Kansas State fans and some national basketball pundits are about to discern that no coach is indispensable. Life didn't begin with Frank Martin and didn't end upon him taking his stare, bulging veins and AAU ties to try to pump some life into South Carolina's moribund program. But if you're already in remorse missing his passion in the Midlands, you should be able to shake off the doldrums by returning to reality reading the following history lesson:

• Kansas State had all four of its seniors selected in the 1951 NBA draft after finishing runner-up to Kentucky in the NCAA playoffs. Was Frank Martin the coach?

• In 1951-52, K-State snapped Arizona's 81-game homecourt winning streak. Was Frank Martin the coach?

• Kansas State was ranked #1 in the country during the 1957-58 campaign when the Wildcats defeated two teams featuring basketball icons - Kansas (Wilt Chamberlain) and Cincinnati (Oscar Robertson). Was Frank Martin the coach?

• K-State was the seventh-winningest school in the 1950s, closing out the decade with a school-record 21-game winning streak en route to an undefeated league record. Was Frank Martin the coach?

• Kansas State, defeating Missouri, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State at least 14 times in a row apiece, placed first or second in the Big Seven/Big Eight Conference standings nine consecutive seasons through 1963-64. K-State finished in a wire-service final Top 20 poll eight straight years and 12 times since the inception of national rankings in 1948-49. Kentucky (13) was the only school at that point to have more final Top 20 rankings than the KSU-Wildcats. Was Frank Martin the coach?

• K-State captured 11 Big Eight Conference regular-season titles in an 18-year span from 1956 through 1973. Was Frank Martin the coach?

• Kansas State compiled a sterling 24-9 record in games decided by fewer than six points while reaching three regional finals over a four-year span through 1974-75. Was Frank Martin the coach?

• K-State upset second-ranked Oregon State in the 1981 NCAA playoffs. Was Frank Martin the coach?

• In 1987-88, Kansas State ended rival Kansas' Big Eight Conference-record 55-game homecourt winning streak. Was Frank Martin the coach?

• K-State had a coach depart in 1994 after only four seasons despite compiling a glittering 20-6 mark in games decided by fewer than five points. No, it wasn't Frank Martin.

• K-State was ranked third in the preseason but finished out of the final national rankings in 2010-11. Yes, the coach was Frank Martin.

Seven different coaches, four of them in a 15-year span, guided Kansas State to the NCAA playoffs before Martin had the job dumped in his lap when Bob Huggins abandoned ship after only one "rehab" season to return to his alma mater (West Virginia). Manhattan wasn't leveled when the latest tornado passed through town.

No individual is bigger than the program. Essentially, all that really happened was Martin moved closer to his Southern roots (Miami) and joined the following list of 70 different active coaches who had at least three years remaining on their contracts when they departed for greener pastures:

• Steve Alford (3 years remaining on contract) - left Southwest Missouri State (after 1998-99 season)/hired by Iowa
• Steve Alford (4) - Iowa/New Mexico
• Dana Altman (2) - Marshall/Kansas State
• Tommy Amaker (3) - Seton Hall/Michigan
• Mike Anderson (4) - UAB/Missouri
• Mike Anderson (5) - Missouri/Arkansas
• Ronnie Arrow (2) - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi/South Alabama
• Tony Barbee (4) - Texas-El Paso/Auburn
• Rick Barnes (3) - George Mason/Providence
• Rick Barnes (6) - Clemson/Texas
• John Beilien (6) - Richmond/West Virginia
• John Beilien (5) - West Virginia/Michigan
• Tony Bennett (6) - Washington State/Virginia
• Ken Bone (4) - Portland State/Washington State
• Tad Boyle (2) - Northern Colorado/Colorado
• Ben Braun (3) - Eastern Michigan/California
• Mike Brey (7) - Delaware/Notre Dame
• Milan Brown (3) - Mount St. Mary's/Holy Cross
• Brad Brownell (1) - UNC Wilmington/Wright State
• Brad Brownell (4) - Wright State/Clemson
• Jeff Bzdelik (4) - Air Force/Colorado
• Jeff Bzdelik (2) - Colorado/Wake Forest
• John Calipari (10) - Massachusetts/New Jersey Nets
• John Calipari (4) - Memphis/Kentucky
• Patrick Chambers (5) - Boston University/Penn State
• Jim Christian (5) - Kent State/Texas Christian
• Ed Conroy (5) - The Citadel/Tulane
• Ed Cooley (5) - Fairfield/Providence
• Tom Crean (9) - Marquette/Indiana
• Mick Cronin (1) - Murray State/Cincinnati
• Ed DeChellis (2) - East Tennessee State/Penn State
• Ed DeChellis (3) - Penn State/Navy
• Billy Donovan (2) - Marshall/Florida
• Andy Enfield (3) - Florida Gulf Coast/Southern California
• Larry Eustachy (6) - Utah State/Iowa State
• Tim Floyd (6) - New Orleans/Iowa State
• Tim Floyd (8) - Iowa State/Chicago Bulls
• Geno Ford (4) - Kent State/Bradley
• Travis Ford (7) - Massachusetts/Oklahoma State
• Mark Fox (5) - Nevada/Georgia
• Billy Gillispie (3) - Texas-El Paso/Texas A&M
• Billy Gillispie (8) - Texas A&M/Kentucky
• Mark Gottfried (4) - Murray State/Alabama
• Anthony Grant (5) -F Virginia Commonwealth/Alabama
• Seth Greenberg (2) - South Florida/Virginia Tech
• Brian Gregory (7) - Dayton/Georgia Tech
• Frank Haith (2) - Miami FL/Missouri
• Leonard Hamilton (7) - Miami (Fla.)/Washington Wizards
• Stan Heath (4) - Kent State/Arkansas
• Paul Hewitt (3) - Siena/Georgia Tech
• Ben Howland (1) - Northern Arizona/Pittsburgh
• Ben Howland (6) - Pittsburgh/UCLA
• Bob Huggins (4) - Kansas State/West Virginia
• Ron Hunter (5) - IUPUI/Georgia State
• Mike Jarvis (2) - Boston University/George Washington
• Trent Johnson (5) - Nevada/Stanford
• Trent Johnson (1) - Stanford/Louisiana State
• Donnie Jones (4) - Marshall/Central Florida
• Billy Kennedy (4) - Murray State/Texas A&M
• Lon Kruger (4) - Kansas State/Florida
• Lon Kruger (5) - Florida/Illinois
• Lon Kruger (4) - Illinois/Atlanta Hawks
• Lon Kruger (2) - UNLV/Oklahoma
• Jim Larranaga (5) - George Mason/Miami FL
• Jeff Lebo (2) - Tennessee Tech/Chattanooga
• Jeff Lebo (8) - Chattanooga/Auburn
• Mike Longergan (1) - Vermont/George Washington
• Rick Majerus (2) - Ball State/Utah
• Gregg Marshall (8) - Winthrop/Wichita State
• Cuonzo Martin (4) - Missouri State/Tennessee
• Frank Martin (3) - Kansas State/South Carolina
• Thad Matta (9) - Xavier/Ohio State
• Fran McCaffery (7) - Siena/Iowa
• Ray McCallum (1) - Ball State/Houston
• Jim McDermott (5) - Northern Iowa/Iowa State
• Jim McDermott (5) - Iowa State/Creighton
• Tim Miles (4) - Colorado State/Nebraska
• Sean Miller (9) - Xavier/Arizona
• Jim Molinari (2) - Northern Illinois/Bradley
• Dan Monson (10) - Gonzaga/Minnesota
• Mike Montgomery (4) - Stanford/Golden State Warriors
• Stew Morrill (3) - Colorado State/Utah State
• Porter Moser (5) - UALR/Illinois State
• Kevin O'Neill (3) - Marquette/Tennessee
• Kevin O'Neill (4) - Tennessee/Northwestern
• Kevin O'Neill (2) - Northwestern/New York Knicks (assistant)
• Louis Orr (4) - Siena/Seton Hall
• Matt Painter (3) - Southern Illinois/Purdue
• Eddie Payne (3) - East Carolina/Oregon State
• Tom Pecora (4) - Hofstra/Fordham
• Buzz Peterson (9) - Appalachian State/Tulsa
• Buzz Peterson (4) - Tulsa/Tennessee
• Buzz Peterson (2) - Coastal Carolina/Charlotte Bobcats (director of player personnel)
• Buzz Peterson (4) - Appalachian State/UNC Wilmington
• Rick Pitino (5) - Providence/New York Knicks
• Rick Pitino (3) - Kentucky/Boston Celtics
• Oliver Purnell (2) - Dayton/Clemson
• Oliver Purnell (6) - Clemson/DePaul
• Mike Rice Jr. (7) - Robert Morris/Rutgers
• Lorenzo Romar (4) - Saint Louis/Washington
• Joe Scott (4) - Air Force/Princeton
• Bill Self (2) - Oral Roberts/Tulsa
• Bill Self (5) - Tulsa/Illinois
• Bill Self (5) - Illinois/Kansas
• Herb Sendek (1) - Miami (Ohio)/North Carolina State
• Herb Sendek (4) - North Carolina State/Arizona State
• Larry Shyatt (4) - Wyoming/Clemson
• Tubby Smith (3) - Tulsa/Georgia
• Tubby Smith (6) - Georgia/Kentucky
• Tubby Smith (4) - Kentucky/Minnesota
• Mark Turgeon (2) - Jacksonville State/Wichita State
• Mark Turgeon (9) - Wichita State/Texas A&M
• Mark Turgeon (4) - Texas A&M/Maryland
• Rex Walters (2) - Florida Atlantic/San Francisco
• Gary Waters (5) - Kent State/Rutgers
• Roy Williams (5) - Kansas/North Carolina

NOTE: Altman (Oregon), Amaker (Harvard), Braun (Rice), Eustachy (Southern Mississippi), Jarvis (Florida Atlantic), Majerus (Saint Louis), McCallum (Detroit), Molinari (Western Illinois), Montgomery (California), Moser (Loyola Chicago), Payne (USC Upstate), Scott (Denver), Shyatt (returned to Wyoming) and Waters (Cleveland State) subsequently changed jobs and are now coaching other DI schools.

The odds were against Florida reaching the Final Four in New Orleans while squandering a double-digit second-half lead in the West Regional final against Louisville. According to the cold hard facts, it simply wasn't going to be easy for the Gators to Geaux to the "Big Easy" because of coach Billy Donovan's anemic record in close games.

It doesn't seem possible for a two-time NCAA championship coach such as Donovan (62-74) to rank next to last in this category. But the only veteran mentor with an inferior tight-tilt mark to Donovan is Arizona State's Herb Sendek. Following are the records of 48 active coaches in major-college games decided by fewer than six points (minimum of more than 125 such games):

Kentucky reached the Final Four in back-to-back seasons for the second time after losing at least one player who defected after the previous season to make himself available for the NBA draft, where he was selected in the first or second round. The Wildcats previously achieved the feat in 1997 and 1998 sandwiched between retooled teams from Houston (1983 and 1984) and UCLA (2007 and 2008).

UK was the only school in this category to capture a crown (1998 without Ron Mercer) until Duke achieved the feat (2010 without Gerald Henderson). In a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, Kentucky returned to the national semifinals in 2011 after losing five undergraduates who became NBA first-round draft choices.

The Final Four has had at least one team arrive after losing a prominent undergraduate to the NBA draft nine times in the last 11 years. Following is a list of the 24 squads unfazed by the early loss of key player(s) who left college with eligibility still remaining:

Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 15 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com (10 per day from Selection Sunday through the championship game) tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):

1. Who is the only individual to play for two NCAA champions, play for more than two NBA champions and coach two NBA champions. Hint: He was the first of four players to be a member of an NCAA championship team one year and an NBA titlist the next season as a rookie. He won the high jump in the West Coast Relays his senior year.

2. Who is the only individual to average fewer than four points per game as a freshman and then be selected Final Four Most Outstanding Player the next season as a sophomore. Hint: He had more three-point baskets in two Final Four games than he managed his entire freshman season.

3. Who is the only player named to an All-NCAA Tournament team not to score a total of more than 10 points in two Final Four games? Hint: He had the same point total in each Final Four game for a team whose star had the same last name.

4. Who is the only Final Four Most Outstanding Player to later coach his alma mater in the NCAA Tournament? Hint: The guard was named Most Outstanding Player although he was his team's fourth-leading scorer at the Final Four that year.

5. Name the only school to have two of the six eligible teams ranked among the top five in the AP and/or UPI final polls to not participate in either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT in the days before teams other than the conference champion could be chosen to the NCAA playoffs as at-large entrants. Hint: The school lost three regional finals in one four-year span and hasn't reached the Final Four in the last 48 years.

6. Who is the only coach to lose more than five regional final games? Hint: His regional final defeats were by an average margin of 10 points and his biggest nemesis was the Big Ten Conference.

7. Who is the only individual to become NBA Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player to participate in the NCAA Tournament but never win an NCAA playoff game? Hint: He shared the NBA Rookie of the Year award with another player who was on the losing end in his only NCAA Tournament appearance. Two years later, he was NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player the same season he was named league MVP.

8. Of the more than 40 different players to be named NBA Most Valuable Player, score more than 20,000 points in the pros or be selected to an All-NBA team at least five times after participating in the NCAA Tournament, who is the only one to average fewer than 10 points per game in the NCAA playoffs? Hint: He is believed to be the youngest Hall of Famer to appear in an NCAA championship game at the tender age of 16 and was later named to 12 consecutive All-NBA teams.

9. Who is the only guard to score more than 35 points in an NCAA final? Hint: He led his team in scoring in back-to-back Final Fours but wasn't named Final Four Most Outstanding Player either year. He is the only championship team player to have a two-game total of at least 70 points at the Final Four and is the shortest undergraduate to average more than 20 points per game for an NCAA titlist.

10. Who is the only player to have as many as 20 field goals in an NCAA championship game? Hint: He scored fewer than seven points in both his tourney debut and final playoff appearance.

Answers (Day 15)

Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 14 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com (10 per day from Selection Sunday through the championship game) tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):

1. Name the only school to compile a losing record in a season it won on the road against a conference rival that later captured the NCAA championship. Hint: The school is a former national titlist itself, but had just one winning league mark in 12 years from 1977-78 through 1988-89.

2. Name the only school to compile a conference record of more than 10 games below .500 in a season it defeated a league rival that became NCAA champion. Hint: The school, which finished in first or second place in league competition four consecutive seasons in the early 1930s, has 44 consecutive non-winning records in conference play.

3. Name the only school to trail by at least 10 points at halftime of a tournament game and end up winning the contest by more than 20. Hint: A prominent network broadcaster played for the team. The next year, the school became the only one in tourney history to win back-to-back overtime games by double-digit margins.

4. Who is the only coach to lose in back-to-back seasons to teams seeded 14th or worse? Hint: He captured an NCAA championship later that decade.

5. Name the only double-digit seeded team to reach the Final Four until Virginia Commonwealth achieved the feat last year. Hint: It's the worst-seeded school to defeat a #1 seed, a conference rival that defeated the team a total of three times that year during the regular season and postseason league tournament. The next year, the university became the only school to reach back-to-back regional finals as a double-digit seed.

6. Name the only school to win a regional final game it trailed by more than 15 points at halftime. Hint: The school lost its next game at the Final Four to a team that dropped a conference game against the regional final opponent by a double-figure margin. Three years later, it became the only school to score more than 100 points in a championship game and win a national final by more than 21 points.

7. Who is the only team-leading scorer to be held more than 25 points under his season average in a Final Four game? Hint: He scored 39 points against the same opponent earlier in the season to help end the third-longest winning streak in major-college history. He is the only player to lead the playoffs in scoring and rebounding in back-to-back seasons although he wasn't named to the All-Tournament team one of those years despite becoming the only player to lead a tourney in scoring by more than 60 points. In addition, he is the only player in tournament history to collect more than 40 points and 25 rebounds in the same game.

8. Name the only school to lead the nation in scoring offense and win the NCAA title in the same season. Hint: The top four scorers were undergraduates for the only titlist to win all of its NCAA Tournament games by more than 15 points.

9. Name the only school to play in as many as three overtime games in a single tournament. Hint: One of the three overtime affairs was a national third-place game.

10. Who is the only Final Four Most Outstanding Player to go scoreless in two NCAA Tournament games in a previous year? Hint: His NBA scoring average decreased each of his last nine seasons in the league after becoming Rookie of the Year.

Answers (Day 14)

Prior to major awards being announced, Kentucky's Anthony Davis is expected to join Texas' Kevin Durant (2006-07) as the only freshman named national player of the year. Davis has blocked more shots by himself than the majority of NCAA Division I teams.

But Davis' scoring average is barely over half of what Durant averaged. Unless Davis goes on a scoring binge, he will post the lowest scoring average for a national player of the year since the major awards were introduced in 1955. Following are the POYs who averaged fewer than 18 points per game the season they were honored:

Davis is UK's second freshman in three years to be named conference player of the year. Following is a chronological list of "instant success" frosh named league MVP:

Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 13 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com (10 per day from Selection Sunday through the championship game) tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):

1. Who is the only team-leading scorer of a Final Four team to go scoreless when the school was eliminated from championship contention at the national semifinals? Hint: He was a center who along with four teammates averaged between 11 and 12.5 points per game.

2. Who is the only player to twice lead the nation in scoring average while playing for teams advancing to the Final Four? Hint: He is the only team-leading scorer to twice be more than 10 points below his season scoring mark when his school was eliminated at the Final Four.

3. Name the only school to lose two national championship games by at least 18 points after leading the finals at halftime. Hint: The two opponents, 17 years apart, combined to win 66 of 68 games those seasons.

4. Name the only school to make as many as eight consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from the year it participated in the event for the first time. Hint: The school's last playoff victory wasn't during this streak, but it later handed UCLA its first West Regional defeat in 14 years.

5. Name the only school to lose as many as 15 opening-round games in the NCAA Tournament. Hint: The university also lost a first-round game in 1984 after winning a qualifying round contest when the playoff field was 53 teams.

6. Who is the only athlete to collect more than 3,000 major league hits, including 465 homers, after playing the entire basketball game for a school when it appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Hint: The outfielder appeared in 12 All-Star Games and two World Series after never playing in the minors.

7. Who is the only player to have a single-digit point total in a national semifinal game and then increase his output by more than 20 points in the championship game? Hint: The center for two years between two three-time consensus first-team All-Americans shot just over 40% from the floor for the season entering the title game where he had a game-high and career-high point total.

8. Who is the only player to have a decrease of more than 25 points from his national semifinal game scoring total to his championship game output? Hint: He was a member of the first undefeated NCAA champion and subsequently became an NBA first-round draft choice.

9. Name the only school to defeat two eventual Final Four teams by double-digit margins in their conference tournament. Hint: The school was handily eliminated in the NCAA playoffs by one of the two Final Four teams it decisively defeated in their league tourney.

10. Name the only school to reach the NCAA championship game in back-to-back seasons it was defeated by double-digit margins in its conference tournament. Hint: The school swept its home-and-home series in regular-season conference competition against the teams defeating it in the league tourney.

Answers (Day 13)

Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, here is Day 12 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com (10 per day from Selection Sunday through the championship game) tracking the only coach, conference, player or school to be linked to a distinguished or dubious achievement (click here for answers or conduct research digesting historical morsels in CollegeHoopedia.com's year-by-year highlights):

1. Who is the only championship team player to have a season scoring average of less than six points per game entering a Final Four but tally more than 30 points in the national semifinals and final? Hint: He is the only player with a single-digit season scoring average to score more than 25 points in an NCAA championship game.

2. Who is the only player to score at least 25 points in eight consecutive NCAA playoff games? Hint: He is the only player to rank among the top five in scoring average in both the NCAA Tournament and NBA playoffs. He was denied a championship ring in his only Final Four appearance when a player who would become an NBA teammate tipped in a decisive basket in the closing seconds.

3. Name the only Final Four Most Outstanding Player who wasn't among the top five scorers on his team. Hint: The only other player to earn the award who wasn't among the top four scorers on his team attended the same university.

4. Who is the only individual to be named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player and NIT Most Valuable Player? Hint: As a freshman, he shared one of the awards with a teammate.

5. Who is the only U.S. Congressman to become chairman of the House Judiciary Committee after playing in the NCAA Tournament championship game? Hint: Starting out as a Democrat, he became a 12-term Republican Congressman from Illinois.

6. Who is the only individual to be named Final Four Most Outstanding Player and NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in back-to-back seasons? Hint: He holds the NBA Finals single-game record for most points by a rookie.

7. Name the freshman who had the highest season scoring average for a team to reach the NCAA Tournament championship game until Carmelo Anthony achieved the feat for 2003 champion Syracuse. Hint: The word "Boss" is tattooed to his chest for a good reason because he also led his team in assists as a freshman.

8. Who is the only freshman to score more than 30 points in a national semifinal or championship game before failing to score more than half that total in his next four playoff outings? Hint: He didn't score more than 15 points in any of his next four NCAA playoff games, all defeats, and he averaged a modest 8.2 points per game in an eight-year NBA career with an all-time pro season high of 11.4 ppg and game high of 28.

9. Who is the only freshman on a Final Four team to score more than 20 points in as many as four tournament games? Hint: He did not play in the national championship game and his school lost in the NCAA playoffs to opponents with double-digit seeds each of the four seasons before he arrived.

10. Name the only season-leading scorer of a titlist to be held more than 14 points below his average in the NCAA championship game. Hint: He was named national player of the year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He is one of four Final Four Most Outstanding Players held scoreless in their NCAA Tournament debuts in a previous season. He is also the only individual to become a member of three NCAA titlists after playing one season in junior college.

Answers (Day 12)

NCAA tournament seedings can be misleading. With more bracket balance than ever before, there isn't a significant difference between a No. 3 seed and a double-digit seed. For instance, at least two double-digit seeded teams reached an NCAA Tournament regional semifinal seven straight seasons from 1997 through 2003.

If you make the criteria more restrictive, Ohio University became the 26th team seeded 12th or worse to win at least two games since the NCAA playoff field expanded to at least 64 entrants in 1985. If you make the parameters even more restrictive, the Bobcats became the seventh school seeded 13th or worse to win two playoff contests in the same year.

None of the first six "bottom of the bracket" clubs won their regional semifinal contest. Here is a look at the squads seeded 13th or worse that ignored the Division I committee's branding and exceeded expectations:

Cincinnati's ballyhooed intrastate clash with Ohio State in the East Regional, resurrecting title-game memories of their memorable matchups five decades ago, showed again why some major schools should be ashamed of themselves for ducking nearby quality opponents. Why in the world did they have to resort to a national tournament assignment hundreds of miles from their fan base to oppose each other?

In a "Days of Whine and Hoses" era when many cash-strapped athletic departments are begging for revenue, they still schedule numerous poorly-attended home games against inferior opponents. It defies logic as to why tradition-rich schools forsake entertaining non-conference contests with natural rivals while scheduling more than their share of meaningless "rout-a-matics" at home.

The normal intensity of an NCAA Tournament assignment escalates even more in "bragging rights" games between neighboring opponents that rarely if ever tangle on the same floor unless forced to compete against each other by a postseason bracket. For instance, it is a sad state of affairs for Show-Me State fans to need to hope Missouri and Saint Louis advanced to the West Regional final for them to finally meet on the hardwood again. The chances of that occurring were remote insofar as neither school ever has reached the Final Four.

A classic example of the scheduling neglect was an intense 2001 West Regional matchup between Maryland and Georgetown. Of course, the Washington, D.C., area isn't the only region with a scheduling complex. As emotional as it was, the Hoya Paranoia-Terrapin Trepidation confrontation didn't stack up among the following top 10 intrastate contests in NCAA playoff history:

1. 1961 NCAA Championship Game (Cincinnati 70, Ohio State 65 in OT)
Paul Hogue, a 6-9 center who hit just 51.8% of his free-throw attempts during the season, sank only two of 10 foul shots in his two previous contests before putting Cincinnati ahead to stay with a pair of pivotal free throws in overtime in a victory over previously undefeated Ohio State.

2. 1998 East Regional second round (North Carolina 93, UNCC 83 in OT)
UNC Charlotte forward DeMarco Johnson outplayed national player of the year Antawn Jamison of the Tar Heels, but Carolina got a total of 55 points from Shammond Williams and Vince Carter to withstand the 49ers' bid for an upset.

3. 1983 Mideast Regional final (Louisville 80, Kentucky 68 in OT)
The first meeting between in-state rivals Kentucky and Louisville in more than 24 years was memorable as the Cardinals outscored the Wildcats 18-6 in overtime to reach the Final Four.

4. 1981 Midwest Regional semifinals (Wichita State 66, Kansas 65)
Mike Jones hit two long-range baskets in the last 50 seconds for Wichita State in the first game between the intrastate rivals in 36 years.

5. 1989 Southeast Regional first round (South Alabama 86, Alabama 84)
In an exciting intrastate battle, South Alabama erased a 16-point halftime deficit. Jeff Hodge and Gabe Estaba combined for 55 points for USA.

6. 1971 West Regional final (UCLA 57, Long Beach State 55)
The closest result for UCLA during the Bruins' 38-game playoff winning streak from 1967 to 1973 came when they had to erase an 11-point deficit despite 29 percent field-goal shooting to edge Jerry Tarkanian-coached Long Beach State.

7. 1971 Mideast Regional semifinals (Western Kentucky 107, Kentucky 83)
This year's game wasn't anything like when WKU, long regarded as poor country cousins by Kentucky, whipped the Wildcats in their first-ever meeting when All-American Jim McDaniels poured in 35 points for the Hilltoppers.

8. 1959 Mideast Regional semifinals (Louisville 76, Kentucky 61)
Second-ranked Kentucky (24-3) hit less than one-third of its field-goal attempts in blowing a 15-point lead against intrastate rival Louisville (19-12). The Cardinals had lost to Georgetown (KY) earlier in the season.

9. 1964 Midwest Regional first round (Texas Western 68, Texas A&M 62)
Jim "Bad News" Barnes took out his do-it-yourself kit and accounted for 61.8% of Texas Western's offense by scoring 42 points.

10. 1962 NCAA Championship Game (Cincinnati 71, Ohio State 59)
Ohio State All-American center Jerry Lucas wrenched his left knee in the national semifinals against Wake Forest, limiting his effectiveness against Cincinnati counterpart Paul Hogue in the Bearcats' 71-59 triumph in the final.

If the upper-crust elite snobbily look down their noses, they might find their opponents boast the upper hand by looking down the barrel of a gun.

When Ohio University upended Michigan in their NCAA playoff opener, the Wolverines became the 18th former national champion to lose multiple times in the tourney against members of lower-profile conferences seeded five or more places worse than the major university currently a member of one of the consensus power six leagues. Kansas has a high of six setbacks as a total of 12 former NCAA titlists have lost three or more such contests.

A total of 76 different lower-profile schools and current members of 23 different mid-major conferences (all but Great West, Northeast and Summit) have won such games since seeding was introduced in 1979. The mid-major school with the most "David vs. Goliath" victories in the following list is Richmond with six.

ACC (16 defeats to mid-major opponents seeded five or more places worse) - Boston College (lost to #12 Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2005); Clemson (lost to #13 Southwest Missouri State in 1987 and #11 Western Michigan in 1998); Duke (lost to #11 Virginia Commonwealth in 2007 and #15 Lehigh in 2012); Florida State (lost to #13 Middle Tennessee State in 1989); Georgia Tech (lost to #13 Richmond in 1988 and #13 Southern in 1993); Maryland (lost to #12 College of Charleston in 1997); North Carolina (lost to #9 Penn in 1979, #14 Weber State in 1999 and #11 George Mason in 2006); North Carolina State (lost to #14 Murray State in 1988); Virginia (lost to #12 Wyoming in 1987 and #12 Gonzaga in 2001); Wake Forest (#13 Cleveland State in 2009)

BIG EAST (26) - Connecticut (lost to #11 George Mason in 2006 and #13 San Diego in 2008); DePaul (#12 New Mexico State in 1992); Georgetown (#10 Davidson in 2008, #14 Ohio University in 2010 and #11 Virginia Commonwealth in 2011); Louisville (#12 Ball State in 1990, #12 Butler in 2003 and #13 Morehead State in 2011); Marquette (#12 Tulsa in 2002); Notre Dame (lost to #14 UALR in 1986, #11 Winthrop in 2007 and #11 Old Dominion in 2010); Pittsburgh (#10 Kent State in 2002, #13 Bradley in 2006 and #8 Butler in 2011); Providence (#12 Pacific in 2004); St. John's (#10 Gonzaga in 2000 and #11 Gonzaga in 2011); Seton Hall (#7 Western Kentucky in 1993); Syracuse (#7 Navy in 1986, #11 Rhode Island in 1988, #15 Richmond in 1991 and #13 Vermont in 2005); Villanova (#14 Old Dominion in 1995 and #10 Saint Mary's in 2010)

BIG TEN (22) - Illinois (lost to #14 Austin Peay State in 1987, #12 Dayton in 1990, #14 Chattanooga in 1997 and Western Kentucky in 2009); Indiana (#14 Cleveland State in 1986, #13 Richmond in 1988, #11 Pepperdine in 2000 and #13 Kent State in 2001); Iowa (#14 Northwestern State in 2006); Michigan (#11 Loyola Marymount in 1990 and #13 Ohio University in 2012); Michigan State (#14 Weber State in 1995 and #11 George Mason in 2006); Nebraska (#14 Xavier in 1991 and #11 Penn in 1994); Ohio State (#12 Utah State in 2001); Purdue (#11 Virginia Commonwealth in 2011); Wisconsin (#12 Southwest Missouri State in 1999, #11 Georgia State in 2001, #7 UNLV in 2007, #10 Davidson in 2008 and #12 Cornell in 2010)

BIG 12 (20) - Iowa State (lost to #15 Hampton in 2001); Kansas (#9 Texas-El Paso in 1992, #8 Rhode Island in 1998, #14 Bucknell in 2005, #13 Bradley in 2006, #9 Northern Iowa in 2010 and #11 Virginia Commonwealth in 2011); Kansas State (#11 Tulane in 1993); Missouri (#13 Xavier in 1987, #11 Rhode Island in 1988, #14 Northern Iowa in 1990 and #15 Norfolk State in 2012); Oklahoma (#13 Southwestern Louisiana in 1992, #13 Manhattan in 1995, #13 Indiana State in 2001 and #11 Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2006); Oklahoma State (#12 Princeton in 1983, #10 Temple in 1991 and #12 Tulsa in 1994); Texas Tech (#11 Southern Illinois in 2002)

PACIFIC-12 (17) - Arizona (lost to #14 East Tennessee State in 1992, #15 Santa Clara in 1993 and #12 Miami of Ohio in 1995); California (#12 Wisconsin-Green Bay in 1994); Oregon State (#10 Lamar in 1980, #11 Evansville in 1989 and #12 Ball State in 1990); Southern California (#13 UNC Wilmington in 2002); Stanford (#14 Siena in 1989 and #10 Gonzaga in 1999); UCLA (#12 Wyoming in 1987, #13 Penn State in 1991, #12 Tulsa in 1994, #13 Princeton in 1996 and #12 Detroit in 1999); Utah (#10 Miami of Ohio in 1999); Washington State (#12 Penn in 1980)

SEC (26) - Alabama (lost to #11 Lamar in 1983, #11 South Alabama in 1989, #10 Kent State in 2002 and #12 Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2005); Auburn (#12 Richmond in 1984); Florida (#12 Creighton in 2002, #12 Manhattan in 2003 and #8 Butler in 2011); Georgia (#14 Chattanooga in 1997 and #11 Southern Illinois in 2002); Kentucky (#7 UAB in 1981, #11 Middle Tennessee State in 1982 and #9 UAB in 2004); Louisiana State (#13 Navy in 1985 and #11 UAB in 2005); Mississippi (#13 Valparaiso in 1998); Mississippi State (#12 Eastern Michigan in 1991, #12 Butler in 2003 and #7 Xavier in 2004); South Carolina (#15 Coppin State in 1997 and #14 Richmond in 1998); Tennessee (#12 Southwest Missouri State in 1999 and #7 Wichita State in 2006); Vanderbilt (#13 Siena in 2008, #13 Murray State in 2010 and #12 Richmond in 2011)

NOTES: Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were members of the Big Eight until 1997. . . . Notre Dame was an independent in 1986. . . . Florida State, Louisville and Tulane were members of the Metro Conference in 1989, 1990 and 1993, respectively. . . . Dayton was a member of the Midwestern Collegiate in 1990. . . . DePaul was a member of the Great Midwest in 1992. . . . Texas-El Paso and Utah were members of the WAC in 1992 and 1999, respectively. . . . Marquette and Louisville were members of Conference USA in 2002 and 2004, respectively. . . . Tulsa was a member of the Missouri Valley in 1994 and 2002. . . . Boston College was a member of the Big East in 2005.