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Most and Fewest Points Scored in an NCAA Tournament Championship Game (School)
Hall of Famer Jerry Tarkanian and His 1990 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels Scored the Most Points in an NCAA Tournament Championship Game
Offense is just not the name of the game in college basketball anymore. These are some low-scoring affairs in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
So, it’s likely that tonight’s Final may produce a team that makes the second list below – lowest scores by a team in the Championship game.
As with a previous post – schools with the lowest scores in any round – this is broken up into two groupings: all-time, and since 1979 for a fairer, modern look. Those old-school teams (literally) didn’t score as much. 1978-79 was the first season when schools were seeded for the Tournament.
That UConn-Butler Championship (53-41) in 2011 produced two of the lowest scores in the modern era. The 41 by Butler even made the all-time list.
Some of the lowest scores were winners (noted by an asterisk).
But first, the highest single-team point totals in NCAA Tournament Finals history.
Would you believe that in the 74 National Finals that have been played (1939-2012), only one team has ever broken 100-points! That would be Jerry “The Shark” Tarkanian‘s UNLV Runnin’ Rebels of 1990.
Tarkanian, by the way, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame today.
Follow @VinGetzMOST POINTS SCORED IN NCAA TOURNAMENT FINALS
| YEAR | SCHOOL | PTS | OPPONENT | PTS | OT | |
| 1. | 1990 | Nevada-Las Vegas (1) | 103 | Duke (3) | 73 | |
| 2. | 1964 | UCLA | 98 | Duke | 83 | |
| 3. | 1978 | Kentucky | 94 | Duke | 88 | |
| 4. | 1954 | La Salle | 92 | Bradley | 76 | |
| 4. | 1969 | UCLA | 92 | Purdue | 72 | |
| 4. | 1975 | UCLA | 92 | Kentucky | 85 | |
| 7. | 1965 | UCLA | 91 | Michigan | 80 | |
| 8. | 1995 | UCLA (1) | 89 | Arkansas (2) | 78 | |
| 8. | 2000 | Michigan State (1) | 89 | Florida (5) | 76 | |
| 8. | 2009 | North Carolina (1) | 89 | Michigan State (2) | 72 |
FEWEST POINTS SCORED IN NCAA TOURNAMENT FINALS (ALL TIME)
| YEAR | SCHOOL | PTS | OPPONENT | PTS | OT | |
| 1. | 1939 | Ohio State | 33 | Oregon | 46 | |
| 2. | 1941 | Washington State | 34 | Wisconsin | 39 | |
| 2. | 1943 | Georgetown | 34 | Wyoming | 46 | |
| 4. | 1949 | Oklahoma State | 36 | Kentucky | 46 | |
| 5. | 1942 | Dartmouth | 38 | Stanford | 53 | |
| 6. | 1941 | Wisconsin* | 39 | Washington State | 34 | |
| 7. | 1946 | North Carolina | 40 | Oklahoma State | 43 | |
| 7. | 1944 | Dartmouth | 40 | Utah | 42 | OT |
| 9. | 2011 | Butler (8) | 41 | Connecticut (3) | 53 | |
| 10. | 1944 | Utah* | 42 | Dartmouth | 40 | OT |
| 10. | 1940 | Kansas | 42 | Indiana | 60 | |
| 10. | 1948 | Baylor | 42 | Kentucky | 58 |
FEWEST POINTS SCORED IN NCAA TOURNAMENT FINALS (SINCE 1979)
| YEAR | SCHOOL | PTS | OPPONENT | PTS | OT | |
| 1. | 2011 | Butler (8) | 41 | Connecticut (3) | 53 | |
| 2. | 1981 | North Carolina (2) | 50 | Indiana (3) | 63 | |
| 3. | 1992 | Michigan (6) | 51 | Duke (1) | 71 | |
| 4. | 2002 | Indiana (5) | 52 | Maryland (1) | 64 | |
| 4. | 1983 | Houston (1) | 52 | North Carolina State (6) | 54 | |
| 6. | 2011 | Connecticut (3)* | 53 | Butler (8) | 41 | |
| 7. | 1980 | UCLA (8) | 54 | Louisville (2) | 59 | |
| 7. | 1983 | North Carolina State (6)* |
54 | Houston (1) | 52 | |
| 9. | 2006 | UCLA (2) | 57 | Florida (3) | 73 | |
| 10. | 2010 | Butler (5) | 59 | Duke (1) | 61 | |
| 10. | 2012 | Kansas (2) | 59 | Kentucky (1) | 67 | |
| 10. | 1980 | Louisville (2) * |
59 | UCLA (8) | 54 |
Thanks to sports-reference.com‘s play index.
Photo: deseretnews.com
NCAA Tournament Championship: All-Time Finals Results (1939-Present)
The Oregon Ducks Beat the Ohio State Buckeyes in the First NCAA Championship (1939)
We’ve been looking at a bunch of NCAA Tournament lists this whole week. Interesting stuff like most and fewest points scored in a game, Ivy League winners (including Harvard this year) and the most dominant schools in tournament history.
How about the basics, though?
Here are the results of every NCAA Championship game in history from the first in 1939 to today. Seven went into overtime.
There’s more. Check out all Sports List of the Day’s NCAA Basketball posts to upgrade your regular and postseason college basketball knowledge.
Follow @VinGetz| YEAR | WINNER | LOSER | OT | ||
| 1939 | Oregon | 46 | Ohio State | 33 | |
| 1940 | Indiana | 60 | Kansas | 42 | |
| 1941 | Wisconsin | 39 | Washington State | 34 | |
| 1942 | Stanford | 53 | Dartmouth | 38 | |
| 1943 | Wyoming | 46 | Georgetown | 34 | |
| 1944 | Utah | 42 | Dartmouth | 40 | OT |
| 1945 | Oklahoma A&M | 49 | NYU | 45 | |
| 1946 | Oklahoma A&M | 43 | North Carolina | 40 | |
| 1947 | Holy Cross | 58 | Oklahoma | 47 | |
| 1948 | Kentucky | 58 | Baylor | 42 | |
| 1949 | Kentucky | 46 | Oklahoma A&M | 36 | |
| 1950 | CCNY | 71 | Bradley | 68 | |
| 1951 | Kentucky | 68 | Kansas State | 58 | |
| 1952 | Kansas | 80 | St. John’s | 63 | |
| 1953 | Indiana | 69 | Kansas | 68 | |
| 1954 | La Salle | 92 | Bradley | 76 | |
| 1955 | San Francisco | 77 | La Salle | 63 | |
| 1956 | San Francisco | 83 | Iowa | 71 | |
| 1957 | North Carolina | 54 | Kansas | 53 | 3OT |
| 1958 | Kentucky | 84 | Seattle | 72 | |
| 1959 | California | 71 | West Virginia | 70 | |
| 1960 | Ohio State | 75 | California | 55 | |
| 1961 | Cincinnati | 70 | Ohio State | 65 | OT |
| 1962 | Cincinnati | 71 | Ohio State | 59 | |
| 1963 | Loyola (Chicago) | 60 | Cincinnati | 58 | OT |
| 1964 | UCLA | 98 | Duke | 83 | |
| 1965 | UCLA | 91 | Michigan | 80 | |
| 1966 | Texas Western | 72 | Kentucky | 65 | |
| 1967 | UCLA | 79 | Dayton | 64 | |
| 1968 | UCLA | 78 | North Carolina | 55 | |
| 1969 | UCLA | 92 | Purdue | 72 | |
| 1970 | UCLA | 80 | Jacksonville | 69 | |
| 1971 | UCLA | 68 | Villanova | 62 | |
| 1972 | UCLA | 81 | Florida State | 76 | |
| 1973 | UCLA | 87 | Memphis State | 66 | |
| 1974 | North Carolina State | 76 | Marquette | 64 | |
| 1975 | UCLA | 92 | Kentucky | 85 | |
| 1976 | Indiana | 86 | Michigan | 68 | |
| 1977 | Marquette | 67 | North Carolina | 59 | |
| 1978 | Kentucky | 94 | Duke | 88 | |
| 1979 | Michigan State | 75 | Indiana State | 64 | |
| 1980 | Louisville | 59 | UCLA | 54 | |
| 1981 | Indiana | 63 | North Carolina | 50 | |
| 1982 | North Carolina | 63 | Georgetown | 62 | |
| 1983 | North Carolina State | 54 | Houston | 52 | |
| 1984 | Georgetown | 84 | Houston | 75 | |
| 1985 | Villanova | 66 | Georgetown | 64 | |
| 1986 | Louisville | 72 | Duke | 69 | |
| 1987 | Indiana | 74 | Syracuse | 73 | |
| 1988 | Kansas | 83 | Oklahoma | 79 | |
| 1989 | Michigan | 80 | Seton Hall | 79 | OT |
| 1990 | UNLV | 103 | Duke | 73 | |
| 1991 | Duke | 72 | Kansas | 65 | |
| 1992 | Duke | 71 | Michigan | 51 | |
| 1993 | North Carolina | 77 | Michigan | 71 | |
| 1994 | Arkansas | 76 | Duke | 72 | |
| 1995 | UCLA | 89 | Arkansas | 78 | |
| 1996 | Kentucky | 76 | Syracuse | 67 | |
| 1997 | Arizona | 84 | Kentucky | 79 | OT |
| 1998 | Kentucky | 78 | Utah | 69 | |
| 1999 | Connecticut | 77 | Duke | 74 | |
| 2000 | Michigan State | 89 | Florida | 76 | |
| 2001 | Duke | 82 | Arizona | 72 | |
| 2002 | Maryland | 64 | Indiana | 52 | |
| 2003 | Syracuse | 81 | Kansas | 78 | |
| 2004 | Connecticut | 82 | Georgia Tech | 73 | |
| 2005 | North Carolina | 75 | Illinois | 70 | |
| 2006 | Florida | 73 | UCLA | 57 | |
| 2007 | Florida | 84 | Ohio State | 75 | |
| 2008 | Kansas | 75 | Memphis | 68 | OT |
| 2009 | North Carolina | 89 | Michigan State | 72 | |
| 2010 | Duke | 61 | Butler | 59 | |
| 2011 | Connecticut | 53 | Butler | 41 | |
| 2012 | Kentucky | 67 | Kansas | 59 |
Thanks to sports-reference.com.
Photo: ajc.com
Top 20 Schools with the Fewest Points Scored in an NCAA Tournament Game (All Time and Since 1979)
The Syracuse Orange Held the Montana Grizzlies to 34 Points, Third-Fewest Points in NCAA Tournament History
Yesterday, Sports List of the Day checked out schools that scored the most points in a single NCAA Tournament game.
It only makes sense to check out the flip side of the coin, but with a bit of a caveat.
These are the schools that scored the fewest number of points in a single NCAA Tournament game, but…
Because the game of basketball – pro and amateur - has changed so much from its early days, from a much slower-paced and lower-scoring contest to a high octane, high-scoring affair, I felt it necessary to divide the rankings into two chronological chunks.
I used 1979 as the dividing year, somewhat arbitrarily, but also that is the first year the NCAA used seeding, so it seemed like a good place. The late 1970s and 1980s were also the decades that ushered in the modern era of big offense.
Montana‘s 34 points against Syracuse in this year’s tournament is the third-lowest total in modern history.
Mississippi Valley State is the not-so proud owner of the modern record for fewest points scored in a tournament game, a ghastly 29 under the thumb of a one-seeded UCLA in 2008.
But the all-time record is worse than both, and it is held by a school of unquestionable basketball pedigree. In 1941, the North Carolina Tar Heels scored 20 points in the East’s Regional Semifinals.
Seventeen of the 20 all-time lowest point totals occurred between 1939 and 1949. Only three from the modern (1979-on) era make that list.
In 2011, Butler posted the lowest score in a modern NCAA Championship, losing to Connecticut, 53-41.
As for the old days, Georgetown, Ohio State and Washington State all lost National Finals behind the meekest of efforts.
Schools noted with an asterisk actually won their game.
Follow @VinGetzSINCE 1979
| SCHOOL | PTS | OPPONENT | PTS | DATE | REGION | ROUND | |
| 1. | Mississippi Valley State (16) | 29 | UCLA (1) | 70 | Mar. 20, 2008 | West | First Round |
| 2. | Wisconsin (5) | 32 | Missouri State (12) | 43 | Mar. 12, 1999 | East | First Round |
| 3. | Montana (13) | 34 | Syracuse (4) | 81 | Mar. 21, 2013 | East | Second Round |
| 4. | Alabama State (16) | 35 | Michigan State (1) | 69 | Mar. 16, 2001 | South | First Round |
| 5. | Southern Methodist (9) | 36 | Georgetown (1) | 37 | Mar. 18, 1984 | West | Second Round |
| 6. | Georgetown (1) * | 37 | Southern Methodist (9) | 36 | Mar. 18, 1984 | West | Second Round |
| 6. | Winthrop (16) | 37 | Duke (1) | 84 | Mar. 14, 2002 | South | First Round |
| 8. | Valparaiso (16) | 38 | Michigan State (1) | 65 | Mar. 16, 2000 | Midwest | First Round |
| 8. | Ohio (14) | 38 | Kansas (3) | 49 | Mar. 14, 1985 | Southeast | First Round |
| 10. | Drexel (13) | 39 | Temple (4) | 61 | Mar. 18, 1994 | East | First Round |
| 11. | Winthrop (13) | 40 | Washington State (4) | 71 | Mar. 20, 2008 | East | First Round |
| 11. | Mississippi (8) | 40 | Temple (9) | 62 | Mar. 14, 1997 | Midwest | First Round |
| 11. | Kentucky (1) | 40 | Georgetown (1) | 53 | Mar. 31, 1984 | National | National Semifinal |
| 11. | Ohio (11) | 40 | Kentucky (3) | 57 | Mar. 19, 1983 | Mideast | Second Round |
| 11. | Fresno State (4) | 40 | Georgetown (1) | 58 | Mar. 18, 1982 | West | Regional Semifinal |
| 16. | Arizona (10) | 41 | Alabama (7) | 50 | Mar. 15, 1985 | West | First Round |
| 16. | North Carolina A&T (12) | 41 | Princeton (12) | 53 | Mar. 15, 1983 | West | Opening Round |
| 16. | Boston College (5) | 41 | Saint Joseph’s (9) | 42 | Mar. 20, 1981 | Mideast | Regional Semifinal |
| 16. | Colorado State (11) | 41 | Murray State (6) | 58 | Mar. 15, 2012 | West | Second Round |
| 16. | Butler (8) | 41 | Connecticut (3) | 53 | Apr. 4, 2011 | National | National Final |
| 16. | Notre Dame (5) | 41 | Washington State (4) | 61 | Mar. 22, 2008 | East | Second Round |
| 16. | Wisconsin (8) | 41 | Michigan State (1) | 53 | Apr. 1, 2000 | National | National Semifinal |
| 16. | Winthrop (16) | 41 | Auburn (1) | 80 | Mar. 11, 1999 | South | First Round |
| 16. | UCLA (4) | 41 | Princeton (13) | 43 | Mar. 14, 1996 | Southeast | First Round |
| 16. | Princeton (13) | 41 | Mississippi State (5) | 63 | Mar. 16, 1996 | Southeast | Second Round |
ALL TIME
| SCHOOL | PTS | OPPONENT | PTS | DATE | REGION | ROUND | |
| 1. | North Carolina | 20 | Pittsburgh | 26 | Mar. 21, 1941 | East | Regional Semifinal |
| 2. | Springfield | 24 | Indiana | 48 | Mar. 20, 1940 | East | Regional Semifinal |
| 3. | Pittsburgh * | 26 | North Carolina | 20 | Mar. 21, 1941 | East | Regional Semifinal |
| 4. | Kentucky | 28 | Dartmouth | 47 | Mar. 21, 1942 | East | Regional Final |
| 5. | Western Kentucky | 29 | Duquesne | 30 | Mar. 20, 1940 | East | Regional Semifinal |
| 5. | Baylor | 29 | Oklahoma State | 44 | Mar. 22, 1946 | West | Regional Semifinal |
| 5. | Mississippi Valley State (16) | 29 | UCLA (1) | 70 | Mar. 20, 2008 | West | First Round |
| 8. | Pittsburgh | 30 | Wisconsin | 36 | Mar. 22, 1941 | East | Regional Final |
| 8. | Duquesne | 30 | Indiana | 39 | Mar. 21, 1940 | East | Regional Final |
| 8. | Brown | 30 | Villanova | 42 | Mar. 17, 1939 | East | Regional Semifinal |
| 8. | Duquesne * | 30 | Western Kentucky | 29 | Mar. 20, 1940 | East | Regional Semifinal |
| 8. | Oregon State | 30 | Oklahoma State | 55 | Mar. 19, 1949 | West | Regional Final |
| 13. | Iowa State | 31 | Utah | 40 | Mar. 25, 1944 | West | Regional Final |
| 14. | Colorado | 32 | Southern California | 38 | Mar. 20, 1940 | West | Regional Semifinal |
| 14. | Wisconsin (5) | 32 | Missouri State (12) | 43 | Mar. 12, 1999 | East | First Round |
| 16. | Ohio State | 33 | Oregon | 46 | Mar. 27, 1939 | National | National Final |
| 17. | Georgetown | 34 | Wyoming | 46 | Mar. 30, 1943 | National | National Final |
| 17. | Illinois | 34 | Penn State | 41 | Mar. 21, 1942 | East | Regional Third Place |
| 17. | Washington State | 34 | Wisconsin | 39 | Mar. 29, 1941 | National | National Final |
| 17. | Montana (13) | 34 | Syracuse (4) | 81 | Mar. 21, 2013 | East | Second Round |
Photo: idahostatesman.com
