Men’s March Madness by the numbers: No. 16 seeds are 2-154. So, yes, we’re saying there’s a chance

The first two days of the NCAA Tournament are for the little guys.

Teams from under-the-radar conferences that have rarely, if ever, experienced March Madness get to test themselves against the nation’s elite. We’re looking at you, Alabama State. You too, Lipscomb, and SIU Edwardsville.

The 16 vs. 1 matchups usually devolve into blowouts. Occasionally, the No. 16 seed hangs in there for a while and fades away.

The No. 16 almost never wins — the key word being “almost.”

One of the great moments in tournament lore happened in 2018 when Maryland-Baltimore County knocked out No. 1 overall seed Virginia 74-54 for the first-ever victory in 136 attempts for a No. 16. The Retrievers lost 50-43 to Kansas State in the second round and haven’t been back.

It happened again in 2023, when Fairleigh Dickinson won a First Four game against Texas Southern and then took down No. 1 seed Purdue 63-58. The Knights then lost 78-70 to a Florida Atlantic team that made its own improbable run all the way to the Final Four.

Take heed Alabama State, Norfolk State, SIUE and American or Mount St. Mary’s: No. 16s are 2-154 all-time.

So, yes, we’re saying there’s a chance. A look at March Madness by the numbers:

Not PARSE.LY: NCAA men’s bracket

Sports on TV for March 24 - 30

 

Hello again! Players return to March Madness, this time playing for new teams

 

Knox’s last-second layup lifts Alabama State over Saint Francis (PA) in First Four

 

3

Triple doubles by Yale’s Bez Mbeng, most in the nation.

4

Schools making their first tournament appearances — SIU-Edwardsville, Omaha, High Point and UC San Diego.

6

Houston appearances in the Final Four, most by a team that has never won the championship.

6-0

Drake’s best-in-the-nation record as a wagering underdog. The 11th-seeded Bulldogs are 6.5-point underdogs against Missouri, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

7

St. John’s four losses have been by a combined seven points, the smallest margin in Division I this season and second-fewest by any team in the past 10 seasons, according to ESPN Research.

11

UCLA national championships, most all-time.

12

Tamar Bates’ missed free throws on 183 attempts in two seasons at Missouri. His 93.4% accuracy (171 of 183) is best nationally among players with at least 160 attempts over that span.

14

Southeastern Conference teams in the tournament, most ever from a single league. The previous record was held by the Big East, which had 11 of its 16 teams in the 2011 field.

15

Consecutive victories by UC San Diego, the longest active win streak entering the tournament.

21.8

Scoring average of Memphis standout PJ Haggerty, highest among players in the tournament.

27

Michigan State’s consecutive tournament appearances, which the NCAA recognizes as the longest active streak. Kansas is in its 35th straight tournament, but it vacated its 2018 Final Four run as part of its sanctions for recruiting violations.

31.8%

Free-throw success rate of Wofford center Kyle Filewich, who in February began shooting underhand style at the line after missing 17 in a row.

79.8

Duke players’ average height in inches, according to college basketball metrics guru Ken Pomeroy’s formula. That makes the Blue Devils the tallest team in the tournament at 6-foot-6 and some change.

101

Dunks by Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, the only player in the country with at least 100, according to statistician Bart Torvik.

1939

Year of the first NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. There were eight teams, and Oregon beat Ohio State for the championship.

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