Numerical Nonsense

5 … Panthers in double figures in each of the first two games of the NCAA… 5 … Panthers in double figures in each of the first two games of the NCAA Tournament for the Pitt men’s basketball team. Pitt (29-7) used the balance offense to get past Wright State and Virginia Commonwealth and this weekend’s Sweet 16.

27 … wins in a row for Middle Tennessee State women’s basketball team, the latest an 85-46 conquest of 12th-seeded Gonzaga. The Blue Raiders (30-3) will get 13th-seeded Marist in the next round.

89 … wins for current UCLA coach Ben Howland as the head man for the Bruins. He is currently in his fourth year as UCLA’s head coach.

89 … wins Howland amassed in his four seasons with Pitt. If Howland is to get his 90th win, he’ll have to do it against his former team when the Panthers and Bruins hook up in the Sweet 16 Thursday.

2 … double-digit seeds to win their first-round games in the NCAA Tournament over the weekend. Only a pair of 11 seeds – Winthrop and Virginia Commonwealth – upstaged the big boys on the weekend. The only other upsets in the first round were three No. 9 seeds beating No. 8 seeds.

2,424 … miles that 11th-seeded Stanford had to travel for its first round game in the NCAA Tournament Thursday. The Cardinals were dismantled by No. 6 seed Louisville in Lexington, Ky., at what amounted to 9:30 a.m. Pacific Time for Stanford’s players.