Round of 64 Tidbits - Thursday Afternoon

Gonzaga advances to the Round of 32 for the 13th consecutive tournament.  They are 20-4 in the Round of 64.

Gonzaga is 2-0 vs. the Sun Belt in the tournament with the win over Georgia State.  They also defeated Western Kentucky 83-81 in the 2009 Round of 32.

Gonzaga is 3-0 playing in the state of Oregon in the tournament.

Georgia State loses on a Thursday in the tournament for the first time.  They were previously 2-0.

Georgia State's loss marks the 5th consecutive tournament that a Sun Belt team has failed to win a tournament game.

Memphis wins a tournament game for the first time since 2014 when they defeated George Washington 71-66 in the Round of 64.

Memphis is tournament-best 7-0 on March 17.

Boise State is 0-8 in the tournament which is tied with Eastern Kentucky for the worst all-time.

Boise State's 53 points is the fewest they have scored in 8 tournament games.  Their previous low was 55 vs. Dayton in the 2015 First Four.

Michigan advances to the Round of 32 for the 6th consecutive tournament.  They are 19-4 in the Round of 64.

Michigan is 8-2 playing in the state of Indiana in the tournament.  Both of their losses were in the Elite Eight (2014, 2021)

Colorado State is a tournament-worst 0-3 when ranked in the AP Poll.

With Boise State and Colorado State's losses, the Mountain West has lost 8 consecutive tournament games dating back to 2018.

Tennessee wins a tournament game for the first time since 2019 when they defeated Iowa 83-77 in OT in the Round of 32.

Tennessee is 2-0 vs. the Big South in the tournament with the win over Longwood.  They also defeated Winthrop 63-61 in the 2006 Round of 64.

Richmond wins a tournament game for the first time since 2011 when they defeated Morehead State 65-48 in the 2011 Round of 32.

Richmond wins as a double-digit seed in Round of 64 for a record 6th time in tournament history.

Richmond has won 5 games as a #12 seed all-time which is also a tournament record.

Iowa's loss is their first tournament loss vs. the Atlantic Ten.  They were previously 3-0.

Providence wins a tournament game for the first time since 2016 when they defeated USC 70-69 in the Round of 64.

With South Dakota State's loss, it is the first time since 2018 that a Summit League team failed to win a tournament game.  South Dakota State is 0-6 all-time in the tournament.

North Carolina wins a tournament game for the first time since 2019 when they defeated Washington 81-59 in the Round of 32.

North Carolina's 95-63 win over Marquette is the largest margin of victory by a #8 seed over a #9 seed in NCAA Tournament history.  The previous high was Michigan defeating Tennessee 75-45 in 2011.

North Carolina is 2-1 vs. Marquette in the tournament.  They lost to Marquette 67-59 in the 1977 National Championship Game and defeated Marquette 81-63 in the 2011 Sweet Sixteen.

North Carolina has won 8 of their last 9 tournament games against the Big East.  Their only loss in that span was to Villanova in the 2016 National Championship Game.

Baylor is in the Round of 32 for the 3rd consecutive tournament.

Baylor is now 7-0 as a #1 seed.

Baylor's 85-49 win is their largest margin of victory (36 points) in 35 tournament games.  Their previous high was 30 points in a 85-55 win over Creighton in the 2014 Round of 32.

Norfolk State had won a tournament game in their first two tournament appearances.  Their loss to Baylor marks the first time they did not win a tournament game.

First Four Tidbits - Wednesday

Wright State is the first Horizon League team to play in an Opening Round game since Xavier in 1983.

Wright State's win is their first ever tournament win in four tournament appearance.

Wright State's 93 points is their most in 4 tournament games.  Their previous high was 58 vs. Pittsburgh in the 2007 Round of 64.

Wright State's win is the first by a Horizon League team since Butler defeated VCU 70-62 in the 2011 Final Four.

With the loss by Bryant, Northeast Conference teams are 6-7 in Opening Round/First Four games.  

Notre Dame's #11 seed is their lowest ever in the tournament.  They have been every seed from #1 to #11.

This was Rutgers' first ever tournament overtime game.

Notre Dame wins their first tournament game since 2017 when they defeated Princeton 60-58 in the Round of 64

Notre Dame is 6-6 vs. the Big Ten in the tournament including 4 consecutive wins.

ACC teams are 4-1 in First Four games.

Notre Dame is 2-3 in overtime games in the tournament.  

Notre Dame's win is the 8th multiple-OT victory by the ACC all-time which is the most by any conference.

The Big Ten has lost 5 consecutive overtime games in the tournament.

First Four Tidbits - Tuesday

Texas Southern wins a First Four game for the 2nd consecutive year.  They are now 3-2 in Opening Round games (prior to Round of 64).  With the win, they become the first school to win 3 Opening Round games.

When Texas Southern has allowed fewer than 70 points in an NCAA Tournament game, they are 3-0.  When they have allowed 70 or more, they are 0-9.

With Texas Southern's win, it is the first time since 1984 that the SWAC has a tournament victory in consecutive years.

With Texas A&M-Corpus Christi losing, the Southland Conference has not won a game in consecutive tournaments since 1985.  Abilene Christian from the Southland defeated Texas last year.

Wyoming is playing in their 16th tournament.  This is only the 2nd time they have not been in the West regional.

Indiana's win over Wyoming is their first tournament win since 2016 when they defeated Kentucky 73-67 in the Round of 32.

Indiana is 2-0 on Tuesdays in the tournament.  They also defeated Louisiana State 80-67 in the 1953 National Semifinals on a Tuesday

Indiana is 3-0 in the tournament vs. the Mountain West Conference,

Indiana is 7-1 playing in the state of Ohio including 6 consecutive wins.

NCAA Tournament Selection Tidbits

New Teams

• Bryant
• Longwood 

New Coaches

There are 18 coaches who are coaching in the tournament for the first time.  That is tied for the 3rd most.  There were also 18 new coaches last year.  There were 20 new coaches in 1997 and 19 in 1981.

• Mark Adams, Texas Tech
• Griff Aldrich, Longwood
• Hubert Davis, North Carolina
• Todd Golden, San Francisco
• Jared Grasso, Bryant
• Penny Hardaway, Memphis
• Eric Henderson, South Dakota State
• Shaheen Holloway, Saint Peter's
• Martin Ingelsby, Delaware
• Jeff Linder, Wyoming
• Tommy Lloyd, Arizona
• Steve Lutz, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
• Niko Medved, Colorado State
• Kevin Nickelberry, Louisiana State
• Lamont Paris, Chattanooga
• Danny Sprinkle, Montana State
• Drew Valentine, Loyola Chicago
• Mike Woodson, Indiana

First Year with new Team

There are 6 coaches who have coached in the tournament, but are making their first appearance with their current team.

• Chris Beard, Texas (2016 - Arkansas-Little Rock; 2018-19, 2021 - Texas Tech)
• John Groce, Akron (2010, 2012 - Ohio, 2013 - Illinois)
• Andy Kennedy, UAB (2013, 2015 - Mississippi)
• Rob Lanier, Georgia State (2002 - Siena)
• T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State (2017-18 - South Dakota State)
• Shaka Smart, Marquette (2011-15 - VCU; 2016, 2018, 2021 - Texas)

Consecutive Appearances

• Kansas 32
• Michigan State 24
• Gonzaga 23
• North Carolina 11
• Villanova 9
• Purdue 7
• Michigan 6
• Virginia Tech 5
• Houston 4
• Ohio State 4
• Tennessee 4
• Texas Tech 4

Longest Droughts Broken

• Montana State 1996
• San Francisco 1998
• Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 2007
• Richmond 2011
• Saint Peter's 2011
• Akron 2013
• Colorado State 2013
• Delaware 2014
• Memphis 2014
• Boise State 2015
• UAB 2015
• Wyoming 2015

Streaks Snapped

• Virginia 7
• Iona 5
• Florida 4
• Florida State 4
• Oklahoma 3
• Syracuse 3
• Abilene Christian 2
• Liberty 2
• Maryland 2
• Oregon 2
• Utah State 2
• VCU 2

#1 Seeds History

• Kansas - 15th #1 Seed (39-13, 4 Final Fours, Won 2008 National Championship)
• Arizona - 7th #1 Seed (16-6, 1 Final Four)
• Gonzaga - 5th #1 Seed (14-4, 2 Final Fours, Lost 2017 and 2021 National Championship Games)
• Baylor - 2nd #1 Seed (6-0, 1 Final Four, Won 2021 National Championship)

Other Seeds - Teams achieving best seeds in school history

• Texas Tech - #3 (4th Time - Also in 1996, 2018, & 2019)
• Providence - #4 (1st Time - Previous High was #5 in 2004)
• Saint Mary's - #5 (1st Time - Previous High was #7 in 2012 & 2017)
• Colorado State - #6 (1st Time - Previous High was #8 in 2013)
• Boise State - #8 (1st Time - Previous High was #11 in 2015)
• Davidson - #10 (3rd Time - Also in 2008 & 2015)
• Vermont - #13 (4th Time - Also in 2005, 2017 & 2019)
• Longwood - #14 (First Appearance)
• Colgate - #14 (2nd Time - Also in 2021)
• Jacksonville State - #15 (2nd Time - Also in 2017)
• Bryant - #16 (First Appearance)

Highest Number of Different Seeds

Iowa State is an #11 Seed for the first time.  The #11 Seed is the 12th different seed for Iowa State in school history.  They have been every seed from #2 through #13.  They are the 5th school to earn 12 different seeds:

• Arkansas (#1 to #12)
• Gonzaga (#1 to #4, #6 to #12, #14)
• Iowa State (#2 to #13)
• Oklahoma (#1 to #11, #13)
• Xavier (#1 to #4, #6 to #7, #9 to #14)

National Championship Game Tidbits

Baylor is 20-14 in the NCAA Tournament

Baylor wins their first ever National Championship.  They are 1-1 in National Championship games.

Baylor wins the first National Championship for the Big 12 since Kansas won in 2008

Scott Drew wins his first National Championship

The Big 12 is 2-3 in National Championship games

A #1 seed wins the National Championship for the 4^th consecutive tournament

Baylor is 1-1 vs. Gonzaga in the tournament.  They lost to Gonzaga 83-71 in the 2019 Round of 32.

Baylor’s win is their first ever against a #1 seed.  They are 1-3.

Baylor is 1-2 vs. AP #1 ranked teams.

Gonzaga is 39-23 in the NCAA Tournament

Gonzaga is 0-2 in National Championship games

Gonzaga is the 5^th team to fail to win the tournament as an unbeaten team since Indiana won in 1976 as the last unbeaten team.  They are the 2^nd unbeaten team to lose in the championship game since 1976 and the 3rd overall.  Indiana State (1979) and Ohio State (1961) also lost as unbeaten teams in the championship game.

Gonzaga is 0-9 all-time vs. #1 seeds.  That is tied with Temple for the second worst behind Arkansas who is 0-10.

The WCC is 2-2 in National Championship games

This is the 9^th time that two #1 seeds have faced each other in the National Championship game

• Baylor 86 Gonzaga 70 – 2021
• North Carolina 71 Gonzaga 65 – 2017
• Duke 68 Wisconsin 63 – 2015
• Kansas 75 Memphis 68 – 2008
• Florida 84 Ohio State 75 – 2007
• North Carolina 75 Illinois 70 – 2005
• Connecticut 77 Duke 74 – 1999
• North Carolina 77 Michigan 71 – 1993
• North Carolina 63 Georgetown 62 - 1982

National Semifinal - UCLA vs. Gonzaga Tidbits

Gonzaga is 39-22 in the NCAA Tournament

Gonzaga is in their 1st National Championship Game since 2017 and 2nd overall.  They lost to North Carolina 71-65 in the 2017 National Championship Game.

Baylor vs. Gonzaga will be the 2nd straight Championship Game between two teams that have never won a championship.  The last time before 2019 that both teams were seeking their first title was 1990 (Duke vs. UNLV)

Baylor and Gonzaga will be playing each other for the 2nd straight tournament.  Gonzaga defeated Baylor 83-71 in the 2019 Round of 32.

The championship game between Gonzaga and Baylor will be the 6th time two private schools have met for the title.

• 2021: Gonzaga vs. Baylor
• 2010: Duke vs. Butler
• 1985: Villanova vs. Georgetown
• 1955: La Salle vs. San Francisco
• 1954: La Salle vs. Bradley
• 1942: Stanford vs. Dartmouth

Gonzaga is 2-1 vs. UCLA in the tournament.  UCLA defeated Gonzaga 73-71 in the 2006 Sweet Sixteen and Gonzaga defeated UCLA 74-62 in the 2015 Sweet Sixteen.

Gonzaga is 5-3 vs. the Pac 12

UCLA is 111-43 in the NCAA Tournament 

UCLA is 13-6 in National Semifinals, but has lost 3 straight

UCLA is 12-4 vs. the West Coast Conference

UCLA is 3-7 vs. AP #1 ranked teams.  Their last win over a #1 team in the tournament was against DePaul in 1980 Round of 32.

UCLA is the second team to ever play in 3 overtime games matching Syracuse in 1975

National Semifinal - Houston vs. Baylor Tidbits

Baylor is 19-14 in the NCAA Tournament

Baylor is in the National Championship Game for the 1st time since 1948 and the 2nd time overall.  They lost to Kentucky 58-42 in the 1948 Championship Game.

Scott Drew will be coaching in his first ever championship game.

This is the 5th championship game appearance for the Big 12 and the first time in history that the Big 12 has had back-to-back appearances in the championship game.

• 2003 - Kansas
• 2008 - Kansas
• 2012 - Kansas
• 2019 - Texas Tech
• 2021 - Baylor

Baylor's win over #6 Houston is the highest AP ranked team they have defeated in tournament history.  Their previous high was over #10 Arkansas in the Elite Eight.  Before this tournament, they had never defeated an AP Top 15 team.

Baylor is 2-0 vs. teams from Texas in the tournament.  They defeated Sam Houston State 68-59 in the 2010 Round of 64.

Houston is 33-27 in the NCAA Tournament

Houston is 2-4 in National Semifinals.  The loss snaps a 2-game winning streak in this round.

Houston is 2-5 vs. teams from Texas in the tournament

Today's game was the 14th time that two teams from the state of Texas played each other in the tournament.  The 14 intra-state games is 4th behind California (29), Pennsylvania (17) and Kentucky (16).

Year	Winner	Score	Loser	Score	Round
1956	Southern Methodist	68	Texas Tech	67	Round of 32
1956	Southern Methodist	89	Houston	74	Sweet Sixteen
1961	Texas Tech	69	Houston	67	Regional Third Place
1963	Texas	65	Texas-El Paso	47	Round of 32
1964	Texas-El Paso	68	Texas A&M	62	Round of 32
1965	Southern Methodist	89	Houston	87	Regional Third Place
1967	Houston	83	Southern Methodist	75	Elite Eight
1968	Houston	103	Texas Christian	68	Elite Eight
1969	Texas A&M	81	Trinity, Texas	66	Round of 32
1972	Texas	85	Houston	74	Round of 32
2010	Baylor	68	Sam Houston State	59	Round of 64
2018	Texas Tech	70	Stephen F. Austin	60	Round of 64
2021	Abilene Christian	53	Texas	52	Round of 64
2021	Baylor	78	Houston	59	National Semifinals