Trietley: NCAA Tournament by the numbers

Can’t wait until the NCAA Tournament resumes on Thursday? Here’s a breakdown of the first… Can’t wait until the NCAA Tournament resumes on Thursday? Here’s a breakdown of the first three rounds of the tournament by the numbers.

5 — The number of wins by the 11 at-large mid-major programs in the tournament. The mid-majority’s top four at-large representatives — Wichita State, UNLV, Temple and San Diego State — all suffered upsets in the second round. Overall, only two mid-majors, Xavier and Ohio, remain alive in the Sweet 16.

6 — The number of double-digit victories by No. 1 seeds in the opening weekend of the tournament. Only UNC-Asheville’s scare of Syracuse and Saint Louis’ battle with Michigan State threatened a top seed. This year marks the first time since 2009 that all four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Sweet 16.

3 — Ohio’s finish in the regular-season Mid-American Conference standings. The Bobcats went 11-5 in-conference but beat pesky Buffalo (12-4) and favorite Akron (13-3) to qualify in the conference tournament for the NCAA Tournament. They are the lowest-seeded team left.

25 — The percentage of remaining teams that hail from the state of Ohio. Besides the Bobcats, the Sweet 16 also features Ohio State, Cincinnati and Xavier. An Ohio team hasn’t won the NCAA Tournament since 1962, when Cincinnati won the second of back-to-back titles.

0 — The number of teams alive from the Pac-12, West Coast and Mountain West conferences. The three conferences combined for nine bids, but 2012 wasn’t kind to the championship hopes of the west.

0 — The number of No. 5 seeds alive in the tournament. Wichita State and Temple couldn’t escape tough second-round matchups, while Vanderbilt and New Mexico fell to No. 4 seeds Wisconsin and Louisville, respectively.

0 — The number of players named Rob Loe left in the tournament. The tournament’s announcers were acutely aware of the Saint Louis forward’s name and its similarity to that of actor Rob Lowe, but they held back on “rise and ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’” puns. There was, though, a lot of “Contact” on more than one occasion in the paint against the Spartans.

7.1 million — The estimated economic windfall, in dollars, of the Consol Energy Center hosting second-round and third-round games this weekend. Word is not yet out, though, on whether the Syracuse fans I saw on Atwood Street Friday prefer Antoon’s or Sorrento’s.

60 — Florida’s combined margin of victory in its first two wins. The Gators thumped Virginia 71-45 and then ended the run of darling Norfolk State, 84-50.

4 — The number of games decided by two points or fewer so far. Western Kentucky’s 59-58 comeback win over Mississippi Valley State Tuesday and Creighton’s 58-57 win over Alabama Friday are the two one-point games to date.

2 — The number of wins by No. 15 seeds this year. Norfolk State defeated Missouri and Lehigh trounced Duke. A 15th-seeded program hadn’t won a tournament game since Hampton beat Iowa State in 2001.

128 — The RPI of Norfolk State entering the tournament. The Spartans had one of the lowest RPI ratings among tournament teams, and many believed Missouri should have been a No. 1 seed, which gave Norfolk State’s upset of the Tigers a “No. 16 over a No. 1” feel.

2/1 — The current Las Vegas odds of Kentucky winning the National Championship. North Carolina is second at 5/1. Florida, the sleeper of the tournament, is at 75/1.

503 — The distance in miles from Baylor University to New Orleans, the home of this year’s Final Four. No school alive in the tournament is closer.

4 — The number of Big East teams left in the tournament. Louisville and Marquette remain in the West region, and Syracuse and Cincinnati remain in the East. If all four teams win their Sweet 16 games, the Elite Eight will feature two Big East tournament rematches.

4 — The number of Big Ten teams left, showing the Big East is not the only dominant conference. Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan State are still kicking.

7 — The number of head coaches remaining in the tournament that have not reached the Final Four in their head-coaching careers.

1 — The number of wins by the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats since the tournament tipped off Tuesday. The Bobcats have won seven games all season and are, entering Monday, 28 games back of first-place Chicago. You aren’t missing much by opting for college ball instead.