By the numbers: 4 eye-popping figures from Saturday's Elite Eight
UConn's place in the Final Four doesn't come as a massive surprise, but Florida Atlantic booking the other bid Saturday is the latest step in one of the more shocking runs in recent NCAA Tournament history.
The Owls outlasted Kansas State to book the school's first trip to the national semifinal, while the Huskies pounded Gonzaga to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2014
Here are four notable numbers from the opening pair of Elite Eight games.
90: UConn hasn't just piled up wins in this year's NCAA Tournament; they've done so in absolutely dominant fashion. The Huskies pounded all four opponents by a combined total of 90 points, an average margin of 22.5 points per win.
UConn is the fifth team since 2000 to have at least a +90 point differential through four NCAA tournament games, joining 2021 Gonzaga, 2009 UConn, 2009 North Carolina and 2008 North Carolina. (via @ESPNStatsInfo)
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 26, 2023
It's not shocking to see UConn winning by a significant distance, as the Huskies rank second in the country in average scoring margin at 14 points. Despite that pedigree, a 22.5-point margin through four NCAA Tournament games is an incredible run of form for the Big East powerhouse.
28: The Huskies' 28-point victory over Gonzaga represented the second-worst loss by the Bulldogs under Mark Few in his 24 years as head coach.
UConn’s 28-point win tonight is the 2nd-largest margin of victory by a team against Gonzaga under Mark Few (since 1999-00).
— Jared Berson (@JaredBerson) March 26, 2023
It’s the largest margin of victory in an Elite 8 game since 1992.
Gonzaga's inability to score against the Huskies was shocking, as the Bulldogs entered the contest leading the nation with 86.1 points per contest. UConn's swarming defense held the WCC champs to a paltry 22 points in the second half.
800: Plenty of numbers illustrate how incredible FAU's run to the Final Four has been, but the most eye-popping is the .800 winning percentage the Owls sport in the NCAA Tournament. Prior to 2023, FAU had only been to one tournament and lost the opening-round contest. With four straight wins in this year's event, the program's 4-1 record translates to a .800 winning percentage - a number that's the best in NCAA Tournament history.
FAU has the best winning percentage (.800) in the history of the Men's NCAA Tournament. pic.twitter.com/SShZnqe7E4
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 26, 2023
4: Despite the narrow loss to FAU, Markquis Nowell continued to etch his name in the NCAA Tournament record books for Kansas State. The 5-foot-8 star almost single-handedly kept the Wildcats in the contest Saturday with an incredible 30-point, 12-assist performance. That output marked just the fourth time since 1984 that a player posted at least 30 points and 10 assists in an NCAA Tournament game and the first since 1990. That effort came on the heels of Nowell setting the NCAA tourney record with 19 assists in the Sweet 16 win.