(As appeared on WSB-TV, March 2011)
The NCAA Tournie is already awesome enough. But dagnabit this is America, and we always are looking to improve upon what we got. So how about we make the Tournie more meaningful by going a little deeper and adding some context to this sacrosanct event. Let’s look at the history it’s nestled in and point out some of the most interesting facts about the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament.
It’ll make watching it more fun. Plus, you can look smart when you say, “You know, Duke’s run has been impressive, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the streak Houston had in the early 80’s, going to three straight final fours.”
Ya, some folks will think you have too much time on your hands, but others will worship your God-like knowledge. So read on to fulfill your dreams of being worshipped!
Gotta start with the fundamentals…
Some Basics for ya:
Yeah we know all the big names, but historically how have they fared? Let’s rank ‘em.
First let’s start with five most tournament victories: Number one is UCLA—they got 11, winning ten of them in a 12-season span from ’64-’75. Kentucky falls in at number two with seven titles. Then it’s Indiana and North Carolinawith five, and lastly, Duke with four. (Oregon won the first title in 1939, it’s only one)
How about another parameter? Final Four appearances: a similar, but different list. This time North Carolina ties UCLA with for the top spot with 18 visits. Third place is Duke with 15. Kentucky and Kansas are tied with 13 trips apiece.
Here’s a cool bonus fact for ya: the largest margin of victory in a championship game is 30 points. In 1990, UNLV spanked Duke 103-73. (“Yeah!”, say all the Duke haters out there.)
On to some pointers…
High Scorer:
Here’s an oldie but goodie. (And shame on you for not knowing this basic Tournie Trivia!) The most points scored in a tournament game goes to…Austin Carr. Do you know who he played for? No?? Well two-times shame on you then. He played for Notre Dame. And do you now how many?…Aw, forget it, let’s just get on with this.
He scored 61 whopping points in the opening round game in 1970. His opponent was Ohio University. And though you may have expected some crazy Wilt-type number let’s just keep this in perspective: imagine if a player did this today. It would be insane. Pretty sure he would own the Twitterverse for a little while. And this wasn’t a fluke. Mr. Carr was a stud in the post season, serving a record that may stand for good: a 50 point scoring average in 7 NCAA playoff games.
Gotta Love the Underdogs…
Sweetless 16
Even casual fans know that the lowest seed in any region (the 16th seed) has never won a game. To do that, they’d have to beat their first opponent (duh), and that would be the #1 seed.
But it did almost happened once. Michigan State was the Goliath and David took him to overtime before losing by a pittance. Who was David? Why Murray State, and the year was 1990—you know, back when the shorts were still short and the hair was buzz-cut, Theo Huxtable-like. When the dust cleared Michigan State won 75-71 (but did lose two games later, in OT, to Georgia Tech).
And since we’re on the topic, how about a list of the #15 seeds who knocked off their #2 seed suckers. Richmond in 1991; Santa Clara in 1993; Coppin State in 1997; Hampton in 2001.
More than a game…
Some Real Controversy
We’re not talking about a bad call here. The Tournie brings together practically every faction of the U.S. community, and this is bound to cause some head-butting. So though we keep the rest of this article fun and light, one fact about a more serious topic is appropriate.
One stadium, though well-suited and even built for the purpose of hosting tournament games, has been made ineligible to do so.
What’s the beef? Well South Carolina, where the arena is located, is proud of their history. So they sport their old Confederate Battle Flag at their state capital. This ruffles feathers. So much so that amidst protests during the 2002 tournament games hosted there, the NCAA recognized the requests of the NAACP and Black Coaches Association by banning of the Colonial Center from hosting any further tournament games.
End on a bad note…
De-aPauling
Can you imagine having the prestige of having a coveted #1 seed and losing your first game? Okay, okay. True, no 16 seed has ever beaten a #1, BUT, pre-1985, top seeds got first-round byes. And some did lose in the second round—their first game.
Now enters this bit of trivia. #1 seeded DePaul University lost their opening, second round game to UCLA in 1980. Bummer. But there’s always next year. Indeed, they came back, secured a 1 seed and….lost again!, this time to St. Joseph’s. Ugh! Finally, in 1982, their third consecutive year as a #1 seed, they went all Buffalo Bills on us and lost a third straight opening game, this time to Boston College.
Unfortunately, a great streak of conference titles and a stack of wins will always be followed up with a, “ya, but…”
