Now that was an Elite Eight. After a very chalky first two rounds left us with 14 of the top 16 remaining, the Sweet 16 saw a 1-seed (UNC) and two 2-seeds (Michigan and Tennessee) bow out. Then the Elite Eight came and wrecked us all, for better or for worse.
In the West Region, 3-seed Texas Tech and 1-seed Gonzaga had a dog fight, and Gonzaga was still within 2 points in the final minute before the Red Raiders pulled away (after an untimely technical foul by Gonzaga) for a 75-69 win. That tied for the widest margin of victory of the Elite Eight. With the win, the Red Raiders will be playing in their first-ever Final Four.
In
the South Region, 3-seed Purdue looked to be in control over 1-seed Virginia for most of the game, behind Carsen Edwards's unconscious shooting. But the Hoos battled back, and in a wild last five seconds of regulation, missed a free throw on purpose and batted the ball back into Purdue's half, before a miracle pass to the right wing and a last-second shot by Mamadi Diakite sent the game into overtime. In OT, Virginia held on for an 80-75 win, clinching the Cavaliers's first Final Four since 1984 (and third overall), and sending the hapless Boilers back to West Lafayette dreaming of Joe Barry Carroll.
Sunday picked up where Saturday left off. In the Midwest region, two SEC foes battled for a third time this season. 2-seed Kentucky had beaten 5-seed Auburn the previous two times, but the Tigers would not be denied a third time. After botching the last possession in regulation with the game tied, Auburn got it together in OT for a 77-71 win. It is also Auburn's first-ever Final Four.
Finally, the East Region ended up being the only region where the top two seeds advanced -- 1-seed Duke and 2-seed Michigan State. Many thought MSU deserved a 1-seed, and they were out to prove it. It was a back-and-forth slugfest, but a late three game Sparty the 68-67 win, destroying many a bracket. MSU will be playing in its 10th Final Four (8th of the Izzo era) and first since 2015.
Here
are the Final Four game times this Saturday (Eastern). Both games are on CBS:
(S1)
Virginia vs. (MW5) Auburn – 6:09 p.m.
(E2)
Michigan State vs. (W3) Texas Tech – 8:49 p.m.
As
I do this time of year, I'm going to drop some Final Four statistical knowledge
on you. Get ready for it.
14. With Virginia's win over Purdue, Tony Bennett advances to his first Final Four, just as his father did with Wisconsin in 2000. The Bennetts join John Thompson, Jr. and John Thompson III as the only father-son duos to be the head coach of Final Four teams. The Thompsons both did it with Georgetown, with the elder taking the Hoyas to three Final Fours in 1982, 1984, and 1985, and the younger taking the Hoyas to the Final Four in 2007.
13. As we all know, last year, Virginia became the first 1-seed to lose to a 16-seed in NCAA Tournament history, when they were blown out by UMBC. And now the Cavaliers are making up for it by going to the Final Four. They join a list of now 49 teams who made the Final Four the year after losing their first game of the NCAA Tournament. 17 of those teams have went onto the title game, with 5 winning it all. Here are the others who have done it (this does not include teams that made the Final Four a year after not participating in the NCAA Tournament):
2019: Virginia
2015: Duke*
2014: Wisconsin
2013: Michigan**, Wichita State
2012: Louisville
2010: Butler**, West Virginia
2009: UConn
2006: UCLA**, LSU
2005: Louisville, Michigan State
2003: Marquette
2002: Indiana**, Oklahoma
2000: North Carolina, Wisconsin
1995: UCLA*
1994: Arizona
1990: Georgia Tech
1988: Arizona
1987: Indiana*
1986: LSU
1985: St. John's
1983: NC State*
1982: Georgetown**, Louisville, Houston
1981: North Carolina**
1980: Iowa
1978: Arkansas
1977: North Carolina**
1976: Michigan**, Rutgers
1975: Louisville, Syracuse
1974: Marquette**
1973: Providence
1971: Western Kentucky
1964: UCLA*
1961: St. Joseph's, Utah
1959: West Virginia**, Cincinnati
1956: SMU
1955: Colorado
1944: Dartmouth**
1942: Dartmouth**
*Champions
**Advanced to championship game
12. For the second time in three years -- and
only the fourth time since seeding began in 1979 -- there are two teams playing
in their first-ever Final Four (Auburn and Texas Tech). Here are the other years in which at least
two teams were playing their first Final Four in the same year (excluding tournaments
prior to 1950, since all of them would be included in this group):
2019: Auburn, Texas Tech
2017: Gonzaga**, South Carolina
1996: Massachusetts, Mississippi State
1979: Indiana State**, Pennsylvania
1977: UNLV, UNC Charlotte
1973: Memphis State**, Providence
1970: Jacksonville**, New Mexico State, St.
Bonaventure
1969: Purdue**, Drake
1967: Dayton**, Houston
1965: Princeton, Wichita State
1963: Loyola (IL)*, Duke
1962: UCLA, Wake Forest
1959: West Virginia**, Cincinnati, Louisville
1956: SMU, Temple
1955: San Francisco*, Iowa
1954: LaSalle*, Penn State
1953: LSU, Washington
1952: St. John's**, Santa Clara
1950: Bradley**, NC State
*Champions
**Advanced
to championship game
If Texas Tech and Auburn win Saturday, it will be the first time since 1990 that two teams without a previous national championship will be playing for the title, and the first time since 1979 that two teams will play for the championship without ever having played in the championship game before. Here are the years in which both teams meeting in the championship game had not previously won an NCAA title (excluding the first tournament in 1939), with an asterisk for years in which both teams played in the title game for the first time:
-1990: UNLV over Duke
-1989: Michigan over Seton Hall
-1984: Georgetown over Houston
-1979*: Michigan State over Indiana State
-1974*: NC State over Marquette
-1964*: UCLA over Duke
-1959*: Cal over West Virginia
-1954: LaSalle over Bradley
-1952: Kansas over St. John's
-1950*: CCNY over Bradley
-1948*: Kentucky over Baylor
-1947*: Holy Cross over Oklahoma
-1945*: Oklahoma A&M over NYU
-1944: Utah over Dartmouth
-1943*: Wyoming over Georgetown
-1942*: Stanford over Dartmouth
-1941*: Wisconsin over Washington State
-1940*: Indiana over Kansas
11. Auburn is the first team from Alabama to go to the Final
Four. Of the states (and DC) that have
Division 1 teams, here are the only ones left that haven't had a school go to
the Final Four (with the D-1 institutions in that state listed):
1. Delaware (2): Delaware, Delaware State
2. Hawaii (1): Hawaii
3. Idaho (3): Boise State, Idaho, Idaho State
4. Maine (1): Maine
5. Missouri (5): Missouri, Missouri-Kansas City, Missouri State, Saint Louis, Southeast Missouri State
6. Montana (2): Montana, Montana State
7. Nebraska (3): Creighton, Nebraska, Nebraska-Omaha
8. North
Dakota (2): North Dakota, North Dakota State
9. South
Dakota (2): South Dakota, South Dakota State
10. Vermont (1): Vermont
10. Since 2000, the Big Ten has sent a
representative to the Final Four 16 times, the most of any conference in that
span.
1. Big Ten – 16 (Michigan State (7), Wisconsin
(3), Michigan (2), Ohio State (2), Indiana (1), Illinois (1))
2. ACC – 15 (North Carolina (6), Duke (4),
Maryland (2), Georgia Tech (1), Syracuse (1), Virginia (1))
3. Big East – 12 (Connecticut (3), Villanova
(3), Louisville (2), Syracuse (2), Georgetown (1), West Virginia (1))
4. SEC – 11 (Florida (4), Kentucky (4), Auburn
(1), LSU (1), South Carolina (1))
5. Big 12 – 10 (Kansas (5), Oklahoma (2),
Oklahoma State (1), Texas (1), Texas Tech (1))
6. Pac-10/Pac-12 - 5 (UCLA (3), Arizona (1),
Oregon (1))
7.
Conference USA – 3 (Louisville (1),
Marquette (1), Memphis (1)
8
(tie). Colonial – 2 (George Mason, VCU)
8
(tie). Horizon – 2 (Butler (2))
8
(tie). Missouri Valley – 2 (Loyola (1),
Wichita State (1))
9. With Michigan State's win
Sunday, Tom Izzo is coaching in his 8th Final Four, moving him into sole possession of fifth place on the list of head coaching Final Four
appearances. Here are the coaches who
have been to 5 or more Final Fours (John Calipari is not on this list because 2
of his 6 Final Four appearances have been vacated by the NCAA):
1
(tie). Mike Krzyzewski - Duke (12)
1
(tie). John Wooden - UCLA (12)
3. Dean Smith - North Carolina (11)
4. Roy Williams - Kansas, North Carolina (9)
5. Tom Izzo - Michigan State (8)
6. Rick Pitino - Providence,
Kentucky, Louisville (7)
6
(tie). Denny Crum – Louisville (6)
6
(tie). Adolph Rupp – Kentucky (6)
8
(tie). Jim Boeheim – Syracuse (5)
8
(tie). Bob Knight – Indiana (5)
8
(tie). Guy Lewis – Houston (5)
8
(tie). Lute Olson – Iowa, Arizona (5)
8. Michigan State going to its 10th Final Four. There are 10 schools with 8 or more Final Fours: North Carolina (20), UCLA (18), Kentucky
(17), Duke (16), Kansas (15), Ohio State (11), Louisville (10), Michigan State
(9), Indiana (8), and Michigan (8). This
is the 34th year in a row and the 62nd year out of the last 63 that at least
one of those ten teams has been in the Final Four. In fact, one of those teams has been in all
but 8 of 80 Final Fours (1941, 1943, 1947, 1950, 1954, 1955, 1956, and 1985).
7. As discussed above, both Auburn and Texas Tech are playing in their respective First Final Fours ever. This leaves only 16 schools from the six "power" conferences -- ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC -- that have never been to a Final Four. Here are the remaining teams, as well as the furthest they've ever gotten in the NCAA Tournament and the year(s) they got the furthest:
ACC
-Boston College (Elite Eight in 1967, 1982, 1994)
-Clemson (Elite Eight in 1980)
-Miami (Sweet 16 in 2000, 2013, 2016)
-Virginia Tech (Elite Eight in 1967)
Big 12
-TCU (Elite Eight in 1968)
Big East
-Creighton (Elite Eight in 1941)
-Xavier (Elite Eight in 2004, 2008, 2017)
Big Ten
-Nebraska (Round of 64 in 1986, 1991-1994, 1998, 2014)
-Northwestern (Round of 32 in 2017)
Pac-12
-Arizona State (Elite Eight in 1961, 1963, 1975)
SEC
-Alabama (Elite Eight in 2004)
-Missouri (Elite Eight in 1944, 1976, 1994, 2002, 2009)
-Mississippi (Sweet 16 in 2001)
-Tennessee (Elite Eight in 2010)
-Texas A&M (Sweet 16 in 1951, 1969, 1980, 2007, 2016, 2018)
-Vanderbilt (Elite Eight in 1965)
6. While it will be tough to top Oregon's
78-year span between Final Fours (1939-2017), Virginia has managed the eleventh-longest
span between Final Four appearances. The
Cavaliers have not been to the Final Four since 1984. Here are both the longest current Final Four
droughts and longest all-time droughts between appearances.
Here
are the longest current Final Four droughts for teams that have previously
played in at least one Final Four (and are currently Division 1 schools –-
sorry CCNY fans). I was surprised that
half of them are "major" conference teams. I'm adding a year, since the earliest these
teams could make the Final Four would be 2019:
1. Duquesne:
80 years (1940)
2
(tie). Pittsburgh and Washington
State: 79 years (1941)
4. Wyoming:
77 years (1943)
5
(tie). Dartmouth and Iowa State: 76 years (1944)
7. Holy Cross:
72 years (1948)
8. Baylor:
70 years (1950)
9. Santa Clara:
68 years (1952)
10. Washington:
67 years (1953)
Here
are the all-time droughts between Final Four appearances 35 years or longer:
1. Oregon:
78 years (1939-2017)
2. Wisconsin:
59 years (1941-2000)
3
(tie). Stanford: 56 years (1942-1998)
3
(tie). Texas: 56 years (1947-2003)
5. Loyola (IL):
55 years (1963-2018)
6. West Virginia: 51 years (1959-2010)
7. Wichita State: 48 years (1965-2013)
8. Oklahoma State: 44 years (1951-1995)
9. Oklahoma:
41 years (1947-1988)
10. Georgetown:
39 years (1943-1982)
11. Illinois:
37 years (1952-1989)
12. DePaul:
36 years (1943-1979)
13. Virginia:
35 years (1984-2019)
5. This year's Final Four features three coaches
who are coaching in their first-ever Final Fours: Texas Tech's Chris Beard, Virginia's Tony
Bennett, and Auburn's Bruce Pearl. This
is a relatively rare occurrence, as it has happened only 6 times since seeding
was instituted in 1979, and 16 times since 1944 (all of the five Final Fours
before that featured four first-time coaches).
Here are the years since 1944 in which three or more coaches made their
Final Four debut:
2019: 3: Chris Beard (Texas Tech), Tony Bennett (Virginia), Bruce Pearl (Auburn)
2017: 3:
Mark Few (Gonzaga)**, Dana Altman (Oregon), Frank Martin (South
Carolina)
2006: 3: Ben
Howland (UCLA)**, John Brady (UCLA), Jim Larranaga (George Mason)
1999: 3: Jim
Calhoun (UConn)*, Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Jim O'Brien (Ohio State)
1998: 4:
Tubby Smith (Kentucky)*, Rick Majerus (Utah)**, Bill Guthridge (North
Carolina), Mike Montgomery (Stanford)
1985: 3:
Rollie Massimino (Villanova)*, Lou Carnesecca (St. John's), Dana Kirk
(Memphis State)
1979: 3: Jud
Heathcote (Michigan State)*, Bill Hodges (Indiana State)**, Bob Wienhauer
(Penn)
1978: 3:
Bill Foster (Duke)**, Digger Phelps (Notre Dame), Eddie Sutton
(Arkansas)
1973: 3:
Gene Bartow (Memphis State)**, Dave Gavitt (Providence), Bob Knight
(Indiana)
1971: 3:
Jack Kraft (Villanova)**, Johnny Oldham (Western Kentucky), Ted Owens
(Kansas)
1970: 3: Joe
Williams (Jacksonville)**, Lou Henson (New Mexico State), Larry Weise (St.
Bonaventure)
1967: 3: Bob
Donoher (Dayton)**, Guy Lewis (Houston), Dean Smith (North Carolina)
1959: 4:
Pete Newell (California)*, Fred Schaus (West Virginia)**, Peck Hickman
(Louisville), George Smith (Cincinnati)
1955: 3:
Phil Woolpert (San Francisco)*, Bebe Lee (Colorado), Bucky O'Connor
(Iowa)
1954: 3: Ken
Loeffler (LaSalle)*, Elmer Gross (Penn State), Forrest Twogood (USC)
1947: 3:
Doggie Julian (Holy Cross)*, Nat Holman (CCNY), Jack Gray (Texas)
1945: 3: Henry
Iba (Oklahoma A&M)*, Howard Cann (NYU)**, Eugene Lambert (Arkansas)
1944: 3:
Vadal Peterson (Utah)*, Earl Brown (Dartmouth)**, Louis Menze (Iowa
State)
*Won
NCAA championship
**Advanced
to title game
On
a similar note, if anyone but Michigan State wins the national title, it will
be the 26th time that a first-time Final Four coach will have won the
championship. Of course, those numbers
are heavily skewed towards the beginning decades of the NCAA Tournament. Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in
1985, it has only happened 7 times. Here
is everyone (including before 1985), in reverse chronological order:
-Kevin
Ollie (UConn, 2014)
-Bill
Self (Kansas, 2008)
-Jim
Calhoun (UConn, 1999)
-Tubby
Smith (Kentucky, 1998)
-Jim
Harrick (UCLA, 1995)
-Steve
Fisher (Michigan, 1989)
-Rollie
Massimino (Villanova, 1985)
-Jim
Valvano (NC State, 1983)
-Jud
Heathcote (Michigan State, 1979)
-Norm
Sloan (NC State, 1974)
-Don
Haskins (Texas Western, 1966)
-George
Ireland (Loyola (Ill.), 1963)
-Ed
Jucker (Cincinnati, 1961)
-Fred
Taylor (Ohio State, 1960)
-Pete
Newell (California, 1959)
-Phil
Woolpert (San Francisco, 1955)
-Ken
Loeffler (LaSalle, 1954)
-Doggie
Julian (Holy Cross, 1947)
-Henry
Iba (Oklahoma A&M, 1945)
-Vadal
Peterson (Utah, 1944)
-Everett
Shelton (Wyoming, 1943)
-Everett
Dean (Stanford, 1942)
-Harold
E. Foster (Wisconsin, 1941)
-Branch
McCracken (Indiana, 1940)
-Howard
Hobson (Oregon, 1939)
4. All four schools in the Final Four are public schools. That has happened 22 other times. Here they are (winner listed first, runner-up second, other two after):
-2014: UConn, Kentucky, Florida, Wisconsin
-2012: Kentucky, Kansas, Ohio State, Louisville
-2008: Kansas, Memphis, UCLA, North Carolina
-2006: Florida, UCLA, LSU, George Mason
-2005: North Carolina, Illinois, Louisville, Michigan State
-2002: Maryland, Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma
-2000: Michigan State, Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin
-1997: Arizona, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina
-1995: UCLA, Arkansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma State
-1993: North Carolina, Michigan, Kentucky, Kansas
-1983: NC State, Houston, Louisville, Georgia
-1981: Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, LSU
-1980: Louisville, UCLA, Purdue, Iowa
-1976: Indiana, Michigan, UCLA, Rutgers
-1972: UCLA, Florida State, North Carolina, Louisville
-1968: UCLA, North Carolina, Ohio State, Houston
-1959: California, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Louisville
-1953: Indiana, Kansas, Washington, LSU
-1951: Kentucky, Kansas State, Illinois, Oklahoma A&M
-1949: Kentucky, Oklahoma A&M, Illinois, Oregon State
-1946: Oklahoma A&M, North Carolina, Ohio State, California
-1941: Wisconsin, Washington State, Arkansas, Pittsburgh
3. After all that chalkiness in the first two
rounds, there are is only one 1-seed in the Final Four (Virginia). Here is a breakdown of how many #1 seeds have
advanced to the Final Four each year since 1979.
2019: 1 (Virginia)
2018: 2 (Villanova, Kansas)
2017: 2 (North Carolina*, Gonzaga**)
2016:
1 (North Carolina**)
2015:
3 (Duke*, Wisconsin**, Kentucky)
2014:
1 (Florida)
2013:
1 (Louisville*)
2012:
1 (Kentucky*)
2011:
0
2010:
1 (Duke*)
2009:
2 (North Carolina*, Connecticut)
2008:
4 (Kansas*, Memphis**, North Carolina, UCLA)
2007:
2 (Florida*, Ohio State**)
2006:
0
2005:
2 (North Carolina*, Illinois**)
2004:
1 (Duke)
2003:
1 (Texas)
2002:
2 (Maryland*, Kansas)
2001:
2 (Duke*, Michigan State)
2000:
1 (Michigan State*)
1999:
3 (Connecticut*, Duke**, Michigan State)
1998:
1 (North Carolina)
1997:
3 (Kentucky**, North Carolina, Minnesota)
1996:
2 (Kentucky*, Massachusetts)
1995:
1 (UCLA*)
1994:
1 (Arkansas*)
1993:
3 (North Carolina*, Michigan**, Kentucky)
1992:
1 (Duke*)
1991:
2 (UNLV, North Carolina)
1990:
1 (UNLV*)
1989:
1 (Illinois)
1988:
2 (Oklahoma**, Arizona)
1987:
2 (Indiana*, UNLV)
1986:
2 (Duke**, Kansas)
1985:
2 (Georgetown**, St. John's)
1984:
2 (Georgetown*, Kentucky)
1983:
2 (Houston**, Louisville)
1982:
2 (North Carolina*, Georgetown**)
1981:
2 (LSU, Virginia)
1980:
0
1979:
1 (Indiana State**)
*Champions
**Advanced
to championship game
2. The average seed for this year's Final Four
is 2.75, which is right around in the middle of where the average seed number usually is. Here are the average seeds for the Final Four
since 1979:
2019: 2.75
2018: 4
2017: 3
2016:
3.75
2015:
2.5
2014:
4.5
2013:
4.5
2012:
2.25
2011:
6.5
2010:
3.25
2009:
1.75
2008:
1
2007:
1.5
2006:
5
2005:
2.75
2004:
2
2003:
2.25
2002:
2.25
2001:
1.75
2000:
5.5
1999:
1.75
1998:
2.25
1997:
1.75
1996:
2.75
1995:
2.25
1994:
2
1993:
1.25
1992:
3.25
1991:
1.75
1990:
3
1989:
2.25
1988:
2.5
1987:
2.5
1986:
3.75
1985:
3
1984:
2.75
1983:
3
1982:
2.75
1981:
1.75
1980:
5.25
1979:
3.5
1. Auburn has advanced to the Final Four as a
5-seed. This is the 7th year in a row a
team seeded 5 or higher has made it to the Final Four. Of the prior 30 teams seeded 5 or higher,
only 4 have won it all, another 7 have been runners up, and the remaining 19
have lost in the semis. Here are the
years in which there have been any teams seeded 5 or higher in the Final Four
since 1979:
2019: 1:
5-seed Auburn
2018: 1:
11-seed Loyola (IL)
2017: 1:
7-seed South Carolina
2016: 1: 10-seed Syracuse
2015: 1: 7-seed Michigan State
2014: 2: 7-seed UConn* and 8-seed Kentucky**
2013: 1: 9-seed Wichita State
2011: 2: 8-seed Butler** and 11-seed VCU
2010: 2: 5-seeds Butler** and Michigan State
2006: 1: 11-seed George Mason
2005: 1: 5-seed Michigan State
2002: 1: 5-seed Indiana**
2000: 3: 5-seed Florida**, 8-seeds North Carolina
and Wisconsin
1996: 1: 5-seed Mississippi State
1992: 1: 6-seed Michigan**
1988: 1: 6-seed Kansas*
1987: 1: 6-seed Providence
1986: 1: 11-seed LSU
1985: 1: 8-seed Villanova*
1984: 1: 7-seed Virginia
1983: 1: 6-seed NC State*
1982: 1: 6-seed Houston
1980: 3: 5-seed Purdue, 6-seed Iowa, 8-seed UCLA**
1979: 1: 9-seed Penn
*Champions
**Advanced to
championship game
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