Here are some Tournament Challenge takeaways as we head into Saturday’s Final Four games: *Unless noted otherwise, all seed-vs-seed facts are since 1985. • 550 entries (of 17,304,320) predicted Loyola-Chicago, Michigan, Villanova and Kansas would be in the Final Four. No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 11 Loyola-Chicago • Just 0.1 percent of entries (9,760 of 17,304320) correctly predicted that No. 3 Michigan and No. 11 Loyola-Chicago would face each other in the Final Four. Of those brackets, 63.9 percent (6,240) picked Michigan to win the matchup and advance to the final. • Overall, 0.2 percent of entries (34,637 of 17,304,320) have No. 11 Loyola-Chicago making it to the title game. 0.1 percent (17,556) picked them to win the championship. • Overall, 8.1 percent of entries have No. 3 Michigan making it to the championship game. 3.8 percent have them winning it all. • No. 3 seeds are 30-15 vs. No. 11 seeds (66.7 percent), but they are just 9-7 since 2010. Six of the past eight meetings have been decided by single digits (11-seeds won the other two by 23 and 25 points). No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 1 Kansas • 18.5 percent of entries (3,200,717 of 17,304,320) correctly predicted that No. 1 Villanova and No. 1 Kansas would face each other in the Final Four. Of those brackets, 61 percent (1,950,970) picked Villanova to win the matchup and advance to the final. • Overall, 31.7 percent of entries have No. 1 Villanova making it to the championship game, and 16.3 percent picked them to win it all. • Overall, 14.7 percent of entries have No. 1 Kansas making it to the title game. 7.9 percent picked them to win the championship. • North Carolina defeated Gonzaga in the national title game, 71-65, in the only meeting between No. 1 seeds last year.
Looking ahead to the potential matchups for Monday’s championship game:No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 11 Loyola-Chicago • 0.02 percent of entries (3,379 of 17,304,320) predicted that No. 1 Villanova and No. 11 Loyola-Chicago would face each other in the title game. Interestingly, of those brackets, 55.1 percent actually picked Loyola-Chicago to upset Villanova and win the championship. No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 3 Michigan • 2.4 percent of entries (409,682 of 17,304,320) predicted that No. 1 Villanova and No. 3 Michigan would face each other in the championship game. Of those brackets, 61.5 percent picked Villanova to beat Michigan and win the title. No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 11 Loyola-Chicago • 0.01 percent of entries (2,122 of 17,304,320) predicted that No. 1 Kansas and No. 11 Loyola-Chicago would face each other in the championship game. Interestingly, of those brackets, 52.6 percent picked Loyola-Chicago to upset Kansas to take home the title. No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 3 Michigan • 1.2 percent of entries (204,448 of 17,304,320) predicted that No. 1 Kansas and No. 3 Michigan would face each other in the title game. Of those brackets, 55.6 percent picked Kansas to beat Michigan to win the championship.
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