Hot or Not: Difference of Opinion on Best Way to Enter NCAA Tournament

April 9th, 2013 - 22:11

Which cliche is most accurate? If a team is on a winning streak entering the NCAA Tournament, it has momentum on its side and is peaking at the right time. On the other hand, some observers contend a loss before the start of the playoffs is deemed as a wake-up call.

Since the last undefeated team in Division I (Indiana was 32-0 in 1975-76), there have been 37 national champions. Twenty-two of those teams entered the tourney with a victory; 15 entered with a defeat. The longest winning streak of a champion-to-be in that span was by UCLA, which won 13 in a row in 1995 before posting six more triumphs in the playoffs. Louisville accounted for two of the other double-digit victory streaks for champions-to-be entering the playoffs.

Of the 22 aforementioned squads entering on a winning note, the average winning streak was six in a row. Following in reverse order is how those 37 post-unbeaten IU titlists entered the NCAA playoffs (including conference tournaments):

Year NCAA Champion Coach Pre-NCAA Playoff Finish
2013 Louisville Rick Pitino Won 10
2012 Kentucky John Calipari Lost one (Vanderbilt)
2011 Connecticut Jim Calhoun Won five
2010 Duke Mike Krzyzewski Won four
2009 North Carolina Roy Williams Lost one (Florida State)
2008 Kansas Bill Self Won seven
2007 Florida Billy Donovan Won four
2006 Florida Billy Donovan Won five
2005 North Carolina Roy Williams Lost one (Georgia Tech)
2004 Connecticut Jim Calhoun Won three
2003 Syracuse Jim Boeheim Lost one (Connecticut)
2002 Maryland Gary Williams Lost one (North Carolina State)
2001 Duke Mike Krzyzewski Won four
2000 Michigan State Tom Izzo Won five
1999 Connecticut Jim Calhoun Won five
1998 Kentucky Tubby Smith Won seven
1997 Arizona Lute Olson Lost two (Stanford and California)
1996 Kentucky Rick Pitino Lost one (Mississippi State)
1995 UCLA Jim Harrick Won 13
1994 Arkansas Nolan Richardson Lost one (Kentucky)
1993 North Carolina Dean Smith Lost one (Georgia Tech)
1992 Duke Mike Krzyzewski Won seven
1991 Duke Mike Krzyzewski Lost one (North Carolina)
1990 UNLV Jerry Tarkanian Won five
1989 Michigan Bill Frieder/Steve Fisher Lost one (Illinois)
1988 Kansas Larry Brown Lost one (Kansas State)
1987 Indiana Bob Knight Won one
1986 Louisville Denny Crum Won 11
1985 Villanova Rollie Massimino Lost one (St. John's)
1984 Georgetown John Thompson Jr. Won six
1983 North Carolina State Jim Valvano Won four
1982 North Carolina Dean Smith Won 11
1981 Indiana Bob Knight Won five
1980 Louisville Denny Crum Won three
1979 Michigan State Jud Heathcote Lost one (Wisconsin)
1978 Kentucky Joe B. Hall Won eight
1977 Marquette Al McGuire Lost one (Michigan)