Road to the Final Four: March Madness by the Numbers

If you aren’t excited for the Final Four, we can’t be friends. Simple as that. I disowned my daughter the other day when she changed the channel to Liv and Maddie during the Kansas-Oregon game.

Bye, Felicia.

The intensity of these kids trying to make a name for themselves, put their school on the map, overcome history and make history makes these March Madness battles the most compelling thing on TV.

And if you’re like me, this calm before the storm leaves you salivating for more. This weekend we’ve got the final four teams still standing. You can try and predict all you want but the reality is it’s anyone’s tournament right now. And that’s what makes March Madness great.

To help get us through the week, let’s take a look back at March Madness by the numbers that have defined the tournament so far.

March Madness by the Numbers

14

There have been exactly 14 days of March Madness action since the first game tipped off between Princeton and Notre Dame. It’s hard to believe so much action has been packed into two weeks, but let’s face it: the weekend can’t get here soon enough.

20

Just the number of times UNC has paid a visit to the Final Four.

One  :/

The number of times Gonzaga, SC, and Oregon have been to the Final Four. (Oregon, in 1939, for those wondering.)

60

After UNC nailed the coffin shut on Kentucky in an incredible heavyweight bout, 14.89 million viewers stayed to watch 60 Minutes. Tick, tick, tick.

2,150,573,838

That ten-gallon number up there represents the odds you’ll pick a perfect bracket from start to finish.

Somehow this doesn’t make me feel better about my bracket.

13

13 is the # of upsets (not including 8 or 9 seeds) so far in the tournament. These are the lucky (or depending on which way you root, very unlucky) thirteen. The only Cinderella story still going is South Carolina.

65.4%

Tyler Dorsey’s shooting percentage from 3-point range. 

And here’s some good numbers, compliments of Bovada …

+180 - Odds of Gonzaga winning it all

+140 – Odds UNC winning it all

+550 – Odds of Oregon winning it all

+750 – Odd South Carolina winning it all

4

The only number really matters at this point. Four teams enter; two teams leave. We’re in the ThunderDome.

It’s go time.

If you can’t take March Madness by the numbers any more and need to get to Vegas and watch the games live, check out our review of the top 5 places to watch March Madness and review of Las Vegas sports books so you can live it up for the Final Four, Vegas-style.

By Chris Sharp, Certified 12-Time Veteran of Las Vegas March Madness and Sports Wagering