College Basketball

NCAA Men's Final Four: By the numbers

Updated Apr. 2, 2022 3:18 p.m. ET

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The Final Four is set, and the action in New Orleans will include an incredible collection of blue bloods.

With such an impressive group of tradition-rich programs, there are plenty of numbers to crunch ahead of Saturday's matchups.

Here are the numbers to know.

GENERAL

Most Final Four appearances, all time (includes this year):

21: North Carolina

18: UCLA*
*Does not include vacated appearances

17: Duke, Kentucky

16: Kansas

This is the first time in NCAA Tournament history that every program in the Final Four has already won at least three national championships — North Carolina, Duke, Kansas and Villanova have 17 between them. Here's how many they've won:

6: North Carolina (most recent: 2017)

5: Duke (most recent: 2015)

3: Kansas (most recent: 2008)

3: Villanova (most recent: 2018)

This Final Four features three of the four winningest programs in men’s Division I history. Here's how they rank:

1. Kansas — 2,355 wins 

2. Kentucky — 2,353 wins

3. North Carolina — 2,322 wins 

4. Duke — 2,246 wins 

THE MATCHUPS

No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 2 Villanova

Matchup: This is the fourth NCAA Tournament matchup between Kansas and Villanova. In each of their previous three NCAA Tournament matchups, the winner has gone on to win the national championship. This is the 10th time they have met overall, with Villanova holding a 5-4 advantage. Both Kansas and Villanova enter this matchup on nine-game winning streaks, tied with each other for the longest active winning streaks in men’s Division I. This is the 77th all-time meeting between a 1-seed and a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament, with 1-seeds holding a 41-35 advantage.

Kansas

The Jayhawks' all-time tournament record is 113-48 (.702), and coach Bill Self is 44-16 (.733). Kansas' all-time record in the national semis is 9-6 (.600).

16.8: Remy Martin is Kansas' leading scorer in the tournament (16.8 PPG).

70: Kansas has held eight of its past nine opponents below 70 points, and is 24-0 this season when allowing fewer than 70 points.

30: With 32 wins this season, Kansas has won at least 30 games for the 16th time in program history. Kansas is now tied with Kentucky for the most 30-win seasons (16) in men’s Division I history.

165: Mitch Lightfoot has played in 165 games for Kansas, the most by any player in program history.

34.2%: Kansas has held its opponents to a 34.2% field goal percentage through four games, the lowest of any team in this tournament.

10: With a win, Kansas would make its 10th appearance in the national championship game. Kansas would become the fifth program to do so, joining UCLA, Kentucky, UNC and Duke.

53: Bill Self is 53-21 (.716) in NCAA Tournament games as a head coach. His 53 wins ties him with Michigan State's Tom Izzo for the third-most by an active head coach.

24.3: Kansas is averaging 24.3 bench points per game in this tournament, more than twice as many as any of the other Final Four teams.

Villanova

The Wildcats have an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 71-38 (.651). Coach Jay Wright is 34-13 (.723). Villanova's all-time record in national semis is 4-2 (.667).

17.5: Jermaine Samuels is Villanova's leading scorer in the tournament (17.5 PPG). Samuels has scored 15 or more points in all four games of this tournament. Villanova is 10-1 this season when Samuels scores at least 15 points.

7: Villanova is making its seventh Final Four appearance, including four under Wright. This is the program's third Final Four appearance in the past six NCAA Tournaments.

20: Villanova has won 20 NCAA Tournament games since 2016, the most of any program.

83%: Villanova is shooting 83.0% (519-for-625) from the free-throw line this season, which would be the highest single-season team free throw percentage in Division I history.

55: Villanova is allowing its opponents to score only 55.0 PPG in this tournament, the lowest average among any team in the Final Four and the lowest among any team that played multiple games in this tournament.

5: With a win, Villanova would make its fifth appearance in the national championship game.

No. 2 Duke vs. No. 8 North Carolina

Matchup: This is the first-ever NCAA Tournament matchup between Duke and North Carolina, but the 258th all-time meeting between the rival programs, with North Carolina holding a 142-115 advantage. This is the 100th overall meeting between Duke and UNC since Mike Krzyzewski became the head coach at Duke in 1980-81. Duke holds a 50-49 advantage in the previous 99 matchups.

Duke

Duke's all-time NCAA Tournament record is 118-38 (.756), and the Blue Devils are 101-30 (.771) under Coach K. Duke's record in national semifinal games is 11-5 (.688).

8-1: Duke is 8-1 in its past nine national semifinal games dating back to 1990, with its only loss coming against UConn in 2004 (79-78).

18.5: Paolo Banchero is Duke's leading scorer in the tournament (18.5 PPG).

17: Duke is making its 17th Final Four appearance and 13th under Krzyzewski. This pushes Coach K past John Wooden (12) for the most Final Four appearances by a head coach in men’s Division I history.

53.8%: Duke leads all teams in this year’s tournament in field goal percentage, at 53.8% through four games.

3-0: Duke is 3-0 all time against ACC opponents in the NCAA Tournament.

15: A.J. Griffin led Duke with 18 points in its Elite Eight win. Duke is 10-0 this season when Griffin scores at least 15 points.

12: With a win, Duke would make its 12th national championship game appearance, including its 10th under Coach K.

33: With a win, Duke would have its highest single-season win total (33) since the Blue Devils won 35 games and their most recent national championship in 2014-15.

North Carolina

North Carolina's all-time NCAA Tournament record is 130-48 (.730), including 4-0 under first-year coach Hubert Davis. The Tar Heels are 11-9 (.550) all time in national semifinal games.

4-1: UNC is 4-1 in its past five national semifinal games, dating back to 2005.

21.5: Brady Manek is North Carolina's leading scorer in the tournament (21.5 PPG).

21: North Carolina is making its 21st Final Four appearance, the most of any program in men’s Division I history. North Carolina is the only program to reach the Final Four in nine consecutive decades (1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s).

29: Armando Bacot recorded his 29th double-double of the season in the Elite Eight, tying Tim Duncan’s ACC single-season record of 29 double-doubles in 1996-97. Bacot is only two double-doubles shy of tying David Robinson’s NCAA single-season record of 31 in 1985-86.

10: Hubert Davis is the 10th head coach in men’s Division I history to reach the Final Four in his first season, and the first do it since North Carolina's Bill Guthridge in 1997-98.

16.5: North Carolina has won its four games in this tournament by an average of 16.5 points, the highest average margin of victory of any team in this tournament.

20: Caleb Love has scored at least 20 points twice in this tournament. North Carolina is 12-0 this season when Love scores 20 or more points.

12: With a win, North Carolina would make its 12th national championship game appearance, tying UCLA and Kentucky for the most all time.

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College Basketball

North Carolina Tar Heels

Duke Blue Devils

Kansas Jayhawks

Villanova Wildcats

CBK - Villanova Wildcats vs. Kansas Jayhawks - 04/02/2022

CBK - North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Duke Blue Devils - 04/03/2022

Remy Martin

Mitch Lightfoot

Jermaine Samuels

Paolo Banchero

AJ Griffin

Brady Manek

Caleb Love

Armando Bacot