The Final Four was played in San Antonio at the Alamodome for the fifth time this past Saturday and Monday.
While the tournament was underwhelming this year, this may have been the best field of teams in a Final Four ever.
According to KenPoms advanced analytics, this is not just the top four teams in the country this year, but all four are in the top 10 of the best KenPom teams ever.
KenPom rankings date back to the 1996-97 season, and his advanced analytics have been used to predict national champions since.
This year and 2008 at the Alamodome are the only two times in the history of the Final Four that all four No. 1 seeds have made it.
Legendary coaches Bill Self and John Calipari faced off in the national championship in 2008. Self and Kansas defeated Calipari and Memphis 75-68 in overtime.
Oregon defeated Ohio State 46-33, becoming the first champions in 1939.
From the tournament’s creation in 1939 to 1951, the national semifinals were just the regional championships, as the field was much smaller.
The tournament was divided into East and West regions. Then, from 1952 to 1955, the regional championships were held at four sites across the country.
In 1956, the regions were each given unique names for the first time.
From 1946 to 1981, there was a third-place game played before the national championship game. Ever since, the two national semi-fnal losers tie for third in the official record book.
Since, the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
No. 1 seeds have 66 Final Four appearances, 41 championship appearances, and 26 national championships.
No. 2 seeds have 32 Final Four appearances, 12 championship appearances, and five national championships.
No. 3 seeds have 17 Final Four appearances, 12 championship appearances, and four national championships.
No. 4 seeds have 15 Final Four appearances, four championship appearances, and two national championships.
No. 5 seeds have nine Final Four appearances, four championship appearances, and zero national championships.
No. 6 seeds have three Final Four appearances, two championship appearances, and one national championship.
No. 7 seeds have three Final Four appearances, one championship appearance, and one national championship.
No. 8 seeds have six Final Four appearances, four championship appearances, and one national championship.
No. 9 seeds have two Final Four appearances, zero championship appearances, and zero national championships.
No. 10 seeds have one Final Four appearance, zero championship appearances, and zero national championships.
No. 11 seeds have six Final Four appearances, zero championship appearances, and zero national championships.
No teams seeded No. 12 or lower have made the Final Four.
According to the NCAA, three No. 1 seeds have reached the Final Four just five times. This year, for the second time ever, all four No. 1 seeds made it.
Since 1985, the Final Four has been played without a No. 1 seed only three times: in 2006, 2011, and 2023.
No. 1 seeds have won seven of the last eight national championships, with No. 4 UConn being the exception in 2023.
Since 1985, 10 national championships have been played between two No. 1 seeds.
The college teams with the five most Final Four appearances are:
North Carolina: 21
Kentucky: 17
UCLA: 18
Duke: 18
Kansas: 15
UCLA has the most national championships with 11. No other team has more than eight national championships.
Elijah Andrews is the Dakota Student Sports Reporter. He can be reached at elijah.andrews@und.edu.
