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NCAA Tournament Facts 2022

by Devon Rymarchuk - 3/15/2022

NCAA Tournament facts Foster Loyer Davidson Wildcats

Selection Sunday is complete for the 2022 NCAA tournament, and fans and betting enthusiasts alike have until Wednesday March 16 to research the trends, stats and fun facts for one of the most exciting sporting events in North America. Dating back to 1939, March Madness has become one of America’s marquee sporting events, mainly because of the unpredictability, non-stop action and the pride associated with playing for your university. The emotion demonstrated throughout March and April is very hard to duplicate in any sporting event.

This may be just my opinion, but I believe March Madness Is so special because so many people in America have a connection to a particular school. Unlike professional sports, these institutions have had millions of students come through and graduate, making them a fan for life. These student athletes do not just play for their programs but are also representing all the students and staff past and present.

From a sports betting perspective, you can watch non-stop college basketball action at the highest level for three weeks straight. Before the opening tip-off, let’s look at some March Madness Facts that may help you pick some winners and give you bragging rights while watching the games with friends and family.

Doc’s Sports offers college basketball expert picks for every game on our NCAA basketball predictions page.

Facts

When you are taking extra breaks and sick days at work, attempting to pick that perfect bracket, remember a No. 16 seed has only ever beat a No. 1 seed one time, which happened in 2018 when Virginia got upset by UMBC. No. 16 seeds are 1-143 all-time, and there have only been 15 of those games decided by 10 points or less.

The lowest seed ever to win the tournament was No. 8 ranked Villanova. The Wildcats took home the coveted net in 1985. The very next year, 11th seeded LSU became the lowest seed to crack the Final Four. That feat was repeated by George Mason in 2006 and VCU in 2011. In its 83-year-old history, only one time has the tournament ever seen all four No. 1 seeds advance to the Final Four, and this feat happened in 2008. Over its 83-year-old history, 35 different teams have won the title.

The UCLA Bruins have won the most championships in tournament history with 11, and they are the No. 4 seed in the East bracket in 2022, making it their 48th appearance to the Big Dance. UCLA’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been named the Most Outstanding Player of the "Final Four" a record three times (1967-69). Only twice has the same conference produced three No. 1 seeds, most recently in 2019 represented by the ACC (Virginia, Duke, and North Carolina). The only other time was in 2009 by the Big East (Louisville, Connecticut and Pittsburgh). The NCAA tournament selection committee has been announcing the overall No. 1 seed since 2004. Gonzaga earned that distinction for the second straight year, the first time that's been done.

Let’s talk money

Unproductivity? The NCAA Tournament is estimated to create about $1.9 billion revenue loss in hourly corporate jobs due to productivity being shifted from work to March Madness. COVID-19 has caused the NCAA championship team to lose $650 million in revenue in 2020.

The economic impact this year is expected to outperform any previous tournament. With the world getting back to normal, many fans have been unable to attend games for over two years. An amount of $200 million is the projected impact for Final Four host New Orleans from March Madness 2022. During the tournament, it is estimated that $10.4 billion will be wagered on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Over $1 billion in revenue will be generated towards the NCAA from the tournament, representing 90% of its annual revenue as an association.

One of the most lucrative contracts connected with the tournament is the one for the broadcast rights. In 2010, the NCAA signed a 14-year, $10.8 billion contract with CBS Sports and Turner Broadcasting, paid over the term. The deal was extended in April 2016 for an additional $8.8 billion that will keep the tournament on the networks until 2032. This year, 68 teams got an invitation to play in the tournament. Each of those team’s conferences will get a piece of a pot of money known as the basketball fund. The fund was nearly $170 million in 2019, equating to about 20% of the TV ad money received by the NCAA. In many states, a college coach is paid the highest salary of any public employee. In Kentucky, the top earner is John Calipari, who coaches the University of Kentucky’s basketball program. Calipari is making $7.99 million in total pay for the current season.

An estimated 47 million people placed bets on the event. Even Warren Buffet gets in on the fun and has historically offered massive rewards – upwards of $1 billion – to anyone who can fill out a perfect bracket.

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