Today’s Sports Stat: April 3, 2018
Villanova’s win over Michigan for the 2018 NCAA men’s basketball tournament put them in some pretty impressive company. Since they also won the title in 2016, they became one of only a handful of teams to win two or more titles in a three-year span.
The last team to win back-to-back titles was Florida in 2006 and 2007. The last team to win a title and then win it again two years later was Kentucky in 1996 and 1998.
Here’s a look at the schools that won the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tourney in back-to-back years and those who won two in three years by winning one year and then winning again two years later.
Back-to-Back Titles
Oklahoma State, 1945, 1946
Kentucky, 1948, 1949
San Francisco, 1955, 1956
Cincinnati, 1961, 1962
UCLA, 1964, 1965
UCLA, 1967-73 (seven straight)
Duke, 1991, 1992
Florida, 2006, 2007
Title and then another title two years later
Kentucky, 1949, 1951
UCLA, 1965, 1967
UCLA, 1973, 1975
Kentucky, 1996, 1998
Villanova, 2016, 2018
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Did You Know? Final Four Edition
Here’s a look at a few stats you might not have known about the teams participating in today’s Final Four semi-final games.
Did you know?…
… This will be the 14th match-up of #1 seeds in the Final Four semi-finals since 1979 (when the NCAA went to the seeded format) and the first since 2008 when both semi-finals were games played between #1 seeds (the only year all four #1 seeds made the Final Four). Kentucky will be playing in their fifth #1 seed match-up in the Final Four semis, most of any school. They have won two and lost two of their previous games. The team that has won these #1 vs. #1 games in the semi-finals has only won the championship game five times (losing eight times).
… Wisconsin is one of nine schools to have their football team win 11 games in a season and their men’s basketball team win 30 games at least once since 2010. The others: Baylor, Louisville, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Utah State. Wisconsin is one of only three schools to have their football team win 11 games in a season and their men’s basketball team win 30 games both twice since 2010 (also Louisville and Ohio State). The Badgers, Louisville and Ohio State are the only schools to have their football team win 11 games and their men’s basketball team win 30 games in the same season. Ohio State did it in 2010 (their football team won 12 games in 2010; their men’s basketball team won 34 in 2010-11); Louisville did it in 2012 (their football team won 11 in 2012; their men’s basketball team won 35 in 2012-13); Wisconsin did it this year (their football team won 11 in 2014; their men’s basketball team has won 35 in 2014-15).
… In the 37 years since the NCAA went to a seeded format, 22 times there have been two schools from the same conference make the Final Four. This is the 22nd time with both Wisconsin and Michigan State from the Big Ten Conference making the Final Four. In the 21 times previous to this year, a school from that conference has won the championship nine times (1985-Georgetown, 1988-Kansas, 1989-Michigan, 1991-Duke, 1996-Kentucky, 2000-Michigan State, 2001-Duke, 2006-Florida, 2013-Louisville). Since 1979, the Big Ten has had two or more teams in the Final Four seven times (including this year), most of the conferences. The ACC is next with five years, followed by Big East (four times), SEC (three times), Big 12 (twice) and Big Eight (once). Michigan State and Wisconsin both made the Final Four from the Big Ten in 2000 with Michigan State winning the title that year.
… Michigan State and Duke have each lost five times in the Final Four semi-finals. Kentucky has lost three times and Wisconsin twice in the national semis. North Carolina tops the list with nine semi-final losses in the Final Four followed by Louisville with seven. Both Kansas and UCLA have lost five times in the Final Four semis.
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Anthony Davis wins MOP with fewest points ever in a Championship Game
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published multiple times weekly focusing on stats that go beyond the numbers.
Anthony Davis Jordan Brand Classic 2011 (Photo credit: BasketballElite)
Kentucky‘s Anthony Davis recently won the Naismith Player of the Year Award, his team won the national championship, and Monday night he set a record for the fewest points scored in a championship game by the Final Four Most Outstanding Player (MOP). Davis had 16 rebounds, six blocks, five assists and three steals to go with only six points in the MOP performance. It was the fewest points scored by an MOP in a title game since Bobby Hurley was MOP in Duke’s 1992 national championship. Hurley had only nine points in the title contest.
Following are the Final Four MOPs who had fewer than 15 points in the championship game.
Points, Player, Team, Year
6: Anthony Davis, Kentucky, 2012
9: Bobby Hurley, Duke, 1992
10: Patrick Ewing, Georgetown, 1984
11: Walt Hazzard, UCLA, 1964
12: Marv Huffman, Kansas, 1940
12: John Kotz, Wisconsin, 1941
13: Corey Brewer, Florida, 2007
14: Alex Groza, Kentucky, 1948
One more look at the leading scorers from last night’s game. Kansas’ Tyshawn Taylor led the Jayhawks with 19 points. This was the fourth straight year that the leading scorer for the losing team scored under 20 points.
In looking at the history of the tournament, there have been 42 players who scored 20 or more points in the title game as a member of the losing team. Slide the scale up to 25 points and we see that there have been 15 players who scored 25 or more points in a losing cause in the NCAA men’s Div. I championship game. Seton Hall’s John Morton tops the list with 35 points in his school’s 1989 championship game loss to Michigan.
Here’s a look at those 15 players who scored 25 or more points in a losing cause in the title game.
Points, Player (School, Year)
35: John Morton (Seton Hall, 1989)
34: Kevin Grevey (Kentucky, 1975)
29: John Wallace (Syracuse, 1996)… Larry Finch (Memphis, 1973)
28: Rick Mount (Purdue, 1969)… Cazzie Russell (Michigan, 1965)… Jerry West (West Virginia, 1959)
27: Udonis Haslem (Florida, 2000)… Ron King (Florida State, 1972)… Jerry Lucas (Ohio State, 1961)
26: B.J. Born (Kansas, 1953)
25: Greg Oden (Ohio State, 2007)… Trajan Langdon (Duke, 1999)… Howard Porter (Villanova, 1971)… Elgin Baylor (Seattle, 1958)
10 boxscore stats that may determine the NCAA men’s basketball champion
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published multiple times weekly focusing on stats that go beyond the numbers.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
What will be the key factors for Kentucky and Kansas in tonight’s title game? Defense? Three-point shooting? Rebounding? Reserves? To help with the pre-game analysis of the game, here’s a look at several boxscore stats and how these numbers have (or have not) favored the championship game winners. The numbers presented are based on the past 25 NCAA men’s Division I championship games.
1. Bench Scoring: The champion’s reserves have outscored the opposition bench in 15 of the 25 games (they had the same bench point total in one contest). The winners got 10 or more points from their bench in 18 of the 25 contests; the championship game losers bench scored 10 or more points in only 10 of the 25 games.
2. The Game‘s Leading Scorer: The game’s leading scorer has come from the winning team in 17 of the 25 games (in one game, players from opposing teams tied for game-high honors).
3. Halftime Lead: The team leading at halftime has won 19 of the last 23 championship games.
4. Better shooting: In the last 25 title games, the team that had a better field goal percentage won 22 and lost only three. The team with the better field goal percentage for the game has won the last 14 title contests.
5. Three-point shooting: Shooting more threes is not a big deal; the winning team had more three-point attempts in only seven of the 25 games. The winning team made more shots from beyond the arc in 10 games (in one game both team made the same amount).
6. Free throw shooting: Getting to the line and making more free throws than the opposition has been a factor in the last 25 games; the winning team has shot more and made more free throws in 15 of the 25 games.
7. Rebounds: The winning team has outrebounded their opponents in 14 of the 25 games.
8. Assists: The winning team has had more assists in 15 of the 25 games; in two games the teams had the same number of assists.
9. Fewer turnovers: Ironically, having fewer turnovers than the opposition was not a major factor. The team with the fewer turnovers only won 10 of the 25 games.
10. Seeds: Tonight’s title game features #1 seed Kentucky versus #2 seed Kansas. The #1 seed has faced the #2 seed in eight previous title games. The #1 seed has won six and lost two. Since 1979, when all teams were seeded in the tournament, #1 seeds are 12-6 in the championship game. The #2 seeds are 6-9 in championship games since 1979.
Teams with most losses to win NCAA basketball championship
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published multiple times weekly focusing on stats that go beyond the numbers.
National Association of Basketball Coaches NCAA Championship Trophy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Tomorrow night’s NCAA men’s Division I basketball title game is all set with Kentucky (37-2) facing off against Kansas (32-6).
Should Kansas win, they would become the 16th team in tournament history to win the title with six or more losses in the season. Kentucky, on the other hand, with a win would become the first team with two or fewer losses to win the championship since UConn in 1999 (UConn was 34-2 that season).
Here’s a look at the schools that have won the men’s title with five or more losses.
Losses in title season, school, title year
11: Kansas (1988)
10: North Carolina State (1983), Villanova (1985)
9: Indiana (1981), Arizona (1997), Connecticut (2011)
7: Marquette (1977), Louisville (1986), Michigan (1989), Duke (1991), Michigan State (2000)
6: Kentucky (1958), Michigan State (1979), Connecticut (2004), Florida (2006)
5: Oregon (1939), CCNY (1950), UNLV (1990), Syracuse (2003), Florida (2007), Duke (2010)
Did you know? From 1939-76 (38 years), only three teams with five or more losses won the NCAA men’s basketball championship. From 1977 until last year (35 years), 17 different schools with five or more losses won the title. The average number of losses of the 73 previous men’s champions was 3.7.
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