East Regional:
1. Michigan (#13)
16. Norfolk State (#235)
8. LSU (#43)
9. St. Bonaventure (#109)
5. Colorado (#47)
12. Georgetown (#17)
4. Florida State (#56)
13. UNC Greensboro (#251)
6. BYU (#61)
11. UCLA (#3)
3. Texas (#31)
14. Abilene Christian (#271)
7. Connecticut (#8)
10. Maryland (#28)
2. Alabama (#79)
15. Iona (#238)
The East is the region with the most cumulative championships: UCLA (11), Connecticut (4), Maryland (1), Georgetown (1), Michigan (1). However, it also has a handful of other Top 100 teams which have Final 4 appearances; including Texas, LSU, Colorado, and Florida State. BYU and Alabama have never made it past the Elite 8 round, and BYU at #61 is the best program in the tournament which has never made a Final 4.
Sub-100 teams with some tournament success include St. Bonaventure, which did reach the Final 4 in 1970. Norfolk State is at #235, tied with UMBC as they have exact equal tournament history. Each has made two tournaments, earning a #15 seed and #16 seed. And each has won one First Round game, UMBC as a #16 seed and Norfolk as a #15. Should Norfolk win Saturday, it would jump over UMBC. But assuming they don’t, these two programs will remain tied until one or the other makes a future tournament. UNC Greensboro has been to three tournaments and lost Round of 64 games as a #16, #15, and #13 seed. Abilene Christian has made back-to-back tournaments (2019, 2021), and bumped up a seed-line from #15 to #14 in its second go-around.
West Regional:
1. Gonzaga (#42)
16. Texas Southern (#255)
8. Oklahoma (#21)
9. Missouri (#63)
5. Creighton (#86)
12. UC Santa Barbara (#208)
4. Virginia (#29)
13. Ohio (#101)
6. USC (#70)
11. Drake (#104)
3. Kansas (#5)
14. Eastern Washington (#248)
7. Oregon (#39)
10. VCU (#96)
2. Iowa (#40)
15. Grand Canyon (#293)
Kansas is easily the best program in the West. It has the potential to jump Duke and reach #4, but it would take a Final 4 appearance to do so. Other past title-winners include the NCAA Tourney’s first title winner and the most recent winner, Oregon and Virginia. Oklahoma is the best program in this year’s field to have never won a national championship. A Sweet 16 appearance would elevate it above Kansas State, the team who currently holds this dubious honor.
The region’s top two seeds, Gonzaga and Iowa sit very close. Since 1999, Gonzaga has been the nation’s 9th best program, whereas Iowa was its best as a program in the 80’s and 90’s. Missouri and Creighton are other Top-100 teams which have never made a Final 4, whereas VCU is in the Top 100 solely because of its Final 4 run in 2011. Ohio and Drake look to win a few games to put them into the Top 100. UC Santa Barbara won a First Round game in 1990, but Eastern Washington, Texas Southern, and Grand Canyon are looking for their first Round of 32 appearances. This is Grand Canyon’s first NCAA tournament appearance, but is already at a tie for #293 (out of 324 programs which have qualified for at least one tournament) because it earned a #15 seed. There have been 18 programs which have qualified for at least one NCAA Tournament but earned nothing better than a #16 seed.
Charting the Hawks 