Kentucky 4th Unbeaten and 24th with fewer than 2 losses to not win National Title since 1976

Kentucky failed to become the first team to finish the season unbeaten since Indiana went undefeated to win the National Championship in 1976.  Since that time, 24 teams have entered the NCAA Tournament with fewer than 2 losses.  None of them have won the tournament.

• 1977: Arkansas (26-1) lost to Wake Forest 86-80 in the Round of 32
• 1977: San Francisco (29-1) lost to UNLV 121-95 in the Round of 32
• 1979: Indiana State (29-0) lost to Michigan State 75-64 in the National Championship
• 1980: Alcorn State (27-1) lost to Louisiana State 98-88 in the Round of 32
• 1980: DePaul (26-1) lost to UCLA 77-71 in the Round of 32
• 1981: DePaul (27-1) lost to St. Joseph's 49-48 in the Round of 32
• 1981: Oregon State (26-1) lost to Kansas State 50-48 in the Round of 32
• 1982: DePaul (26-1) lost to Boston College 82-75 in the Round of 32
• 1987: UNLV (33-1) lost to Indiana 97-93 in the National Semifinals
• 1988: Temple (29-1) lost to Duke 63-53 in the Elite Eight
• 1990: La Salle (29-1) lost to Clemson 79-75 in the Round of 32
• 1991: UNLV (30-0) lost to Duke 79-77 in the National Semifinals
• 1996: Massachusetts (31-1) lost to Kentucky 81-74 in the National Semifinals
• 1996: Texas Tech (28-1) lost to Georgetown 98-90 in the Sweet Sixteen
• 1997: Kansas (32-1) lost to Arizona 85-82 in the Sweet Sixteen
• 1998: Princeton (26-1) lost to Michigan State 63-56 in the Round of 32
• 1999: Duke (32-1) lost to Connecticut 77-74 in the National Championship
• 2004: St. Joseph's (27-1) lost to Oklahoma State 64-62 in the Elite Eight
• 2004: Stanford (29-1) lost to Alabama 70-67 in the Round of 32
• 2005: Illinois (32-1) lost to North Carolina 75-70 in the National Championship
• 2008: Memphis (33-1) lost to Kansas 75-68 in the National Championship
• 2012: Murray State (30-1) lost to Marquette 62-53 in the Round of 32
• 2014: Wichita State (34-0) lost to Kentucky 78-76 in the Round of 32
• 2015: Kentucky (34-0) lost to Wisconsin 71-64 in the National Semifinals

Kentucky Elite Eight Facts

Kentucky defeated West Virginia 78-39 to advance to the Elite Eight.  It is their largest margin of victory ever in a Sweet Sixteen game.  Their previous high was 34 vs. Wake Forest in 1993.

Kentucky is in their 36th Elite Eight.  It is their 2nd consecutive and their 4th in 5 years.  Kentucky joins Wisconsin as the second team making a repeat appearance in the Elite Eight.  It is the 4th consecutive year that there has been at least two teams making consecutive appearances.

Kentucky is 16-19 in their previous 35 appearances.

• Defeated Illinois 46-44 in 1942
• Lost to Ohio State 45-37 in 1945
• Defeated Columbia 76-53 in 1948
• Defeated Villanova 85-72 in 1949
• Defeated St. John's 59-43 in 1951
• Lost to St. John's 64-57 in 1952
• Lost to Iowa 89-77 in 1956
• Lost to Michigan State 80-68 in 1957
• Defeated Notre Dame 89-56 in 1958
• Lost to Ohio State 87-74 in 1961
• Lost to Ohio State 74-64 in 1962
• Defeated Michigan 84-77 in 1966
• Lost to Ohio State 82-81 in 1968
• Lost to Jacksonville 106-100 in 1970
• Lost to Florida State 73-54 in 1972
• Lost to Indiana 72-65 in 1973
• Defeated Indiana 92-90 in 1975
• Lost to North Carolina 79-72 in 1977
• Defeated Michigan State 52-49 in 1978
• Lost to Louisville 80-68 in 1983 in OT
• Defeated Illinois 54-51 in 1984
• Lost to Louisiana State 59-57 in 1986
• Lost to Duke 104-103 in 1992 in OT
• Defeated Florida State 106-81 in 1993
• Lost to North Carolina 74-61 in 1995
• Defeated Wake Forest 83-63 in 1996
• Defeated Utah 72-59 in 1997
• Defeated Duke 86-84 in 1998
• Lost to Michigan State 73-66 in 1999
• Lost to Marquette 83-69 in 2003
• Lost to Michigan State 94-88 in 2005 in 2OT
• Lost to West Virginia 73-66 in 2010
• Defeated North Carolina 76-69 in 2011
• Defeated Baylor 82-70 in 2012
• Defeated Michigan 75-72 in 2014

Kentucky's Elite Eight appearance is John Calipari's 10th which is 7th all-time and 4th among active coaches.  It is his 5th Elite Eight with Kentucky which ties him with Rick Pitino for 3rd all-time at Kentucky.  Adolph Rupp (15) and Joe Hall (6) are ahead of them.

Kentucky's win combined with Wisconsin's marks the first time since 2010 that there are multiple #1 seeds in the Elite Eight in consecutive years.

Kentucky's win marks the 6th consecutive year that an SEC team is in the Elite Eight.  It is the most since 2000 when they had a streak of 9 straight years.

Kentucky's win marks the 8th consecutive year that a team from Kentucky is in the Elite Eight.  It is the longest streak in the history of the state and the longest current streak.  The record is 22 straight by North Carolina from 1980 to 2001.

Sweet Sixteen Quick Facts

Number of Sweet Sixteen Appearances with Sweet Sixteen Record for this years teams
Kentucky 42 (31-10)
UCLA 33 (21-11)
North Carolina 31 (24-6)
Duke 28 (19-8)
Louisville 28 (13-14)
Michigan State 19 (12-6)
Arizona 18 (10-7)
Notre Dame 16 (5-10)
Utah 16 (5-10)
North Carolina State 13 (5-7)
Oklahoma 10 (5-4)
West Virginia 9 (3-5)
Wisconsin 8 (3-4)
Xavier 7 (2-4)
Wichita State 6 (4-1)
Gonzaga 6 (1-4)
 
Consecutive Sweet Sixteen Appearances
Louisville 4
Michigan State 4
Arizona 3
Kentucky 2
UCLA 2
Wisconsin 2

Sweet Sixteen Droughts Snapped with Last Year in Sweet Sixteen
Notre Dame - 2003
Utah - 2005
Gonzaga - 2009
Oklahoma - 2009
West Virginia - 2010
North Carolina - 2012
North Carolina State - 2012
Xavier - 2012
Duke - 2013
Wichita State - 2013

Longest Sweet Sixteen Streaks Snapped
Florida 4
Michigan 2

Number of Teams by Conference (Record in Parenthesis)
Atlantic Coast 5 (11-1)
Pacific Twelve 3 (7-1)
Big Ten 2 (7-5)
Big Twelve 2 (5-5)
Big East 1(5-5)
Missouri Valley 1 (3-1)
Southeastern 1 (4-4)
West Coast 1 (2-1)

The 5 Sweet Sixteens by the ACC ties the record for the most set by the Big East in 2009.

Number of Teams by State (Record in Parenthesis)
North Carolina 3 (6-1)
Kentucky 2 (4-0)
Arizona 1 (2-0)
California 1 (3-2)
Indiana 1 (3-4)
Kansas 1 (3-1)
Michigan1 (2-0)
Ohio 1 (6-3)
Oklahoma 1 (2-1)
Utah 1 (2-1)
Washington 1 (2-1)
West Virginia 1 (2-0)
Wisconsin 1 (2-0)

Sweet Sixteen Tournament Rematches

Midwest

• Kentucky is 1-1 vs. West Virginia
• West Virginia defeated Kentucky 73-66 in the 2010 Elite Eight
• Kentucky defeated West Virginia 71-63 in the 2011 Round of 32
• Notre Dame and Wichita State have never met in the tournament

West

• North Carolina defeated Wisconsin 88-82 in the 2005 Elite Eight
• Xavier and Arizona have never met in the tournament

East

• North Carolina State and Louisville have never met in the tournament
• Michigan State defeated Oklahoma 54-46 in the 1999 Sweet Sixteen

South

• Duke defeated Utah 79-77 in the 1966 National Third Place Game
• UCLA defeated Gonzaga 73-71 in the 2006 Sweet Sixteen

Both 1 and 2 seed missing Sweet Sixteen in Same Regional

Both #1 Villanova and #2 Virginia were defeated in the Round of 32 in the East Regional.  This marks the 6th time since the field expanded to 64 that both the #1 and #2 seeds failed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

• 1990 Midwest - #1 Oklahoma, #2 Purdue
• 1992 Midwest - #1 Kansas, #2 Southern California
• 2000 South - #1 Stanford, #2 Cincinnati
• 2000 West - #1 Arizona, #2 St. John's
• 2004 Midwest - #1 Kentucky, #2 Gonzaga
• 2015 East - #1 Villanova, #2 Virginia

Saturday Round of 32 Rematches

Louisville

• Kentucky defeated Cincinnati 69-60 in the 2005 Round of 32
• UCLA defeated UAB 68-56 in the 1990 Round of 64

Portland

• Ohio State defeated Arizona 73-70 in the 2013 Sweet Sixteen

Jacksonville

• North Carolina is 2-2 vs. Arkansas
• Arkansas defeated North Carolina 96-73 in the 1990 Sweet Sixteen
• North Carolina defeated Arkansas 80-74 in the 1993 Sweet Sixteen
• Arkansas defeated North Carolina 75-68 in the 1995 National Semifinals
• North Carolina defeated Arkansas 108-77 in the 2008 Round of 32

Pittsburgh

• North Carolina State defeated Villanova 67-62 in the 1951 Sweet Sixteen

Sweet Sixteen streaks

Only 3 of this year's tournament teams have been to 2 or more consecutive Sweet Sixteens.  Out of last year's Sweet Sixteen teams, 11 are in this year's tournament.

Here are the teams that were in last year's Sweet Sixteen and their current streak of Sweet Sixteen appearances:

• Florida - 4 Not in Tournament
• Louisville - 3
• Michigan State - 3
• Arizona - 2
• Michigan - 2 Not in Tournament
• Baylor - 1
• Connecticut - 1 Not in Tournament
• Dayton - 1
• Iowa State - 1
• Kentucky - 1
• San Diego State - 1
• Stanford - 1 Not in Tournament
• Tennessee - 1 Not in Tournament
• UCLA - 1
• Virginia - 1
• Wisconsin - 1

UCLA holds the record for the most consecutive Sweet Sixteens with 14.  Here are the longest all-time streaks:

• UCLA - 14 (1967 to 1980)
• North Carolina - 13 (1981 to 1993)
• Duke - 9 (1998 to 2006)
• Duke - 7 (1986 to 1992)
• Cincinnati - 6 (1958 to 1963)
• Kentucky - 6 (1968 to 1973)
• Notre Dame - 6 (1974 to 1979)
• Kansas - 5 (1993 to 1997)
• Kentucky - 5 (1955 to 1959)
• Kentucky - 5 (1995 to 1999)
• St. Joseph's - 5 (1959 to 1963) 

By Year - Longest Current Streak (starting in 1952 because 1951 was first year with Sweet Sixteen)

1952 - 2 (Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina State, St. John's)
1953 - 2 (Kansas, Oklahoma City, Santa Clara, Texas Christian, Wyoming)
1954 - 3 (Santa Clara)
1955 - 2 (Bradley, Colorado, La Salle, Penn State)
1956 - 2 (Canisius, Iowa, Kentucky, San Francisco, Seattle, SMU, Utah)
1957 - 3 (Canisius, Kentucky, San Francisco, SMU)
1958 - 4 (Kentucky, San Francisco)
1959 - 5 (Kentucky)
1960 - 4 (California)
1961 - 4 (Cincinnati)
1962 - 5 (Cincinnati)
1963 - 6 (Cincinnati)
1964 - 3 (UCLA)
1965 - 4 (UCLA)
1966 - 3 (Michigan)
1967 - 3 (Dayton, Houston, SMU)
1968 - 4 (Houston)
1969 - 3 (North Carolina, UCLA)
1970 - 4 (UCLA)
1971 - 5 (UCLA)
1972 - 6 (UCLA)
1973 - 7 (UCLA)
1974 - 8 (UCLA)
1975 - 9 (UCLA)
1976 - 10 (UCLA)
1977 - 11 (UCLA)
1978 - 12 (UCLA)
1979 - 13 (UCLA)
1980 - 14 (UCLA)
1981 - 3 (LSU)
1982 - 2 (Boston College, Kansas State, North Carolina, UAB, Virginia)
1983 - 3 (Boston College, North Carolina, Virginia)
1984 - 4 (North Carolina, Virginia)
1985 - 5 (North Carolina)
1986 - 6 (North Carolina)
1987 - 7 (North Carolina)
1988 - 8 (North Carolina)
1989 - 9 (North Carolina)
1990 - 10 (North Carolina)
1991 - 11 (North Carolina)
1992 - 12 (North Carolina)
1993 - 13 (North Carolina)
1994 - 4 (Indiana)
1995 - 3 (Arkansas, Kansas)
1996 - 4 (Arkansas, Kansas)
1997 - 5 (Kansas)
1998 - 4 (Kentucky)
1999 - 5 (Kentucky)
2000 - 3 (Duke, Michigan State, Purdue)
2001 - 4 (Duke, Michigan State)
2002 - 5 (Duke)
2003 - 6 (Duke)
2004 - 7 (Duke)
2005 - 8 (Duke)
2006 - 9 (Duke)
2007 - 2 (Florida, Georgetown, Memphis, UCLA)
2008 - 3 (Memphis, UCLA)
2009 - 4 (Memphis)
2010 - 3 (Michigan State, Xavier)
2011 - 3 (Duke)
2012 - 3 (Kentucky, Ohio State)
2013 - 4 (Ohio State)
2014 - 4 (Florida)

2015 Number One Seeds

None of this year's #1 seeds were a #1 last year.  It is the 4th consecutive year with no repeat #1 seeds.

Kentucky is a #1 seed for the 12th time in school history.  The last time they were a #1 seed was 2012 when they won the National Championship over Kansas 67-59.  They also won the 1996 Championship as a #1 seed.  They are 38-9 as a #1 seed.  It is the 4th time in 6 years that a team from the SEC is a #1 seed.

Villanova is a #1 seed for the 2nd time in school history.  Their only other #1 seed was 2006 when they lost to Florida 75-62 in the Elite Eight.  They are 3-1 as a #1 seed.  It is the 5th time in 6 years that a team from the Big East is a #1 seed.

Duke is a #1 seed for the 13th time in school history.  Only North Carolina has been a #1 seed more with 14.  The last time they were a #1 seed was 2011 when they lost to Arizona 93-77 in the Sweet Sixteen.  They won the National Championship as a #1 seed in 1992, 2001 and 2010.  Their 3 National Championships as a #1 seed is second to North Carolina who has 4.  They are 45-9 as a #1 seed.  It is the 5th time in 6 years that a team from the ACC is a #1 seed.

Wisconsin is a #1 seed for the first time in school history.  Their previous highest seed was #2 in 2007 and 2014.  It is the 4th time in 5 years that a team from the Big Ten is a #1 seed.

Defending Champ missing tournament

Connecticut will most likely not make the tournament this year.  Here are the teams that failed to make the tournament the following season (since 1985):

1986 Louisville
1988 Kansas
2007 Florida
2009 North Carolina
2012 Kentucky
2014 Connecticut

Elite Eight Fun Facts - Friday's Winners

Michigan is in their second consecutive Elite Eight.  It is Michigan's 13th Elite Eight overall.  They defeated Florida 79-59 in the Elite Eight last year in route to a National Championship appearance before losing to Louisville.  They are 7-5 overall.

They are the second Big Ten team in the Elite Eight (so far).  It is the second consecutive year that the Big Ten has had multiple teams in the Big Ten.  Last year, Michigan and Ohio State were in the Elite Eight.

Connecticut is in their first Elite Eight since 2011.  It is Connecticut's 11th Elite Eight overall.  They defeated Arizona 65-63 in the 2011 Elite Eight in route to the National Championship.  They are 4-6 overall.

Connecticut is the first team from the American Athletic Conference to advance to the Elite Eight.  They are the 9th #7 seed to advance to the Elite Eight.  #7 seeds are 1-7 in the Elite Eight.  Only Virginia in 1984 won.  Here are the #7 seeds that have been in the Elite Eight.

• 2012 - Florida (vs. Louisville)
• 2005 - West Virginia (vs. Louisville)
• 2004 - Xavier (vs. Duke)
• 2003 - Michigan State (vs. Texas)
• 2000 - Tulsa (vs. North Carolina)
• 1993 - Temple (vs. Michigan)
• 1986 - Navy (vs. Duke)
• 1984 - Virginia (vs. Indiana)

Kentucky is in their first Elite Eight since 2012.  It is Kentucky's 35th Elite Eight overall.  They defeated Baylor 82-70 in the 2012 Elite Eight in route to the National Championship.  They are 15-19 overall.

Kentucky is the second SEC team in the Elite Eight.  It is fourth time in 5 years that 2 SEC teams are in the Elite Eight.  Kentucky is the 11th #8 seed to advance to the Elite Eight.  #8 seeds are 5-5 in the Elite Eight.  The last #8 seed to win an Elite Eight game was Butler in 2011.  This is the first time (in 8 tries) that Kentucky has advanced to the Elite Eight as a #5 seed or worse.

Michigan State is in their first Elite Eight since 2010.  It is Michigan State's 12th Elite Eight overall.  They defeated Tennessee 70-69 in the 2010 Elite Eight.  They are 8-3 overall.

Michigan State is the third team in the Big Ten to advance to the Elite Eight.  It is the fourth time that the Big Ten has had 3 teams in the Elite Eight.  The other years were 1992, 2000 and 2005.  Only the Big East with 6 has had more tournaments with 3 or more teams in the Elite Eight.

Sweet Sixteen History

Here is a summary of this year's Sweet Sixteen teams and their Sweet Sixteen history:

Florida vs. UCLA

• Florida is in their 10th Sweet Sixteen and their 4th consecutive.
• Florida is 7-2 all-time in the Sweet Sixteen and has won six straight Sweet Sixteen games.
• Billy Donovan is in his 8th Sweet Sixteen - all with Florida.  He is 6-1.
• UCLA is in their 32nd Sweet Sixteen and their first since 2008.
• UCLA is 21-10 all-time in the Sweet Sixteen and has won three straight Sweet Sixteen games.
• Steve Alford is in his 2nd Sweet Sixteen - first with UCLA.  He is 0-1.
• Florida is 3-0 vs. UCLA all-time in the NCAA tournament.
• Florida defeated UCLA 73-65 in the 2011 Round of 32 in their last tournament meeting.

Dayton vs. Stanford

• Dayton is in their 7th Sweet Sixteen and their first since 1984.
• Dayton is 2-4 all-time in the Sweet Sixteen.
• Archie Miller is in his first Sweet Sixteen.
• Stanford is in their 5th Sweet Sixteen and their first since 2008.
• Stanford is 2-2 all-time in the Sweet Sixteen.
• Johnny Dawkins is in his first Sweet Sixteen.
• Dayton and Stanford have never faced each other in the tournament.
• Archie Miller and Johnny Dawkins will be the first coaches to face each other in the Sweet Sixteen in their first tournament since 1999 when Florida coached by Billy Donovan played against Gonzaga coached by Dan Monson.

Virginia vs. Michigan State

• Virginia is in their 8th Sweet Sixteen and their first since 1995.
• Virginia is 5-2 all-time in the Sweet Sixteen.
• Tony Bennett is in his 2nd Sweet Sixteen - first with Virginia.  He is 0-1.
• Michigan State is.in their 18th Sweet Sixteen and their 3rd consecutive.
• Wisconsin is 11-6 all-time in the Sweet Sixteen, but has lost their last two.
• Tom Izzo is in his 12th Sweet Sixteen - all with Michigan State.  He is 7-4.
• Virginia and Michigan State have never faced each other in the tournament.

Iowa State vs. Connecticut

• Iowa State is in their 4th Sweet Sixteen and their first since 2000.
• Iowa State is 1-2 all-time in the Sweet Sixteen.
• Fred Hoiberg is coaching in his first Sweet Sixteen game.
• Connecticut is in their 18th Sweet Sixteen and their first since 2011.
• Connecticut is 10-7 all-time in the Sweet Sixteen.  They have won their last four.
• Kevin Ollie is coaching in his first Sweet Sixteen game.
• Iowa State defeated Connecticut 77-64 in the 2012 Round of 64 in their only tournament meeting.

Arizona vs. San Diego State

• Arizona is in their 17th Sweet Sixteen and their 2nd consecutive.
• Arizona is 9-7 all-time in the Sweet Sixteen.
• Sean Miller is in his 5th Sweet Sixteen and his 3rd with Arizona.  He is 2-2 all-time and 1-1 with Arizona.
• San Diego State is in their 2nd Sweet Sixteen and their first since 2011.
• San Diego State is 0-1 all-time in the Sweet Sixteen.
• Steve Fisher is in his 6th Sweet Sixteen and his 2nd with San Diego State.  He is 4-1 all-time and 0-1 with San Diego State.
• Arizona and San Diego State have never faced each other in the NCAA Tournament.

Baylor vs. Wisconsin

• Baylor is in their 3rd Sweet Sixteen and their first since 2012.
• Baylor is 2-0 all-time in the Sweet Sixteen.
• Scott Drew is in his 3rd Sweet Sixteen - all with Baylor.  He is 2-0.
• Wisconsin is in their 7th Sweet Sixteen and their first since 2012.  It is their 3rd in 4 years.
• Wisconsin is 2-4 all-time in the Sweet Sixteen.
• Bo Ryan is in his 6th Sweet Sixteen - all with Wisconsin.  He is 1-4.
• Baylor and Wisconsin have never faced each other in the NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky vs. Louisville

• Kentucky is in their 41st Sweet Sixteen and their 1st since 2012.
• Kentucky is 30-10 all-time in the Sweet Sixteen and has won five straight Sweet Sixteen games.
• John Calipari is in his 11th Sweet Sixteen and his 4th with Kentucky.  He is 8-2 all-time and 3-0 with Kentucky.
• Louisville is in their 27th Sweet Sixteen and their 3rd consecutive.
• Louisville is 13-13 all-time in the Sweet Sixteen and has won six straight Sweet Sixteen games.
• Rick Pitino is in his 12th Sweet Sixteen and his 6th with Louisville.  He is 11-0 all-time and 5-0 with Louisville.
• Kentucky is 3-2 vs. Louisville all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• Kentucky defeated Louisville 69-61 in the 2012 National Semifinals in their last tournament meeting.

Tennessee vs. Michigan

• Tennessee is in their 7th Sweet Sixteen and first since 2010.
• Tennessee is 1-5 in the Sweet Sixteen.
• Cuonzo Martin is coaching in his first Sweet Sixteen.
• Michigan is in their 13th Sweet Sixteen and their 2nd consecutive.
• Michigan is 11-1 all-time in the Sweet Sixteen.  That is the most wins for any school with 1 or fewer losses.  They have won five straight Sweet Sixteen games.
• John Beilein is in his 4th Sweet Sixteen and his 2nd with Michigan.  He is 2-1 all-time and 1-0 with Michigan.
• Michigan defeated Tennessee 75-45 in the 2011 Round of 64 in their only tournament meeting.

National Champions Previous Result

The last two national champions (Louisville and Kentucky) lost in the national semifinals the previous year.  If the streak were to continue, then either Syracuse or Wichita State will win the tournament.  Considering that both are the only remaining unbeaten teams this year, it would not be a shock for one of them to win. 

Here are the past 5 national champions and their previous year's result:

2013: Louisville - lost to Kentucky 69-61 in 2012 in national semifinals
2012: Kentucky - lost to Connecticut 56-55 in 2011 in national semifinals
2011: Connecticut - did not make the tournament in 2010 (but did lose in national semifinals in 2009)
2010: Duke - lost to Villanova 77-54 in 2009 in Sweet Sixteen
2009: North Carolina - lost to Kansas 84-66 in 2008 in national semifinals

Tournament Streaks - Seeds

Here are the current streaks of appearances by seeds:

Consecutive Years Seeded #1
There are no repeat #1 seeds for the second straight year.  It is only the second time that has happened.  1987 and 1988 was the other time.

Duke holds the record with 5 straight #1 seeds from from 1998 to 2002.

Consecutive Years Seeded #1 or #2
1. Duke 6
2. Kansas 4
    Ohio State 4

Duke's current streak is tied for the all-time record.  They also had 6 straight from 1997-2002.

Consecutive Years with Top 3 Seed
1. Kansas 7
2. Duke 6
3. Ohio State 4
4. Georgetown 2
    Marquette 2
    Michigan State 2

North Carolina holds the record with 11 from 1979 to 1989.

Consecutive Years with Top 4 Seed
1. Kansas 13
2. Duke 6
3. Syracuse 5
4. Ohio State 4
5. Louisville 3

Kansas's current streak is the all-time record.

Consecutive Years with Top 5 Seed
1. Kansas 13
2. Duke 6
3. Syracuse 5
4. Ohio State 4
    Wisconsin 4

Kentucky holds the record with 14 from 1992 to 2005.

Consecutive Years with Top 6 Seed
1. Duke 17
2. Kansas 13
3. Syracuse 5
4. Georgetown 4
    Ohio State 4
    Wisconsin 4

Duke's current streak is the all-time record.

Consecutive years with Top 7 Seed

1. Duke 17
2. Kansas 13
3. Syracuse 5
4. Georgetown 4
    Notre Dame 4
    Ohio State 4
    Wisconsin 4

Duke's current streak is the all-time record.

Consecutive years with Top 8 Seed
1. Kansas 24
2. Duke 18
3. Ohio State 5
    Syracuse 5
5. Georgetown 4
    Kansas State 4
    UNLV 4
    Notre Dame 4
    Wisconsin 4

Kansas breaks North Carolina's record of 23 straight from 1979 to 2001

RPI Facts - NCAA Tournament

Southern Mississippi has the highest RPI of any team that missed this year's tournament at #30.

California has the lowest RPI of any at-large team that made this year's tournament at #53.  The record is #74 held by New Mexico in 1999.

Duke is the 6th team to finish #1 in the RPI (since it began in 1994) and not receive a #1 seed.  The other #1 RPI teams to not get a #1 seed and their results are:

• 1995 North Carolina - #2 Seed - Lost in National Semifinals to Arkansas 
• 2000 Cincinnati - #2 Seed - Lost in Round of 32 to Tulsa
• 2005 Kansas - #3 Seed - Lost in Round of 64 to Bucknell
• 2008 Tennessee - #2 Seed - Lost in Sweet Sixteen to Louisville
• 2009 Duke - #2 Seed - Lost in Sweet Sixteen to Villanova

The top 2 teams in the RPI (Duke and New Mexico) did not receive a #1 seed.  It is the first time that neither of the top 2 teams in the RPI were a #1 seed.

This is the 6th time that Duke has finished #1 in the RPI.  Kansas has finished #1 5 times.  The only other teams to finish #1 multiple times are Kentucky and North Carolina with 2.

Duke has finished in the Top 10 of the RPI 6 consecutive years and 15 of the last 17.  Miami and Indiana finish in the Top 10 of the RPI for the first time since it began in 1994.

The RPI's of the #1 Seeds are:

• #3 Louisville
• #5 Kansas
• #6 Gonzaga
• #7 Indiana

The sum of their RPI's is 21.  That is the second highest RPI sum of the #1 seeds since 1994.  The highest was 27 in 2000 when the #1 Seeds and their RPI's were:

• #2 Duke
• #3 Arizona
• #9 Stanford
• #13 Michigan State

Only 2 teams that finished #1 in the RPI have won the National Championship in the 19 years of the RPI.  They were Kentucky in 1996 and Duke in 2001.  Both of them were #1 seeds also.

The most common RPI to win the Championship is #3 which has 5 Championships.  No other RPI has more than 2.  Louisville is #3 in the RPI this year.  Those 5 are:

• Kentucky - 1998
• Connecticut - 1999
• Maryland - 2002
• North Carolina - 2009
• Duke - 2010

Out of those 5, only Kentucky was not a #1 seed.

Tournament Streaks

As Selection Sunday approaches, I thought I would take a look at some active streaks that are in jeopardy.

Consecutive Tournament Appearances:

1. Kansas 23
2. Duke 17
3. Michigan State 15
4. Gonzaga 14
    Texas 14
    Wisconsin 14

Texas' string of appearances will end at 14 while the others are definite locks.

Other streaks in jeopardy:
Xavier - 7
Brigham Young - 6
Purdue - 6
West Virginia - 5

Consecutive At-Large Appearances:
1. Texas 14
2. Marquette 7
3. Brigham Young 6
    Xavier 6
5. Syracuse 4
    Wisconsin 4

Texas, Brigham Young and Xavier will all miss the tournament this year, so Marquette will now have the most consecutive at-large apperances.  Syracuse and Wisconsin are in, but their streaks would be snapped if they win their conference tournaments.

The 14 consecutive at-large bids for Texas is an all-time tournament record.

Consecutive years with at least a Top 4 seed:

1. Kansas 12
2. Duke 5
3. Syracuse 4
4. Kentucky 3
    Ohio State 3
    Wisconsin 3

Kansas, Duke and Ohio State are safely Top 4 seeds. ESPN Bracketology had Syracuse at a 4 in yesterday's bracket, but with their run in the Big East tournament, they will most likely continue that streak.  Wisconsin was on the 5 line, so they are on the borderline of receiving a Top 4 seed.  Kentucky will definitely not be a Top 4 seed and may not even make the tournament.

Consecutive appearances in Round of 32:

1. Kansas 6
    Purdue 6
    Wisconsin 6
4. Gonzaga 4
    Syracuse 4
6. Kansas State 3
    Kentucky 3
    Ohio State 3

For the teams making the tournament, we will have to wait until Thursday or Friday to find out if they continue the streak, but Purdue's streak will come to an end and Kentucky's streak is in serious jeopardy.

Consecutive appearance in Sweet Sixteen:

Kentucky and Ohio State have both been to the last 3 Sweet Sixteens.  Kentucky's streak is most likely to end even if they make the tournament.  Ohio State has a great shot to return.  Five teams (Florida, Kansas, Marquette, North Carolina and Wisconsin) have all been to the Sweet Sixteen the last two years.  All have a legitimate shot of returning with North Carolina projected as the lowest seed (#7) on yesterday's bracketology.

Biggest Win over #1 Ranked Team

With Miami's 27-point win over #1 Duke last night, I wondered what the largest defeats by #1 teams in the tournament have been.

The following are the largest margin of defeat for teams that were ranked #1 in the AP Poll entering the tournament:

• #2 UCLA defeated #1 Houston 101-69 (32 points) in 1968 National Semifinals
• #4 Kansas defeated #1 North Carolina 84-66 (18 points) in 2008 National Semifinals
• #9 Marquette defeated #1 Kentucky 83-69 (14 points) in 2003 Elite Eight
• #2 Cincinnati defeated #1 Ohio State 71-59 (12 points) in 1962 National Championship
• #8 Michigan State defeated #1 Louisville 64-52 (12 points) in 2009 Elite Eight
• #3 Michigan State defeated #1 Indiana State 75-64 (11 points) in 1979 National Championship
• #2 UCLA defeated #1 Michigan 91-80 (11 points) in 1965 National Championship
• #5 Duke defeated #1 Temple 63-53 (10 points) in 1988 Elite Eight
• #5 Cincinnati defeated #1 Kansas State 85-75 (10 points) in 1959 Elite Eight

The largest margin of defeat for a #1 team in the Sweet Sixteen is #13 Florida over #1 Duke 87-78 in 2000.

The largest margin of defeat for a #1 team in the Round of 32 is UCLA over #1 DePaul 77-71 in 1980.  That game is also the largest margin of defeat for an unranked team over a #1 team.

Between 2006 and 2009, the #1 team was defeated by 8 or more points each year.  Only one other time in tournament history had there even been consecutive years in which the #1 team lost by 8 or more points (1959 and 1960).

Records vs. Top 5 Winningest NCAA Tournament Teams

Before Kansas came back to defeat Texas today, someone on Twitter commented that Texas could possibly defeat both North Carolina and Texas and not make the tournament.  Although they still will play Kansas again this year, the chances of that happening are probably slim.

However, it made me wonder how teams have done against the top all-time tournament teams in a single year and all-time.

There are five schools that have won more than 90 tournament games all-time.

• Kentucky 113
• North Carolina 108
• UCLA 100
• Duke 96
• Kansas 93

14 schools have at least 5 wins all-time vs. the "Top 5" schools led by Indiana

• Indiana 9
• Marquette, UCLA 8
• Duke, Kentucky 7
• Kansas, Ohio State 6
• Arizona, Florida, Louisville, Michigan State, North Carolina, Syracuse, Villanova 5

The schools that has the most victories vs. the "Top 5" without a defeat is Texas El-Paso (formerly Texas Western) with 3.

• Defeated Kansas 81-80 in 1966 Elite Eight
• Defeated Kentucky 72-65 in 1966 National Championship
• Defeated Kansas 66-60 in 1992 Round of 32

Arizona is the only team to ever defeat 3 of the "Top 5" in a single tournament in 1997.

• Defeated Kansas 85-82 in Sweet Sixteen
• Defeated North Carolina 66-58 in National Semifinals
• Defeated Kentucky 84-79 (OT) in National Championship

11 other teams have defeated 2 of the "Top 5" twice in a single tournament. Teams in Bold won National Championship

• Texas El-Paso - 1966 (Kansas, Kentucky)
• Houston - 1967 (Kansas, North Carolina)
• Western Kentucky - 1971 (Kentucky, Kansas)
• Florida State - 1972 (Kentucky, North Carolina)
• Louisville - 1986 (North Carolina, Duke)
• Michigan - 1993 (UCLA, Kentucky)
• Kentucky - 1998 (UCLA, Duke)
• Florida - 2000 (Duke, North Carolina)
• Maryland - 2002 (Kentucky, Kansas)
• Michigan State - 2005 (Duke, Kentucky)
• Villanova - 2009 (UCLA, Duke)

Five of the above teams ended up losing to one of the "Top 5" also.  They were Houston, 1967; Florida State, 1971; Michigan, 1993; Michigan State, 2005 and Villanova, 2009.

The combination of schools that have never been beaten in a single tournament among the "Top 5" are:

• UCLA and North Carolina
• UCLA and Kansas
• Duke and Kansas

Here are the times where a school defeated one team, but lost when they had the opportunity to defeat the other:

• UCLA and North Carolina - 1967 Dayton, 1969 Purdue, 1972 Florida State, 1993 Michigan, 1995 Arkansas, 2009 Villanova
• UCLA and Kansas - 1952 Santa Clara, 1967 Houston, 2008 Memphis
• Duke and Kansas - 1990 UCLA, 1993 California, 1994 Purdue

 27 schools have at least 7 losses all-time vs. the "Top 5" led by Kansas

• Kansas 12
• Louisville 11
• Michigan, Michigan State, Villanova  10
• Utah 9
• Illinois, Indiana 8
• Iowa State, Marquette, Notre Dame, Purdue  7
• Arkansas, Duke, Kentucky, New Mexico St, Ohio State, San Francisco, Syracuse, Temple  6
• Arizona St, Connecticut, Houston, Miami (OH), North Carolina, Princeton, Xavier 5

Louisville in 1972 was the only team to ever lose to two "Top 5" teams in a single tournament when they lost to UCLA in the National Semifinals and North Carolina in the National Third Place game.  Of course with today's format, no team can lose more than one game in a single tournament.

The most wins and losses all-time vs. each of the "Top 5" are:

• Kentucky - Marquette - 6 wins; Utah - 6 losses
• North Carolina - Kansas - 3 wins; Michigan State - 5 losses
• UCLA - Florida - 3 wins; San Francisco and Kansas - 5 losses
• Duke - Kentucky - 3 wins; Connecticut, Kansas, Michigan and St. Joseph's - 3 losses
• Kansas - UCLA - 5 wins; North Carolina - 3 losses

Best Overall 2012 Tournament Performances

Best Overall 2012 Tournament Performances
Points - Thomas Robinson, Kansas - 100
3-point FG Pct - Laurent Rivard, Harvard - 85.7% (6-7)*
3-point FG Made - Brady Heslip, Baylor - 16
FG Pct - Kendall Marshall, North Carolina (12-15); Gabe Knutson, Lehigh (8-10) - 80%^
FG Made - Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State - 39
FT Pct - Dion Waiters, Syracuse; Darius Miller, Kentucky - 94.4% (17-18)^
FT Made - Anthony Davis, Kentucky - 32
Rebounds - Thomas Robinson, Kansas - 75
Offensive Rebounds - Thomas Robinson, Kansas - 23
Defensive Rebounds - Anthony Davis, Kentucky - 57
Assists - Peyton Siva, Louisville - 31
Steals - Aaron Craft, Ohio State - 16
Blocks - Jeff Withey, Kansas - 31
*At least 5 shots
^At least 10 shots

Best Individual Game Performances in the 2012 Tournament

Best Individual Game Performances in the 2012 Tournament
Points - Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State - 31
3-point FG Pct (min 5 att) - Laurent Rivard, Harvard - 85.7% (6-7)
3-point FG Made - Brady Heslip, Baylor - 9
FG Pct - Miles Plumlee, Duke - 100% (9-9)*
FG Made - Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State - 13
FT Pct - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky - 100% (10-10)*
FT Made - Brian Conklin, Saint Louis; Gary Browne, West Virgina; Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - 10
Rebounds - Tyler Zeller, North Carolina - 22
Offensive Rebounds - Jordan Henriguez-Roberts, Kansas State - 11
Defensive Rebounds - Draymond Green, Michigan State - 15
Assists - Kendall Marshall, North Carolina - 11
Steals - Brent Arrington, Mississippi Valley - 7
Blocks - Jeff Withey, Kansas - 10
*Most attempts for those that shot 100%