Kentucky's History as a No. 3 Seed in the NCAA Tournament
Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats will enter the NCAA Tournament as a 3 seed in the Midwest Regional (Indianapolis) and begin March Madness with a round-of-64 matchup against 14 seed Troy on Friday night in Milwaukee. The Trojans went 13-5 in regular season games in the Sun Belt Conference this season, and won that league’s conference tournament as the 3 seed.
Since the men’s NCAA Tournament expanded its field size in 1985, UK has been a 3 seed on three other occasions. Here’s a look at how UK fared in each of its previous NCAA tournaments as a 3 seed. Kentucky men’s basketball will begin NCAA Tournament play later this week.
Previous Appearances as a 3 Seed
The Wildcats were given a 3 seed in three previous NCAA tournaments - 1994, 1999 and 2024 - since the event expanded in 1985.
1994 NCAA Tournament
In 1994, Rick Pitino’s Wildcats got off to an 11-1 start and later romped to the SEC Tournament title. UK won each of its conference tournament games that year by at least 12 points. Guided by leading scorers Tony Delk (16.6 points) and Rodrick Rhodes (14.6), Kentucky made it to the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. UK knocked off Tennessee State by 13 points in its first-round game, but the Cats lost by 12 points in the round of 32 to 6 seed Marquette.
Kentucky led the nation in the 1993-94 season in 3-pointers made (301, tied with Arkansas for the most) and attempted (857).
Read also: Northern Kentucky Basketball
1999 NCAA Tournament
In 1999, Tubby Smith’s second season as the UK coach was full of success. The Cats spent 16 of the season’s 18 editions of the AP poll ranked in the top 10. Scott Padgett (12.6 points) and Heshimu Evans (11.8) were Kentucky’s leading scorers. UK also won the SEC Tournament this year, with a trio of double-digit wins against Ole Miss, Auburn and Arkansas to win the conference showcase in Atlanta.
In that March Madness, UK reached the Elite Eight: UK knocked off New Mexico State, Kansas (in overtime) and Miami (Ohio) before falling to a Michigan State team led by Morris Peterson and Mateen Cleaves in the Midwest Region finals.
2024 NCAA Tournament
In 2024, John Calipari’s final Kentucky team also was a 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This Kentucky team featured three players - Reed Sheppard, Rob Dillingham and Antonio Reeves - that were selected in last summer’s NBA draft, with Reeves (20.2 points) and Dillingham (15.2) leading the way in the scoring column. Sheppard, of course, was the highest draft pick of the three, being selected No. 3 overall.
But despite plenty of high-scoring success in the regular season, Kentucky stumbled badly in postseason play. The Cats went one-and-done in both the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, with Calipari’s coaching tenure in Lexington coming to an end after UK suffered an upset loss to 14 seed Oakland in the round of 64 in Pittsburgh. Last year, Kentucky lost as a 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament to 14 seed Oakland in the first round.
Historical Performance of No. 3 Seeds in the NCAA Tournament
Since the NCAA Tournament expanded in 1985, 3 seeds have gone a combined 287-152 (65.4%) in tournament games and have won the national championship on four occasions. Those were Michigan (1989), Syracuse (2003), Florida (2006) and UConn (2011). All-time in round-of-64 games, 3 seeds have a 133-23 (85.3%) record against 14 seeds.
Read also: Pope's NCAA Tournament Goals
The last 14 seed to upset a 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament was Oakland versus UK last year. Oakland was the only 14 seed to defeat a 3 seed in last year’s March Madness. Only two 14 seeds have upset 3 seeds since 2016.
In addition to Oakland’s stunner over UK last year, the other 14 seed over 3 seed in recent times was Abilene Christian over Texas in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
14 vs 3 Seed Upsets in NCAA Tournament History
Twenty-three No. 14 seeds have shocked a No. 3 in men's NCAA tournament play, with Oakland becoming the most recent surprise in the 2024 tournament, when the Golden Grizzlies stunned Kentucky, 80-76. Twenty-three No. 14 seeds have upset 3 seeds since 1985, giving them a 23-137 record all-time.
Here's a list of 14 seeds that defeated 3 seeds in the NCAA Tournament:
- Oakland def. Kentucky
- Abilene Christian def. Texas
- Stephen F. Austin def. West Virginia
- Georgia State def. Baylor
- UAB def. Iowa State
- Mercer def. Duke
- Harvard def. New Mexico
- Ohio def. Michigan
- Northwestern State def. Iowa
- Bucknell def. Kansas
- Weber State def. North Carolina
- Richmond def. South Carolina
- Chattanooga def. Illinois
- Weber State def. Michigan State
- Old Dominion def. Villanova
- ETSU def. Arizona
- Xavier def. Mississippi Valley State
- Northern Iowa def. Texas Tech
- Siena def. Stanford
- Murray State def. Marquette
- Austin Peay def. Purdue
- Arkansas Little-Rock def. Notre Dame
- Cleveland State def. Indiana
In 20 of the 40 tournaments since the field expanded to 64 teams, at least one No. 14 seed has triumphed over a No. 3. No. 14 seeds are 12-9 in matches decided by three points or fewer. Only one 14-3 upset has gone to overtime. No school that's earned a 3 seed has lost to a 14 seed more than once. On the flip side, Weber State has won two opening round games as a 14 seed: 1995 vs. Michigan State and 1999 vs. North Carolina. A 14-3 upset is two times more likely than a 15-2 upset.
Read also: Comprehensive Guide to the UK Bursar
Other Notable Upsets
- Princeton def. Baylor
- Saint Peter's def. Kentucky
- Oral Roberts def. Ohio State
- Middle Tennessee def. Michigan State
- Florida Gulf Coast def. Georgetown
- Norfolk State def. Missouri
- Lehigh def. Duke
- Hampton def. Iowa State
- Coppin State def. South Carolina
- Santa Clara def. Arizona
- Richmond def. Syracuse
Teams on the 13 seed line have 33 wins in the opening round, meaning it's happened 10 more times than the 14-over-3 variety.
- Yale def. Baylor
- Furman def. Virginia
- Ohio def. Virginia
- North Texas def. Purdue
- UC Irvine def. Louisville
- Marshall def. Wichita State
- Buffalo def. Arizona
- Hawaii def. Xavier
- La Salle def. Kansas State
- Ohio def. Georgetown
- Morehead State def. Louisville
- Murray State def. Vanderbilt
- Cleveland State def. Wake Forest
- San Diego def. UConn
- Siena def. Vanderbilt
- Bradley def. Kansas
- Vermont def. Syracuse
- Tulsa def. UCLA
- UNC Wilmington def. USC
- Kent State def. Oklahoma State
- Indiana State def. Oklahoma
- Valparaiso def. Ole Miss
- Princeton def. UCLA
- Manhattan def. Florida
- Southern def. Georgia Tech
- Southwestern Louisiana def. Tennessee
- Penn State def. BYU
- Middle Tennessee def. Kentucky
- Richmond def. Georgia Tech
- Xavier def. Vanderbilt
- Missouri State def. Wisconsin
- Navy def. Syracuse
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