You're supposed to expect the unexpected but no unbiased observer with a pulse promoted idea in the preseason that Oakland would eventually upend perennial powerhouse Kentucky for the Wildcats' second "bottom-of-bracket" reversal in last three NCAA Tournaments. Adding insult to injury for the SEC, Auburn was kayoed by Yale.

In the first six years of the NCAA tourney seeding process from 1979 through 1984 when the playoff field ranged from 40 to 53 teams, the bottom of the bracket racket included a total of 13 No. 1 and 2 seeds losing their openers. Notwithstanding the misleading media's spin, the NCAA tourney hasn't been saturated with authentic upsets since the playoff field expanded to at least 64 teams in 1985. On the other hand, there were only five years in that span failing to provide a first-round shocker from the bottom of the bracket (1994, 2000, 2004, 2007 and 2017).

Teams seeded 13th or worse defeated teams seeded among the top four in a regional a total of 68 times in the last 39 tourneys after the Grizzlies emerged victorious in opening-round game this year. At least Kentucky's stunning reversals against Saint Peter's and Oakland weren't as ugly as a couple of sorry SEC setbacks when Navy overwhelmed LSU by 23 points in 1985 and Siena smothered Vanderbilt by 21 in 2008.

Arizona's similar shocking defeat against Santa Clara in 1993 materialized despite the Wildcats reeling off 25 unanswered points in a stretch bridging the last five minutes of the first half and the first five minutes of the second half. Gary Waters is the only coach to win two opening-round games in this category while in charge of two different schools (Kent State in 2001 and Cleveland State in 2009).

Until Virginia's 1 vs. 16 debacle six years ago, Michigan State was the only #2 seed to lose its playoff opener after spending a portion of the regular season atop the AP national poll. Following is a rundown of the first 67 first-round knockouts by the bottom of the bracket (#13 through #16 seeds) since the NCAA field expanded to at least 64 teams in 1985:

#16 seed (2 victories)

Year	#16 Seed Winner	Coach	#1 Seed Loser	Score
2018	Maryland-Baltimore County	Ryan Odom	Virginia	74-54
2023	Fairleigh Dickinson	Tobin Anderson	Purdue	63-58

#15 seed (11 victories)

Year	#15 Seed Winner	Coach	#2 Seed Loser	Score
1991	Richmond	Dick Tarrant	Syracuse	73-69
1993	Santa Clara	Dick Davey	Arizona	64-61
1997	Coppin State	Ron "Fang" Mitchell	South Carolina	78-65
2001	Hampton	Steve Merfeld	Iowa State	58-57
2012	Lehigh	Dr. Brett Reed	Duke	75-70
2012	Norfolk State	Anthony Evans	Missouri	86-84
2013	Florida Gulf Coast	Andy Enfield	Georgetown	78-68
2016	Middle Tennessee State	Kermit Davis Jr.	Michigan State	90-81
2021	Oral Roberts	Paul Mills	Ohio State	75-72 (OT)
2022	Saint Peter's	Shaheen Holloway	Kentucky	85-79 (OT)
2023	Princeton	Mitch Henderson	Arizona	59-55

#14 seed (22 victories)

Year	#14 Seed Winner	Coach	#3 Seed Loser	Score
1986	Arkansas-Little Rock	Mike Newell	Notre Dame	90-83
1986	Cleveland State	Kevin Mackey	Indiana	83-79
1987	Austin Peay State	Lake Kelly	Illinois	68-67
1988	Murray State	Steve Newton	North Carolina State	78-75
1989	Siena	Mike Deane	Stanford	80-78
1990	Northern Iowa	Eldon Miller	Missouri	74-71
1991	Xavier	Pete Gillen	Nebraska	89-84
1992	East Tennessee State	Alan LeForce	Arizona	87-80
1995	Weber State	Ron Abegglen	Michigan State	79-72
1995	Old Dominion	Jeff Capel Jr.	Villanova	89-81 (3OT)
1997	Tennessee-Chattanooga	William "Mack" McCarthy	Georgia	73-70
1998	Richmond	John Beilein	South Carolina	62-61
1999	Weber State	Ron Abegglen	North Carolina	76-74
2005	Bucknell	Pat Flannery	Kansas	64-63
2006	Northwestern State	Mike McConathy	Iowa	64-63
2013	Harvard	Tommy Amaker	New Mexico	68-62
2014	Mercer	Bob Hoffman	Duke	78-71
2015	UAB	Jerod Haase	Iowa State	60-59
2015	Georgia State	Ron Hunter	Baylor	57-56
2016	Stephen F. Austin	Brad Underwood	West Virginia	70-56
2021	Abilene Christian	Joe Golding	Texas	53-52
2024	Oakland	Greg Kampe	Kentucky	80-76

#13 seed (33 victories)

Year	#13 Seed Winner	Coach	#4 Seed Loser	Score
1985	Navy	Paul Evans	Louisiana State	78-55
1987	Southwest Missouri State	Charlie Spoonhour	Clemson	65-60
1987	Xavier	Pete Gillen	Missouri	70-69
1988	Richmond	Dick Tarrant	Indiana	72-69
1989	Middle Tennessee State	Bruce Stewart	Florida State	97-83
1991	Penn State	Bruce Parkhill	UCLA	74-69
1992	Southwestern Louisiana	Marty Fletcher	Oklahoma	87-83
1993	Southern (La.)	Ben Jobe	Georgia Tech	93-78
1995	Manhattan	Fran Fraschilla	Oklahoma	77-67
1996	Princeton	Pete Carril	UCLA	43-41
1998	Valparaiso	Homer Drew	Mississippi	70-69
1999	Oklahoma	Kelvin Sampson	Arizona	61-60
2001	Indiana State	Royce Waltman	Oklahoma	70-68 (OT)
2001	Kent State	Gary Waters	Indiana	77-73
2002	UNC Wilmington	Jerry Wainwright	Southern California	93-89 (OT)
2003	Tulsa	John Phillips	Dayton	84-71
2005	Vermont	Tom Brennan	Syracuse	60-57 (OT)
2006	Bradley	Jim Les	Kansas	77-73
2008	San Diego	Bill Grier	Connecticut	70-69 (OT)
2008	Siena	Fran McCaffrey	Vanderbilt	83-62
2009	Cleveland State	Gary Waters	Wake Forest	84-69
2010	Murray State	Billy Kennedy	Vanderbilt	66-65
2011	Morehead State	Donnie Tyndall	Louisville	62-61
2012	Ohio University	John Groce	Michigan	65-60
2013	La Salle	John Giannini	Kansas State	63-61
2016	Hawaii	Eran Ganot	California	77-66
2018	Buffalo	Nate Oats	Arizona	89-68
2018	Marshall	Dan D'Antoni	Wichita State	81-75
2019	UC Irvine	Russell Turner	Kansas State	70-64
2021	North Texas	Grant McCasland	Purdue	78-69 (OT)
2021	Ohio University	Jeff Boals	Virginia	62-58
2023	Furman	Bob Richey	Virginia	68-67
2024	Yale	James Jones	Auburn	78-76

North Carolina A&T appeared in the NCAA playoffs the most times (nine) without winning a tournament game until prevailing in 2013 First Four. But N.C. A&T still has a long way to go to join the ranks of "quick-exit" school such as battered Brigham Young, the only institution with more than 20 opening-round reversals in NCAA tourney after the Cougars were defeated by Duquesne this year.

Connecticut, after absorbing nine opening-round losses in 17 years from 1951 through 1967, had the most opening-round setbacks for an extended period. But the Huskies didn't incur an opening-round reversal for 28 years until suffering two in a recent five-year span before leaving again early in back-to-back recent playoffs. Similarly, St. John's suffered eight opening-round losses in a 20-year stretch from 1973 through 1992.

Maryland was the first school to incur at least 10 NCAA Tournament defeats but never absorb an opening-round setback until the Terrapins lost to Santa Clara in 1996. Mizzou's loss against former Big Eight/Big 12 rival Oklahoma, eight years after toothless Tigers were embarrassed by Norfolk State despite being favored by more than 20 points, left them among the following schools most prone to sustaining an opening-round NCAA tourney defeat:

After previously toiling in obscurity, half of College of Charleston's top six scorers (Ante Brzovic of Southeastern Oklahoma State, Bryce Butler of West Liberty WV and Kobe Rodgers of Nova Southeastern FL) have helped propel the Cougars to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Ditto Morehead State's top scorer and rebounder (transfer Riley Minix from Southeastern FL), Oakland's third-leading scorer and rebounder Jack Gohlke (three-point shooting specialist from Hillsdale MI) plus Samford's assists leader Dallas Graziani (Nova Southeastern FL). A couple of part-time starters for Howard University (Jordan Hairson/UT-Tyler and Joshua Strong/Minnesota-Duluth) also joined a long list of small-school transfer players going from nowhere to prospect of Cloud Nine in the NCAA DI playoffs.

Arkansas, Baylor, Duke, Gonzaga, Iowa, Kansas State, Louisville, Marquette, Nevada and Wisconsin featured small-college transfers in regular rotations of previous NCAA tourney squads. There was even a coach in recent tourney who was in this rare category as a player - Montana's Travis DeCuire (Chaminade HI prior to his current pitstop).

Of course, the most prominent player in history in this category is all-time great Elgin Baylor (Seattle), the Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 1958. Consider this alphabetical list of the more than 50 transfers going from non-Division I schools to regular rotation having bright lights of the NCAA Division I Tournament shine on them:

Adonis Arms, G (Northwest Nazarene ID 19/Winthrop 21 & Texas Tech 22)
Juco recruit was named GNAC Player of the Year when averaging 20.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 3.3 apg while shooting 55% from the floor. Contributed 10 points and 3 rebounds for Winthrop against Villanova in 2021 playoffs before averaging 11 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 4.7 apg in three 2022 tourney contests with the Red Raiders (including game-high 7 assists against Duke).

Desi Barmore, F (Southeast Missouri State 79/Alabama 81 and Fresno State 82-83)
Averaged 5.8 ppg and 3.3 rpg at DI level after averaging 15.4 ppg and 7.3 rpg with SEMO as a freshman. Appeared in 1982 NCAA playoffs with FSU, scoring eight points in 58-40 second-round West Regional semifinal defeat against eventual national runner-up Georgetown.

Scott Barnes, C (Eastern Montana 81-82/Fresno State 84-85)
Averaged 9.7 ppg and 4.8 rpg for Eastern Montana before averaging 11.7 ppg and 6.6 rpg for Fresno State. Barnes was an All-PCAA second-team selection as a senior when he led the Bulldogs in rebounding (7.4 rpg). Grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds against Karl Malone-led Louisiana Tech when Fresno bowed to the Bulldogs in the first round of 1984 NCAA playoffs.

Elgin Baylor, F (College of Idaho 55/Seattle 57-58)
Averaged 31.3 ppg and 18.9 rpg for College of Idaho (now Albertson College) before averaging 31.2 ppg and 19.8 rpg for Seattle. He was an NCAA unanimous first-team All-American and Final Four Most Outstanding Player as a junior in 1957-58 after averaging 27 points in five playoff games.

Andrew Benson, F (Prairie View A&M/Houston 67)
Averaged 2.4 ppg and 1.7 rpg for UH's national third-place team.

Davion Berry, G-F (Cal State Montery Bay 10-11/Weber State 13-14)
Big Sky Conference MVP scored a game-high 24 points in 68-59 opening-game defeat against Arizona in 2014.

Don Boldebuck, C (Nebraska Wesleyan 52-53/Houston 55-56)
Averaged more than 20 ppg for Nebraska Wesleyan before averaging 23 ppg and 17 rpg in leading UH in scoring and rebounding both of his seasons with the Cougars. He paced them in scoring in both of their NCAA playoff games in 1956.

Dalton Bolon, G (West Liberty WV 18-21/College of Charleston 23)
Collected 10 points and 4 rebounds in loss against Final Four-bound San Diego State.

Dale Bonner, G (Fairmont State WV 20-21/Baylor 22-23)
Averaged 5 ppg in four playoff games in 2022 and 2023 before returning to home state to play for Ohio State in 2023-24.

Mike Born, G (Nebraska-Omaha 85-86/Iowa State 88-89)
Averaged 10.5 ppg for Nebraska-Omaha before averaging 8.6 ppg and 2.5 apg for two NCAA Tournament teams at Iowa State. Scored six points in each of his NCAA playoff games.

Jim Boylan, G (Assumption MA 74-75/Marquette 77-78)
Fifth-leading scorer for 1977 NCAA Tournament champion. He scored 14 points in the tourney final against Phil Ford-led North Carolina.

Bryan Bracey, F (Wisconsin-Platteville 97/Oregon 00-01)
Played one game with UWP before transferring to a junior college. Averaged 13.2 ppg and 5.3 rpg with the Ducks, appearing in NCAA tourney as a junior (10 points and 6 rebounds in 72-71 opening-round East Regional defeat in OT against Seton Hall).

Gary Brell, F (North Dakota State 68/Marquette 70-71)
Averaged 15.2 ppg and 12.9 rpg for NDSU before averaging 12.8 ppg and 8.6 rpg with MU. As a senior, he distributed a game-high eight assists in 60-59 NCAA tourney defeat against Ohio State before grabbing nine rebounds in 91-74 win against Kentucky in Mideast Regional third-place game.

Jon Bryant, G (St. Cloud State MN 96-97/Wisconsin 99-00)
All-North Central Conference selection and team MVP with 17.3 ppg as a sophomore after being named NCC Freshman of the Year when he hit 57.4% of his three-point attempts. Third-leading scorer for the Badgers burst on the national scene with seven three-pointers, including four in a zone-busting 1 1/2-minute stretch late in the game, to help the Badgers rally to a 66-56 over Fresno State in the first round of 2000 West Regional.

Ronnie Clark, G (Florida Southern 00/Colorado State 02-04)
Sunshine State Conference freshman of the year was CSU's third-leading rebounder and fourth-leading scorer in 2003 when the Rams played Duke tough before bowing in the opening round.

Terry Connolly, F (Shepherd WV 87-88/Richmond 90-91)
Averaged 8.2 ppg each of his two seasons with Spider NCAA playoff teams. Member of first #15 seed to defeat a #2 seed (Syracuse in 1991).

Barry Davis, F (Sam Houston State 73/Texas A&M 75-76)
Freshman on Sam Houston State's top-ranked NAIA team. Juco recruit became two-time All-SWC selection, delivering team-high 16 points and game-high 15 rebounds in 87-79 setback against Cincinnati in 1975 Midwest Regional.

Travis DeCuire, G (Chaminade HI 90/Montana 92-94)
Led Chaminade in scoring with 10.9 ppg as a freshman in 1989-90. Averaged 6.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg and 5 apg for the Grizzlies, including Big Sky Conference-leading 7.1 apg as a senior. Competing against eventual Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward, DeCuire scored six points in a 78-68 reversal against Florida State in 1992 NCAA playoffs.

Chris Flemmings, G (Barton NC 13-14/UNC Wilmington 16-17)
Conference Carolinas MVP in 2013-14 with 19.6 ppg and 6.8 rpg before posting team highs of 16.2 ppg and 5.8 rpg for UNCW's 2016 NCAA playoff team losing against Duke despite his 18 points. Flemmings also tallied a team-high 18 points in 76-71 setback against Virginia in 2017 NCAA playoffs.

Freddie Gillespie, F-C (Carleton MN 17/Baylor 19-20)
All-MIAC second-team selection in 2016-17 when leading league in blocked shots. Part-time starter for the Bears in 2018-19 averaged six points and three rebounds in two NCAA playoff games.

Landon Goesling, G (St. Edward's TX 15-18/Houston 19)
Led Heartland Conference with 22.9 ppg in 2017-18. Played briefly for UH in one NCAA playoff game in 2019.

Robert Gray, F (Cal Poly Pomona 72-73/Wichita State 75-76)
Averaged 13 ppg and 5.8 rpg with WSU. As a senior, he collected 10 points and team-high tying 7 rebounds in opening-round defeat against eventual NCAA Tournament runner-up Michigan.

Keenan Gumbs, F (Schreiner TX 15-18/Liberty 19)
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2018. Part-time starter for Liberty's 2019 team posting the school's first-ever NCAA playoff victory. He scored six points in each of two tourney contests.

Tate Hall, G (Indianapolis 17-18/Loyola of Chicago 20-22)
GLVC Freshman of the Year before becoming all-league first-team choice as sophomore. All-MVC selection averaged 2.5 ppg and 3.3 rpg with Ramblers in four NCAA playoff games in 2021 and 2022.

Mike Hansen, G (Tennessee-Martin 89/Louisiana State 91-93)
Scored 40 points vs. LSU as a freshman when leading UTM in scoring (20 ppg) and assists. Erupted for 31 points against both Tennessee and Illinois as a sophomore when he was the Tigers' third-leading scorer (12.7 ppg) before his playing time decreased significantly his final two seasons. Member of three LSU teams participating in the NCAA playoffs.

John Harrell, G (North Carolina Central 76/Duke 78-79)
Averaged 15.7 ppg and led N.C. Central in assists in 1975-76. Averaged 5.1 ppg for Duke's NCAA Tournament runner-up in 1977-78 before playing sparingly the next season.

E.J. Harrison, G (Western Connecticut State 95-96/Connecticut 98-99)
Averaged 1.9 ppg for UConn's 1999 NCAA titlist after averaging team-high 19.3 ppg and 2.7 spg for WCSU in 1995-96. He scored 12 points and had team-high three steals in '99 tourney opener against UTSA and team-high three assists in second-round win over New Mexico.

Ryan Hawkins, F (Northwest Missouri State 17-21/Creighton 22)
All-time leading rebounding for Northwest (948) and in MIAA Tournament (84) was Most Outstanding Player at the 2021 Elite Eight. Leading scorer and rebounder for the Bluejays' NCAA tourney team averaged 12 ppg and 7 rpg in two playoff outings.

Art Helms, F (Southwest Missouri State 53-54/Houston 56)
Averaged 13.7 ppg for SWMS before averaging 13.1 ppg and 10.1 rpg for UH's first NCAA playoff team (grabbed team-high 10 rebounds in tourney debut against SMU).

Curtis High, G (Tennessee-Martin 81-82/Nevada-Reno 84-85)
Tennessee-Martin's second-leading scorer as a freshman (14.3 ppg) and sophomore (12.6 ppg). Led UNR in scoring and assists as a junior (13.3 ppg, 6.3 apg) and senior (17.8 ppg, 6 apg) for two NCAA tourney squads. All-Big Sky Conference first-team selection in 1984-85. Scored a team-high 21 points in 1984 first-round loss to Detlef Schrempf-led Washington.

Roy Howard, F (Tarleton State TX 89/Texas-El Paso 91-93)
Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association Freshman of the Year when he led Tarleton State in scoring (15.3 ppg) and rebounding (11.5 rpg). UTEP's second-leading rebounder as a senior (6.5 rpg). Averaged 4.2 ppg and 4.4 rpg for 1992 NCAA playoff team upsetting #1 seed Kansas in Midwest Regional.

Doug Jemison, F (Wright State OH 75/San Francisco 78-79)
Averaged 7.1 ppg for WSU before attending a junior college. Averaged 12.7 ppg and 8.9 rpg for two USF NCAA tourney teams (teammate of All-American Bill Cartwright led Dons in rebounding in two of four playoff games and in blocked shots one contest).

Avery Johnson, G (Cameron OK 85/Southern LA 87-88)
Averaged a modest 4.3 ppg for Cameron before leading the nation in assists with Southern for two NCAA tourney teams. Distributed a total of 17 assists in NCAA playoff games against Temple and Kentucky. Shares NCAA single-game record for most assists with 22. Went on to become principal playmaker for the San Antonio Spurs' NBA champion before coaching in the pros prior to accepting a similar job at Alabama.

Kenny Jones, C (Lincoln Memorial TN 76-78/Virginia Commonwealth 80)
Averaged 8.3 ppg and 5.8 rpg for VCU's first NCAA DI playoff team in 1980. He collected five points and seven rebounds in opening-round defeat against Iowa before the Hawkeyes reached Final Four.

Ron Lacey, G (Northeastern Oklahoma State 87-88)/Northeastern 90-91)
Runner-up in scoring for the Huskies' 1991 NCAA playoff team. He collected 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in opening-round setback against Dean Smith-coached North Carolina.

Fred Lewis, F (Tampa 88/South Florida 90-92)
Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year when he averaged 15.2 ppg and 5.7 rpg. Averaged 13 ppg and 8 rpg for USF. He was the Bulls' second-leading rebounder all three seasons, including two NCAA playoff teams.

Bob Lochmueller, F (Oakland City IN/Louisville 50-52)
Averaged 15 ppg in his career with the Cardinals, leading their first NCAA Tournament team in scoring as a junior (19 ppg). Grabbed game-high 18 rebounds in 1951 NCAA playoff loss against in-state rival Kentucky.

Tony Massop, C (Sacramento State 87/Kansas State 89-90)
Averaged 10.3 ppg and 8 rpg as a sophomore at Sacramento State. Averaged 5.9 ppg and 5.6 rpg as a junior and 8.1 ppg and 6.6 rpg as a senior for a pair of NCAA tourney teams. He was the Wildcats' leading rebounder in 1989-90.

Boyd McCaslin, F (Hobart NY 45/Dartmouth 46/Michigan 48-49)
All-Ivy League second-team selection went on to participate in Michigan's first NCAA playoff game in 1948 after transferring with coach Ozzie Cowles. Originally lettered with Hobart.

Paul Mickey, C (Troy State AL 63/Penn State 65-67)
Averaged 2.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg for Troy before averaging 9 ppg and 8.7 rpg with the Nittany Lions. Appeared in 1965 NCAA playoffs against Bill Bradley-led Princeton.

Keaton Moffitt, G (Sioux Falls SD 12-13/South Dakota State 15-16)
Posted same scoring average (5.8 ppg) with SF as he did as part-time starter for SDSU's 2016 NCAA DI tourney team. Reserve grabbed three rebounds in 14 minutes of playing time in South Regional 79-74 setback against Maryland.

Bret Mundt, C (Bethel TN/Memphis State 88-89)
Averaged 5.1 ppg and 3.6 rpg in 1987-88 and 6.2 ppg and 4.2 rpg in 1988-89 for a pair of NCAA tourney teams. Scored 13 points when the Tigers lost to Purdue in 1988 Midwest Regional.

Tucker Neale, G (Ashland OH 91/Colgate 93-95)
Averaged 23.1 ppg for Colgate's first NCAA playoff team in 1995. Scored game-high 25 points in loss against Kansas.

Carlton Neverson, G (Elmira NY 78/Pittsburgh 79-81)
Averaged 11.2 ppg and 5.3 rpg with Elmira before transferring to Pitt, where he averaged 11.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 2.3 apg. Appearing in NCAA playoffs as a senior, he scored a team-high 17 points in 74-57 second-round setback against North Carolina after contributing six points in 70-69 win against Idaho.

Anunwa "Nuni" Omot, F (Concordia MN 15/Baylor 17-18)
Member of the Bears' regular rotation much of 2016-17 season as juco recruit. Played briefly in all three NCAA tourney games that year.

Chris Parker, G (Henderson State AR 18-20/Liberty 21)
GAC Tournament MVP in 2020. Son of former NBA player Charlie Parker was assists leader and second-leading scorer for the Flames' NCAA tourney team. He scored 10 points in playoff game against Oklahoma State.

Aaron Preece, G (Illinois College/Bradley 49-51)
Sixth-leading scorer for the Braves' 1950 NCAA and NIT runner-up tallied 12 points in each of the NCAA Final Four games.

Cecil Rellford, F (Kentucky State 74/St. John's 76-77)
Averaged 21.7 ppg and 10 rpg for KSU in six games before averaging 11.2 ppg and 6 rpg with St. John's. Averaged 9 ppg and 4.5 rpg in two NCAA playoff setbacks.

Xavier Rhodes, G (Northwest Missouri 19 & Florida Southern 20-22/Northern Kentucky 23)
Collected 8 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals in opening-round defeat against #1 seed Houston.

Demetre Roberts, G (St. Thomas Aquinas NY 19-22/Fairleigh Dickinson 23)
Averaged 15.7 ppg, 4 rpg and 4 apg in three contests for #16 seed upsetting Purdue.

Duncan Robinson, F (Williams MA 14/Michigan 16-18)
Averaged 17.1 ppg and 6.5 rpg for DIII Tournament runner-up as a freshman in 2013-14. Four years later, he led the Wolverines' 2018 DI Tournament runner-up in three-pointers with 78. Also competed in NCAA playoffs in 2016 and 2017.

Khalil Shabazz, G (Central Washington 18/San Francisco 20-23)
GNAC Freshman of the Year averaged 15.3 ppg before transferring to USF. Averaged 14.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.1 apg and 1.9 spg with the Dons, leading them in scoring as a senior after collecting 3 points and 4 rebounds in 2022 NCAA tourney overtime setback against Murray State.

Nevil Shed, F (North Carolina A&T/Texas Western 65-67)
"The Shadow" sank the free throw in 1966 NCAA championship game against Kentucky, giving the Miners a lead they never relinquished. He averaged 10.6 ppg and 7.9 rpg for the national titlist.

Bill Sherwood, C-F (Oglethorpe GA 84-85/Oregon State 87-88)
Averaged 7.7 ppg in 1986-87 and 14.7 ppg in 1987-88 for the Beavers. Outscored teammate Gary Payton with 17 points in OSU's 70-61 loss to Louisville in 1988 Southeast Regional.

Danny Singletary, G (Ohio Valley WV/Coppin State 97-98)
Led National Small College Athletic Association in scoring in mid-1990s with 27.6-ppg average before transferring. Averaged 12.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.8 apg and 2.3 spg for Coppin State. Scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the second half of a shocking 78-65 first-round triumph against South Carolina in 1997 NCAA playoffs before collecting team-high 6 assists and game-high 6 steals in 82-81 setback against Texas.

Grant Singleton, G (St. Thomas Aquinas NY 19-22/Fairleigh Dickinson 23)
Averaged 9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.7 apg and 2 spg in three playoff games for #16 seed eliminating Purdue.

Gregg Smith, C (North Dakota State 00/Eastern Washington 02-04)
Transferred along with coach Ray Giacoletti following freshman season in 1999-00 (5.6 ppg and 3.9 rpg). Averaged 3.4 ppg and 2.3 rpg in three-year career with EWU, scoring team-high 16 points against Oklahoma State in his final game (75-56 setback in 2004 East Regional in East Rutherford).

Scott Snider, C (Pacific Lutheran WA 92-93/Gonzaga 95-96)
Led Pacific Lutheran in scoring as a freshman with 11.9 ppg before averaging 14 ppg and 5.6 rpg as a sophomore. Led the WCC in field-goal shooting (62.9%) as a senior when averaging 10.4 ppg and 7.4 rpg after averaging 5.2 ppg and 4.2 rpg the previous year for the Zags' first NCAA Tournament team.

Jerry Stroman, F (Benedict SC 83/Utah 85-86)
All-WAC first-team selection as a senior when leading the Utes in scoring with 18 ppg. He shared team-high scoring total with 18 points in opening-round loss against North Carolina in 1986 NCAA tourney.

Manny Suarez, C (Adelphi NY 16-17/Creighton 18)
Averaged 15.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg and 2.2 bpg in two-year career with Adelphi. Played briefly for Creighton in 2018 NCAA playoff opening-round defeat against Kansas State.

Johnny Taylor, F (Knoxville TN 94/Tenn.-Chattanooga 96-97)
Averaged 18.2 ppg and 8.1 rpg with UTC before becoming an NBA first-round draft choice. Southern Conference Player of the Year for UTC team upsetting Georgia and Illinois in 1997 Southeast Regional. He averaged 17.7 ppg and 6 rpg in three NCAA playoff games, scoring a game-high 22 points in defeat against Providence.

Chad Townsend, G (St. Edward's TX 95/Murray State 97-98)
Averaged 22.4 ppg and 4.4 rpg in his final season with St. Edward's. All-Ohio Valley Conference second-team selection averaged 13.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg and a school-record 7.1 apg as a junior when he was OVC Tournament MVP. Played in two NCAA tourneys with the Racers, pacing them in assists in both games while averaging 12 ppg and 5.5 rpg.

Joel Tribelhorn, G (Fort Lewis CO 85-87/Colorado State 89)
Finished third on Fort Lewis' career scoring list with 1,390 points after setting school single-season records for most points (635 in 1986-87), highest scoring average (24.4 ppg in 1985-86) and best three-point field-goal shooting (50% in 1986-87). The NAIA All-American second-team selection as a junior became an All-WAC second-team pick as a senior when he was CSU's second-leading scorer (13.8 ppg), led the Rams in field-goal shooting (53.9%) and paced the league in three-point shooting (56.3%). Scored a game-high 20 points when CSU upset Florida, 68-46, in 1989 Midwest Regional.

Jeff Tyson, G (Aquinas MI 72/Western Michigan 74-76)
Played seven games with Aquinas before averaging 15 ppg and 5.4 rpg with WMU. As a senior, he scored a game-high 25 points in 77-67 decision over Virginia Tech in the Chippewas' first-ever NCAA playoff contest.

Chandler Vaudrin, G (Walsh OH 17-18/Winthrop 20-21)
Averaged team-high 15.5 ppg and ranked fourth in DII with 7.5 apg as sophomore before ranking seventh in DI in assists as senior with 6.9 apg. Also led Winthrop's 2021 NCAA playoff squad in scoring.

Roosevelt Wallace, F (Virginia Union/Arkansas 91-92)
Averaged 8.8 ppg and 5.7 rpg for the Razorbacks' 1992 NCAA playoff squad. He played a total of 16 minutes in two tourney tilts.

Ross Williams, G (Menlo CA 19-20 & Colorado Christian 21-22/Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 23)
Averaged 12 ppg in two playoff contests with the Islanders.

Phil Zevenbergen, F (Seattle Pacific 83/Washington 86-87)
Attended community college before averaging 10.1 ppg and 6.2 rpg for the Huskies. Grabbed two rebounds in nine minutes in 72-70 setback against Michigan State in first round of 1986 Midwest Regional.

NOTE: Missouri State, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, North Dakota State, Omaha, Prairie View, Sacramento State, Southeast Missouri State, Tarleton State, Tennessee-Martin, Troy and Wright State subsequently moved up to NCAA Division I status.

After Richmond shocked Jim Boeheim-coached Syracuse in 1991 and Santa Clara kayoed Lute Olson's Arizona squad in 1993, the next three #15 seed victories over #2 seeds came at the hands of historically-black colleges and universities - Coppin State over South Carolina in 1997, Hampton over Iowa State in 2001 and Norfolk State over Missouri in 2012.

However, no HBCU institution has reached the Sweet 16 and the last 13 representatives in non-preliminary round contests have a losing margin of 26.4 points since Norfolk State's success. Perceived in most quarters as picking-on-patsies fodder, the truth about black crime in basketball is that it's a big sin many fans don't know or can't recall the high degree of success historically-black colleges and universities enjoyed at the small-college level. For instance, Norfolk State appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament 10 times in a 12-year span from 1984 until finishing third in the 1995 tourney. But most of these HBCU institutions currently are imprisoned at the NCAA Division I level, where they are little more than indentured servants doing the bidding of their major-university masters almost always getting whipped on the road during non-conference competition.

What many observers should know is seven different historically black colleges and universities advancing to the NCAA DI level captured a total of nine NAIA and NCAA College Division Tournament championships in a 21-year span from 1957 through 1977 (Tennessee State from 1957 through 1959, Grambling '61, Prairie View A&M '62, Winston-Salem State '67, Morgan State '74, Coppin State '76 and Texas Southern '77). Coppin State was the lone school in this group to go on and post a triumph in the NCAA Division I playoffs until newcomer Grambling State outlasted Montana State in overtime this year. Success wasn't so difficult to find for Grambling at the small-college level 60 years ago. Beginning with third-rounder Charles Hardnett in 1962, the Tigers supplied one of the top 21 NBA draft choices four consecutive years through 1965.

Winson-Salem State saw what life looked like on the DI side of the fence and abandoned ship after only one season. All but two of the 25 HBCUs endured at least one season with 20 defeats in a six-year span from 2003-04 through 2008-09. The pair that emerged unscathed during that stretch were Hampton (worst record was 13-17 in 2003-04) and Norfolk State (11-19 in 2006-07).

Despite both leagues prevailing in the same year for the first time in 2021, conference members from the Mid-Eastern Athletic and Southwestern Athletic have won only 10% of their NCAA Division I Tournament games. Alcorn State registered the first three of the following modest total of 15 HBCU wins in the DI tourney versus non-HBCU competition (eight in preliminary-round competition; SWAC's Texas Southern matched up against MEAC's North Carolina Central in First Four in 2018) since the SWAC and MEAC moved up to the Division I level in 1979-80 and 1980-81, respectively:

1980 Midwest First Round: #8 Alcorn State 70 (Baker/Smith team-high 18 points), #9 South Alabama 62 (Rains 22)
1983 Midwest Preliminary Round: Alcorn State 81 (Phelps 18), Xavier 75 (Fleming 16)
1984 Midwest Preliminary Round: Alcorn State 79 (Phelps 21), Houston Baptist 60 (Lavodrama 14)
1993 West First Round: #13 Southern (LA) 93 (Scales 27), #4 Georgia Tech 78 (Mackey 27)
1997 East First Round: #15 Coppin State 78 (Singletary 22), #2 South Carolina 65 (McKie 16)
2001 West First Round: #15 Hampton 58 (Williams 16), #2 Iowa State 57 (Rancik/Shirley 10)
2004 Preliminary Round: Florida A&M 72 (Woods 21), Lehigh 57 (Tempest 13)
2010 Preliminary Round: Arkansas-Pine Bluff 61 (Smith 14), Winthrop 44 (Corbin 13)
2012 West First Round: #15 Norfolk State 86 (O'Quinn 26), #2 Missouri (Dixon 22)
2013 Preliminary Round: North Carolina A&T 73 (Underwood 19), Liberty 72 (Marshall 22)
2015 Preliminary Round: Hampton 74 (Chievous/Johnson 15), Manhattan 64 (Richards 17)
2021 Preliminary Round: Texas Southern 60 (Walker III 19), Mount St. Mary's 52 (Chong Qui 14)
2021 Preliminary Round: Norfolk State 54 (Hawkins 24), Appalachian State 53 (Forrest 18)
2022 Preliminary Round: Texas Southern 76 (Etienne 21), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (67 (Tennyson 18)
2024 Preliminary Round: Grambling State 88 (Cofer 19), Montana State 81 (Ford 26)

Although the event is in its ninth decade, there are attractive power school match-ups never to have occurred in NCAA Tournament. Long before we ever heard of coronavirus, the potentially entertaining intra-sectional playoff contests between storied programs never to take place in the NCAA playoffs included:

• Georgetown vs. Indiana
• Georgetown vs. Michigan
• Georgetown vs. UCLA
• Michigan vs. St. John's
• North Carolina vs. St. John's
• Notre Dame vs. St. John's
• Notre Dame vs. UCLA
• Notre Dame vs. Villanova
• St. John's vs. UCLA
• Syracuse vs. UCLA

Virginia wasn't for lovers of good offense when the Cavaliers, failing to make a field goal the last 10 1/2 minutes of first half, crashed and burned by 25 points against Colorado State in the First Four. Elsewhere, Kansas' sordid second half resulted in a 21-point setback against Gonzaga in the second round. But at least 'bloodbath" for each of recent national titlists weren't their all-time worst NCAA playoff setbacks (37 points by Michigan in 1989 vs. VA and 34 by USC in 2021 vs. KU).

An embarrassing defeat was also a jolt to Indiana fans when the Hoosiers were smothered by Saint Mary's, 82-53, in the first round of the 2022 East Regional. But their ardent followers could take some solace in fact that 13 other former champions lost an NCAA Tournament game by as many points over the years. The Hoosiers' previous most numbing tourney reversal was by 25 points against St. John's in 1999.

On the other end of the setback spectrum, is a traditional blueblood other than Connecticut, Duke, Georgetown, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA or Villanova the only former national kingpin never to lose an NCAA playoff game by fewer than 15 points? No, but the ex-champ holding this distinction boasts school colors of Blue and Gold. It's La Salle, the 1954 titlist which subsequently lost three separate tourney games by 14 points.

Ohio State is the lone power-conference member in this group never to incur an NCAA playoff setback by at least 20 points. Arkansas departed in a one-sided result this year but the Razorbacks previously were eliminated by an even wider margin. Former NCAA champions Wyoming (49 points) and UConn (47) sustained the worst reversals on the following list of most-lopsided losses in NCAA Tournament competition among the 37 former titlists:

Previous Champion	Largest Margin	Opponent(s)	Most-Lopsided NCAA Tournament Loss(es)
Arizona	39	#1 seed Louisville	103-64 in 2009 Midwest Regional semifinal
Arkansas	35	Cincinnati	97-62 in 1958 Midwest Regional third-place contest
Baylor	20	#7 South Carolina	70-50 in 2017 East Regional semifinal
California	20	Ohio State/#1 Connecticut	75-55 in 1960 national final/74-54 in 1990 East Regional second round
Cincinnati	24	#5 Illinois	92-68 in 2004 Atlanta Regional second round
City College of New York	15	Holy Cross	60-45 in 1947 national semifinal
Connecticut	47	Duke	101-54 in 1964 East Regional final
Duke	30	#1 UNLV	103-73 in 1990 national final
Florida	23	#3 Michigan	108-85 in 1988 West Regional second round
Georgetown	24	#1 Massachusetts	86-62 in 1996 East Regional final
Holy Cross	39	#1 Oregon	91-52 in 2016 West Regional first round
Indiana	29	#5 Saint Mary's	82-53 in 2022 East Regional first round
Kansas	34	#6 Southern California	85-51 in 2021 West Regional second round
Kentucky	24	Western Kentucky	107-83 in 1971 Mideast Regional semifinal
La Salle	14	San Francisco/Columbia/#9 Wichita State	77-63 in 1955 NCAA final/83-69 in 1968 East Regional first round/72-58 in 2013 West Regional semifinal
Louisville	23	#1 North Carolina	97-74 in 1997 East Regional final
Loyola of Chicago	19	Western Kentucky	105-86 in 1966 Mideast Regional first round
Marquette	33	#2 Kansas	94-61 in 2003 national semifinal
Maryland	35	#3 Indiana/#6 UCLA	99-64 in 1981 Mideast Regional second round/105-70 in 2000 Midwest Regional second round
Michigan	34	#11 Loyola Marymount	149-115 in 1990 West Regional second round
Michigan State	20	#1 Duke/#1 Kansas	81-61 in 2015 national semifinal/90-70 in 2017 Midwest Regional second round
North Carolina	27	Purdue	92-65 in 1969 national semifinal
North Carolina State	21	#2 Texas	75-54 in 2006 Atlanta Regional second round
Ohio State	18	#7 Georgetown	70-52 in 2006 Minneapolis Regional second round
Oklahoma State	24	Kansas State	68-44 in 1951 West Regional final
Oregon	21	California	70-49 in 1960 West Regional final
San Francisco	26	UNLV	121-95 in 1977 West Regional first round
Stanford	23	#1 Kansas/#9 Mississippi State	86-63 in 2002 Midwest Regional second round/93-70 in 2005 Austin Regional first round
Syracuse	29	#4 Kansas	87-58 in 2001 Midwest Regional second round
Texas-El Paso	25	Indiana	78-53 in 1975 Mideast Regional first round
UCLA	27	#2 Indiana	106-79 in 1992 West Regional final
UNLV	23	#3 Seton Hall	84-61 in 1989 West Regional final
Utah	31	#1 Kentucky	101-70 in 1996 Midwest Regional semifinal
Villanova	26	#3 Purdue	87-61 in 2019 South Regional second round
Virginia	37	#3 Michigan	102-65 in 1989 Southeast Regional final
Wisconsin	30	#1 Maryland	87-57 in 2002 East Regional second round
Wyoming	49	UCLA	109-60 in 1967 West Regional semifinal

NCAA Tournament head coaches need to draw upon all of their resources to motivate their respective clubs in postseason play. Following is an alphabetical list assessing the educational backgrounds of majority of the 68 mentors in 2024 NCAA playoffs:

2024 NCAA Tourney Coach	School	Bachelor's	Master's
Griff Aldrich	Longwood	unavailable	Juris Doctorate
Steve Alford	Nevada	Business
Dana Altman	Oregon	Business	Business Administration
Rick Barnes	Tennessee	Health & Physical Education
John Becker	Vermont	History	Information Systems
Randy Bennett	Saint Mary's	Biology
Tony Bennett	Virginia	Humanities
Kenny Blakeney	Howard University	History
Tad Boyle	Colorado	Business Administration
Brad Brownell	Clemson	History
Mark Byington	James Madison	Physical Education	Sports Psychology
John Calipari	Kentucky	Marketing
Chris Collins	Northwestern	Sociology
Donald Copeland	Wagner	Communications and Media Studies
Keith Dambrot	Duquesne	Management
Hubert Davis	North Carolina	Criminal Justice
Darian DeVries	Drake	Elementary Education	College Counseling
Jamie Dixon	Texas Christian	Finance	Economics
Bryce Drew	Grand Canyon	Sports Management
Scott Drew	Baylor	Liberal Arts	Liberal Studies
Brian Dutcher	San Diego State	Physical Education	Physical Education & Athletic Administration
Mark Few	Gonzaga	Physical Education	Athletic Administration
Greg Gard	Wisconsin	Physical & Health Education	Counselor Education
Todd Golden	Florida	Business Administration
Anthony Grant	Dayton	unavailable
John Groce	Akron	Mathematics
Eric Henderson	South Dakota State	Elementary Education
Fred Hoiberg	Nebraska	Finance
Dan Hurley	Connecticut	Business
Tom Izzo	Michigan State	Health and Physical Education
Donte Jackson	Grambling State	Education	Educational Leadership
Chris Jans	Mississippi State	Marketing & Finance
Donnie Jones	Stetson	Business Education
James Jones	Yale	Communications	Educational Administration
Greg Kampe	Oakland	Business & Journalism	Physical Education
Kevin Keatts	North Carolina State	unavailable
Pat Kelsey	College of Charleston	Business Administration & Marketing
Andy Kennedy	UAB	History
Matt Langel	Colgate	Management
Tommy Lloyd	Arizona	Biology
Steve Lutz	Western Kentucky	Kinesiology	Physical Education
Bashir Mason	Saint Peter's	Sports Management
Dusty May	Florida Atlantic	unavailable
Grant McCasland	Texas Tech	Entrepreneurship and Management
Greg McDermott	Creighton	History	Sports Management
Bucky McMillan	Samford	Education Services
Niko Medved	Colorado State	Kinesiology	Sport Management
Dan Monson	Long Beach State	Mathematics	Athletic Administration
Nate Oats	Alabama	Math Education	Kinesiology & Exercise Science
T.J. Otzelberger	Iowa State	Business Administration	Curriculum & Instruction
Matt Painter	Purdue	Sociology
Lamont Paris	South Carolina	Business Economics	Recreation & Sports Management
Bruce Pearl	Auburn	Business Administration
Richard Pitino	New Mexico	History
Mark Pope	Brigham Young	English
Leon Rice	Boise State	Physical Education	Athletic Administration, Management & Program Development
Kelvin Sampson	Houston	Health & Physical Education	Coaching & Administration
Jon Scheyer	Duke	History
Bill Self	Kansas	Business	Athletic Administration
Shaka Smart	Marquette	History	Social Science
Kyle Smith	Washington State	English	Educational Leadership
Preston Spradlin	Morehead State	History	Kinesiology & Health Promotion
Danny Sprinkle	Utah State	Health & Human Development
Rodney Terry	Texas	Business Administration
Brad Underwood	Illinois	Radio & TV Communications
Frank "Will" Wade	McNeese State	unavailable
Brent "Buzz" Williams	Texas A&M	Kinesiology	Kinesiology

A total of 10 power-conference members - Boston College, Clemson, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Northwestern, Rutgers, South Carolina, Tennessee and Washington - never have incurred an NCAA tourney setback against an opponent capturing the NCAA title that season. On the other end of the spectrum, Kansas has an all-time high 13 such reversals (1940-53-57-66-71-91-93-97 and 2002-03-12-16-18). Right behind KU are Duke (12 defeats), Utah (11), North Carolina (11) and Oklahoma (10).

Texas Tech, losing in back-to-back playoffs against titlists Villanova (2018) and Virginia (2019) before 2020 tourney cancellation, earned an at-large bid three seasons ago. If Arkansas had won the national title that year, the Red Raiders would have been eliminated by the eventual national champion for the third consecutive NCAA playoff. They would have joined the following chronological list of schools in rare category of bowing out in back-to-back-to-back tourneys against kingpin:

School	Coach (Vital Players All Three Years)	Tourney Defeats vs. NCAA Champion in Three Straight Seasons
New Mexico State	Lou Henson (Jimmy Collins/Sam Lacey)	Lost to UCLA in 1968 (Regional Semifinal), 1969 (Regional Semifinal) and 1970 (National Semifinal)
Long Beach State	Jerry Tarkanian (no player in regular rotation all three seasons)	Lost to UCLA in 1970 (Regional Semifinal), 1971 (Regional Final) and 1972 (Regional Final)
Louisiana State	Dale Brown (Greg Cook/Ethan Martin/Willie Sims)	Lost to Michigan State in 1979 (Regional Semifinal), Louisville in 1980 (Regional Final) and Indiana in 1981 (National Semifinal)
Houston	Guy Lewis (Eric Dickens/Reid Gettys/Akeem Olajuwon/Michael Young)	Lost to North Carolina in 1982 (National Semifinal), North Carolina State in 1983 (National Final) and Georgetown in 1984 (National Final)
Duke	Mike Krzyzewski (Danny Ferry/Billy King/John Smith/Quin Snyder/Kevin Strickland)	Lost to Louisville in 1986 (National Final), Indiana in 1987 (Regional Semifinal) and Kansas in 1988 (National Semifinal)
Michigan	Steve Fisher (Juwan Howard/Ray Jackson/Jimmy King/Jalen Rose)	Lost to Duke in 1992 (National Final), North Carolina in 1993 (National Final) and Arkansas in 1994 (Regional Final)

If you're a history buff, don't forget about the 32-team NIT field in aftermath of decision to leave New York City for Las Vegas and Indianapolis this year and next. Although it appears the case, the Final Four hasn't eternally been the final word in national postseason competition. The 68-team NCAA playoffs, which played second fiddle to the National Invitation Tournament in their formative years, seemed to haughtily look down upon the NIT as little more than an acronym contest for derisive entries such as National Insignificant Tournament, Not Influential Tournament, Nominally Important Tournament, No Interest Tournament, Nearly Ignominious Tournament, Naturally Impaired Tournament, Never Impressionable Tournament, etc.

The NIT champion can proclaim, "We're No. 69!" But in an earlier era, the NIT was superior to the NCAA at a time when airplanes didn't dominate the transportation industry, television was in its infancy and New York's Madison Square Garden was the place to be if a team wanted extensive national exposure. If ever there was a concept whose time had arrived, it was the NIT in 1938. If ever there was a location to conduct a national tourney at a time when the sports page was the principal place to digest sports news, it was in New York because of Gotham's 20 or so daily newspapers at the time.

Prominent programs such as Arizona State, Florida State, Indiana, Maryland, Memphis, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, St. John's, Stanford, Syracuse, UCLA, USC and Washington declined invitations this year to participate in the NIT as the event's influence wanes. But following are top 40 hits for the event, citing nuggets you should know about the history of the nation's oldest national postseason tournament:

1. Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron "Whizzer" White was Colorado's second-leading scorer with 10 points when the Buffaloes bowed to Temple in the inaugural NIT in 1938.

2. The 1939 NIT final featured two unbeaten teams when Long Island University defeated Loyola of Chicago, 44-32, marking the only matchup in major-college history when two undefeated major colleges met in a national postseason tournament. LIU finished with a 23-0 record and Loyola 21-1.

3. Frankie Baumholtz capped his Ohio University college basketball career by earning MVP honors in the 1941 NIT when he led the tourney in scoring with 53 points in three games for the second-place Bobcats, including a game-high 19 in the final. He went on to become a major-league outfielder who led the National League in pinch hits in 1955 and 1956.

4. Rudy Baric, MVP of the 1942 NIT for titlist West Virginia, guided his alma mater to a 14-7 record the next year in his only season as the Mountaineers' head coach.

5. Long before Michigan's "Fab Five" made headlines as a freshman-dominated team reaching the 1992 NCAA Tournament final, Toledo's similar squad finished runner-up to St. John's in the 1943 NIT. The Rockets were dubbed "Friddle's Freshmen" because first-year coach Berle Friddle had an all-freshman starting lineup. Toledo's roster included Emlen Tunnell, who went on to become a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame after playing in nine Pro Bowls as a defensive back.

6. Utah won the 1944 NCAA crown after the Utes were eliminated in the opening round of the NIT by eventual third-place finisher Kentucky (46-38).

7. In the early years of national postseason competition, the NCAA playoffs were scheduled after the NIT, which was clearly basketball's showcase event. For instance, NIT runner-up Rhode Island State upended Bowling Green in overtime in their NIT opener in 1946 after the Rams' Ernie Calverley swished a shot from beyond halfcourt at the end of regulation in perhaps the most exciting moment in NIT history.

8. Many observers think the 1948 NIT, starting the tourney's second decade, was the best from a strength standpoint. If there had been a national poll at the time, it is believed that five of the nation's top seven teams were in the NIT, which was won that year by Ed Macauley-led St. Louis University.

9. Western Kentucky (28-2, .933), the 1948 NIT third-place finisher, and Seton Hall (31-2, .939), the 1953 NIT champion, led the nation in winning percentage those seasons.

10. The 1949 opening-round pair of doubleheaders was a dark day and evening for Big Apple hoops as CCNY, Manhattan, NYU and St. John's dropped their openers by an average of 18.75 points.

11. Trivia buffs should know that the basketball publicist for 1949 champion San Francisco was Pete Rozelle, who went on to become commissioner of the National Football League.

12. In each of the first two years the Associated Press conducted national rankings (1949 and 1950), five of the top 10 teams participated in the NIT.

13. The four seeded teams in the 1949 NIT all were upset in the quarterfinals after receiving first-round byes - Kentucky, St. Louis, Western Kentucky and Utah.

14. The final year teams participated in both national tournaments was 1952, when Dayton, Duquesne, St. John's and St. Louis doubled up on postseason participation. St. John's was runner-up to Kansas in the NCAA Tournament that year after the Redmen lost their opener in the NIT against La Salle (51-45).

15. In 1954, the last four NIT survivors (Holy Cross, Duquesne, Niagara and Western Kentucky) combined to win 91% of their games entering the semifinals, while their NCAA Final Four counterparts (La Salle, Bradley, Penn State and Southern California) combined to win barely over 70% of their games. Niagara, the third-place finisher in the NIT, defeated 1954 NCAA champion La Salle twice during the regular season by a total of 27 points.

16. Dave Ricketts, a sophomore starter for Duquesne's 1955 NIT champion, went on to become a major-league catcher who played with the Cardinals in the 1967 and 1968 World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals.

17. NIT champion-to-be Louisville was ranked 4th in the nation by AP in mid-February of 1956 when it lost by 40 points at Xavier (99-59). Two years later, Xavier lost 10 of its final 15 regular-season games after a 10-1 start and the NIT asked the Musketeers to give back its NIT bid. Xavier, however, said "no" and went on to win the 1958 NIT title despite being seeded last under first-year head coach Jim McCafferty.

18. Garry Roggenburk, the leading scorer for Dayton's 1962 NIT titlist, went on to become a lefthanded pitcher for five seasons later in the decade with three American League teams - the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox and Seattle Pilots.

19. The prestigious ACC, prior to its inaugural season in 1953-54, instituted a rule that no member could participate in the NIT. The ban remained in place until Duke was eliminated by Southern Illinois in the [1967] quarterfinals. The final NIT at the old Garden in 1967 belonged to SIU, a so-called "small" school sparked by a smooth swingman named Walt Frazier. He wasn't Clyde yet, but the future Knick was well on his way.

20. One of the most bizarre incidents in NIT history was halftime of a game in 1968 when Oklahoma City coach Abe Lemons, annoyed with his team after playing poorly in the first half against Duke, ordered the Chiefs back to the court during intermission to scrimmage rather than to the dressing room to rest and regroup. Announcer Howard Cosell rattled off several questions to Lemons: "Coach, are you crazy? Won't your boys be too tired to play the second half? Where did you learn this coaching tactic? Did you do this to amuse the crowd?" Lemons, as determined not to respond to the questions as Cosell was at getting an answer, fired back, "Listen mister, you may be big stuff in New York, but you ain't nothin' in Walters, Okla. (Lemons' humble hometown)."

21. The issue of "choice" came to a head in 1970 when Marquette, an independent school coached by fiesty Al McGuire, won the NIT after rejecting an NCAA at-large invitation because the Warriors were going to be placed in the NCAA Midwest Regional (Fort Worth, Tex.) instead of closer to home in the Mideast Regional (Dayton, Ohio). McGuire's snub led the NCAA to decree any school offered an NCAA bid must accept it or be prohibited from participating in postseason competition.

22. SEC rival Tennessee was the only school to hold Pete Maravich under 30 points until Georgetown and Marquette achieved the feat in the 1970 NIT. Maravich, the highest scorer in NCAA history, ended his career at the NIT sitting on the bench in civilian clothes because of ankle and hip injuries, watching his father's LSU team finish fourth by losing to Bob Knight-coached Army. Pistol Pete had, for him, endured a suspect tourney in the brightest postseason spotlight ever focused on his extraordinary abilities. He averaged 25.7 points per game in three NIT assignments (18.5 ppg lower than his career average).

23. Julius Erving's final college game with Massachusetts was a 90-49 loss to eventual NIT champion North Carolina in the first round in 1971. The Tar Heels captured the crown although their leading scorer, junior forward Dennis Wuycik (18.4 ppg), suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Minutemen.

24. The competitive NIT, boasting three double overtime games in 1971, was a stark contrast in than period to the NCAA Tournament otherwise known as the "UCLA Invitational." Seemingly invincible UCLA captured seven consecutive NCAA titles from 1967 through 1973 by winning 28 tournament games by an average of almost 18 points per contest. In 1973, the Bruins' four tournament victories were by an average of 16 points, including a 21-point triumph over Memphis State in the championship game. Meanwhile, NIT champion Virginia Tech won four exciting postseason games that year by a total of five points, including a game-winning basket at the buzzer in overtime in the final against Notre Dame. The next year, seven of the total of 12 NIT games in the first round and quarterfinals were decided by four points or less.

25. Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson never appeared in the NIT in his 34-year career with Long Beach State, Iowa and Arizona.

26. The last wire-service top 10 team to appear in the NIT was North Carolina, a first-round loser against Purdue in 1974.

27. Anthony Roberts' NIT single-game standard of 65 points accounted for 73 percent of Oral Roberts' output in a 90-89 loss to Oregon in the 1977 first round. Roberts' outburst is even more impressive because the Ducks ranked fifth in the nation in team defense (60.9 points per game).

28. NIT attendance slipped to an all-time low in 1976 although national power Kentucky won the title. In 1977, former executive director Pete Carlesimo, the father of former Seton Hall coach P.J. Carlesimo, saved the NIT by implementing a plan whereby early-round games were played at campus sites and locations across the country before the four semifinalists advanced to New York.

29. In a five-year span from 1980 through 1984 when the NCAA field ranged from 48 to 52 teams, Virginia (1980 NIT champion), DePaul (1983 runner-up) and Michigan (1984 champion) became NCAA regional No. 1 seeds the year after reaching an NIT final.

30. Tulsa was a No. 3 seed under coach Nolan Richardson Jr. in the 1982 NCAA Tournament after capturing the 1981 NIT by winning its last three games by a total of five points.

31. In 1985, the NIT started a preseason tournament, which evolved into the nation's premier in-season tourney and carried as much clout, if not more, than the postseason NIT. Coaches were fond of the preseason NIT because those games were exempt from counting against their regular-season limit of contests.

32. The NCAA postseason record of 14 three-point field goals was set by Kansas State guard Askia Jones in a 115-77 victory over Fresno State in the 1994 NIT quarterfinals. Jones, the son of former Villanova standout guard Wali Jones, poured in 28 of his Big Eight Conference-record 45 second-half points in the first 7:12 after intermission. His final total of 62 points, spurred by nine consecutive successful three-point shots bridging the first and second halves, was the second-highest scoring output in major-college postseason history.

33. The NIT's first nine champions lost a total of 25 games, but its 15 titlists from 1986 through 2000 combined to go 32 games below .500 in conference competition, including a 4-12 league mark compiled by 1988 Big East cellar dweller Connecticut and a 4-10 league record registered by 1996 Big Eight seventh-place team Nebraska.

34. The NIT's "final four" participants have combined to average more than 13 defeats per team since the NCAA field expanded to at least 64 entrants, including a grim 19-18 mark by 1985 NIT fourth-place finisher Louisville.

35. Former St. John's coach Joe Lapchick was the winningest coach in NIT history with a 21-10 record until Dave Odom tied him (21-3). St. John's has made more NIT appearances, won more NIT games and captured more NIT championships (six) than any school.

36. Four of the five winningest schools percentagewise in NIT history (more than 25 decisions) are from the Big Ten Conference - Michigan, Penn State, Purdue and Minnesota.

37. The NIT titlists since 1985 combined for a losing national postseason tournament record the year after capturing an NIT championship.

38. Virginia's NIT title in 1992 enabled Jeff Jones to become the only person to win NIT crowns as a player (Virginia in 1980) and a coach.

39. In 2000, Notre Dame forward Troy Murphy became the first consensus first-team All-American to participate in the NIT since forward Larry Bird of Indiana State, a loser at Rutgers in the 1978 quarterfinals.

40. Arizona (0-4), Arizona State (7-13), Creighton (5-10), Houston (5-9), Louisiana State (4-8), Miami FL (7-11), Missouri (2-8), Oklahoma State (7-12) and Seton Hall (8-18) all have disturbing NIT marks at least four games below .500.

Whether we need backbone transplants or vaccine injections emphasized by Dr. Fraudci, these are bubble-wrapped times trying sports fans' souls. Even before cancellation of 2020 extravaganza, a significant number of schools turn sheepish at the mention of recent NCAA Tournament success. Among Division I institutions making at least 10 NCAA playoff appearances, four former Final Four participants - St. John's, San Francisco, Southern Methodist and Texas-El Paso - combined to go winless in the past 24 tourneys.

DePaul and USF each have won more than 20 NCAA tourney games but collaborated for only one win in the past 34 years (DePaul over Dayton in double overtime in 2004). With B.B. King "The Thrill is Gone" lyrics in the background, following is an alphabetical list of schools with at least 10 NCAA playoff appearances for which Sweet 16 is a distant memory:

School (Playoff Appearances)	Recent NCAA Tournament Travails
Boston College (18)	winless past 16 tourneys with only one appearance
Charlotte (11)	no appearance past 18 tourneys; winless past 22 tourneys
DePaul (22)	no appearance past 19 tourneys; one victory past 34 tourneys
George Washington (11)	one victory past 29 years
Georgia (12)	one victory past 27 years
Holy Cross (13)	posted first win since 1953 eight seasons ago in play-in game
Idaho State (11)	winless past 46 tourneys
Old Dominion (12)	one victory past 28 tourneys
Penn (24)	one victory past 43 tourneys
Pepperdine (13)	one victory past 41 tourneys
St. John's (30)	winless past 24 tourneys
San Francisco (17)	appeared twice past 41 tourneys
Santa Clara (11)	no appearance past 27 tourneys
Seattle (11)	winless since 1964
Southern Methodist (12)	winless past 35 tourneys
Texas-El Paso (17)	winless past 31 tourneys
Utah State (22)	one victory past 53 tourneys
Weber State (15)	winless past 24 tourneys
Wyoming (16)	one victory past 36 tourneys

Unless you're still busy hoarding toilet paper or cowering in fetal position waiting for next pandemic, it's your opportunity to start taking online tests for 23 quarantined days symbolic of normal time frame from Selection Sunday to Monday evening championship contest.

Emphasizing a "one-and-only" theme for a "one-and-only" event, following is Day 3 of a treasure-trove of tantalizing NCAA Tournament trivia questions from CollegeHoopedia.com 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's year-by-year highlights):

1. Who is the only coach to lose as many as five games in the 20th Century to teams with double-digit seeds? Hint: Four of the defeats in this category were in consecutive years.

2. Name the only historically black college and university to win multiple NCAA Tournament games in the 20th Century. Hint: It posted the first three HBCU victories in the early 1980s.

3. Who was the coach of the only University of Detroit team to win an NCAA playoff game until the Titans defeated St. John's in 1998? Hint: Detroit lost to an in-state rival in a regional semifinal four days after posting its first tournament victory. The coach of that squad is the only Seton Hall graduate to win an NCAA tourney game.

4. Name the only school with more than 30 NCAA Tournament appearances to compile a losing playoff record and never appear in the national championship game. Hint: It's the only school to finish more than 10 seasons ranked in an AP Top 10 since the wire service's first poll in 1949 to never win an NCAA Tournament title.

5. Name the only first-time entrant to be seeded better than fifth since the field expanded to at least 48 teams in 1980. Hint: The school reached the Final Four in its playoff debut.

6. Name the only conference to have three representatives at a single Final Four by winning regional finals against three members from another league. Hint: No player scored more than 20 points in the three Final Four games that year.

7. Who is the only coach with six or more NCAA playoff appearances to reach a regional final every time? Hint: His school is the only one to win back-to-back NCAA championships in its first two appearances in the tournament. His son was coach of a school in the same conference when the institution participated in the tourney for the initial time.

8. Name the only school to win at least one playoff game in a year it entered the tournament with a losing record after suffering 14 consecutive defeats during one stretch of the regular season. Hint: The school participated in the national championship game the previous year and was once runner-up in the NCAA Tournament and NIT in the same season. The school has also won just one playoff game since 1955, the season it finished with its worst overall record in a 53-year span and became only team ever to enter playoffs with a record of more than 10 games under .500.

9. Name the only school to have as many as seven different coaches compile losing NCAA playoff records. Hint: The school is more games under .500 in tournament play than any institution, but pulled off a first-round upset of a defending champion behind a star player who subsequently entered the coaching profession and compiled a 6-3 NCAA Tournament record with another university in the same state from 1989-90 through 1991-92.

10. Name the only school to advance to a regional semifinal in three consecutive campaigns despite having a double-digit seed each year. Hint: The school defeated teams from the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, C-USA, Pacific-10 and SEC during the NCAA playoffs in that span.

Answers (Day 3)
Day 2 Questions and Answers
Day 1 Questions and Answers

If guaranteed a virgin school will reach climax by advancing to the Final Four for first time, which team would you bet on this year? Following are odds regarding mostly power-conference members still striving to see the Promised Land:

5:1 - Tennessee (26th NCAA playoff appearance in 2024)
9:1 - Alabama (25th)
9:1 - Brigham Young (31st)
9:1 - Creighton (25th)
9:1 - Texas A&M (16th)
9:1 - Utah State (24th)
11:1 - Clemson (14th)
11:1 - Nebraska (8th)
11:1 - Northwestern (3rd)
11:1 - Texas Christian (11th)