Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Tuesday Top Ten: Fun Facts About This Year's NCAA Tournament


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

1.  I nearly had a heart attack Sunday while watching the IU/Temple game.  The Hoosiers played like ass for most of the game, and it felt like we were playing Wisconsin again (which hasn't boded well for us as of late).  With about three minutes left in the game, my couch could no longer contain me.  As Lollipop sat quietly on the couch watching Winnie the Pooh on the iPad, her father stood and watched the game, pacing like an idiot savant as his team went on a 10-0 run over the last 2:57 of the game, turning a 4-point deficit into a 6-point victory.  I could have used some quaaludes to bring my heart rate back down to normal after that one.  Even though IU didn't play as well as it could have, a win is a win, and that may just be the kickstart the Hoosiers need to rocket themselves to Atlanta.

No comments: