Saturday, March 18, 2023

Round of 32 Tidbits - Saturday

Alabama 73 Maryland 51

Alabama is in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2021 and the 10th time overall.

Alabama is 2-0 vs. Maryland in the tournament.  They also defeated Maryland 96-77 in the 2021 Round of 32.

Alabama is 4-0 playing in their home state.

Alabama wins 2 games in the tournament by more than 20 points for the first time in school history.

Maryland has lost 3 straight vs. the SEC and has been knocked out in the Round of 32 by and SEC team in 3 of the last 4 tournaments.

Maryland has lost 3 straight Round of 32 games and 8 of their last 9.

UCLA 68 Northwestern 63

UCLA is in the Sweet Sixteen for the 3rd consecutive tournament and the 37th time overall.

UCLA has won 6 straight Round of 32 games.

UCLA has won 3 straight tournament games against the Big Ten and 6 of their last 7.  They are 12-5 all-time.

UCLA is 3-0 vs. #7 seeds.

UCLA is 31-1 when playing in California and has won 16 straight.

UCLA's win is their 9th this decade which is the most of any team tied with Houston. (Baylor and Gonzaga can tie them tomorrow)

UCLA wins their 46th tournament game on a Saturday which is the most all-time.

Northwestern is 0-2 in the Round of 32.  They have been in 2 tournaments and lost in the Round of 32 both times.

Both of Northwestern's losses were on March 18 and on a Saturday.

Texas 71 Penn State 66

Texas is in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2008 and the 11th time overall.

Texas ends a 4-game losing streak in the Round of 32.

Texas played a Big Ten team in the Round of 32 for the 2nd straight year.  They lost to Purdue 81-71 last year.

Texas ends a 4-game losing streak on Saturdays in the Tournament.  They had lost 12 of their previous 13 tournament games played on a Saturday.

Penn State loses to a Top 4 seed for the first time.  They were previously 2-0 vs. Top 4 seeds.

Penn State loses a tournament game in Iowa for the first time in 4 games.

Houston 81 Auburn 64

Houston is in the Sweet Sixteen for the 4th consecutive tournament and the 15th time overall.

Houston defeats a team from Alabama for the 2nd consecutive tournament.  They beat UAB in the Round of 64 last year.

Houston is 7-1 all-time as a #1 seed.  Their only loss was to North Carolina State in the 1983 National Championship Game.

Houston's win is their 9th this decade which is the most of any team tied with UCLA.  (Baylor and Gonzaga can tie them tomorrow)

Auburn loses in the Round of 32 for the 2nd consecutive tournament.

Princeton 78 Missouri 63

Princeton is in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1967 and the 7th time overall.

The win by Princeton ends a 6-game losing streak in the Round of 32.

With Princeton's win, a #15 seed is in the Sweet Sixteen for the 3rd consecutive tournament.

Princeton is the first Ivy League team in the Sweet Sixteen since Cornell in 2010.  It will be the 19th appearance by an Ivy League team overall.

The 15-point win by Princeton is the largest margin of victory by a #15 seed in tournament history (16 wins).  The previous high was by Coppin State over South Carolina 78-65 in 1997.

Missouri joins Arizona as the only schools to lose to a #15 seed twice.  Missouri is a tournament worst 0-2 vs. #15 seeds.

Arkansas 72 Kansas 71

Arkansas is in the Sweet Sixteen for the 3rd consecutive tournament and the 14th time overall.

Arkansas is 1-1 vs. Kansas in the tournament.  Kansas defeated Arkansas 93-81 in the 1991 Elite Eight.

Arkansas is 3-1 vs. the Big 12 in the tournament.

Arkansas defeats a #1 seed for the 2nd consecutive tournament after losing their first 10 times against #1 seeds.

With Kansas's loss, the defending champion fails to make the Sweet Sixteen for the 6th consecutive tournament.  Here is the defending champion's result in each of the last 6 tournaments:

  • 2016 Champion Villanova - Lost to Wisconsin 65-62 in the 2017 Round of 32
  • 2017 Champion North Carolina - Lost to Texas A&M 86-65 in the 2018 Round of 32
  • 2018 Champion Villanova - Lost to Purdue 87-61 in the 2019 Round of 32
  • 2019 Champion Virginia - Lost to Ohio 62-58 in the 2021 Round of 64
  • 2021 Champion Baylor - Lost to North Carolina 93-86 in the 2022 Round of 32
  • 2022 Champion Kansas - Lost to Arkansas 72-71 in the 2023 Round of 32
With Kansas and Duke losing today, and Villanova and North Carolina not making the tournament, all of last year's final four teams fail to make the Final Four.  The last time that happened was 2021 when Auburn, Virginia, Texas Tech and Michigan State all failed to make the Sweet Sixteen.

Kansas loses in the Round of 32 for the 3rd time in 4 tournaments.

It is the 4th time that Kansas has lost in the Round of 32 as a #1 seed (in 16 appearances as #1 seed)

Kansas has lost their last three tournament games against the SEC.

Tennessee 65 Duke 52

Tennessee is in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2019 and the 9th time overall.

Tennessee's win is their 2nd straight against the ACC in the tournament after losing their first four.

Tennessee's win is only their 2nd all-time on a Saturday in the tournament.  They are now 2-6 on Saturdays.

The SEC has at least one team in the Sweet Sixteen for the 13th consecutive tournament.  Last year, Arkansas was the only SEC team in the Sweet Sixteen.

Duke is 5-8 vs. the SEC in the tournament.  Of conferences that they have faced more than once, it is the only one they have a losing record against.

Duke has never made it to the Final Four as a #4 seed or lower.  They were a #5 seed this year.

Duke's 52 points are tied for their lowest scoring game in their tournament history (159 games).  They also scored 52 points against Penn in the 1980 Round of 32, but they won that game 52-42.

San Diego State 75 Furman 52

San Diego State is in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2014 and the 3rd time overall.

San Diego State's Sweet Sixteen berth is the first for the Mountain West since Nevada went to the Sweet Sixteen in 2018.

San Diego State is 0-2 in the Sweet Sixteen.  The Mountain West is 0-6 in the Sweet Sixteen.

Both of San Diego State's wins in this year's tournament are vs. teams from South Carolina (Charleston, Furman)

Since the field expanded to 64 teams, San Diego State has been the Round of 32 five times.  They have won 3 times, all on Saturday, and lost twice, both on Sunday.

The 23-point win is the largest margin of victory for San Diego State in 8 tournament wins.  Their previous high was 19 vs. North Dakota State in the 2014 Round of 32.

Furman is 1-5 in the Round of 32.  Their only Sweet Sixteen appearance was in 1974.

Furman's 52 points is the fewest they have scored in 10 tournament games.  Their previous low was 62 vs. Indiana in the 1978 Round of 32.

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