Tournament statistics NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament

1 tournament statistics

1.1 low seeded teams

1.1.1 successful low seeds
1.1.2 best performances no. 16 seeds
1.1.3 additional low-seed stats
1.1.4 notable point spread upsets


1.2 highly seeded teams

1.2.1 no. 1 seeds in final four
1.2.2 final fours without no. 1 seed
1.2.3 no. 1 seeds in championship game
1.2.4 additional no. 1 seed stats
1.2.5 teams no. 1 in national polls
1.2.6 performance of undefeated teams
1.2.7 undefeated teams not in tournament
1.2.8 champions absent next year


1.3 coaches

1.3.1 national championships
1.3.2 national championships among active coaches
1.3.3 schools winning national championship under multiple coaches
1.3.4 teams different schools taken final four


1.4 point differentials

1.4.1 championship victory margins
1.4.2 accumulated victory margins


1.5 seed pairing results

1.5.1 round of 64 results
1.5.2 round of 32 results
1.5.3 round of 16 results
1.5.4 regional finals results

tournament statistics

low seeded teams

most successful low seeds

best outcomes low seeds since expansion 64 teams in 1985:

best performances no. 16 seeds

no team no. 16 seed has ever defeated no. 1 seed since field expanded 64 or more teams, though on 5 occasions, no. 16 seed has come within 4 or fewer points of winning:

while murray state lost michigan state 4 points (75–71) in 1990, no. 16 team ever take game overtime.
east tennessee state lost oklahoma in 1989 (1 point, 72–71)
princeton lost georgetown in 1989 (1 point, 50–49)
western carolina lost purdue in 1996 (2 points, 73–71)
fairleigh dickinson lost michigan in 1985 (4 points, 59–55)

additional low-seed stats

villanova in 1985, no. 8 seed, lowest seeded team win tournament.
the lowest-seeded combination ever in national championship game 2014 pairing of no. 7 seed connecticut , no. 8 seed kentucky. connecticut won, become second-lowest-seeded team win tournament.
the pairing of no. 8 seed butler , no. 11 seed vcu in 2011 national semifinals game had lowest seeded combination (no. 8 v. no. 11) ever play in national semifinals game.
penn s 1979 final 4 appearance notable made no. 9 seed—out of 10 teams in region—making them lowest seed make final 4 in pre-64-team era.
butler team make consecutive final fours (let alone championship games) while not being no. 1 or no. 2 seed either time (no. 5 in 2010, no. 8 in 2011).
1991, 2013, , 2016 years @ least 1 team of every seed (other winless no. 16s) advanced round of 32.
richmond team win first-round games ranked no. 15, no. 14, no. 13, , no. 12 seed.
2012 tournament feature 2 upsets no. 15 seeds on no. 2 seeds in round of 64 (there have been 8 all-time).
1986, 1995, , 2015 tournaments feature 2 upsets no. 14 seeds on no. 3 seeds in round of 64.
2014 produced highest total seed differential in ncaa tournament, 111 across rounds of play. is, aggregate seed difference among 22 games won lower-seeded teams (e.g., no. 14 mercer on no. 3 duke, no. 8 kentucky on no. 1 wichita state) 111.
2013 tournament have 3 teams seeded no. 12 or lower in sweet sixteen: no. 12 oregon, no. 13 la salle, , no. 15 florida gulf coast.
2017, south carolina entering 7th seed in region, beat duke no. 2 seed, baylor, no. 3 seed , florida, no. 4 seed reach final four.
georgetown team ever lose in 5 consecutive tournament appearances against team seeded @ least 5 spots lower:

2008 (round of 32): no. 10 davidson 74, no. 2 georgetown 70.
2010 (round of 64): no. 14 ohio 97, no. 3 georgetown 83.
2011 (round of 64): no. 11 vcu 74, no. 6 georgetown 56.
2012 (round of 32): no. 11 nc state 66, no. 3 georgetown 63.
2013 (round of 64): no. 15 florida gulf coast 78, no. 2 georgetown 68.



notable point spread upsets

as noted above, despite numerous instances of early-round tournament upsets, no no. 1 seed has ever lost in first round no. 16 seed. however, while seeding 1 way of measuring impact of upset, prior implementation of seeding, point spread better determinant of upset, , loss highly favored team remains many definition of upset .

biggest point-spread upsets since expansion 64 teams in 1985:


norfolk state +21.5 on missouri 86–84 in 2012
santa clara +19.5 on arizona 64–61 in 1993
coppin state +18.5 on south carolina 78–65 in 1997
hampton +17.5 on iowa state 58–57 in 2001
middle tennessee +16.5 on michigan state 90–81 in 2016


biggest point-spread upsets in ncaa championship game history:


connecticut +9.5 on duke, 77–74, in 1999
villanova +9 on georgetown, 66–64, in 1985
kansas +8 on oklahoma, 83–79, in 1988
north carolina state +7.5 on houston, 54–52 in 1983
texas western +6.5 on kentucky, 72–65 in 1966

highly seeded teams
all no. 1 seeds in final four

rank #1 vs. other ranks

it has happened once 4 no. 1 seeds made final four:

2008 – kansas (champion), north carolina, ucla, memphis

final fours without no. 1 seed

three times (twice since field expanded 64 teams) final 4 has been without no. 1 seed:

1980 – no. 2 louisville (champion), no. 5 iowa, no. 6 purdue, no. 8 ucla
2006 – no. 2 ucla, no. 3 florida (champion), no. 4 lsu, no. 11 george mason
2011 – no. 3 connecticut (champion), no. 4 kentucky, no. 8 butler, no. 11 vcu

since 1985, there have been 4 instances of 3 no. 1 seeds reaching final four; 11 instances of 2 no. 1 seeds making it; , 14 instances of 1 no. 1 seed reaching final four.

no. 1 seeds in championship game

it has happened 8 times (seven times since field expanded 64) championship game has been played between 2 no. 1 seeds:

1982 – north carolina beat georgetown
1993 – north carolina beat michigan
1999 – connecticut beat duke
2005 – north carolina beat illinois
2007 – florida beat ohio state
2008 – kansas beat memphis
2015 – duke beat wisconsin
2017 - north carolina beat gonzaga

since 1985, there have been 17 instances of 1 no. 1 seed reaching championship game (no. 1 seeds 13-4 against other seeds in title game), , 8 instances no no. 1 seed made title game. in total, since 1985, no. 1 seeds 19-10 in championship game.

additional no. 1 seed stats

in 1997, arizona achieved record when became team beat 3 no. 1 seeds in single tournament. arizona (no. 4 seed) beat kansas in own southeast region, beat north carolina in final 4 , kentucky in championship game. no. 1 seeds team can face in tournament 3 (provided team not no. 1 seed, in case can face 2 no. 1 seeds in tournament).
in 2011, highest seed advance final 4 no. 3 seed connecticut, making 2011 tournament time neither no. 1 seed nor no. 2 seed advanced final weekend of play. in same tournament, butler made history first program make consecutive final fours while not being seeded no. 1 or no. 2 in either season.
there have been 16 teams have entered tournament unbeaten. 4 of teams ucla, , bruin teams won each of tournaments. however, of other 12 teams entering tournament unbeaten, 3 went on win tournament. details, see table below
in 1980, 1981, , 1982, when tournament 48 teams, depaul seeded no. 1 defeated in first round.
theoretically, no. 1 seed s difficult six-game path win tournament defeat no. 16, no. 8, no. 4, no. 2, no. 1, , no. 1 - highest possible opposing seeds in successive rounds. no no. 1 seed has ever won 6 such games, though 2 teams have won first five.

in 2002 tournament, maryland reached final after defeating teams seeded 16/8/4/2/1; won tournament after defeating no. 5 indiana in final.
in 2015 tournament, wisconsin reached final after defeating teams seeded 16/8/4/2/1. in final, faced no. 1 duke chance complete full six-game path. however, wisconsin lost final.



teams no. 1 in national polls

the following teams entered tournament ranked no. 1 in @ least 1 of ap, upi, or usa today polls , won tournament:

performance of undefeated teams

the team s record here refers record before first game of ncaa tournament.

undefeated teams not in tournament

the ncaa tournament has undergone dramatic expansion since 1975, , since tournament expanded 48 teams in 1980, no unbeaten teams have failed qualify. (as, definition, team have win conference tournament, , secure automatic bid tournament, undefeated in season, way team finish undefeated , not reach tournament if team banned postseason play; of 2016, no team banned postseason play has finished undefeated since 1980.) before that, there occasions on team achieved perfection in regular season, yet did not appear in ncaa tournament.

during 1939, long island university finished regular season unbeaten decided accept instead invitation second nit (which won) instead of first , nabc tournament (later called ncaa tournament), nit more prestigious @ time. wasn t until mid-1950s ncaa required tournament have first choice in determining teams field. before then, many of more successful teams during regular season chose play in nit instead of ncaa tournament.
during 1940, seton hall finished regular season 19–0, record had been built largely against weak teams , did not earn them invitation postseason tournament.
during 1941, milwaukee state finished regular season 16–0, record had been built largely against weak teams , did not earn them invitation postseason tournament.
during 1944, army finished regular season unbeaten. owing world war ii, cadets did not accept invitation postseason play.
during 1954, kentucky finished 25–0 , invited tournament, declined invitation.
during 1973 north carolina state wolfpack finished regular season 27–0 , ranked #2 (behind undefeated , eventual tournament champion ucla) barred participating in ncaa tournament while on probation recruiting violations.
during 1979, alcorn state braves finished regular season 27–0, did not receive invitation ncaa tournament. braves accepted bid nit, lost in second round eventual nit champion indiana.

champions absent next year

there have been 9 times in tournament did not include reigning champion (the previous year s winner):

1978 champion kentucky went 19–12 in 1979. wildcats accepted invitation national invitation tournament, losing first-round game in overtime clemson, 68–67.
both 1979 champion michigan state (12–15) , 1979 runner indiana state (16–11) failed qualify 1980 ncaa tournament. furthermore, neither invited national invitation tournament, , michigan state team finish subsequent season losing record. following 1979 ncaa tournament, indiana state lost larry bird graduation, , magic johnson left michigan state after sophomore season enter nba draft.
1983 champion north carolina state went 19–13 in 1984. wolfpack accepted invitation national invitation tournament, losing first-round game florida state, 74–71 in reynolds coliseum.
1986 champion louisville went 18–14 in 1987. team declined invitation postseason national invitation tournament.
1988 champion kansas went 19–12 in 1989. however, team ineligible participation in 1989 ncaa tournament due ncaa sanctions recruiting violations.
2007 (and 2006) champion florida , 2007 runner ohio state both failed qualify ncaa tournament in 2008. both accepted invitations year s postseason national invitation tournament, , both made semifinals. florida fell massachusetts in semifinals, , ohio state beat umass in nit championship game win tournament.
2009 champion north carolina went 20–17 in 2010. tar heels accepted invitation national invitation tournament, , reached finals, losing dayton.
2012 champion kentucky went 21–11 in 2013 , failed make tournament. wildcats invited national invitation tournament, lost robert morris in first round of tournament.
2014 champion connecticut went 20–14 in 2015 , failed make tournament. huskies invited national invitation tournament , lost arizona state in first round.

coaches
most national championships

10 national championships


john wooden (1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975)


5 national championships


mike krzyzewski (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015)


4 national championships


adolph rupp (1948, 1949, 1951, 1958)


3 national championships


jim calhoun (1999, 2004, 2011)
bob knight (1976, 1981, 1987)
roy williams (2005, 2009, 2017)


2 national championships


denny crum (1980, 1986)
billy donovan (2006, 2007)
henry iba (1945, 1946)
ed jucker (1961, 1962)
branch mccracken (1940, 1953)
rick pitino (1996, 2013)
dean smith (1982, 1993)
phil woolpert (1955, 1956)


1 national championship


national championships among active coaches

5 mike krzyzewski (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015)
3 roy williams (2005, 2009, 2017)
2 rick pitino (1996, 2013)
1 jim boeheim (2003)
1 larry brown (1988)
1 john calipari (2012)
1 tom izzo (2000)
1 kevin ollie (2014)
1 bill self (2008)
1 tubby smith (1998)
1 jay wright (2016)

schools winning national championship under multiple coaches

five coaches


kentucky: adolph rupp, joe b. hall, rick pitino, tubby smith, , john calipari


three coaches


kansas: phog allen, larry brown, , bill self
north carolina: frank mcguire, dean smith, , roy williams


two coaches


connecticut: jim calhoun, , kevin ollie
indiana: branch mccracken, , bob knight
louisville: denny crum, , rick pitino
michigan state: jud heathcote, , tom izzo
north carolina state: norm sloan, , jim valvano
ucla: john wooden, , jim harrick
villanova: rollie massimino, , jay wright

most teams different schools taken final four

rick pitino coach have officially taken 3 different teams final four: providence (1987), kentucky (1993, 1996, 1997) , louisville (2005, 2012, 2013).

john calipari has taken 3 teams final four, has had runs umass , memphis vacated due ncaa violations.

there 12 coaches have officially coached 2 different schools final 4 -- roy williams, eddie sutton, frank mcguire, lon kruger, hugh durham, jack gardner, lute olson, gene bartow, forddy anderson, lee rose, bob huggins, , lou henson.

larry brown took ucla final 4 in 1980, vacated due ncaa violations. took kansas in 1986 , 1988.

point differentials

point differentials, or margin of victory, can viewed either championship game, or team s performance on whole tournament.

championship victory margins

largest margin of victory in championship game

30 points, unlv in 1990 (103–73, on duke)

overtime games in championship game

seven times championship game has been tied @ end of regulation. on 1 of occasions (1957) game went double , triple overtime.

north carolina 54, kansas 53/3ot (1957)
utah 42, dartmouth 40 (1944)
cincinnati 65, ohio st. 60 (1961)
loyola 60, cincinnati 58 (1963)
michigan 80, seton hall 79 (1989)
arizona 84, kentucky 79 (1997)
kansas 75, memphis 68 (2008)


smallest margin of victory in championship game

1 point, on 6 occasions

indiana 69, kansas 68 (1953)
north carolina 54, kansas 53/3ot (1957)
california 71, west virginia 70 (1959)
north carolina 63, georgetown 62 (1982)
indiana 74, syracuse 73 (1987)
michigan 80, seton hall 79/ot (1989)

accumulated victory margins

largest point differential accumulated on entire tournament championship teams

teams played 6 games

+129 kentucky 1996
+124 villanova 2016
+121 north carolina 2009
+112 unlv 1990
+101 duke 2001

teams played 5 games

+115 loyola of chicago 1963
+113 indiana 1981
+104 michigan state 1979
+69 san francisco 1955
+66 indiana 1976

teams played 4 games

+95 ucla 1967
+85 ucla 1968
+78 ohio state 1960
+76 ucla 1969
+72 ucla 1970
+72 ucla 1972

teams played 3 games

+56 oklahoma a&m 1945
+52 kentucky 1949
+51 indiana 1940
+47 kentucky 1948
+46 oregon 1939


teams winning championship , obtaining margin of 10 points in every game of tournament

achieved twelve times 9 different schools

oregon (1939)
kentucky (1949)
san francisco (1956)
ohio state (1960)
ucla (1967, 1970 , 1973)
michigan state (1979 , 2000)
indiana (1981)
duke (2001)
north carolina (2009)

seed pairing results

ncaa tournament % wins per rank

since inception of 64-team tournament in 1985, through 2017 each seed-pairing has played 132 games in round of 64, following results:

round of 64 results

the no. 1 seed 132–0 against no. 16 seed (1.000)
the no. 2 seed 124–8 against no. 15 seed (.939)
the no. 3 seed 111–21 against no. 14 seed (.841)
the no. 4 seed 106–26 against no. 13 seed (.803)
the no. 5 seed 85–47 against no. 12 seed (.644)
the no. 6 seed 83–49 against no. 11 seed (.629)
the no. 7 seed 81–51 against no. 10 seed (.614)
the no. 8 seed 67–65 against no. 9 seed (.508)

round of 32 results

in 1/16 vs. 8/9 bracket:



in 2/15 vs. 7/10 bracket:



in 3/14 vs. 6/11 bracket:



in 4/13 vs. 5/12 bracket:


round of 16 results

in 1/8/9/16 vs. 4/5/12/13 bracket:



in 2/7/10/15 vs. 3/6/11/14 bracket:


regional finals results