7 Furious Facts about the Final Four
The Final Four hits Indianapolis on Saturday night and the runaway favorite is Kentucky, which sports a perfect 38-0 record.
"I don't know if someone has to play a perfect game," head coach John Calipari told reporters. "My team knows that every team that's left playing can beat us, we know that. Somebody talked about perfection. We're not perfect; we're undefeated. I mean, we should have lost five or six games. I mean, easily could have lost those games. And we were lucky enough to win, stay undefeated. We're not perfect."
Wisconsin is the first team in Kentucky's path, while Duke and Michigan State will meet in the early game to decide who earns the other spot in Monday's national title game.
Here are seven furious facts to know in advance of the Final Four.
Tom Izzo is 3-5 in the tournament's final weekend
Izzo's teams are more likely to advance to the Final Four than get eliminated in the tournament's first weekend. A wizard in the month of March, he holds a 46-16 all-time record in the tournament. But it's been a different story come the Final Four. Outside of a 2000 title run as a No. 1 seed, Izzo is 1-5 on the tournament's final weekend.
Mike Krzyzewski is 8-1 all-time against Tom Izzo
While Izzo's lone victory over Krzyzewski did come in the tournament, the Duke head coach won the lone meeting in the Final Four - an 68-62 triumph in 1999. Also among Krzyzewski's victories in the series is an 81-71 win from early this season - a victory that occurred in Indianapolis, no less.
Duke thrives as a No. 1 seed
In three of the program's four championship seasons, Duke has gone through the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed. In fact, the Blue Devils have never lost as a No. 1 seed when facing a team seeded sixth or worse, holding a 33-0 record in such games. No team has a better record in that situation.
It's been 39 years since a team completed an undefeated title run
The 1976 Indiana Hoosiers are the last team to win a national championship with an undefeated record. Kentucky is two wins away from accomplishing the feat. One more win for the Wildcats would also give them the NCAA Division I record for most wins in a season with 39.
Wisconsin's offense is best of the KenPom era (since 2002)
Among teams that have played at least two games in this year's NCAA tournament, Wisconsin's 80.5 points per game are more than any other team. And it's accomplished that feat with incredible efficiency. The Badgers' offensive rating on KenPom.com (points per 100 possessions, adjusted for opponent) is 127.5. Since the start of the 2002 season, no team has accumulated a rating better than 124.1.
John Calipari is 22-3 in the NCAA tournament with Kentucky
While his rosters often get most of the attention, Coach Calipari has a 479-139 overall record as a collegiate head coach, good for the most wins ever by a college basketball coach through 17 seasons. He's made it to the Final Four in four of the past five seasons.
Wisconsin went 10-0 in the month of March
While Kentucky's winning streak stretches all the way back to the start of the season, it's been a long time since Wisconsin has dropped a game as well. The Badgers have won 10 in a row, with their last loss coming way back on Feb. 24.