I was bored, so I went to Wikipedia to check out our Final Four history ...
Our Final Four History:
1959 - Peck Hickman - 23 teams total in the tourney. We didn't get a bye. We beat Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky, and Michigan State to get to the Final Four, hosted in Freedom Hall. We lost to West Virginia (and Jerry West). In the third place game we lost to Cincinnati. So much for home court advantage.
1972 - Denny Crum - 25 teams total. We had a bye, although there were no seeds. We beat SW Louisiana, and then Kansas State to get to the FInal Four, where we lost to eventual champion UCLA. In the 3rd place game, we lost to North Carolina.
1975 - Denny Crum - 32 teams total. No byes. We beat Rutgers, Cincinnati, and Maryland to get to the Final Four. Lost to UCLA by 1 (free throws!! damnit). And the Bruins went on to defeat Kentucky for the title. In the third place game, we won beating Syracuse.
1980 - Denny Crum - 48 teams total. 2 seed in the Mid West Region, therefore a bye. Beat Kansas State in OT, beat Texas A&M in OT, smacked 1 seed LSU hard (who had Louisvillian Rudy Macklin leading their team). Then we beat Iowa and UCLA to win our first title.
1982 - Denny Crum - 48 teams total. 3 seed in the Mid East. Bye ... to play winner of UK and Middle Tennessee State. Joe B Hall decided to throw the first game rather than play us, so we easily dispatched MTSU in our first game, then 2 seed Minnesota, then 4 seed UAB to get to Final Four. We lost to Georgetown 50-46 to end our run. Mercifully, there was no 3rd place game.
1983 - Denny Crum - 52 teams total. 1 seed in the Mid East. Bye, then easily dispatched Tennessee. Then scraped by Arkansas, then destroyed UK in OT to win the region. In Albuquerque, we ran with #1 in the country Houston, and couldn't keep up, losing 81 - 94. NC State went on to upset Phi Slamma Jamma.
1986 - Denny Crum - 64 teams. 2 seed in the West. We cruised by Drexel, Bradley and UNC before facing Auburn and Chuck Person Beat the Tigers by 8. Then onto Dallas and the Final Four. We took out Cinderella LSU, while Duke beat Kansas. Then we beat Coach K to win our second title.
2005 - Rick Pitino - 65 teams. 4 seed in the Albuquerque regional. Get by Louisiana Lafayette by 6, before running Georgia Tech, and 1 seed Washington .. then an epic game against West Virginia where we won in OT. We lost to Illinois, who went on to lose to North Carolina.
2012* - (technically this doesn't count anymore) - Rick Pitino - 68 teams. 4 seed in the West. Get by Davidson by 7. Squeak by New Mexico by 3. Easily handle Michigan State by 13. Solid come back against Florida to win by 4. Lose to Kentucky in Final Four by 8.
2013* - (technically this doesn't count anymore) - Rick Pitino - 68 teams. 1 seed overall and in the Mid West. Crush NC A&T and Colorado State. Beat Oregon by 8, and then crush Duke by 22. Beat Wichita State by 4, and then win the title with a 6 point win over Michigan.
Our Final Four History:
1959 - Peck Hickman - 23 teams total in the tourney. We didn't get a bye. We beat Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky, and Michigan State to get to the Final Four, hosted in Freedom Hall. We lost to West Virginia (and Jerry West). In the third place game we lost to Cincinnati. So much for home court advantage.
1972 - Denny Crum - 25 teams total. We had a bye, although there were no seeds. We beat SW Louisiana, and then Kansas State to get to the FInal Four, where we lost to eventual champion UCLA. In the 3rd place game, we lost to North Carolina.
1975 - Denny Crum - 32 teams total. No byes. We beat Rutgers, Cincinnati, and Maryland to get to the Final Four. Lost to UCLA by 1 (free throws!! damnit). And the Bruins went on to defeat Kentucky for the title. In the third place game, we won beating Syracuse.
1980 - Denny Crum - 48 teams total. 2 seed in the Mid West Region, therefore a bye. Beat Kansas State in OT, beat Texas A&M in OT, smacked 1 seed LSU hard (who had Louisvillian Rudy Macklin leading their team). Then we beat Iowa and UCLA to win our first title.
1982 - Denny Crum - 48 teams total. 3 seed in the Mid East. Bye ... to play winner of UK and Middle Tennessee State. Joe B Hall decided to throw the first game rather than play us, so we easily dispatched MTSU in our first game, then 2 seed Minnesota, then 4 seed UAB to get to Final Four. We lost to Georgetown 50-46 to end our run. Mercifully, there was no 3rd place game.
1983 - Denny Crum - 52 teams total. 1 seed in the Mid East. Bye, then easily dispatched Tennessee. Then scraped by Arkansas, then destroyed UK in OT to win the region. In Albuquerque, we ran with #1 in the country Houston, and couldn't keep up, losing 81 - 94. NC State went on to upset Phi Slamma Jamma.
1986 - Denny Crum - 64 teams. 2 seed in the West. We cruised by Drexel, Bradley and UNC before facing Auburn and Chuck Person Beat the Tigers by 8. Then onto Dallas and the Final Four. We took out Cinderella LSU, while Duke beat Kansas. Then we beat Coach K to win our second title.
2005 - Rick Pitino - 65 teams. 4 seed in the Albuquerque regional. Get by Louisiana Lafayette by 6, before running Georgia Tech, and 1 seed Washington .. then an epic game against West Virginia where we won in OT. We lost to Illinois, who went on to lose to North Carolina.
2012* - (technically this doesn't count anymore) - Rick Pitino - 68 teams. 4 seed in the West. Get by Davidson by 7. Squeak by New Mexico by 3. Easily handle Michigan State by 13. Solid come back against Florida to win by 4. Lose to Kentucky in Final Four by 8.
2013* - (technically this doesn't count anymore) - Rick Pitino - 68 teams. 1 seed overall and in the Mid West. Crush NC A&T and Colorado State. Beat Oregon by 8, and then crush Duke by 22. Beat Wichita State by 4, and then win the title with a 6 point win over Michigan.
