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