|
HOUSTON — Math lovers must be pleased with this Final Four field.
A story could be written just on some of the crazy numbers relating to Butler-VCU and Kentucky-UConn — and now, it has been!
Some of the more interesting revelations:
- Both Virginia Commonwealth (28-11) and Connecticut (30-9) will be playing their 40th game of the season on Saturday, tying the modern record accomplished seven times since 1948. If either of them advances to the championship game, it will be the most games played since Oregon played 45 in 1945.
- Butler has won their four tourney matches by a grand total of just 13 points. That ties Michigan State’s record — set just a year ago, for smallest margin since 1985, when the tournament expanded.
- Speaking of expansion, VCU obviously becomes the first play-in team to make the Final Four in this, the first year of play-in games. The Rams have become the first team to have played five tournament games before reaching the Final Four.
- Each team has a winning streak of at least five games. That last happened back in 1983.
- This is only the third time since 1979 that no No. 1 seeds made the Final Four. This is the first time no No. 1 or No. 2 seeds are still around.
- Butler is 9-1 over the past two NCAA tournaments. Eight of the wins have been by less than 10 points, six have been by four points or less.
- Butler is the third team to beat a No. 1 seed before the Final Four two years in a row (Syracuse, 2010, Pittsburgh, 2011) and is the fifth No. 8 seed to make the Final Four.
