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. Indiana all-time (15 different arenas)

The Kentucky-Indiana regular-season series was played annually from 1969 through 2011, after the teams had met a combined 8 times during the 1920s and 1940s.  Of the 52 regular season games, 27 have been played at neutral sites.


UK is 32-25 in the series (56%).  Since the annual rivalry started in 1969, UK went 26-17 in those regular season matchups (60%).


NCAA Tournament games: 3-2 (60%)
Georgia Dome (Atlanta): 1-0 (2012 Sweet 16)
Stokely Center (Knoxville): 1-0 (1983 Sweet 16)
University of Dayton Arena: 1-0 (1975 Regional Final)
Wells Fargo Arena (Des Moines): 0-1 (2016 Second Round)
Memorial Gymnasium (Nashville): 0-1 (1973 Regional Final)


Regular season neutral court games: 15-9 (63%)
Freedom Hall (Louisville): 7-3 (70%) (0-3 in the 1970s, undefeated in the 1990s and 2000s)
Jefferson County Armory (Louisville): 2-1 (67%) (1940s)
Hoosierdome / RCA Dome (Indianapolis): 6-4 (60%) (1980s through 2005)
Municipal Auditorium (New Orleans): 0-1 (1940 "Sugar Bowl")


Home games: 10-3 (77%)
Memorial Coliseum: 2-0 (100%) (1960s)
Rupp Arena: 8-1 (89%) (1977-1988, 2006-2010)
Alumni Gymnasium: 0-2 (1920s)


Road games: 4-11 (27%)
"New" Indiana Fieldhouse: 1-0 (100%) (1970)
Assembly Hall: 3-9 (25%) (1972-1990, 2007-2011)
"Old" Indiana Fieldhouse: 0-2 (1920s)

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

UK's sweet win over IU, by the numbers

A few notes on the most intriguing numbers from our Sweet 16 triumph:


1) 102 points scored: 
- most for UK in regulation of an NCAA tournament game since 1996 (110 in first round versus San Jose State)
- most for UK in regulation of a Sweet 16 or later matchup since 1993 (106 in Elite 8 versus Florida State)
- the record for UK in tournament games: 113 (vs. Mt. St. Mary's in 1995)
- the record for UK in any game: 143 (vs. Georgia in 1956)


2) 90 points allowed:
- most for UK opponent in regulation of an NCAA tournament game since 1992 (98 in second round by Iowa State)
- most for UK opponent in regulation of ANY game since 2009 (102 in early-season OOC game by Sam Houston State)
- the record for an opponent in a tournament game: 107 (by Western Kentucky in 1971 - UK lost 107-83)
- the record for an opponent in any game: 150 (by Kansas in 1989 - UK lost 150-95)


3) 192 points combined:
- most in regulation of any UK NCAA tournament game since 1992 (204 in 106-98 win over Iowa State)
- most in regulation of any UK game of ANY sort since 2009 (194 in 102-92 win over Sam Houston State)
- the record for a tournament game: 208 (109-99 UK win over Notre Dame in 1970)
- the record for any game: 245 (150-95 UK loss against Kansas in 1989)


4) Only 14 combined turnovers (6 by UK, 8 by IU) in spite of the breakneck pace:
- UK and its opponents actually played equally clean games, or even more so, a few times this year.
- However, it was the fewest combined turnovers I could find in any UK NCAA tournament game dating back to at least the mid-1980s.  It might be a record.


5) UK hit 35 of 37 free throws, for an astonishing 95% as a team.
- By now you probably already know this is an NCAA tournament record percentage for any team with 35+ attempts.
- In addition, UK has not attempted so many free throws since the infamous referee-challenged UofL game earlier this season.
- UK has not MADE so many free throws in ANY game since a December, 1987 win over Cincinnati (also hit 35, out of 41).  And the last time they made more was against Auburn all the way back in 1981 (36 of 49).

6) Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, as part of his superb all-around game, hit a perfect 10 of 10 from the line.
- The last time a UK player shot 10 or more free throws in a game, and made them all, was also against IU: Brandon Knight 12/11/10, in an 81-62 victory at Rupp.  He made 10 of 10 as well.

Helms Titles for North Carolina? Kansas? UK?

(updated through 2016)

If you want more information on the Helms Foundation, the easiest place to start for a simple explanation is the Wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helms_Athletic_Foundation


To briefly summarize, a bunch of people got together in 1936 and decided to retroactively award national titles to basketball and football teams, back to 1901 and 1883 respectively.  They then continued to award titles until they dissolved in 1982, in spite of the fact that the NCAA was already doing so in a more official capacity beginning in 1939.


The main reason it's a big deal is because Kansas and North Carolina actually like to get ahead by claiming their Helms titles.  Kentucky, meanwhile, was also awarded a couple Helms titles but only claims its official NCAA banners.


Here are a couple lists I compiled, showing that UK would be perfectly happy to count Helms (but they don't bother)...


Official NCAA list:
1) UCLA - 11
2) UK - 8
3) UNC - 5
3) IU - 5
3) DUKE - 5
6) UCONN - 4
7) KU - 3
7) UofL - 3

With Helms titles added (and years added in parentheses):
1) UCLA - 11
2) UK - 10 (1933, 1954)
3) UNC - 6 (1924)
4) KU - 5 (1922, 1923)
4) IU - 5
4) DUKE - 5
7) UCONN - 4
7) WISCONSIN - 4 (1912, 1914, 1916)
9) LOUISVILLE - 3
9) SYRACUSE - 3 (1918, 1926)
9) COLUMBIA - 3 (1904, 1905, 1910)
9) CHICAGO - 3 (1907, 1908, 1909)

The biggest beneficiaries would be Wisconsin, Syracuse, Columbia and Chicago, which otherwise receive no major attention as top historical basketball programs.  Of course Kansas would also jump a couple rungs on the ladder of blue bloods, and UNC would break its tie with IU and Duke.