The teams to appear in the NCAA Championship since 2000 have shared the following characteristics:
All were seeded 1-5.
All but one team (Butler) had a top-28 offense.
All 11 champions had an offense ranked 11th or greater.
Every team to appear in the national championship since 2000 had a defense ranked 19th or better.
18 of the 22 teams had six or more blowouts (15+ points) against conference opponents.
No team lost in the first game of their conference tournament.
20 of the 22 teams scored more than 70 ppg.
Every team allowed 72 ppg or fewer.
The 11 champions all scored at least 74 ppg. The average of the 11 champions is 82 ppg.
The 11 champions had point differentials of 10+ points. Their average point differential was 16.1 ppg.
Every champion had a returning coach.
Every champion was in the NCAA Tournament the year before.
So, which teams does all of this apply to this year. Here’s the list:
Duke
Kansas
Ohio State
Texas
Here are two additional teams that would qualify if they had enough conference blowout wins:
San Diego State
Syracuse
2011 NCAA Tournament – Poor Defenses
How do poor defensive teams fare in the NCAA Tournament? Not well. Check out the seed breakdowns of teams ranked 101st or worse in defense since 2003:
1-4: 7-4
5-9: 5-12
10-14: 11-42
* – A 7-4 record isn’t very good because teams seeded 1-4 are expected to win at least two games. Plus, most of those victories came from Marquette’s Final Four run in 2003 – and Dwyane Wade had something to say about that.
Here are teams ranked 75-100 defensively since 2003:
1-4: 6-5
5-9: 10-16
10-14: 5-20
As you can see, all of these teams have underachieved.
2011 NCAA Tournament – Elite Eight and Final Four Qualifications
Since the 2004, no team has made the Elite Eight that had an offense 65th or worse – the lowest being Tennessee’s 64 in 2010. Also, no team has made the Elite Eight with a defense 83rd or worse – the lowest being West Virginia�s 83 in 2005.
For any team ranked worse than 30th in one category, the other category was not any worse than 18.
The lowest individual ranking for a Final Four team was 50th offense held by LSU in 2006 and Butler in 2010.
The lowest combined offense and defensive ranking for a Final Four team was George Mason’s 67 in 2006.
2011 NCAA Tournament – The Slop
If a team has trouble scoring, do you really want to be rooting for it if it’s down eight with six minutes to go? Here are the 2011 NCAA Tournament teams that scored fewer than 68 points per game this year (a lot less this season than last season).
No. 16 Alabama State, 61.3
No. XX Saint Peter’s, 61.4
No. XX Penn State, 63.1
No. XX Indiana State, 66.0
No. XX Michigan, 66.4
No. XX Clemson, 67.6
No. XX Hampton, 67.7
No. XX Arkansas-Little Rock, 68.0
How have these teams done in the past? You can check the previous four years below, but here’s the breakdown by seeds:
1-4: 9-6
5-9: 1-6
10-14: 6-23
Remember, 1-4 seeds are expected to win at least two games, so a 9-6 record isn’t very good.
2010 NCAA Tournament – The Slop
If a team has trouble scoring, do you really want to be rooting for it if it’s down eight with six minutes to go? Here are the 2010 NCAA Tournament teams that scored fewer than 68 points per game this year (a lot less this season than last season).
No. 16 Winthrop, 62.4 – Lost in play-in game
No. 9 Northern Iowa, 63.3 – Lost in Sweet 16
No. 16 Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 64.9 – Lost in first round
No. 5 Temple, 65.4 – Lost in first round
No. 11 Old Dominion, 67.5 – Lost in second round
No. 4 Wisconsin, 67.9 – Lost in second round
2009 NCAA Tournament – The Slop
If a team has trouble scoring, do you really want to be rooting for it if it’s down eight with six minutes to go? Here are the 2009 NCAA Tournament teams that scored fewer than 68 points per game this year.
No. 12 Wisconsin, 64.4 – Lost in second round
No. 14 American, 64.5 – Lost in first round
No. 5 Illinois, 65.0 – Lost in first round
No. 13 Cleveland State, 66.1 – Lost in second round
No. 10 Minnesota, 66.5 – Lost in first round
No. 15 Morgan State, 66.5 – Lost in first round
No. 8 Ohio State, 66.6 – Lost in first round
No. 13 Akron, 66.9 – Lost in first round
No. 11 Dayton, 67.0 – Lost in second round
No. 10 Michigan, 67.2 – Lost in second round
No. 9 Butler, 67.6 – Lost in first round
No. 12 Northern Iowa, 67.7 – Lost in first round
2008 NCAA Tournament – The Slop
If a team has trouble scoring, do you really want to be rooting for it if it’s down eight with six minutes to go? Here are the 2008 NCAA Tournament teams that scored fewer than 68 points per game this year.
No. 16 Coppin State, 59.8 – Lost in play-in game
No. 16 Mississippi Valley State, 62.7 – Lost in first round
No. 15 American, 65.1 – Lost in first round
No. 15 Winthrop, 65.6 – Lost in first round
No. 13 San Diego, 65.6 – Lost in second round
No. 4 Washington State, 67.1 – Lost in Sweet 16
No. 3 Wisconsin, 67.5 – Lost in Sweet 16
And here are the 2007 NCAA Tournament teams that scored fewer than 68 a game last year and how they fared. Wisconsin* had its stats masked by an easy non-conference schedule.:
No. 14 Miami-Ohio, 59.6 – Lost in first round
No. 4 Southern Illinois, 63.2 – Lost in Sweet 16
No. 13 Holy Cross, 64.2 – Lost in first round
No. 12 Illinois, 64.5 – Lost in first round
No. 14 Wright State, 64.6 – Lost in first round
No. 9 Michigan State, 65.1 – Lost in second round
No. 16 Eastern Kentucky, 65.2 – Lost in first round
No. 3 Washington State, 66.5 – Lost in second round
No. 10 Creighton, 67.2 – Lost in first round
No. 2 Wisconsin* – Lost in second round
2011 NCAA Tournament – Road Woes
Why would anyone ever have a team advancing deep into the tournament when it had trouble winning on the road in the regular season? These squads fall
very quickly. Here are the 2011 NCAA Tournament teams that couldn’t win on the road this year.
No. 16 Alabama State, 4-14
No. XX Missouri, 2-7
No. XX Arkansas-Little Rock, 3-10
No. XX Colorado, 3-9
No. XX Boston University, 4-10
No. XX Michigan State, 3-8
No. XX Penn State, 3-8
No. XX Akron. 4-9
No. XX Clemson, 3-7
No. XX Texas-San Antonio, 5-10
No. XX Marquette, 4-7
No. XX Illinois, 4-7
No. XX Kentucky, 4-7
No. XX USC, 5-8
No. XX Louisville, 4-6
No. XX St. John’s, 5-7
No. XX UC-Santa Barbara, 5-8
No. XX Northern Colorado, 6-9
No. XX Indiana State, 6-8
No. XX Memphis, 5-6
No. XX Virginia Tech, 5-6
No. XX West Virginia, 5-6
No. XX Wisconsin, 5-6
How have these teams done in the past? You can check the previous four years below, but here’s the breakdown by seeds:
1-4: 1-2
5-9: 10-16
10-14: 12-22
Remember, 5-8 seeds are expected to win at least one game, so a 10-16 record isn’t very good.
2010 NCAA Tournament – Road Woes
Why would anyone ever have a team advancing deep into the tournament when it had trouble winning on the road in the regular season? These squads fall
very quickly. Here are the 2010 NCAA Tournament teams that couldn’t win on the road this year.
No. 10 Georgia Tech, 3-8 – Lost in second round
No. 14 Ohio, 5-9 – Lost in second round
No. 16 Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 6-14 – Lost in first round
No. 7 Oklahoma State, 3-7 – Lost in first round
No. 11 Minnesota, 3-7 – Lost in first round
No. 6 Notre Dame, 3-6 – Lost in first round
No. 16 Winthrop, 6-11 – Lost in play-in game
No. 9 Louisville, 4-7 – Lost in first round
No. 10 Missouri, 4-6 – Lost in second round
No. 11 Washington, 4-6 – Lost in Sweet 16
No. 9 Wake Forest, 5-7 – Lost in second round
No. 7 Clemson, 5-6 – Lost in first round
No. 8 Texas, 5-6 – Lost in first round
No. 15 UC-Santa Barbara, 6-7 – Lost in first round
No. 16 Lehigh, 7-8 – Lost in first round
2009 NCAA Tournament – Road Woes
Why would anyone ever have a team advancing deep into the tournament when it had trouble winning on the road in the regular season? These squads fall
very quickly. Here are the 2009 NCAA Tournament teams that couldn’t win on the road this year.
No. 12 Arizona, 2-9 – Lost in Sweet 16
No. 10 USC, 2-8 – Lost in second round
No. 10 Maryland, 2-6 – Lost in second round
No. 10 Michigan, 3-8 – Lost in first round
No. 16 Morehead State, 4-12 – Lost in first round
No. 12 Wisconsin, 4-7 – Lost in second round
No. 7 Texas, 4-6 – Lost in second round
No. 10 Minnesota, 4-6 – Lost in first round
No. 8 Oklahoma State, 4-6 – Lost in second round
No. 8 Ohio State, 4-6 – Lost in first round
No. 16 UT-Chattanooga, 5-10 – Lost in first round
No. 11 Dayton, 5-6 – Lost in second round
No. 5 Utah, 6-7 – Lost in first round
2008 NCAA Tournament – Road Woes
Why would anyone ever have a team advancing deep into the tournament when it had trouble winning on the road in the regular season? These squads fall
very quickly. Here are the 2008 NCAA Tournament teams that couldn’t win on the road this year.
No. 9 Arkansas, 3-7 – Lost in second round
No. 11 Kentucky, 4-8 (no road wins vs. winning teams except Georgia, 17-16) – Lost in first round
No. 4 Vanderbilt, 4-6 (no road wins vs. winning teams except Georgia, 17-16) – Lost in first round
No. 5 Michigan State, 4-6 – Lost in Sweet 16
No. 7 Miami, 4-6 – Lost in second round
No. 11 Kansas State, 5-9 – Lost in second round
The following are the 2007 NCAA Tournament teams that couldn’t win on the road last year and how they fared:
No. 9 Michigan State, 3-10 – Lost in second round
No. 10 Georgia Tech, 3-9 – Lost in first round
No. 4 Virginia, 4-8 – Lost in second round
No. 9 Purdue, 5-10 – Lost in second round
No. 14 Miami-Ohio, 6-12 – Lost in first round
No. 7 Indiana, 5-9 – Lost in second round
2011 NCAA Tournament – Freshmen Point Guards
Do you really want some acne-ridden kid who had problems finding a prom date just a few months ago ruining your bracket? I think not. Freshmen point guards
seldom advance deep into the tournament. The only exception is if the player in question is a once-in-a-decade point guard prospect like Mike Conley and Derrick Rose. Here are the 2011 NCAA Tournament Freshmen Point Guards in this year’s Big Dance:
No. XX Joe Jackson, Memphis
No. XX Cory Joseph, Texas
No. XX Brandon Knight, Kentucky
No. XX Kendall Marshall, North Carolina
No. XX Jake Odum, Indiana State
How have these teams done in the past? You can check the previous four years below, but here’s the breakdown by seeds:
1: 16-4
2-4: 3-3
5-9: 5-9
10-14: 1-5
Only No. 1 seeds have thrived. The other teams have struggled.
2010 NCAA Tournament – Freshmen Point Guards
Do you really want some acne-ridden kid who had problems finding a prom date just a few months ago ruining your bracket? I think not. Freshmen point guards
seldom advance deep into the tournament. The only exception is if the player in question is a once-in-a-decade point guard prospect like Mike Conley and Derrick Rose. Here are the 2010 NCAA Tournament Freshmen Point Guards in this year’s Big Dance:
No. 14 D.J. Cooper, Ohio – Lost in second round
No. 7 Fred Gulley, Oklahoma State – Lost in first round
No. 16 C.J. McCollum, Lehigh – Lost in first round
No. 1 John Wall*, Kentucky – Lost in Elite Eight
2009 NCAA Tournament – Freshmen Point Guards
Do you really want some acne-ridden kid who had problems finding a prom date just a few months ago ruining your bracket? I think not. Freshmen point guards
seldom advance deep into the tournament. The only exception is if the player in question is a once-in-a-decade point guard prospect like Mike Conley and Derrick Rose. Here are the 2009 NCAA Tournament Freshmen Point Guards in this year’s Big Dance:
No. 13 Dee Bost, Mississippi State – Lost in first round
No. 5 Lewis Jackson, Purdue – Lost in Sweet 16
No. 9 Shelvin Mack, Butler – Lost in first round
No. 4 Isaiah Thomas, Washington – Lost in second round
2008 NCAA Tournament – Freshmen Point Guards
Do you really want some acne-ridden kid who had problems finding a prom date just a few months ago ruining your bracket? I think not. Freshmen point guards
seldom advance deep into the tournament. The only exception is if the player in question is a once-in-a-decade point guard prospect like Mike Conley and Derrick Rose. Here are the 2008 NCAA Tournament Freshmen Point Guards in this year’s Big Dance:
No. 8 Jordan Crawford, Indiana – Lost in first round
No. 6 O.J. Mayo, USC – Lost in first round
No. 1 Derrick Rose, Memphis – Lost in NCAA Championship
And here are the 2007 NCAA Tournament Freshman Point Guards and how they fared last year:
No. 1 Ty Lawson, North Carolina – Lost in Elite Eight
No. 10 Javaris Crittenton, Georgia Tech – Lost in first round
No. 6 Edgar Sosa, Louisville – Lost in second round
No. 4 Greivis Vasquez, Maryland – Lost in second round
No. 6 Tory Jackson, Notre Dame – Lost in first round
No. 9 Scottie Reynolds, Villanova – Lost in first round
No. 1 Mike Conley Jr., Ohio State – Lost in 2007 NCAA Championship
No. 4 D.J. Augustin, Texas – Lost in second round
No. 13 Stephen Curry, Davidson – Lost in first round
No. 5 Ramar Smith, Tennessee – Lost in Sweet 16
2011 NCAA Tournament – The “Experts”
The so-called “experts” on ESPN and CBS usually get a lot of things wrong. As you’ll see below, they’re incorrect more often than not. Also, the players listen to these shows. If someone like Dick
Vitale bad-mouths a program, that team will usually respond with a victory. There always seems to be one disrespected school that goes to the Sweet 16. Here are some of
the more Controversial Comments made on Selection Sunday:
Seth likes Xavier over Syracuse
Seth likes Utah State, Belmont and Old Dominion to pull off first-round upsets
Seth says St. John’s beats BYU in the second round.
Seth likes Florida to come out of the Southeast Bracket
Seth likes Oakland to pull an upset
Seth likes Purdue to go to the Elite Eight
Seth likes Old Dominion to get to the Elite Eight
Seth picks Kansas to win it all
No one believes UAB and Virginia-Commonwealth should be in
2010 NCAA Tournament – The “Experts”
The so-called “experts” on ESPN and CBS usually get a lot of things wrong. As you’ll see below, they’re incorrect more often than not. Also, the players listen to these shows. If someone like Dick
Vitale bad-mouths a program, that team will usually respond with a victory. There always seems to be one disrespected school that goes to the Sweet 16. Here are some of
the more Controversial Comments made on Selection Sunday:
Seth likes San Diego State over Tennessee – WRONG: Tennessee beats San Diego State
Seth likes Michigan State over Maryland in Round 2 – RIGHT
Seth likes Butler over UTEP – RIGHT
Seth likes Vanderbilt to the Sweet 16 – WRONG: Vanderbilt lost to No. 13 Murray State in 1st round
Seth likes Marquette over New Mexico – WRONG: Marquette never played New Mexico because they lost in 1st round
Seth likes Siena to the Sweet 16 – WRONG: Siena lost in 1st round
Seth likes Baylor over Villanova – RIGHT: Baylor went to Elite Eight
Seth likes Georgetown over Ohio State – WRONG: Georgetown lost to No. 14 Ohio in 1st round
Dicky V angrily states that Wake Forest doesn’t belong in the NCAA Tournament – WRONG: Wake Forest advances to 2nd round
Bilas says No. 12 Cornell should be a No. 5 seed – RIGHT
Bilas says No. 13 Murray State over No. 4 Vanderbilt – RIGHT
Bilas says BYU to the Sweet 16 – WRONG: BYU loses in 2nd round
Digger likes No. 11 Washington over No. 6 Marquette – RIGHT
2009 NCAA Tournament – The “Experts”
The so-called “experts” on ESPN and CBS usually get a lot of things wrong. As you’ll see below, they’re incorrect more often than not. Here are some of
the more Controversial Comments made on Selection Sunday:
Seth loves Siena over Ohio State. – RIGHT
Seth says UConn and Memphis “walk” to the regional final. – WRONG: Memphis lost in the Sweet 16
Seth disses Wisconsin being in the NCAA Tournament. – WRONG: Upset No. 5 Florida State as No. 12 seed
Seth likes VCU to beat UCLA. – WRONG: UCLA wins
Seth likes Florida State to beat Xavier. – WRONG: Xavier wins
Seth likes Western Kentucky over Illinois. – RIGHT
Seth picks Pittsburgh to win the national championship. – WRONG: Pittsburgh lost in the Elite Eight
Seth thinks Clemson can knock off Oklahoma. – WRONG: Oklahoma won and advanced to Elite Eight
Anthony likes Butler over LSU. – WRONG: LSU won
Hubert picks Clemson to go to the Sweet 16. – WRONG: Clemson lost in first round
Bobby Knight thinks women shouldn’t have a say in the NCAA Tournament. – HILARIOUS
2008 NCAA Tournament – The “Experts”
The so-called “experts” on ESPN and CBS usually get a lot of things wrong. As you’ll see below, they’re incorrect more often than not. Also, the players listen to these shows. If someone like Dick
Vitale bad-mouths a program, that team will usually respond with a victory. There always seems to be one disrespected school that goes to the Sweet 16. Here are some of
the more Controversial Comments made on Selection Sunday:
CBS Bold Predictions:
Seth says Notre Dame will go to Sweet 16. – WRONG: Notre Dame lost in Round 2
Seth says No. 4 seed Vanderbilt will lose to Siena in the first round. – RIGHT
Seth says No. 10 Davidson has a great chance to make the Sweet 16. – RIGHT: Davidson advances to Elite Eight
Kellogg says Memphis is going to the Final Four. – RIGHT
Kellogg likes No. 6 Marquette to go deep. – WRONG: Marquette lost in second round
