College Basketball Facts
"Pistol" Pete Maravich holds the NCAA career scoring record with 3,667 points. Incredibly, he set the record in only three seasons. Maravich was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987.
Four teams have gone undefeated and went on to win the national title: San Francisco (1956), North Carolina (1957), Indiana (1976), and UCLA (1964, 67, 72, 73 - which replicated this feat four times).
Eight players that have been national college player of the year went on to win the regular season Most Valuable Player award in the NBA: Bill Russell (San Francisco), Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (UCLA), Bill Walton (UCLA), Larry Bird (Indiana St.), Michael Jordan (North Carolina), David Robinson (Navy), and Shaquille O'Neal (LSU).
UCLA holds claim to the longest winning streak in Division I college basketball history. The Bruins won an amazing 88 games in a row from 1971 to 1974! For the women, the University of Connecticut's Huskies had a 70-game streak that ended in March 2003. UCLA has won the tournament a record 11 times.
The NCAA first introduced the three-point shot to college basketball in 1987, and the move changed the game for good. The three-pointer has become a major weapon in the sport and has altered the way teams attack and defend.
North Carolina head coach Dean Smith retired in 1997 as the winningest coach in college basketball history. He amassed 879 wins in his 36-year career and coached future NBA star Michael Jordan.
Michigan's Glen Rice wields the all-time record for most points scored during an NCAA tournament. He scored 184 points while playing in 6 games during the 1989 tournament.
Arthur Lee of Stanford holds the all-time NCAA tournament record for most free throws without a miss. He made 35 out of 35 while playing in 5 games in the 1998 tourney.
With 97, Elvin Hayes of Houston holds the all-time NCAA tournament record for most rebounds. He accomplished this milestone in a span of 5 games during the 1968 tournament.
At 20 points, North Carolina holds the all-time record for fewest points scored by a team at an NCAA tournament game. The team scored 20 points during the East regional finals Elite Eight match with Pittsburgh in 1941.
With 14, Kentucky holds the all-time team record for most blocked shots ever at an NCAA tournament game. This was accomplished during the South regional semifinals or Sweet Sixteen match against UCLA in 1998.
With 149 points, Loyola Marymount holds the all-time record for most points scored in an NCAA tournament game. The team achieved this during the 1990 West Regional second round game of the tournament.
With 6 players disqualified, Kansas holds the all-time record for most players disqualified in an NCAA tournament game. This occurred during their Midwest Regional first round game in 1975.
With 69 points, Loyola of Chicago holds the all-time record for biggest winning margin ever in an NCAA tournament game. The team won over Tennessee Tech, 111-42, during their Southeast regional first round game in the 1963 tournament.
The first NCAA basketball championship game was held on March 27, 1939 when Oregon defeated Ohio State, 46-33, in Everston, Illinois.
The first televised championship game was the 1946 finals between Oklahoma State and North Carolina. WCBS-TV broadcast the game in New York City and the broadcast drew an estimated 500,000 viewers.
The first repeat champion was Oklahoma State, which won the 1945 and 1946 championships.
The first time two teams from the same state played in the championships game was in 1961 when Cincinnati defeated Ohio State, 70-65, in overtime.
The first time two teams from the same conference appeared in the Final Four was in 1976. Indiana and Michigan, both Big Ten members, faced each other in a game that was won by Indiana, 86-68.
The first team to feature five African-Americans in its starting lineup during a championship was UTEP in 1966. The team chose Harry Flournoy, David Lattin, Bobby Joe Hill, Orsten Artis and Willie Cager to start in the game that UTEP eventually won.
The first player to play for two teams that qualified in the Final Four was Bob Bender. He play for Indiana in 1976 and Duke in 1978.
The first coach to win the NCAA title in his first year as a head coach was Steve Fisher who guided Michigan to victory in 1989.