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Stat of the Week—The SBTN Guys honor the Number ONE
Week of March 31, 2008
Final Four Edition
(1)
The number of NCAA national championships (1) it takes to make all your childhood dreams come true.
Honorable Mentions
(1)
The regional seed number (1) that you needed to be this year to make the trip to San Antonio. All four teams (UCLA, KU, UNC, and Memphis) this year that are headed to the Final Four were selected #1 in their respective regions. This is the first time in the history of the NCAA tournament that all four #1’s have made it to the Final Four.
(1)
The number of losses (1) that Memphis brings to San Antonio entering the final weekend of the season. It’s only blemish on its 37-1 record was a Feb. 23 loss to Tennessee. Since then they have been untouchable. If the Derrick Rose led Tigers win the whole kit-and-caboodle and cut down the nets next week, should they be considered the best team in NCAA history? Argument…. They are man-handling everyone in their path.
(1)
Number of missed shots (1) that Davidson guard Jason Richards will see in his dreams for the rest of his life. With time running out, silky smooth Stephen Curry could not get off a good look shot versus a determined KU defense, forcing him to pass off to the senior Jason Richards. In all fairness to Richards, it had to be a hurried shot. That missed shot ended what was an incredible tournament run by the kids from North Carolina. Congrats on a great season. Richards, I hope you don’t have nightmares. Instead, look at your conference championship ring and think about how you spanked everyone in the Southern conference by going 20-0 and how you led the nation in assists this year.
(1)
The number of Final Four appearances (1) Bill Self will have made in his coaching career after next weekend. The Kansas coach finally got the monkey off his back after going 0-4 in regional finals games. More important to KU fans in Lawrence is that the team is heading back to the Final four for the first time since 2003.
(1)
UCLA’s ranking on the all-time list (#1) for most Final Four appearances by a team. The Westwood team will be making its 18th trip to the Final Four and third straight. Much “Love” to them. Question: Can the Bruins get back next year after freshman sensation Kevin Love declares for the NBA????
(1)
The number of reasons (1) why North Carolina has a shot at the national title… All-American and ESPN.com player of the year S. For the Tarheel faithful, I hope he doesn’t have an off night. ONE loss and you’re done.
Visit the Sports by the Numbers MLBlog to see the Stat of the Week for Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees.
Stat of the Week
Week of March 24, 2008
(120)
The number of seconds (12.0) left on the clock with #15-seed Belmont holding a 70-69 lead over the #2-seed Duke Blue Devils during the first round of the NCAA Tournament—but after a driving basket by Gerald Henderson with 11.9 seconds left on the clock, Duke held on for a 71-70 victory. Belmont has never won a game in the NCAA Tournament, but the victory was number 69 in the tournament for Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who later said, "Watching them [Belmont] on tape they looked good—watching them in person, they were even better."
Honorable Mentions
(4)
The number of "upsets" (4) on Friday that took place at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida. It is the first time in NCAA Tournament history that four lower seeds won on the same day, at the same site: #12-seed Villanova rallied from 18 points down to top #5-seed Clemson 75-69, #13-seed Siena beat #4-seed Vanderbilt 83-62, #13-seed San Diego beat #4-seed Connecticut 70-69 in overtime, and #12-seed Western Kentucky beat #5-seed Drake 101-99 on a desperation three-point heave at the buzzer in overtime. The guy who made that shot, Ty Rogers, said, "It kind of worked out good."
(6)
The number of times (6) during NCAA Tournament history that a #12- and #13-seed have advanced to meet each other during the second round of play. Siena and Villanova will meet on Sunday in the sixth such match-up. The Saints beat #4-seed Vanderbilt 83-62 and the Wildcats got past #5-seed Clemson 75-69 in the first round of play—but the team celebrating these upsets the most is #1-seed Kansas, because their path to the elite eight just got a heck of a lot easier.
(60)
Yes, it is hard to talk about hockey when March Madness is in full swing and Opening Day for MLB is so close—but Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin became the first NHL player in 12 years to score (60) goals in a season when he put two in the net against Atlanta this past Friday. The last players to hit that mark were Mario Lemieux and Jaromier Jagr, but Ovechkin insists making the playoffs is more important than individual performances. "I just do my job," he said. "I don't think about personal goals." He'll probably take that same approach when negotiating his next contract, too.
(380)
The number of career games (380) it took LeBron James to become the leading scorer in Cleveland Cavaliers franchise history. James surpassed Brad Daugherty after pouring in 29 points in a win against the Toronto Raptors on Friday. Daugherty took 548 games to score 10,389 points—but in less than five full seasons James has surpassed 10,400 career points. Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said, "The crazy thing about it is that he is only 23 years old."
(800)
The three-point shooting percentage (.800) for Stephen Curry during Davidson's 82-76 victory over Gonzaga during the first round of the Midwest Region. His dad is Dell Curry, the former NBA star who was known to knock down a few treys from time to time. Curry was 8 for 10 outside the arc and scored 30 of his game high 40 points in the second half to rally the Wildcats into the second round. Davidson coach Bob McKillop compared Curry's night to "a star performance on Broadway." Seeing as Curry's dad ranks among the top 20 in NBA history for career three-pointers, seems like there might have been a better comparison to be made there—but okay, that works too.
Visit the Sports by the Numbers MLBlog to see the Stat of the Week for Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees.
Stat of the Week
Week of March 17, 2008
(26)
The number of points (26) Tyler Hansbrough scored for North Carolina during the Tar Heels 68-66 victory over Virginia in the ACC tournament semi-finals. The junior forward also scrambled for a loose ball and hit the game-winning basket with just 0.8 seconds left on the clock, after the Tar Heels had trailed for most of the game. Teammate Marcus Ginyard said about Hansbrough, "From the first day I saw him play I could tell that you've got to get used to expecting stuff like that out of Tyler—it's amazing, really, to play with somebody that fights so hard and wants to win so bad."
Honorable Mentions
(1)
The number of shots (1) made by Arkansas senior forward Steven Hill during the Razorbacks stunning 92-91 upset of the Tennessee Volunteers during the SEC tournament semi-finals. Hill made only two attempts and played just ten minutes in the game, but he nailed a game-winning turnaround jumper with 5.3 seconds left in regulation. Hill, who put his team in the SEC title game and locked up an invite to the NCAA tourney, later said, "I obviously did not expect to take that shot—or any shot that late in the game. They gave it to me and time was running out, so I kind of threw it up there and put it in."
(3)
The number of overtimes (3) it took for Boise State to beat New Mexico State in the WAC tournament title game. Reggie Larry, who led the Broncos with 31 points in the 107-102 thriller, earned MVP honors for the tournament. The win gives Boise State an invite to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 14 years.
(10)
The number of years (10) since Clemson last made the NCAA Tourney—but it had been even longer since the Tigers beat Duke, a feat last accomplished by the school in 1997. Clemson upset the seventh-ranked Blue Devils on Saturday 78-74 in the ACC tournament semi-finals, a victory that sent the club to their first conference tournament title game in 46 years. Cliff Hammonds, a senior guard for Clemson, said, "We're trying to prove we can play with anybody in the country—we can beat anybody in the country." Clemson will get their chance, as they are headed to the big dance.
(20)
The number of games (20) the Coppin St. Eagles have lost this season—but despite a 16-20 record, they are going to the NCAA tournament after a last second 62-60 victory over top-seeded Morgan State in the Mid-Eastern Conference tournament title game. Tywain McKee scored the winning basket with two seconds left on the clock, the last of his team high 33 points. The Eagles began the season 4-19, but have now won 12 out of their last 13 games.
(500)
The free throw percentage (.500) for Pittsburgh during their 74-65 victory over Georgetown in the Big East Tournament championship game. Pitt made only half of their attempts, but they went to the line 44 times, compared to only nine times for the top-seeded Hoyas. Georgetown made more field goals (25-23) and more treys (8-6) than Pitt, but also committed more fouls (28-12). Sam Young scored 16 points for Pitt and was named tournament MVP.
Visit the Sports by the Numbers MLBlog to see the Stat of the Week for Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees.
Stat of the Week
Week of March 10, 2008
(4)
The jersey number (4) for future Hall of Fame legend Brett Favre. "It's been a great career for me, but it's over," Favre said last week. "As hard as that is for me to say, it's over."
Career Highlights for Brett Favre
- NFL record 275 consecutive starts (including playoffs)
- NFL record 160 career victories
- NFL record 442 touchdown passes
- NFL record 5,377 pass completions
- NFL record 8,758 pass attempts
- NFL record 61,655 passing yards
- Three-time Associated Press Most Valuable Player Award recipient (1995-97)
- Two-time Conference champion
- Super Bowl XXXI champion
Honorable Mentions
(17)
The number of consecutive victories (17) for the Houston Rockets after a 113-98 road victory against the Dallas Mavericks last Thursday. It is the seventh longest streak in NBA history, and the last five have come after the club lost star-center Yao Ming to a season-ending injury.
(50)
The number of points (50) LeBron James scored on the road against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden last Wednesday. James was 16 of 30 from the field and made seven treys, and he also picked up ten assists and eight rebounds during the Cavs 119-105 victory. He was so good, the Knicks home-crowd gave him a standing "O" and began to chant "MVP"—James later said, "To get a standing ovation in the greatest basketball arena in the world, it was a dream come true."
(64)
Jeff Gordon won the pole position for Sunday's running of the Kobalt Tools 500—he has now run from the pole position (64) times in his career. "This is a tough place to sit on the pole," he said, speaking of the 1.54-mile oval at Atlanta Motor Speedway. "It's hard to get around here quick." Sure, that explains his qualifying speed of 185.251 mph.
(100)
The number of points (100) NASCAR stripped from Carl Edwards after it was discovered the driver's win at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway was "helped" by an unsecured oil tank lid. Serious stuff? You bet—in addition to the 100 driver points, 100 team owner points were stripped, the team was fined $100,000, and if Edwards makes the season-ending Chase he will lose the ten bonus points from the victory.
(362)
Andruw Jones signed a two-year (36.2) million dollar contract to play for Joe Torre and the Los Angeles Dodgers this season. The additions of Torre, Jones, and high-priced Japanese starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda have raised expectations around L.A., prompting owner Frank McCourt on Tuesday to say, "It's time to win." Jones went deep for the first time this spring on Friday.
Stat of the Week
Week of March 3, 2008
(800)
The number of career victories (800) for Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski. Duke rallied late in the second half, closing out the game with a 14-5 run for an 87-86 win on the road at North Carolina State on Saturday. Krzyzewski, who is now 800-264 in his career, became just the sixth coach from men's Division I basketball to achieve the milestone.
Honorable Mentions
(1)
The number of games (1) it took Tennessee to lose after being ranked as the number one team in the nation. Vanderbilt, led by 32 points from Shan Foster, upset the Volunteers 72-69 last Tuesday, just one day after the polls came out putting Tennessee in the top spot. Chris Lofton, a senior guard for Tennessee, said, "I want to be ranked number one at the end of the year."
(5)
The number of three-point shots (5) the Duke Blue Devils made during the final eight minutes of regulation against North Carolina State on Saturday. Greg Paulus hit a pair of three-point shots in that span to get his team close—and then team captain DeMarcus Nelson hit a pair of free throws with 1:01 left on the clock as Duke rallied to win after trailing late by a 13-point margin. Nelson said, "N.C. State really outplayed us the whole game—except for the last eight minutes."
(44)
The number of points (44) Texas Tech lost by against Texas A&M on Wednesday, 27 February. The final was 98-54 and the worst defeat in school history, and yet somehow, the Red Raiders managed to win on Saturday, just three days later, 83-80 against number five-ranked Texas.
(333)
The winning percentage (.333) for the Phoenix Suns during Shaquille O'Neal's first six games with the club. The Suns posted a 2-4 record, prompting head coach Mike D'Antoni to say, "It's probably an understatement if I say we're struggling."
(789)
The winning percentage (.789) after 57 games for the Boston Celtics. The club owns the best record in the league at 45-12 after winning four in a row and seven out of their last ten games. Miami owns the worst record in the league at 11-45, but after losing 11 straight the Heat closed out February by winning two out of three games.
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