What’s March Without a Little Madness?
This is the first year in the history of the men’s March Madness tournament that a number-one seed has not made the Elite Eight, and the shake-ups don’t stop there. Here is one fast fact from each team left in the tournament on both the men’s and the women’s side to prepare you for the Final Four.
This is the largest audience Florida Atlantic University will have played in front of all season.
For all home games, FAU men’s basketball plays in the 2,900-seat Baldwin Arena, which pales in comparison to the 71,000 potential for the Final Four at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. If each of their 17 home games this season were a sell-out, they would have played in front of a collective 49,300 fans – 21,700 less than NRG’s single-game capacity. Read more at the New York Times.
This is the deepest run for San Diego State Men’s Basketball since NBA star Kawhi Leonard was a member of the Aztecs.
Before this season, the farthest SDSU had gone in March Madness was in 2011, when now-Clippers star Kawhi Leonard brought them to the Sweet 16. SDSU lost 74-67 to UConn, who are also in this year’s Final Four. If SDSU moves on to the championship, they could potentially face UConn again. Read more about SDSU’S 2011 run in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
UConn Men’s Basketball is proving dominant. Can that continue?
UConn is the 10th men’s Final Four team to win each game by at least 15 points. Their plus-90 point differential through four games is tied for the fourth-best output of any Final Four team since 2000. Read more at FiveThirtyEight.
Miami Men’s Basketball players were babies the last time a game against UConn made headlines.
“The last time a University of Miami basketball game against Connecticut made national headlines, Isaiah Wong, Nijel Pack, Jordan Miller and Norchad Omier were toddlers and Wooga Poplar was 15 days from being born.” Read more about the January 2003 match at Yahoo Sports.
Will Iowa Women’s Basketball’s Stolen Game Ball Prove to be Good Luck?
Iowa star Caitlin Clark scored the first 40-point triple-double in NCAA March Madness history with 41 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds to clinch Iowa’s first Final Four since 1993. How did Caitlin celebrate? She took the game ball and threw it to her dad in the stands for safekeeping from ravenous fans and the NCAA. Read more at Just Women’s Sports. Another JWS fun fact – Iowa’s Sweet 16 game against Louisville drew more viewers than any NBA game on ESPN this season, with 2.5 million viewers.
Louisiana State University’s Women’s Basketball Star is #1 in Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) Deals.
The March Madness conversation is not complete unless NIL is part of the discussion, especially because “women’s basketball NIL deals increased by 186% this season compared to last season, while men’s basketball deals increased by 67%.” LSU star transfer Angel Reese has 17 NIL deals, more than any other college basketball player. Read more on Just Women’s Sports.
South Carolina Women’s Basketball’s Match Pits The Two Top Stars Against Each Other.
The current national player of the year SC’s Aliyah Boston, is facing Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, who is “likely to claim the honors this year,” but the road for Iowa is not going to be easy. South Carolina has a 42-game winning streak and has not lost since last year’s SEC championship, and they are beating teams by an average of 22 points. Talk about dominant! Read more in USA Today.
Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball is not the only Virginia Team to Make it to the Final Four.
VT is joining Christopher Newport University (CNU) in Dallas for the women’s Final Four, and the two teams are already fast friends. “After Virginia Tech beat Ohio State in an Elite Eight game late Monday, The CNU Athletics Twitter account (@CNUAthletics) tagged the Hokies’ account, writing “Hey @hokiesports — wanna carpool?” This partnership in Dallas between a DI and DIII program is important because it is only the second time in the 41-year history of NCAA women’s basketball that all three championship games are at the same location. Read more in The Virginian-Pilot and see the tweet thread HERE.