Final Four History Analysis: Road to the Final Four
"The NCAA Tournament captures the entire nation for an entire month". That is the words of Mike Krzyzewski, the Duke head coach and 3 time national champion. It is true, the road to the tournament and the actual tournament does capture the nation for 1 month. However, at the end of March 4 teams are left, and that is in the Final Four. But how did the teams get there?
Early Round upsets
Although a number one seed has never lost a first round game, they have had some close calls, and 15 seeds all the way to 9 seeds have beaten the higher seeded team in the first round. The tourney contains 65 teams, and 1 play in game. After the play in game 64 teams are left, and they are split up into 4 regions: the West, East, South, and Midwest. 16 teams play in each region, with each region's winner in the Final Four. The teams are seeded from 1 to 16, with 1 being the best. 1 plays 16, 2 plays 15, 3 plays 14, 4 plays 13, 5 plays 12, 6 plays 11, 7 plays 10 and 8 plays 9. The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee split up the brackets, and 31 teams automatically make it by winning their conference tourney. 34 at-large teams make it, but 2 or 3 teams don't make it that feel like they should have.
The most common early round upset is a 5 vs. 12 matchup. Virginia has been a victim of the upset 3 times, to Gonzaga, DePaul, and Wyoming. DePaul and Western Kentucky have won 2 12 vs. 5 games. Oklahoma, UCLA and Vanderbilt have been victims of the 4 vs. 13 upset 2 times each. Arizona and South Carolina are the only 2 teams that have lost to a 14 and 15 seed, and Arizona has lost to 13 and 12 seeds as well. One of the most shocking 13 vs. 4 first round upsets came in 1998, when Bryce Drew and his Valparasio Crusaders met the Ole Miss Rebels. The Crusaders hung tight with Ole Miss, and with 2.5 left the Crusaders had a last try. Drew, son of head coach Homer Drew, had scored 19 but was hungry for more. Trailing 69-67, Valpo took the ball out. The ball was thrown to a Crusader player, who tipped the ball to Drew. Drew took a 21 footer and sank it at the buzzer as the Crusaders stunned the Rebels 70-69. Drew scored 22 again as Valpo upset Florida State 83-77 in OT before losing 74-68 to 8th seeded Rhode Island in the Sweet 16.
15th seeded Hampton needed to win their conference tournament to take home a tourney bid, and they were considered an afterthought to 2nd seeded Iowa State and future NBA forward Jamal Tinsley. The Cyclones took a 55-44 lead late in the second half, but Hampton never gave in and when Travis Williams hit a 7 footer with 8 seconds left and Tinsley missed a layup, the Pirates held on to win 58-57, and a Pirates bench player carried coach Steve Merfeld across the floor. This has been the most recent of the 15 vs. 2 upsets. The biggest blowout of them all was when Coppin State knocked off South Carolina 78-65. In 1991 Richmond led Syracuse the whole game and held on 73-69 when 2 free throws iced the game. This was the first of the 15 vs. 2 upsets.
The other was when Santa Clara and current Phoenix Suns player Steve Nash upset basketball power Arizona 64-61 in 1993. 16 14 seeds have knocked off 3 seeds, with the most recent being the MAC Tourney winner but 9th place MAC regular season team Ohio upsetting Georgetown 97-83 this year. Armon Bassett scored 25 in the MAC Final and 32 against the Hoyas, while freshman guard D.J Cooper scored 23 in each game. The Bobcats hung with 6th seeded Tennessee but fell 83-68 in the second round. Tennessee went on to it's first Elite 8.
Northwestern State, in Natchitoches, Louisiana, trailed 3rd seeded Iowa 54-37 with 8:29 left, but the Demons came back and rallied. With 14 seconds left, the Demons trailed 63-61, led by 4 threes and 16 points from Clifton Lee. With :11 Kerwin Forges missed the tying jumper, but NWST got the rebound. Jermaine Wallace took a fadeaway 3 from the corner and made it with 1.4 left, giving the Demons the lead. The Hawkeyes missed a 3 at the buzzer and Northwestern State pulled off the 64-63 upset. 1 year before Chris McNaughton hit a hook shot with 10.5 left to give Bucknell a win over Kansas by the same score. Michael Arceneaux scored 36 to lead Weber State over North Carolina in 1999.
In 2008, Drake university scored a 5 seed. Their opponent was the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, who seemed to create a great matchup. Drake led 99-98 in OT with under 10 seconds left, but Ty Rogers got the ball and sank a 26 footer with 3 defenders in his face at the buzzer to give WKU a 101-99 win. Their opponent was the San Diego Toreros, who had taken Connecticut 70-69 in OT, led by 22 points from Gyno Pomare and an open jumper by De'Jon Jackson that powered USD by the Huskies. Current New Jersey Nets player Courtney Lee scored 29 for WKU as the Toppers beat the Toreros 72-63 to advance to the Sweet 16. Although UCLA bumped them from the tourney 88-78, the Toppers beat Illinois 76-72 in the first round of the 09' tourney. Steffphon Pettigrew led them with 17, but against Gonzaga in the second round the Toppers lost at the buzzer 83-81 to end their tourney run.
The 2006 George Mason Patriots were questioned deeply for getting an at large bid over several teams from bigger conferences and Hofstra, who had beaten GMU twice in the past 10 days. But GMU answered those questions by beating Michigan State 75-65, paced by 21 points from Folarin Campbell. The 11th seeded Patriots fell behind 16-2 to defending national champion North Carolina, but Lamar Butler hit 2 key 3 pointers and kept the Pats ahead with free throws as they upset the Tar Heels 65-60. Mason took a 35-17 lead over 7th seeded Wichita State en route to a 63-55 victory. Campbell led them with 16 points. But next was Connecticut and future NBA star Rudy Gay. The Huskies took a 43-34 lead at halftime, but Lamar Butler hit 3 threes, one of them being a 4 point play. GMU led 74-70 with 23 seconds left, but a layup by Denham Brown sent the game into OT. Will Thomas scored 5 in the extra period, and Brown missed a 3 at the buzzer as an 11 seed that barely made the tournament snuck into the Final Four. Although national champion Florida ended the Patriots' glory run with a 73-58 blowout, the 2006 George Mason Patriots will be remembered for a long time.
The 1990 Loyola Marymount Lions looked like a great team poised to make a tourney run during the months of November-February, but on March 4, 1990, tragedy struck. The Lions' leading scorer, Hank Gathers, collapsed on the court and died against Portland. The Lions didn't play for another 12 days, but they still made the tourney. Bo Kimble scored 45 and led them by New Mexico State 111-92 in the first round. The run and gun offense, which had Loyola take a shot within 7 seconds, helped Jeff Fryer hit a tourney record 11 threes en route to 41 points, followed by 37 by Kimble. Loyola rolled by Michigan 149-115, and they held on to beat Alabama 62-60. Led by 19 from Kimble, the Lions held on. Although eventual champion UNLV knocked them out 131-101, the Loyola Marymount tournament run will be one to remember.
The 2010 Final Four looks ready to contain more memories. 5th seeded Michigan State beat Maryland at the buzzer with a 3 by Korie Lucious in the second round, and Raymar Morgan hit a late free throw to power them by Tennessee 70-69. Butler topped UTEP 77-59 and Murray State 54-52 on a 3 point play by Ronald Nored and a steal by Gordon Hayward, then they tripped Syracuse and Kansas State with great defense to stay at home in the Final Four. Da'Sean Butler scored 18 for West Virginia as they beat Kentucky to advance to the round of 4. Duke rounded out the field with 3 point shooting and rebounding in a 78-71 win over Baylor to round out the field. Duke plays West Virginia and in a battle of the 5 seeds, Michigan State takes on Butler at Lucas Oil Stadium, 7 miles away from the Butler campus. Another exciting year of March Madness!
Early Round upsets
Although a number one seed has never lost a first round game, they have had some close calls, and 15 seeds all the way to 9 seeds have beaten the higher seeded team in the first round. The tourney contains 65 teams, and 1 play in game. After the play in game 64 teams are left, and they are split up into 4 regions: the West, East, South, and Midwest. 16 teams play in each region, with each region's winner in the Final Four. The teams are seeded from 1 to 16, with 1 being the best. 1 plays 16, 2 plays 15, 3 plays 14, 4 plays 13, 5 plays 12, 6 plays 11, 7 plays 10 and 8 plays 9. The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee split up the brackets, and 31 teams automatically make it by winning their conference tourney. 34 at-large teams make it, but 2 or 3 teams don't make it that feel like they should have.
The most common early round upset is a 5 vs. 12 matchup. Virginia has been a victim of the upset 3 times, to Gonzaga, DePaul, and Wyoming. DePaul and Western Kentucky have won 2 12 vs. 5 games. Oklahoma, UCLA and Vanderbilt have been victims of the 4 vs. 13 upset 2 times each. Arizona and South Carolina are the only 2 teams that have lost to a 14 and 15 seed, and Arizona has lost to 13 and 12 seeds as well. One of the most shocking 13 vs. 4 first round upsets came in 1998, when Bryce Drew and his Valparasio Crusaders met the Ole Miss Rebels. The Crusaders hung tight with Ole Miss, and with 2.5 left the Crusaders had a last try. Drew, son of head coach Homer Drew, had scored 19 but was hungry for more. Trailing 69-67, Valpo took the ball out. The ball was thrown to a Crusader player, who tipped the ball to Drew. Drew took a 21 footer and sank it at the buzzer as the Crusaders stunned the Rebels 70-69. Drew scored 22 again as Valpo upset Florida State 83-77 in OT before losing 74-68 to 8th seeded Rhode Island in the Sweet 16.
15th seeded Hampton needed to win their conference tournament to take home a tourney bid, and they were considered an afterthought to 2nd seeded Iowa State and future NBA forward Jamal Tinsley. The Cyclones took a 55-44 lead late in the second half, but Hampton never gave in and when Travis Williams hit a 7 footer with 8 seconds left and Tinsley missed a layup, the Pirates held on to win 58-57, and a Pirates bench player carried coach Steve Merfeld across the floor. This has been the most recent of the 15 vs. 2 upsets. The biggest blowout of them all was when Coppin State knocked off South Carolina 78-65. In 1991 Richmond led Syracuse the whole game and held on 73-69 when 2 free throws iced the game. This was the first of the 15 vs. 2 upsets.
The other was when Santa Clara and current Phoenix Suns player Steve Nash upset basketball power Arizona 64-61 in 1993. 16 14 seeds have knocked off 3 seeds, with the most recent being the MAC Tourney winner but 9th place MAC regular season team Ohio upsetting Georgetown 97-83 this year. Armon Bassett scored 25 in the MAC Final and 32 against the Hoyas, while freshman guard D.J Cooper scored 23 in each game. The Bobcats hung with 6th seeded Tennessee but fell 83-68 in the second round. Tennessee went on to it's first Elite 8.
Northwestern State, in Natchitoches, Louisiana, trailed 3rd seeded Iowa 54-37 with 8:29 left, but the Demons came back and rallied. With 14 seconds left, the Demons trailed 63-61, led by 4 threes and 16 points from Clifton Lee. With :11 Kerwin Forges missed the tying jumper, but NWST got the rebound. Jermaine Wallace took a fadeaway 3 from the corner and made it with 1.4 left, giving the Demons the lead. The Hawkeyes missed a 3 at the buzzer and Northwestern State pulled off the 64-63 upset. 1 year before Chris McNaughton hit a hook shot with 10.5 left to give Bucknell a win over Kansas by the same score. Michael Arceneaux scored 36 to lead Weber State over North Carolina in 1999.
In 2008, Drake university scored a 5 seed. Their opponent was the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, who seemed to create a great matchup. Drake led 99-98 in OT with under 10 seconds left, but Ty Rogers got the ball and sank a 26 footer with 3 defenders in his face at the buzzer to give WKU a 101-99 win. Their opponent was the San Diego Toreros, who had taken Connecticut 70-69 in OT, led by 22 points from Gyno Pomare and an open jumper by De'Jon Jackson that powered USD by the Huskies. Current New Jersey Nets player Courtney Lee scored 29 for WKU as the Toppers beat the Toreros 72-63 to advance to the Sweet 16. Although UCLA bumped them from the tourney 88-78, the Toppers beat Illinois 76-72 in the first round of the 09' tourney. Steffphon Pettigrew led them with 17, but against Gonzaga in the second round the Toppers lost at the buzzer 83-81 to end their tourney run.
The 2006 George Mason Patriots were questioned deeply for getting an at large bid over several teams from bigger conferences and Hofstra, who had beaten GMU twice in the past 10 days. But GMU answered those questions by beating Michigan State 75-65, paced by 21 points from Folarin Campbell. The 11th seeded Patriots fell behind 16-2 to defending national champion North Carolina, but Lamar Butler hit 2 key 3 pointers and kept the Pats ahead with free throws as they upset the Tar Heels 65-60. Mason took a 35-17 lead over 7th seeded Wichita State en route to a 63-55 victory. Campbell led them with 16 points. But next was Connecticut and future NBA star Rudy Gay. The Huskies took a 43-34 lead at halftime, but Lamar Butler hit 3 threes, one of them being a 4 point play. GMU led 74-70 with 23 seconds left, but a layup by Denham Brown sent the game into OT. Will Thomas scored 5 in the extra period, and Brown missed a 3 at the buzzer as an 11 seed that barely made the tournament snuck into the Final Four. Although national champion Florida ended the Patriots' glory run with a 73-58 blowout, the 2006 George Mason Patriots will be remembered for a long time.
The 1990 Loyola Marymount Lions looked like a great team poised to make a tourney run during the months of November-February, but on March 4, 1990, tragedy struck. The Lions' leading scorer, Hank Gathers, collapsed on the court and died against Portland. The Lions didn't play for another 12 days, but they still made the tourney. Bo Kimble scored 45 and led them by New Mexico State 111-92 in the first round. The run and gun offense, which had Loyola take a shot within 7 seconds, helped Jeff Fryer hit a tourney record 11 threes en route to 41 points, followed by 37 by Kimble. Loyola rolled by Michigan 149-115, and they held on to beat Alabama 62-60. Led by 19 from Kimble, the Lions held on. Although eventual champion UNLV knocked them out 131-101, the Loyola Marymount tournament run will be one to remember.
The 2010 Final Four looks ready to contain more memories. 5th seeded Michigan State beat Maryland at the buzzer with a 3 by Korie Lucious in the second round, and Raymar Morgan hit a late free throw to power them by Tennessee 70-69. Butler topped UTEP 77-59 and Murray State 54-52 on a 3 point play by Ronald Nored and a steal by Gordon Hayward, then they tripped Syracuse and Kansas State with great defense to stay at home in the Final Four. Da'Sean Butler scored 18 for West Virginia as they beat Kentucky to advance to the round of 4. Duke rounded out the field with 3 point shooting and rebounding in a 78-71 win over Baylor to round out the field. Duke plays West Virginia and in a battle of the 5 seeds, Michigan State takes on Butler at Lucas Oil Stadium, 7 miles away from the Butler campus. Another exciting year of March Madness!
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