Is it bad to enter the NCAA tournament on a long winning streak? Yes.

(updated through 2016 tournament)

In the 32 NCAA tournaments of the six-round era, which began in 1985:

- 16 champions (50%) lost their final pre-tournament game, including the last 3 in a row

- 26 champions (81%) entered with a winning streak of five or fewer games

The only exceptions:

1986 Louisville - won 11 entering tournament, 17 in a row overall

1992 Duke - won 7 entering tournament, 13 overall

1995 UCLA - won 20 entering tournament, 26 overall

1998 Kentucky - won 7 entering tournament, 13 overall

2008 Kansas - won 7 entering tournament, 13 overall

2013 Louisville - won 10 entering tournament, 16 overall

The longest single-season winning streak to fall during a tournament?

2015 Kentucky - 38 in a row

In the earlier years of the NCAA tournament (pre-1985), an era of significantly less parity, long winning streaks were much more common among champions:

1941 Wisconsin - won 14 in a row to end the season

1943 Wyoming - won 29 in a row to end the season

1948 Kentucky - won 16 in a row to end the season

1955 San Francisco - won 25 in a row to end the season

1956 San Francisco - went undefeated, 29-0 (so this was a 54-game streak overall)

1957 UNC - went undefeated, 32-0

1961 Cincinnati - won 22 in a row to end the season

1962 Cincinnati - won 18 in a row to end the season

1964 UCLA - went undefeated, 30-0

1965 UCLA - won 15 in a row to end the season

1967 UCLA - went undefeated, 30-0 (so this was a 45-game streak overall)

1968 UCLA - won 16 in a row to end the season

1971 UCLA - won 15 in a row to end the season

1972 UCLA - went undefeated, 30-0 (so this was a 45-game streak overall)

1973 UCLA  - went undefeated, 30-0 (so this was a 75-game streak overall)

1974 NC State - won 28 in a row to end the season

1976 IU - went undefeated, 32-0

1978 UK - won 13 in a row to end the season

1982 UNC - won 16 in a row to end the season

1984 Georgetown - won 12 in a row to end the season


So the answer to the question posed in the post title would, statistically, be yes.  It's been rare for teams to keep momentum all the way through March and April, especially since the tournament expanded to six rounds.

Kentucky basketball vs. Louisville all-time (14 different arenas)

UK is 34-16 all-time against the Cardinals.


In the modern home-and-home series (initiated after the "Dream Game" in 1983), Kentucky leads 22-12.


Regular season home games: UK is 17-5 (77.3%)

Rupp Arena: 13-4 (games played in 1983 through present) - 76.5%
Buell Armory Gymnasium: 3-0 (1913, 1914, 1922)
Woodland Auditorium: 1-1 


Did you know?  UK never played UofL in Alumni Gym or in Memorial Coliseum.  Crazy, right?  


Regular season road games: UK is 12-9 (57%)

Freedom Hall: 7-6 (1984 through 2009) - 53.8%
Yum! Center: 2-2 (2010 through 2016) - 50.0%
St. Xavier Gym: 1-0 (1922)
Louisville YMCA: 1-1 (1915, 1916)
Tharp Gymnasium: 1-0 (1914)


NCAA Tournament Games: UK is 4-2 (60%)

Wins:
2014 Midwest Regional Semifinal at Lucas Oil Stadium
2012 National Semifinal at the Superdome
1984 Mideast Regional Semifinal at Rupp Arena
1951 East Regional 1st Round at Reynolds Coliseum (Raleigh)

Losses:
1983 Mideast Regional Final at Stokely Center (Knoxville)
1959 Mideast Regional Semifinal at McGaw Memorial Hall (Evanston)


Other: UK is 1-0
Old Madison Square Garden (NYC, 1948 Olympic Trials): 1-0


One final, happy note:
- UK has won three (or more) in a row against UofL EIGHT times, and UofL has never accomplished a three game winning streak against UK.

Among other websites consulted, one of my main sources for this and many other posts is the peerless UK resource (and probably the best site of its kind for any sports team) known as "The Kentucky Basketball Statistics Project" operated by Jon Scott.  Available at http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/statistics/statistics.html

12 Coaching Matchups in UK/UofL Rivalry History

(updated through 2016)

UK and UofL are both storied programs (though of course, the former more than the latter).  They both have had success under multiple head coaches.


The biggest names are as follows...


For UK:
Adolph Rupp (6 Final Fours, 4 NCAA titles)
Joe B. Hall (3 Final Fours, 1 NCAA title)
Rick Pitino (3 Final Fours, 1 NCAA title)
Tubby Smith (1 Final Four, 1 NCAA title)
John Calipari (4 Final Fours, 1 NCAA title)


For UofL:
Bernard "Peck" Hickman (1 Final Four)
Denny Crum (6 Final Fours, 2 NCAA titles)
Rick Pitino (3 Final Fours, 1 NCAA title)


There have been twelve different coaching matchups in the rivalry's history.  Here's the rundown....


UK's John Tigert vs. UofL's Von Wolther: 1-0 (1913)


UK's Alpha Brumage vs. player-coached UofL squad: 3-1 (1914, 1915)


UK's James Park vs. UofL's Ed Bowman: 1-1 (1916)


UK's George Buchheit vs. UofL's John O'Rourke: 2-0 (1922)


UK's Adolph Rupp vs. UofL's Peck Hickman: 2-1 (1948, 1951, 1959)


UK's Joe B. Hall vs. UofL's Denny Crum: 2-2 (1983, 1984)


UK's Eddie Sutton vs. UofL's Denny Crum: 3-1 (1985-1988)


UK's Rick Pitino vs. UofL's Denny Crum: 6-2 (1989-1996)


UK's Tubby Smith vs. UofL's Denny Crum: 2-2 (1997-2001)


UK's Tubby Smith vs. UofL's Rick Pitino: 4-2 (2001-2006)


UK's Billy Gillispie vs. UofL's Rick Pitino: 0-2 (2008, 2009)


UK's John Calipari vs. UofL's Rick Pitino: 8-2 (2010-2016)


As you can see, only one matchup in the history of the rivalry (Gillispie vs. Pitino) went in favor of the Cardinals.



Overall records for coaches with multiple matchups in the rivalry

Rick Pitino: 12-14 (6-2 for UK, 6-12 for UofL)

Denny Crum: 7-13 (all with UofL)


Tubby Smith: 6-2 (all with UK)


Among other websites consulted, one of my main sources for this and many other posts is the peerless UK resource (and probably the best site of its kind for any sports team) known as "The Kentucky Basketball Statistics Project" operated by Jon Scott.  Available at http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/statistics/statistics.html

Comeback stats on the comeback Cats

Last night was a huge win for a number of reasons, including:
- clinched at least a tie of our 45th regular season SEC crown
- beat our current most hated rival in the SEC West


Let us not forget the halftime score: MSU 41, UK 28.


This game was tied for the third largest halftime deficit from which UK recovered to win its storied history.  The only two to beat this one were both historic games that any fan will easily recall:


1994 @ LSU: down 16 in Baton Rouge, eventually fell behind by 31, then somehow won 99-95
2004 @ UofL: down 16 in Freedom Hall (only scored 16 in the first half), and Patrick Sparks' free throws won it


Later that same 2004-2005 season, UK was down 29-16 at the half in Oxford, MS, and came back to win.


The true "Comeback Cats" (the 1998 championship team) were down 10 twice at halftime in the NCAA tournament - the title game against Utah, and the regional final against Duke - another famous game of course, as UK would eventually trail by 17.