Is this the craziest opening weekend ever? Is the South the craziest region ever? Would UK's path be the easiest ever?

QUESTION 1 - The 2018 NCAA Tournament has been madness, even by March standards.  But is it the craziest opening weekend ever?  I took a look at every bracket since 1985 (when it expanded to 64 teams) and compared.

This year, a total of 9 of the 16 top-4 seeds have lost.
1 Virginia
1 Xavier
2 Cincinnati
2 UNC
3 Tennessee
3 Michigan State
4 Arizona
4 Wichita State
4 Auburn

But it isn't the first time.  9 top-4 seeds also went down in:
1986
1990
2000 (including two #1 seeds, like this year)

And 8 of them went down in:
1987
1999
2005
2010

However, given the fact that the number 1 OVERALL seed lost this year (and in the first round, to a 16), I'll give this year the nod as the new craziest opening weekend.

* * * * *

QUESTION 2 - Is the 2018 South Region Dumpster Fire the most absurd bracket quadrant ever?

If you add up the total seed numbers remaining, here is the list of craziest Sweet 16 regions:

34 (1+10+11+12) in 2011 Southwest Region) - #11 VCU advanced to the Final Four by playing a 10 and 1 seed, but lost in a national semifinal.

34 (1+7+12+14 in 1986 East Region) - #1 Duke advanced to the Final Four by playing a 12 and 7 seed, but lost in the title game.

32 (5+7+9+11 in 2018 South Region) - Results to be determined.

31 (1+7+11+12 in 2001 South Region) - #1 Michigan State advanced to the Final Four by playing a 12 and 11 seed, but lost in a national semifinal game.

31 (1+7+11+12 in 1990 West Region) - #1 UNLV advanced to the Final Four by playing a 12 and 11 seed, and then won the tournament.

30 (2+6+9+13 in 2013 West Region) - #9 Wichita State advanced to the Final Four by playing a 13 and 2 seed, but lost in a national semifinal game.

This year's South doesn't have the highest total...but there are two HUGE things in its favor in this argument:

- lack of ANY top 4 seeds (which has never happened before) 

- UMBC over Virginia, obviously

So, yes, I would say this is the craziest region ever (so far).  It's a shame UMBC couldn't take down Kansas State to really cement this year in history, but I think we'll always remember the 2018 South.  Bring on Atlanta!

* * * * *

QUESTION 3 - Would UK's path to a Final Four be the easiest ever? 

In the region seed total list above, you can see a few of the unexpectedly "easy" paths faced by certain regional winners in past years.  

Here is the all-time list (since 1985) of worst seed totals faced to reach the Final Four (eventual champions in red):

1991 #1 UNC - 47 (16, 9, 12, 10)

1990 #1 UNLV - 47 (16, 8, 12, 11)

2008 #1 Kansas - 46 (16, 8, 12, 10)

1993 #1 Michigan - 44 (16, 9, 12, 7)

1999 #1 Duke - 43 (16, 9, 12, 6)

1990 #4 Arkansas - 43 (13, 12, 8, 10)

1986 #1 Duke - 43 (16, 8, 12, 7)

1999 #1 Michigan State - 41 (16, 9, 13, 3)

2014 #1 Florida - 40 (16, 9, 4, 11)

2008 #1 UCLA - 40 (16, 9, 12, 3)

2005 #1 Illinois - 40 (16, 9, 12, 3)

1999 #1 UConn - 40 (16, 9, 5, 10)

1994 #1 Arkansas - 40 (16, 9, 12, 3)

2017 #1 Gonzaga - 39 (16, 8, 4, 11)

1987 #1 Indiana - 39 (16, 8, 5, 10)

1987 #1 UNLV - 39 (16, 9, 12, 2)

2013 #1 Louisville - 38 (16, 8, 12, 2)

2015 #2 Kansas - 37 (15, 10, 11, 1)

2010 #2 WVU - 37 (15, 10, 11, 1)

2016 #1 UNC - 36 (16, 9, 5, 6)

2002 #5 Indiana - 36 (12, 13, 1, 10)

2001 #3 Maryland - 36 (14, 11, 10, 1)

1997 #1 UNC - 36 (16, 9, 5, 6)

1997 #4 Arizona - 36 (13, 12, 1, 10)

(note: the lowest possible totals for each seed are 30 for a 1 seed, 26 for a 2 seed, 23 for a 3 seed, 21 for a 4 seed, 19 for a 5 seed, 17 for a 6 seed, 16 for a 7 seed, 16 for an 8 seed, 15 for a 9 seed, 13 for a 10 seed, 12 for an 11 seed, 12 for a 12 seed, 12 for a 13 seed, 12 for a 14 seed, 13 for a 15 seed, and 15 for a 16 seed).

If Kentucky makes the Final Four, it will have faced either:

12+13+9+7 = 41 (tied for 8th easiest path ever)

or

12+13+9+11 = 45 (4th easiest path ever)

So, it would be high on the list (not #1)...but with UNC appearing three times, Duke twice, Kansas twice, Indiana twice, UNLV twice, and Arkansas twice on the list above (zero appearances for UK - its highest/easiest total for any of its eight Final Fours in the era was 32), it's about time UK got some of that luck.  

Check out the chalk-lined roads they've faced to hang these eight Final Four banners since 1985:

1993 #1 UK = 32 (lowest possible = 30)

1996 #1 UK = 31 (lowest possible = 30)

1997 #1 UK = 30 (lowest possible = 30)

1998 #2 UK = 32 (lowest possible = 26)

2011 #4 UK = 21 (lowest possible = 21)

2012 #1 UK = 31 (lowest possible = 30)

2014 #8 UK = 16 (lowest possible = 16)

2015 #1 UK = 32 (lowest possible = 30)

Even in 1998, UK just faced a 10 (instead of a 7) and a 6 (instead of a 3) to account for the difference.

So, in summary...my answers to the questions posed are yes, yes and no.

* * * * *

Kentucky basketball vs. Kansas all-time

(updated through January 2017 meeting)

Kentucky and Kansas are most certainly among the top programs in college basketball history.  UK is quite arguably #1 (as they own most lists other than national titles), while Kansas is probably about #3, 4 or 5 when you assess various criteria.

A brief comparison of some statistics...

WINS (through 2016 season):
1) KENTUCKY
2) KANSAS
3) NORTH CAROLINA
4) DUKE
5) TEMPLE
6) SYRACUSE
7) NOTRE DAME
8) UCLA
9) ST. JOHN'S
10) INDIANA
11) LOUISVILLE

WINNING PERCENTAGE (through 2016 season):
1) KENTUCKY
2) NORTH CAROLINA
3) KANSAS
4) DUKE
5) UCLA
6) SYRACUSE
7) LOUISVILLE
8) WESTERN KENTUCKY
9) ARIZONA
10) NOTRE DAME
11) ST. JOHN'S
12) ILLINOIS
13) VILLANOVA
14) UCONN
15) MURRAY STATE
16) TEMPLE
17) INDIANA

TOURNAMENT WINS (through 2016 season):
1) KENTUCKY - 123
2) NORTH CAROLINA - 117
3) DUKE - 107
4) UCLA - 104
5) KANSAS - 100
6) INDIANA - 75
7) LOUISVILLE - 66

CHAMPIONSHIPS (through 2016 season):
1) UCLA - 11
2) KENTUCKY - 8
t-3) NORTH CAROLINA - 5
t-3) INDIANA - 5
t-5) DUKE - 4
t-5) UCONN - 4
t-7) KANSAS - 3
t-7) LOUISVILLE - 3

FINAL FOURS (through 2016 season):
1) NORTH CAROLINA - 19
t-2) KENTUCKY - 17
t-2) UCLA - 17
4) DUKE - 16
5) KANSAS - 14
t-6) LOUISVILLE - 10
t-6) OHIO STATE - 10
8) MICHIGAN STATE - 9
9) INDIANA - 8

AVERAGE RANKINGS ON ALL ABOVE LISTS:
1) KENTUCKY - 1.4
2) NORTH CAROLINA - 2.2
t-3) UCLA - 4
t-3) DUKE - 4
5) KANSAS - 4.4
6) LOUISVILLE - 7.6
7) INDIANA - 9

What about head-to-head?  Kentucky has gotten the best of the Jayhawks there, too.  

22-8 overall (73.3%), which is the best mark the Wildcats own against any of the blue bloods.

The breakdown:

HOME GAMES: 7-2 (77.8%)

Rupp Arena: 4-2 (66.7%) - wins in 1976, 1978, 1980 and 1990...losses in 2005 and 2017

Memorial Coliseum: 3-0 (100%) - wins in 1950, 1969 and 1972

ROAD GAMES: 7-5 (58.3%)

"Phog" Allen Fieldhouse: 7-5 (58.3%) - wins in 1959, 1971, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981 and 1983...losses in 1973, 1985, 1989, 2006 and 2016

NEUTRAL SITES: 8-1 (88.9%)

Freedom Hall (Louisville): 3-0 (100%) - regular season wins in 1974, 1982 and 1984

Superdome (New Orleans): 2-0 (100%) - wins in 1999 NCAA Tournament Round of 32 and the 2012 NCAA Championship Game

United Center (Chicago): 1-1 (50%) - win in 1998 Great Eight regular season matchup, loss in 2007 NCAA Tournament Round of 32

Madison Square Garden (NYC): 1-0 (100%) - win in 2011 Champions Classic regular season matchup

Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis): 1-0 (100%) - win in 2014 Champions Classic regular season matchup

REGULAR SEASON OVERALL: 20-7
NCAA TOURNAMENT: 2-1

By coach?

Calipari: 3-2 (1-0 in NCAA Tournament)

Tubby: 2-3 (1-1 in NCAA Tournament)

Pitino: 1-1 (the one loss was by 55 in Lawrence)

Sutton: 0-1 (17-point loss in Lawrence)

Hall: 12-1 (amazing record!)

Rupp: 4-0

By opposing coach?

Bill Self: is 5-3 against UK (3-0 vs. Tubby, 2-3 vs. Cal)

Roy Williams: was 1-3 against UK (1-1 vs. Pitino, 0-2 vs. Tubby)

Larry Brown: was 1-2 against UK (0-2 vs. Hall, 1-0 vs. Sutton)

Ted Owens: was 1-12 against UK (0-2 vs. Rupp, 1-10 vs. Hall)

Dick Harp: was 0-1 against UK (1959 vs. Rupp)

Forrest "Phog" Allen: was 0-1 against UK (1950 vs. Rupp)

Head-to-head records of the college basketball "blue bloods"

(updated at the end of January 2017)

The top six programs in college basketball history are almost universally recognized among historians as: Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA, Kansas, Duke and Indiana.  The first tier is clearly UK, UNC and UCLA, with the other three lagging a bit behind.

Here is a look at their head-to-head results, listed by winning percentage:

1) UNC .558 (177-140)
2) UK .553 (88-71)
3) IU .481 (51-55)
4) DUKE .466 (139-159)
5) UCLA .449 (31-38)
6) KU .361 (30-53)

The breakdown...

UK is:
32-25 against IU
22-8 against KU
15-23 against UNC
12-9 against Duke
7-6 against UCLA

UNC is:
134-108 against Duke
23-15 against UK
8-3 against UCLA
6-5 against KU
6-9 against IU

IU is:
25-32 against UK
9-6 against UNC
8-6 against Kansas
6-6 against UCLA
3-5 against Duke

Duke is: 
108-134 against UNC
10-6 against UCLA
9-12 against UK
7-4 against KU
5-3 against IU

UCLA is:
10-7 against KU
6-6 against IU
6-10 against Duke
6-7 against UK
3-8 against UNC

KU is:
8-22 against UK
7-10 against UCLA
6-8 against IU
5-6 against UNC
4-7 against Duke

Notes:
- UNC has a winning record against everyone except IU (6-9)
- UK has a winning record against everyone except UNC (15-23)
- Obviously the most matchups in any series is UNC/Duke (242 games)
- Kansas has a losing record against every other blue blood
- UCLA's only winning record is against Kansas (10-7)
- UofL (probably the 7th best team all-time - although they rated above IU in my most recent analysis) has losing records against all the top six teams shown here.  As of the end of January 2017, the Cardinals were 6-7 against Duke, 16-34 against UK, 8-10 against IU, 5-11 against UNC, 5-6 against Kansas, and 7-15 against UCLA.  Total record = 47-83 (.362)

What schools/countries have produced the top scorers in the NBA?

On this blog, I've devoted a lot of words and calculations to the consideration of which college programs are the "best" in NCAA history.  I haven't included NBA products as part of those discussions, as I don't consider it relevant.  Great teams can win without singular stars.  UK has had some truly amazing players, especially under Cal, but they haven't relied on them.

So, let's look at the NBA's top 50 scoring list.  As I've mentioned, UK isn't represented on the list.  Who is?


1) HIGH SCHOOL (4)

3rd - KOBE BRYANT (33643)

8th - LeBRON JAMES (27602) - active

9th - MOSES MALONE (27409)

17th - KEVIN GARNETT (26071)


2) NORTH CAROLINA (4)

4th - MICHAEL JORDAN (32292)

24th - VINCE CARTER (24204) - active

41st - ANTAWN JAMISON (20042)

46th - WALTER DAVIS (19521)


3) HOUSTON (3)

10th - ELVIN HAYES (27313)

11th - HAKEEM OLAJUWON (26946)

30th - CLYDE DREXLER (22195)


4) UCLA (2)

1st - KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR (38387)

19th - REGGIE MILLER (25297)


5) KANSAS (2)

5th - WILT CHAMBERLAIN (31419)

16th - PAUL PIERCE (26361) - active


6) LSU (2)

7th - SHAQUILLE O'NEAL (28569)

35th - BOB PETTIT (20880)


7) GEORGETOWN (2)

21st - PATRICK EWING (24815)

23rd - ALLEN IVERSON (24368)


8) UCONN (2)

22nd - RAY ALLEN (24505)

45th - CLIFFORD ROBINSON (19591)



And the rest...

LOUISIANA TECH - KARL MALONE (2nd)

GERMANY - DIRK NOWITZKI (6th)

CINCINNATI - OSCAR ROBERTSON (12th)

GEORGIA - DOMINIQUE WILKINS (13th)

WAKE FOREST - TIM DUNCAN (14th)

OHIO STATE - JOHN HAVLICEK (15th)

SOUTH CAROLINA - ALEX ENGLISH (18th)

WEST VIRGINIA - JERRY WEST (20th)

AUBURN - CHARLES BARKLEY (25th)

CENTENARY - ROBERT PARISH (26th)

NOTRE DAME - ADRIAN DANTLEY (27th)

SEATTLE - ELGIN BAYLOR (28th)

SYRACUSE - CARMELO ANTHONY (29th)

OREGON STATE - GARY PAYTON (31st)

INDIANA STATE - LARRY BIRD (32nd)

MARSHALL - HAL GREER (33rd)

INDIANA - WALT BELLAMY (34th)

MARQUETTE - DWYANE WADE (36th) - active

NAVY - DAVID ROBINSON (37th)

EASTERN MICHIGAN - GEORGE GERVIN (38th)

KANSAS STATE - MITCH RICHMOND (39th)

UTAH - TOM CHAMBERS (40th)

GONZAGA - JOHN STOCKTON (42nd)

TENNESSEE - BERNARD KING (43rd)

SPAIN - PAU GASOL (44th) - active

DePAUL - TERRY CUMMINGS (47th)

ARKANSAS - JOE JOHNSON (48th)

ST. BONAVENTURE - BOB LANIER (49th)

ILLINOIS - EDDIE JOHNSON (50th)

Ranking the top 25 NCAA men's basketball teams of all time

(updated through the end of calendar year 2016)

Let's look at some categories, and then add the rankings together.

Championships (weighted 2x)

1) UCLA (11) - 50 points
2) Kentucky (8) - 48 points
3) North Carolina (5) - 46 points
3) Indiana (5) - 46 points
3) Duke (5) - 46 points
6) UConn (4) - 40 points
7) Louisville (3) - 38 points
7) Kansas (3) - 38 points 
9) Florida (2) - 34 points
9) Michigan State (2) - 34 points
9) NC State (2) - 34 points
9) Cincinnati (2) - 34 points
9) Oklahoma State (2) - 34 points
9) San Francisco (2) - 34 points
9) Villanova (2) - 34 points
16) Syracuse (1) - 20 points
16) Utah (1) - 20 points
16) Arizona (1) - 20 points
16) Georgetown (1) - 20 points
16) Ohio State (1) - 20 points
16) Marquette (1) - 20 points
16) Oregon (1) - 20 points
16) Wisconsin (1) - 20 points
16) Stanford (1) - 20 points
16) Wyoming (1) - 20 points
16) Holy Cross (1) - 20 points
16) CCNY (1) - 20 points
16) La Salle (1)  - 20 points
16) California (1) - 20 points
16) Loyola Ill. (1) - 20 points
16) UTEP (1) - 20 points
16) Maryland (1) - 20 points
16) Michigan (1)  - 20 points
16) Arkansas (1) - 20 points
16) UNLV (1) - 20 points

Total Wins

1) Kentucky - 25 points
2) Kansas - 24 points
3) North Carolina - 23 points
4) Duke - 22 points
5) Temple - 21 points
6) Syracuse - 20 points
7) Notre Dame - 19 points
8) UCLA - 18 points
9) St. John's - 17 points
10) Indiana - 16 points
11) Louisville - 15 points
12) BYU - 14 points
13) Utah - 13 points
14) Illinois - 12 points
15) Texas - 11 points
16) Arizona - 10 points
17) Washington - 9 points
18) Pennsylvania - 8 points
19) Western Kentucky - 7 points
20) Cincinnati - 6 points
21) Purdue - 5 points 
22) Oregon State - 4 points
23) West Virginia - 3 points
24) Princeton - 2 points 
25) Villanova - 1 point

Winning percentage

1) Kentucky - 25 points
2) UNC - 24 points
3) Kansas - 23 points
4) Duke - 22 points
5) UCLA - 21 points
6) Syracuse - 20 points
7) Louisville - 19 points
8) Western Kentucky - 18 points
9) Arizona - 17 points
10) Notre Dame - 16 points
11) St. John's  - 15 points
12) Illinois - 14 points
13) Villanova - 13 points
14) Utah - 12 points
15) UConn - 11 points
16) Murray State - 10 points
17) Temple - 9 points
18) Indiana - 8 points
19) Arkansas - 7 points
20) Cincinnati - 6 points
21) Missouri State - 5 points
22) Purdue - 4 points
23) Texas - 3 points
24) BYU - 2 points
25) NC State - 1 point

Tournament Appearances

1) Kentucky - 25 points
2) UNC - 24 points
3) Kansas - 23 points
3) UCLA - 23 points
5) Louisville - 21 points
6) Duke - 20 points
7) Indiana - 19 points
8) Villanova - 18 points
8) Notre Dame - 18 points
10) Syracuse - 16 points
11) Texas - 15 points
12) UConn - 14 points
12) Temple - 14 points
14) Arizona - 12 points
14) Marquette - 12 points
16) Michigan State - 10 points
16) Arkansas - 10 points
16) Georgetown - 10 points
16) Cincinnati - 10 points
16) Illinois - 10 points
16) Oklahoma - 10 points
22) Utah - 4 points
22) BYU - 4 points
24) St. John's - 2 points
24) Kansas State - 2 points

Final Fours

1) UNC - 25 points
2) Kentucky - 24 points
2) UCLA - 24 points
4) Duke - 22 points
5) Kansas - 21 points
6) Louisville - 20 points
6) Ohio State - 20 points
8) Michigan State - 18 points
9) Indiana - 17 points
10) Cincinnati - 16 points
10) Oklahoma State - 16 points
10) Arkansas - 16 points
10) Syracuse - 16 points
14) Connecticut - 12 points
14) Georgetown - 12 points
14) Florida - 12 points
14) Houston - 12 points
14) Illinois - 12 points
14) Michigan - 12 points
14) Oklahoma - 12 points
21) Arizona - 5 points
21) Kansas State - 5 points
21) LSU - 5 points
21) UNLV - 5 points
21) Utah - 5 points
21) Villanova - 5 points
21) Wisconsin - 5 points

Tournament Wins

1) Kentucky - 25 points
2) UNC - 24 points
3) Duke - 23 points
4) UCLA - 22 points
5) Kansas - 21 points
6) Louisville - 20 points
7) Indiana - 19 points
8) Syracuse - 18 points
9) Michigan State - 17 points
10) Connecticut - 16 points
11) Villanova - 15 points
12) Ohio State - 14 points
13) Arizona - 13 points
14) Michigan - 12 points
15) Georgetown - 11 points
16) Cincinnati - 10 points
17) Florida - 9 points
18) Arkansas - 8 points
18) Marquette - 8 points
18) Maryland - 8 points
18) Oklahoma - 8 points
22) Illinois - 4 points
23) Oklahoma State - 3 points
24) Utah - 3 points
25) NC State - 2 points
25) Notre Dame - 2 points

Tournament Win Percentage (min. 25 games)

1) Duke - 25 points
2) North Carolina - 24 points
3) UCLA - 23 points
4) Michigan - 22 points
5) Florida - 21 points
6) Kentucky - 20 points
7) Kansas - 19 points
8) Michigan State - 18 points
9) UConn - 17 points
10) Indiana - 16 points
11) Ohio State - 15 points
12) Louisville - 14 points
13) UNLV - 13 points
14) Wisconsin - 12 points
15) Syracuse - 11 points
16) Arizona - 10 points
17) Maryland - 9 points
18) Georgetown - 8 points
19) Villanova - 7 points
20) Memphis - 6 points
21) Cincinnati - 5 points
22) Butler - 4 points
23) San Francisco - 3 points
24) Seton Hall - 2 points
25) Oklahoma State - 1 point
25) Oregon - 1 point

Composite rankings (adding points for all lists)

1) Kentucky - 192
2) UNC - 190
3) UCLA - 181
4) Duke - 180
5) Kansas - 169
6) Louisville - 147
7) Indiana - 141
8) Syracuse - 121
9) UConn - 110
10) Michigan State - 97
11) Villanova - 93
12) Arizona - 87
12) Cincinnati - 87
14) Florida - 76
15) Ohio State - 69
16) Michigan - 66
17) Georgetown - 61
17) Arkansas - 61
19) Utah - 57
20) Notre Dame - 55
21) Oklahoma State - 54
22) Illinois - 52
23) Temple - 44
24) Marquette - 40
25) UNLV - 38

The top teams of the six-round NCAA tournament era (and before)

Since 1985
1) Duke (4 titles, 12 FFs, 30 appearances)
2) UConn (4 titles, 5 FFs, 18 appearances)
3) North Carolina (3 titles, 9 FFs, 28 appearances)
4) Kentucky (3 titles, 8 FFs, 25 appearances)
5) Kansas (2 titles, 8 FFs, 30 appearances)
6) Florida (2 titles, 5 FFs, 17 appearances)
7) Louisville (2 titles, 4 FFs, 24 appearances)
8) Michigan State (1 title, 7 FFs, 25 appearances)
9) Arizona (1 title, 4 FFs, 27 appearances)
10) Syracuse (1 title, 4 FFs, 25 appearances)
11) UCLA (1 title, 4 FFs, 24 appearances)
12) Indiana (1 title, 3 FFs, 24 appearances)
13) Arkansas (1 title, 3 FFs, 18 appearances)
14) UNLV (1 title, 3 FFs, 15 appearances)

Missed the cutoff (fewer than 3 Final Fours):
Villanova, Michigan

Before 1985
1) UCLA (10 titles, 13 FFs, 22 appearances)
2) Kentucky (5 titles, 9 FFs, 29 appearances)
3) Indiana (4 titles, 5 FFs, 14 appearances)
4) North Carolina (2 titles, 9 FFs, 18 appearances)
5) Cincinnati (2 titles, 5 FFs, 10 appearances)
6) Oklahoma State (2 titles, 4 FFs, 9 appearances)
7) San Francisco (2 titles, 3 FFs, 14 appearances)
8) North Carolina State (2 titles, 3 FFs, 11 appearances)
9) Ohio State (1 title, 8 FFs, 13 appearances)
10) Louisville (1 title, 6 FFs, 17 appearances)
11) Kansas (1 title, 6 FFs, 14 appearances)
12) Utah (1 title, 3 FFs, 13 appearances)
13) Georgetown (1 title, 3 FFs, 9 appearances)
14) California (1 title, 3 FFs, 5 appearances)

Missed the cutoff (fewer than 3 Final Fours):
Marquette, Michigan State, UTEP, Loyola (Chicago), LaSalle, CCNY, Holy Cross, Wyoming, Stanford, Wisconsin, Oregon

Here are some detailed profiles of the top schools in the six-round era:

Duke
Current streak: made 20 in a row
Appearances: 30 (missed 1995)
Sweet 16s: 22
Elite 8s: 14
Final 4s: 12
Titles: 4

Appearances before 1985: 9
Sweet 16s before 1985: 6
Elite 8s before 1985: 6
Final 4s before 1985: 4
Titles before 1985: 0

Connecticut
Current streak: missed in 2015
Appearances: 18
Sweet 16s: 13
Elite 8s: 10
Final 4s: 5
Titles: 4

Appearances before 1985: 13
Sweet 16s before 1985: 3
Elite 8s before 1985: 1
Final 4s before 1985: 0
Titles before 1985: 0

North Carolina
Current streak: made 5 in a row
Appearances: 28 (missed 2002, 2003, 2010)
Sweet 16s: 20
Elite 8s: 15
Final 4s: 9
Titles: 3

Appearances before 1985: 18
Sweet 16s before 1985: 11
Elite 8s before 1985: 11 (2 during the 8-team era)
Final 4s before 1985: 9
Titles before 1985: 2

Kentucky
Current streak: made 2 in a row
Appearances: 25 (vacated 1988, missed 1989, 1990, 1991, 2009, 2013)
Sweet 16s: 18
Elite 8s: 15
Final 4s: 8
Titles: 3

Appearances before 1985: 29
Sweet 16s before 1985: 23
Elite 8s before 1985: 21 (4 during the 8-team era)
Final 4s before 1985: 9
Titles before 1985: 5

Kansas
Current streak: made 26 in a row
Appearances: 30 (missed in 1989)
Sweet 16s: 19
Elite 8s: 12
Final 4s: 8
Titles: 2

Appearances before 1985: 14
Sweet 16s before 1985: 9
Elite 8s before 1985: 9 (2 during the 8-team era)
Final 4s before 1985: 6
Titles before 1985: 1

Florida
Current streak: missed in 2015
Appearances: 17
Sweet 16s: 9
Elite 8s: 8
Final 4s: 5
Titles: 2

Appearances before 1985: 0
Sweet 16s before 1985: 0
Elite 8s before 1985: 0
Final 4s before 1985: 0
Titles before 1985: 0

Louisville
Current streak: made 9 in a row
Appearances: 24
Sweet 16s: 14
Elite 8s: 8
Final 4s: 4
Titles: 2

Appearances before 1985: 17
Sweet 16s before 1985: 14
Elite 8s before 1985: 6
Final 4s before 1985: 6
Titles before 1985: 1

Michigan State
Current streak: made 18 in a row
Appearances: 25 (missed 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1996, 1997)
Sweet 16s: 15
Elite 8s: 9
Final 4s: 7
Titles: 1

Appearances before 1985: 4
Sweet 16s before 1985: 4
Elite 8s before 1985: 4
Final 4s before 1985: 2
Titles before 1985: 1

Arizona
Current streak: made 3 in a row
Appearances: 27 (vacated 1999 and 2008, missed 2010 and 2012)
Sweet 16s: 16
Elite 8s: 10
Final 4s: 4
Titles: 1

Appearances before 1985: 3
Sweet 16s before 1985: 2
Elite 8s before 1985: 1
Final 4s before 1985: 0
Titles before 1985: 0

Syracuse
Current streak: missed in 2015
Appearances: 25 (missed 1993, 1997, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2015)
Sweet 16s: 13
Elite 8s: 6
Final 4s: 4
Titles: 1

Appearances before 1985: 12
Sweet 16s before 1985: 8
Elite 8s before 1985: 3
Final 4s before 1985: 1
Titles before 1985: 0

UCLA
Current streak: made 3 in a row
Appearances: 24
Sweet 16s: 13
Elite 8s: 6
Final 4s: 4
Titles: 1

Appearances before 1985: 22
Sweet 16s before 1985: 19
Elite 8s before 1985: 15
Final 4s before 1985: 13
Titles before 1985: 10

Indiana
Current streak: 1
Appearances: 24
Sweet 16s: 9
Elite 8s: 4
Final 4s: 3
Titles: 1

Appearances before 1985: 14
Sweet 16s before 1985: 12
Elite 8s before 1985: 7 (1 during 8-team era)
Final 4s before 1985: 5
Titles before 1985: 4

Arkansas
Current streak: 1
Appearances: 18
Sweet 16s: 6
Elite 8s: 4
Final 4s: 3
Titles: 1

Appearances before 1985: 12
Sweet 16s before 1985: 4
Elite 8s before 1985: 6 (3 during 8-team era)
Final 4s before 1985: 3
Titles before 1985: 0

UNLV
Current streak: missed in 2015
Appearances: 15
Sweet 16s: 6
Elite 8s: 4
Final 4s: 3
Titles: 1

Appearances before 1985: 5
Sweet 16s before 1985: 4
Elite 8s before 1985: 1
Final 4s before 1985: 1
Titles before 1985: 0

Schools with best records in late NCAA tournament rounds

(updated through 2016)

To be clear, this includes the earliest years, when only 8 teams were involved.  I have ranked all of these from best to worst winning percentage.


ELITE EIGHT (minimum of 8 games played)

UCLA 17-4

DUKE 16-4

CINCINNATI 6-2

INDIANA 8-3

LOUISVILLE 10-4

OHIO STATE 10-4

NORTH CAROLINA 19-8

MICHIGAN STATE 9-4

KANSAS 14-8

FLORIDA 5-3

ARKANSAS 6-4

SYRACUSE 6-4

GEORGETOWN 5-4

ILLINOIS 5-4

OKLAHOMA 5-4

OKLAHOMA STATE 6-5

KENTUCKY 17-19

CONNECTICUT 5-6

MICHIGAN 5-7

ARIZONA 4-7

KANSAS STATE 4-8

VILLANOVA 4-8


SEMIFINALS (minimum of 4 games played)

CONNECTICUT 4-1

MICHIGAN 4-1

GEORGETOWN 4-1

INDIANA 6-2

KENTUCKY 12-5

UCLA 12-5

DUKE 11-5

KANSAS 9-5

FLORIDA 3-2

NORTH CAROLINA 10-9

SYRACUSE 3-3

CINCINNATI 3-3

VILLANOVA 2-2

ARIZONA 2-2

HOUSTON 2-3

OKLAHOMA 2-3

MICHIGAN STATE 3-6

ARKANSAS 2-4

OKLAHOMA STATE 2-4

LOUISVILLE 3-7

KANSAS STATE 1-3

ILLINOIS 1-4


CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES (minimum of 2 games played)

CONNECTICUT 4-0

LOUISVILLE 3-0

SAN FRANCISCO 2-0

OKLAHOMA STATE 2-0

VILLANOVA 2-0

UCLA 11-1

INDIANA 5-1

KENTUCKY 8-4

MICHIGAN STATE 2-1

FLORIDA 2-1

CINCINNATI 2-1

NORTH CAROLINA 5-5

ARIZONA 1-1

ARKANSAS 1-1

DUKE 5-6

KANSAS 3-6

SYRACUSE 1-2

MICHIGAN 1-3

GEORGETOWN 1-3

HOUSTON 0-2

OKLAHOMA 0-2