 1980 and the 3rd time overall.

Purdue is the first Big Ten team in the Final Four since Michigan State in 2019.

Purdue is 2-0 vs. Tennessee in the tournament.  They also defeated Tennessee 99-94 in the 2019 Sweet Sixteen.

Purdue ends a 3-game losing streak in the Elite Eight.

This is Purdue's fifth time as a #1 seed and the first time they have advanced the Final Four as a #1 seed.

This is the first time that a #1 seed has defeated a #2 seed in the Elite Eight since 2018 when Kansas defeated Duke 85-81.

Purdue has won four straight tournament games on a Sunday.

Tennessee is 0-2 in the Elite Eight.

Tennessee has lost its last three tournament games against the Big Ten.

Tennessee is 0-6 vs. #1 seeds, tied with Illinois, Notre Dame, and Xavier for fourth worst. Only Gonzaga (0-10), Temple (0-9), and Purdue (0-7) have worse records against #1 seeds.

Elite Eight Tidbits - Saturday

#4 Alabama 89 #6 Clemson 82

Alabama is in the Final Four for the first time in school history.

Alabama is the first SEC team in the Final Four since Auburn in 2019.

Alabama is the ninth SEC school to advance to the Final Four.

Alabama is the 2nd straight #4 seed to advance to the Final Four (and 16th overall).  Connecticut was a #4 seed last year when they won the National Championship.

Alabama has 8 tournament wins this decade.

Clemson is 0-2 in the Elite Eight.

Clemson loses a tournament game in the state of California for the first time (in four games).

Clemson is 0-8 in the tournament when allowing 80 or more points.

This is the 5th time that a #4 seed has played a #6 team in the Elite Eight.  #4 seeds are 3-2 and have won the last 3 gams.

#1 Connecticut 77 #3 Illinois 52

Connecticut is in the Final Four for the 2nd consecutive tournament, and the 7th time overall.

Connecticut becomes the first defending champion to advance to the Final Four since Florida in 2007.

Connecticut is in back-to-back Final Fours for the first time in school history.

Connecticut has been a #1 seed six times and advanced to the Final Four in three of those tournaments (1999, 2009, 2024)

The Big East has a team in the Final Four for the 3rd straight tournament.

Connecticut wins their 5th straight Elite Eight game.

Connecticut wins their 10th tournament game of the decade, which is 3rd most behind Gonzaga (12) and Houston (11).

Connecticut is 4-0 vs. teams from the state of Illinois (including 2 during this year's tournament).

Connecticut has won 6 straight games vs. #3 seeds.

Connecticut's margin of victory in its first tournament games was 111 points, the fourth-most all-time for a Final Four team for the first four games.

• 1993 Kentucky - 124 
• 1999 Duke - 120
• 1996 Kentucky - 113
• 2024 Connecticut - 111

Illinois is 0-6 vs. #1 seeds, tied with Notre Dame and Xavier for fourth worst. Only Gonzaga (0-10), Temple (0-9), and Purdue (0-7) have worse records against #1 seeds.

Illinois is 0-3 vs. the AP #1 ranked team.  Their previous two losses were vs. Kentucky in 1949 and 1951.

Sweet Sixteen Tidbits - Friday

#2 Tennessee 82 #3 Creighton 75

Tennessee is in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2010 and the 2nd time overall.

Rick Barnes becomes Tennessee's all-time leader in tournament wins with 9 passing Bruce Pearl.

Tennessee defeats a #3 seed for the 1st time (in 3 games).

The SEC has multiple teams in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2019 when Auburn and Kentucky advanced to the Elite Eight.

Creighton is 0-6 vs. Top 2 seeds.

Creighton is 1-5 in the Sweet Sixteen.

#4 Duke 54 #1 Houston 51

Duke is in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2022 and the 24th time overall.

Duke is 8-0 in the tournament vs. teams from Texas.

Duke is 10-7 vs. #1 seeds.  The 10 wins is the most all-time.

This is the first time that Duke has advanced to the Elite Eight with a seed lower than #3 since 1980.

Duke has won 9 straight tournament games played on a Friday.

Duke's game against North Carolina State will be the first ever game between a #4 and #11 seed in tournament history.

Houston loses as a #1 seed in the Sweet Sixteen for the 2nd straight year.

#1 Purdue 80 #5 Gonzaga 68

Purdue is in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2019 and the 6th time overall.

Purdue is 2-0 vs. Gonzaga in the tournament.  They also defeated Gonzaga 75-66 in the 2000 Sweet Sixteen.

Matt Painter becomes Purdue's all-time leader in tournament wins with 20 passing Gene Keady.

Purdue is tied for a tournament-best 4-0 vs. #5 seeds (tied with Richmond).

The Big Ten has multiple teams in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2019 when Michigan and Purdue advanced to the Elite Eight.

Gonzaga snaps a 3-game tournament winning streak vs. the Big Ten.

Gonzaga has a tournament-worst 0-10 record against #1 seeds. That is the worst record by any team against a single seed.

#11 North Carolina State 67 #2 Marquette 58

North Carolina State is in the Elite Eight for the first time since 1986 and the 7th time overall.

North Carolina State is 2-0 vs. Marquette in the tournament.  They also defeated Marquette 76-64 in the 1974 National Championship game.

North Carolina State is the first #11 Seed in the Elite Eight since UCLA in 2021, and they are the 10th all-time.

North Carolina State is the 4th #11 Seed to defeat a #2 seed in tournament history

• 1986: #11 Louisiana State 70 #2 Georgia Tech 64
• 2017: #11 Xavier 73 #2 Arizona 71
• 2021: #11 UCLA 88 #2 Michigan 78
• 2024: #11 North Carolina State 67#2 Marquette 58

North Carolina State snaps a 4-game losing streak in the Sweet Sixteen.

North Carolina State snaps a 4-game tournament losing streak on Fridays.

Marquette is tied for a tournament-worst 0-3 in tournament games played in Texas (tied with Louisiana).

Marquette is the third #2 seed to lose in the Sweet Sixteen.  It is only the 2nd time in tournament history that three #2 seeds lost in the Sweet Sixteen.  The other time was 1982 (Memphis, Minnesota, Missouri)

Sweet Sixteen Tidbits - Thursday

#3 Illinois 72 #2 Iowa State 69

Illinois is in the Elite Eight for the 1st time since 2005 and the 10th time overall.

Illinois wins a Sweet Sixteen game as a lower seed for the first time in tournament history (in 4 games).

Illinois is the first Big Ten team in the Elite Eight since Michigan in 2021.

Iowa State has lost 4 straight Sweet Sixteen games.

Iowa State snaps a 3-game tournament winning streak on Thursdays.

#4 Alabama 89 #1 North Carolina 87

Alabama is in the Elite Eight for the 1st time since 2004 and the 2nd time overall.

Alabama is 2-2 vs. North Carolina in the tournament.

Alabama defeats a #1 seed for the 2nd time in school history.  Their other win was over #1 Stanford 70-67 as an #8 seed in the 2004 Round of 64.

Alabama wins their 7th tournament game this decade.

Alabama has won 4 straight tournament games played on a Thursday (and 10 of their last 11).

Alabama's win makes it 3 straight years that a #4 seed has been in the Elite Eight. (Arkansas in 2022, Connecticut in 2023)

North Carolina has lost 3 straight tournament games against the SEC.

North Carolina lost as a #1 seed in the Sweet Sixteen for just the third time in 16 games, but this is its second straight loss (2019 against Auburn).

#1 Connecticut 82 #5 San Diego State 52

Connecticut is in the Elite Eight for the 2nd straight tournament and the 13th time overall.

Connecticut is 3-0 vs. San Diego State in the tournament.  They also defeated San Diego State in 74-67 in the 2011 Sweet Sixteen and 76-59 in the 2023 National Championship Game.

With Connecticut's win, it is the third straight year that a Big East team has advanced to the Elite Eight.

Connecticut has won 7 straight Sweet Sixteen games.

Connecticut has been a #1 seed 6 times and advanced to the Elite Eight in 5 out of the 6 tournaments.

Connecticut has won 8 straight games vs. #5 seeds.

Connecticut's win is its ninth this decade, tied for third most with Kansas, Baylor, and UCLA. Only Gonzaga (12) and Houston (11) have more.

This was the 4th time that there was a rematch of the previous year's championship game.  Out of the four, only Duke was able to avenge their defeat from the previous year.

• 1962 - Cincinnati 71 Ohio State 59 - National Championship Game
• 1991 - Duke 79 UNLV 77 - National Semifinals
• 2007 - Florida 76 UCLA 66 - National Semifinals
• 2024 - Connecticut 82 San Diego State 52 - Sweet Sixteen

San Diego State has lost more games to Connecticut (3) than any other team in tournament history.

San Diego State is eliminated by a Big East team for the 3rd consecutive tournament.

Connecticut's 30-point win is the largest margin of defeat for San Diego State in 16 tournament losses.  Their previous high was 29 (93-64) vs. Illinois in the 2002 Round of 64.

#6 Clemson 77 #2 Arizona 72

Clemson is in the Elite Eight for the 1st time since 1980 and the 2nd time overall.

Clemson is 2-3 in the Sweet Sixteen.  They had lost their previous three Sweet Sixteen games.

Clemson is 1-1 against Arizona in the tournament. Arizona defeated Clemson 94-68 in the 1989 Round of 32 in their previous tournament game.

Clemson's win is their first tournament win vs. the Pacific Twelve.  They are 1-2.

With Clemson's win, it is the third straight year that an ACC team has advanced to the Elite Eight.

Clemson makes it two straight years that a #6 seed has advanced to the Elite Eight.  Creighton was a #6 seed last year.

Clemson is 2-0 as the #6 seed in the Sweet Sixteen.

Clemson is 3-0 in games played in California.

Clemson ends a 5-game tournament losing streak on Thursdays.

Arizona loses their 3rd straight Sweet Sixteen game.  All three have been as a higher seed.  They are now 7-5 as the higher seed in the Sweet Sixteen.

Arizona has been a #2 seed nine times and has advanced to the Elite Eight in only three of those tournaments.

Sweet Sixteen Quick Facts

Sweet Sixteens by Conference

• Atlantic Coast 4
• Big East 3
• Big Ten 2
• Big Twelve 2
• Southeastern 2
• Mountain West 1
• Pacific Twelve 1
• Southeastern 1

Sweet Sixteen History by Team

Sweet Sixteen Rematches

Connecticut is 2-0 vs. San Diego State

• Connecticut 74 San Diego State 67 - 2011 Sweet Sixteen
• Connecticut 76 San Diego State 59 - 2023 National Championship

North Carolina is 2-1 vs. Alabama

• Alabama 79 North Carolina 64 - 1976 Round of 32
• North Carolina 74 Alabama 69 - 1982 Sweet Sixteen
• North Carolina 64 Alabama 55 - 1992 Round of 32

Arizona is 1-0 vs. Clemson

• Arizona 94 Clemson 68 - 1989 Round of 32

North Carolina State is 1-0 vs. Marquette

• North Carolina State 76 Marquette 64 - 1974 National Championship

Purdue is 1-0 vs. Gonzaga

• Purdue 75 Gonzaga 66 - 2000 Sweet Sixteen