Tonight at 7:15 p.m. on CBS, the Kentucky Wildcats, #2 in the AP Poll and the 1 Seed in the East Region, take on the 16 Seed East Tennessee State Buccaneers in the 1st round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Here are some numbers and facts of interest leading up to tonight’s game:
Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament History
51 Tournament Appearances (50 officially, 1988 NCAA Tournament participation vacated)
100 Tournament Wins (98 officially, 2 wins from the 1988 NCAA Tournament vacated)
45 Tournament Losses (44 officially, 1 loss from the 1988 NCAA Tournament vacated)
7 National Titles
13 Final Fours
.690 NCAA Tournament winning percentage
East Tennessee State’s Tournament History
8 NCAA Tournament Appearances
2 Tournament Wins
9 Tournament Losses
.182 NCAA Tournament winning percentage
Best Finish: 1968 Regional Semifinals
The Buccaneers Are a Scary Team Come March
East Tennessee State has only won 2 NCAA Tournament games in their school’s history, but that doesn’t mean that their other 9 games were cakewalks. Here are some of their NCAA Tournament games in which they took their opponents to the wire:
1989 1st Round
(1) Oklahoma – 72
(16) East Tennessee State – 71
The Buccaneers almost pulled off the unthinkable, a 16 seed defeating a 1 seed. East Tennessee State had an 8 point lead at halftime, but the Sooners outscored them 41-32 in the 2nd half to literally survive and advance.
1991 1st Round
(7) Iowa – 76
(10) East Tennessee State – 73
The Buccaneers once again led at the half, this time by 4 points. But the Hawkeyes outscored them 43-36 to secure the win and move on to the 2nd round.
1992 1st Round
(3) Arizona – 80
(14) East Tennessee State – 87
The Buccaneers became, at the time, the 8th 14 seed to defeat a 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. East Tennessee State raced to a big halftime lead of 11 points and then cruised to victory. They went on to lose to 6 Seed Michigan 102-90 in the 2nd round.
2003 1st Round
(2) Wake Forest – 76
(15) East Tennessee State – 73
This was the opposite of their previous close games, they were actually down by 7 points at halftime and came back in the 2nd half, but it wasn’t enough.
2004 1st Round
(4) Cincinnati – 80
(13) East Tennessee State – 77
Once again the Buccaneers were down at the half, this time by 5 points. They outscored the Bearcats by 2 points in the 2nd half, but it wasn’t enough.
The Wildcats and Buccaneers almost faced each other in the NCAA Tournament before. In 1968, Ohio State beat East Tennessee State 79-72 in the East Regional Semifinals. Had they won, they would’ve faced Kentucky in the Regional Finals.
Various Records
Kentucky’s record vs. East Tennessee State: 2-0 (1.000)
Kentucky’s record as a 1 Seed in the NCAA Tournament: 29-8 (.784)
Kentucky’s record playing on March 18th: 7-5 (.583)
Kentucky’s record vs. 16 Seeds: 7-0 (1.000)
Kentucky’s record playing in Louisiana in the NCAA Tournament: 3-2 (.600)
RPI Rankings (As Of March 14th)
Kentucky: 2nd
Kentucky’s Strength Of Schedule: 31st
East Tennessee State: 121st
East Tennessee State’s Strength Of Schedule: 169th
Pomeroy Ratings (As Of March 17th)
Kentucky: 6th
Kentucky’s Strength Of Schedule: 60th
Kentucky’s Non-Conference Strength Of Schedule: 135th
East Tennessee State: 137th
East Tennessee State’s Strength Of Schedule: 199th
East Tennessee State’s Non-Conference Strength Of Schedule: 27th
Sagarin Ratings (As Of March 16th)
Kentucky: 4th
Kentucky’s Strength Of Schedule: 62nd
East Tennessee State: 152nd
East Tennessee State’s Strength Of Schedule: 205th
Kentucky In The Top 30 In Team Statistics (As Of March 17th)
Points Per Game: 19th (79.2)
Scoring Margin: 8th (+14)
Field Goal Percentage: T-17th (47.9%)
Field Goal Percentage Defense: 6th (38.1%)
Rebound Margin: 6th (+7.9)
Rebounds Per Game: 5th (41.4)
Offensive Rebounds Per Game: T-18th (14.3)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game: T-11th (27.1)
Opponents’ Defensive Rebounds Per Game: T-21st (20.6)
Blocks Per Game: 4th (7.2)
Points Per Possession: T-17th (1.12)
Opponents’ Points Per Possession: T-18th (.92)
East Tennessee State In The Top 30 In Team Statistics (As Of March 17th)
Turnovers Forced Per Game: T-19th (16.7)
Steals Per Game: T-30th (8.3)
Kentucky Players In The Top 50 In Individual Statistics (As Of March 17th)
Field Goal Percentage: Patrick Patterson, 8th (58.4%) DeMarcus Cousins, 29th (54.1%)
Points Per 40 Minutes: DeMarcus Cousins, 11th (26.4)
Rebounds Per Game: DeMarcus Cousins, 20th (10.1)
Offensive Rebounds Per Game: DeMarcus Cousins, 10th (4.2)
Assists Per Game: John Wall, 4th (6.4)
Turnovers Per Game: John Wall, 11th (4)
East Tennessee State Players In The Top 50 In Individual Statistics (As Of March 17th)
Fouls Per Game: Tommy Hubbard, 22nd (3.5)
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