This
weekend proved why the first weekend of March Madness is the best sports
weekend of the year. There were buzzer
beaters, huge upsets, come-from-behind victories, and several sick
alley-oops. Let's cut to the chase. Here are the Sweet 16 teams, along with the
last time they made the Sweet 16 (and their region, seeds, game time, and what
station is televising the game):
East
Region (Washington, DC)
(2)
Miami (2000) vs. (3) Marquette (2012) - Thursday 3/28 7:15 ET CBS
(1)
Indiana (2012) vs. (4) Syracuse (2012) - Thursday 3/28 9:45 ET CBS
West
Region (Los Angeles)
(2)
Ohio State (2012) vs. (6) Arizona (2011) - Thursday 3/28 7:47 ET TBS
(9)
Wichita State (2006) vs. (13) LaSalle (1955) - Thursday 3/28 10:17 ET TBS
Midwest
Region (Indianapolis)
(1)
Louisville (2012) vs. (12) Oregon (2007) - Friday 3/29 7:15 ET CBS
(2)
Duke (2011) vs. (3) Michigan State (2012) - Friday 3/29 9:45 ET CBS
South
Region (North Texas)
(1)
Kansas (2012) vs. (4) Michigan (1994) - Friday 3/29 7:37 ET TBS
(3)
Florida (2012) vs. (15) Florida Gulf Coast (never) - Friday 3/29 10:07 ET TBS
If
you're like me -- and you better pray to Xenu that you're not –- you not
only love the NCAA Tournament, but you are fascinated with the history and
statistical minutiae associated with the tournament. Like I've done the last couple years, I'm
going to destroy your mind (and quite possibly your bowels) with some statistical knowledge. Here are ten fun facts
about this year's NCAA tournament.
10. Florida Gulf Coast became the first 15-seed
to ever advance to the Sweet 16. Since
this is the school's first trip to the Big Dance, FGCU is also the only school
in NCAA Tournament history that has never lost a tournament game. When it meets Florida Friday night, it will
be the first time two schools from Florida have played each other in the NCAA
Tournament.
9. Only three of the Sweet 16 teams have never
won an NCAA title (Miami, Wichita State, and Florida Gulf Coast), and every
Sweet 16 matchup features at least one former champion.
8. The Big Ten has four teams in the Sweet 16
for the second year in a row, and the State of Florida has three teams in the
Sweet 16 for the first time ever.
7. This is the first time since 1955 that
LaSalle has made it to the Sweet 16, and the first time since they won it all
in 1954 that the Explorers have won two or more games in the NCAA Tournament.
6. Gonzaga proved that it is, in fact, the best team
in the West Coast Conference by making it one round further than St.
Mary's. It is the third time in the last
four years that a 1-seed lost in the Round of 32.
5. If Iowa State would have beaten Ohio State
Sunday, the highest remaining seed in the West Region would have been 6-seed
Arizona, and it would have been the first time since seeding began in 1979
where none of the top four seeds in a region advanced to the Sweet 16.
4. The average seed number for Sweet 16 teams
this year is 5.0625, which is the highest average seed number since 2000, and
only the fifth time since the tournament was expanded to 64 teams in 1985 that
the average seed number is higher than 5.
This is pretty high if you consider that, if the seeding played out as
it should (i.e., all teams seeded 1-4 advancing to the Sweet 16, which has
never happened), the average seed number would be 2.5. Here is the average seed
of Sweet 16 teams since 1985:
2013:
5.0625
2012:
4.5625
2011:
5
2010:
5
2009:
3.0625
2008:
4.375
2007:
3.1875
2006:
4.4375
2005:
4.5
2004:
4.5625
2003:
4.1875
2002:
4.6875
2001:
4.5625
2000:
5.3125
1999:
5.5
1998:
4.75
1997:
4.8125
1996:
3.6875
1995:
3.1875
1994:
4.25
1993:
4.0625
1992:
4.1875
1991:
4
1990:
5.5
1989:
3.125
1988:
4.3125
1987:
4.25
1986:
5.5625
1985:
4.875
3. There are 3 mid-majors in the Sweet 16. (I
consider non-BCS conferences to be mid-majors, even if a school is now in a BCS
conference, so, for instance, Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, and Marquette
were mid-majors before joining the Big East in 2005. It's not a perfect
science. Deal with it.) Here is a year-by-year breakdown of the number of
mid-major teams that made it to the Sweet 16 since 1985:
2013:
3 (Florida Gulf Coast, LaSalle, Wichita State)
2012:
2 (Ohio, Xavier)
2011:
5 (Butler, BYU, Richmond, San Diego State, VCU)
2010:
5 (Butler, Cornell, Northern Iowa, St. Mary's, Xavier)
2009:
3 (Gonzaga, Memphis, Xavier)
2008:
4 (Davidson, Memphis, Western Kentucky, Xavier)
2007:
4 (Butler, Memphis, Southern Illinois, UNLV)
2006:
5 (Bradley, George Mason, Gonzaga, Memphis, Wichita State)
2005:
2 (Utah, UW-Milwaukee)
2004:
4 (Nevada, St. Joseph's, UAB, Xavier)
2003:
2 (Butler, Marquette)
2002:
2 (Kent State, Southern Illinois)
2001:
2 (Cincinnati, Gonzaga, Temple)
2000:
2 (Gonzaga, Tulsa)
1999:
4 (Gonzaga, Miami (OH), SW Missouri State, Temple)
1998:
3 (Rhode Island, Utah, Valparaiso)
1997:
3 (St. Joseph's, Utah, UT-Chattanooga)
1996:
3 (Cincinnati, Massachusetts, Utah)
1995:
3 (Massachusetts, Memphis, Tulsa)
1994:
2 (Marquette, Tulsa)
1993:
4 (Cincinnati, George Washington, Temple, Western Kentucky)
1992:
5 (Cincinnati, Memphis State, Massachusetts, New Mexico State, UTEP)
1991:
4 (Eastern Michigan, Temple, UNLV, Utah)
1990:
4 (Ball State, Loyola Marymount, UNLV, Xavier)
1989:
2 (Louisville, UNLV)
1988:
4 (Louisville, Rhode Island, Richmond, Temple)
1987:
3 (DePaul, UNLV, Wyoming)
1986:
5 (Cleveland State, DePaul, Louisville, Navy, UNLV)
1985:
3 (Louisiana Tech, Loyola (IL), Memphis State)
2. This year, there are four teams seeded 8 or
lower that advanced to the Sweet 16: #9 Wichita State, #12 Oregon, #13 LaSalle,
and #15 Florida Gulf Coast. For the fourth
year in a row (and the fifth year in the last six), there are at least three
double-digit seeds in the Sweet 16. It
is the first time that three teams seeded 12 or higher have made it to the
Sweet 16. Here is a year-by-year
breakdown of the number of teams seeded #8 or lower that made it to the Sweet
16 since 1985:
2013:
4 (#9 Wichita State, #12 Oregon, #13 LaSalle, and #15 Florida Gulf Coast)
2012:
3 (#10 Xavier, #11 NC State, and #13 Ohio)
2011:
5 (#8 Butler*, #10 Florida State, #11 Marquette, #11 VCU*, and #12 Richmond)
2010:
4 (#9 Northern Iowa, #10 St. Mary's, #11 Washington, #12 Cornell)
2009:
1 (#12 Arizona)
2008:
3 (#10 Davidson, #12 Villanova, #12 Western Kentucky)
2007:
0
2006:
2 (#11 George Mason*, #13 Bradley)
2005:
2 (#10 North Carolina State, #12 UW-Milwaukee)
2004:
3 (#8 Alabama, #9 UAB, #10 Nevada)
2003:
2 (#10 Auburn, #12 Butler)
2002:
4 (#8 UCLA, #10 Kent State, #11 Southern Illinois, #12 Missouri)
2001:
3 (#10 Georgetown, #11 Temple, #12 Gonzaga)
2000:
4 (#8 North Carolina*, #8 Wisconsin*, #10 Seton Hall, #10 Gonzaga)
1999:
5 (#10 Gonzaga, #10 Miami (OH), #10 Purdue, #12 Southwest Missouri State, #13
Oklahoma)
1998:
4 (#8 Rhode Island, #10 West Virginia, #11 Washington, #13 Valparaiso)
1997:
3 (#10 Texas, #10 Providence, #14 UT-Chattanooga)
1996:
2 (#8 Georgia, #12 Arkansas)
1995:
0
1994:
2 (#9 Boston College, #10 Maryland, #12 Tulsa)
1993:
1 (#12 George Washington)
1992:
2 (#9 UTEP, #12 New Mexico State)
1991:
3 (#10 Temple, #11 Connecticut, #12 Eastern Michigan)
1990:
4 (#8 North Carolina, #10 Texas, #11 Loyola Marymount, #12 Ball State)
1989:
1 (#11 Minnesota)
1988:
2 (#11 Rhode Island, #13 Richmond)
1987:
2 (#10 LSU, #12 Wyoming)
1986:
4 (#8 Auburn, #11 LSU*, #12 DePaul, #14 Cleveland State)
1985:
4 (#8 Villanova**, #11 Auburn, #11 Boston College, #12 Kentucky)
*Advanced
to Final Four
**Won
NCAA title
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