Last year, March Madness was lost. For my two favorite programs, Iowa in the Big Ten and Creighton in the Big East it was heartbreaking, since it was the first time I can remember that both teams were in the national conversations for various reasons.
2002 - Maryland, as an ACC program, last won an NCAA title under Gary Williams. In 2000,
Michigan State was last Big Ten program to win it all. Maryland beat Indiana in 2002.
Villanova out of the Big East has won 2 of the last 4 years, winning in 2016 and 2018.
No one played in 2020. Virginia won it 2019, while North Carolina won it in 2017.
Florida was last program to win back to back titles in 2005 and 2006.
UConn has won 4 of the last 21 to lead matters.
Take a look at the below chart, which detail the frequency of seeds making the Final Four, championship game and winning the national championship.
Note: The data goes back to 1985, when the tournament was expanded to 64 teams.
Here are some takeaways from the data:
No. 1 seeds are No. 1 seeds for a reason.
Of the 35 champions since 1985, 22 of them are No. 1 seeds. Ten of the past 13 title winners have come from the top line. As crazy as March can be, the best teams of the regular season have the most success in the postseason.
Iowa and Creighton are both Top 15 programs in 2021. They have been in the Top 25 all season. As we approach March Madness ....
Luka Top 40 NBA draft
And the winner isn't ....
2002 - Maryland, as an ACC program, last won an NCAA title under Gary Williams. In 2000,
Michigan State was last Big Ten program to win it all. Maryland beat Indiana in 2002.
Villanova out of the Big East has won 2 of the last 4 years, winning in 2016 and 2018.
No one played in 2020. Virginia won it 2019, while North Carolina won it in 2017.
Florida was last program to win back to back titles in 2005 and 2006.
UConn has won 4 of the last 21 to lead matters.
Take a look at the below chart, which detail the frequency of seeds making the Final Four, championship game and winning the national championship.
| SEED | FINAL FOUR | CHAMP GAME | NATIONAL CHAMP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 57 | 34 | 22 |
| 2 | 29 | 12 | 5 |
| 3 | 17 | 12 | 4 |
| 4 | 13 | 3 | 1 |
| 5 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Here are some takeaways from the data:
No. 1 seeds are No. 1 seeds for a reason.
Of the 35 champions since 1985, 22 of them are No. 1 seeds. Ten of the past 13 title winners have come from the top line. As crazy as March can be, the best teams of the regular season have the most success in the postseason.
Iowa and Creighton are both Top 15 programs in 2021. They have been in the Top 25 all season. As we approach March Madness ....
Luka Top 40 NBA draft
And the winner isn't ....
