Head to Head look at 8 Games Ahead

Down to 16 teams – 8 games over the next few days to whittle it down to the elite 8.  Here’s a look at the history of the 8 matchups.

1. Loyola-Chicago v. Nevada. The two teams have never met.
2. Kansas v. Kentucky. Kansas remarkably has never beaten Kentucky in 7 tries.  The two teams last met in the Second Round in 2014 with Kentucky winning 56-49.
3. Florida State v. Gonzago.  Florida State is 0-1 against the Zags.  The last time the teams played was in the First Round of the 2010 tournament with the Zags winning 67-60.
4. Michigan v. Texas A&M. The teams last met 56 years ago in a game the Wolverines won 82-79.
5. Villanova v. West Virginia. Villanova is 22-20 against the Mountaineers. They last met in 2011 with West Virginia winning 83-69.
6. Texas Tech v. Purdue. The teams have only met twice with the Boilermakers winning both contests. They last met in 1988 with Purdue winning 63-54.
7. Kansas v. Clemson. Oddly, the two teams have never met.
8. Syracuse v. Duke. The two teams have met 11 times with Duke winning 6 of the meetings. They last met in February with Duke winning in convincing fashion 60-44.

16 Teams & 16 Oddities: March Madness

From the Sporting Desk of Ribbie’s Weblog

1. There could be an all TX Final – Texas Tech v. Texas A&M.
2. There could be an all KS and All Big 12 Final – Kansas State v. Kansas.
3. There could be another All Big 12 Final – Kansas State v. West Virgina or Texas Tech.
4. There could be an All ACC Final – Florida State v. Clemson, Syracuse, or Duke.
5. There could be an All Big Ten Final – Purdue v. Michigan.
6. There could be an All 11 seed Final – Syracuse v. Loyola-Chicago.
7. The two teams with State in their names are 9 seeds: Kansas State and Florida State.
8. Texas and Kansas are the only states with more than 1 team represented, both w/ 2.
9. Half of the teams in the Sweet 16 are from the ACC and the SEC, each with 4.
10. The East is the most competitive region left – seeds total 11.
11. The South is the least competitive region left – seeds total 32.
12. Nevada has no players from Nevada on its roster.
13. Duke has no players from North Carolina on its roster.
14. Texas A&M has 13 players from Texas on its roster; Texas Tech has 8.
15. Syracuse has 1 Senior on its roster.
16. Duke has 1 Senior and 8 Freshmen on its roster.