College Basketball

2022 NCAA Tournament By The Numbers: Sweet 16, Day 1

Updated Mar. 23, 2022 8:50 a.m. ET

The 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is pushing forward into its second week, beginning with the Sweet 16 on Thursday.

Here are the numbers to know ahead of Thursday's matchups.

MILESTONES/STREAKS

7: This is Gonzaga's seventh consecutive Sweet 16 appearance, the longest active streak in men's college basketball. Michigan has the second-longest active streak with five consecutive Sweet 16 appearances.

4: The ACC has now had multiple teams reach the Sweet 16 in four consecutive tournaments, which is the longest active streak for a conference.

2: This is the second straight NCAA Tournament in which four double-digit seeds have reached the Sweet 16. This is the first time that this has happened in consecutive seasons.

11: With both Iowa State and Michigan reaching the Sweet 16 as 11-seeds, an 11-seed has now reached the Sweet 16 in seven of the past eight tournaments.

MATCHUPS

No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 4 Arkansas (West Region)

Matchup: This is the first NCAA Tournament matchup between Gonzaga and Arkansas, and only the second time they have ever faced each other.

7: Gonzaga’s seven consecutive Sweet 16 appearances are tied with Duke (1986-1992) for the third-longest streak of all time.

57: Gonzaga forward Drew Timme has scored the most points of any player in the 2022 tournament, with 57 points after the first two rounds (28.5 PPG).

1: Gonzaga leads the nation in both scoring (87.8 PPG) and field-goal percentage (52.6%) this season.

2: With a win, Arkansas would reach the Elite Eight in back-to-back seasons for the first time since it reached the championship game in 1994 and 1995.

8: JD Notae tied an Arkansas school record with eight steals in the Razorbacks’ Round of 32 win against New Mexico State. It was the most steals by any player in an NCAA Tournament game since Russ Smith had eight in 2013.

No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 11 Michigan (South Region)

Matchup: This is a rematch of the 2018 title game, in which Villanova defeated Michigan 79-62 to win its third title. This is the third NCAA Tournament matchup between Villanova and Michigan (1985, 2018). Villanova won both previous matchups.

82.6%: Villanova is shooting 82.6% (494-for-598) from the free-throw line this season, which would be the highest single-season team free-throw percentage in Division I history.

12: Michigan has won 12 games in the past four NCAA Tournaments, tied with Gonzaga for the most over that span.

15-3: Since seeding began in 1979, 2-seeds are 15-3 (.833) against 11-seeds.

No. 2 Duke vs. No. 3 Texas Tech (West Region)

Matchup: This is the first NCAA Tournament matchup between Duke and Texas Tech, and only the second time they have faced each other.

100: With a Duke victory, Mike Krzyzewski would become the first head coach to win 100 NCAA Tournament games. He is already the all-time leader with 99.

45.7%: Texas Tech is shooting 45.7% (16-for-35) on 3-pointers through two rounds, the highest 3-point percentage of any team in this year’s tournament.

54.4%: Duke is shooting 54.4% (62-for-114) from the field through two rounds, the highest field goal percentage of any team in this year’s tournament.

41-27: Since seeding began in 1979, 2-seeds are 41-27 (.603) against 3-seeds.

No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 5 Houston (South Region)

Matchup: This is the first NCAA Tournament matchup between Arizona and Houston, and their 12th matchup overall. Arizona leads the all-time series 6-5.

2: With a win, Houston would reach the Elite Eight in back-to-back seasons for the first time since making three straight Elite Eight appearances from 1982-1984.

30: Bennedict Mathurin scored 30 points in Arizona’s Round of 32 win over TCU, becoming the first Arizona player to score 30 points in an NCAA Tournament game since Derrick Williams (2011 Sweet 16).

80: Arizona has scored at least 80 points in eight straight games (all wins), and is 28-0 this season when scoring at least 80 points. The Wildcats are 5-3 when they fail to score 80 points.

82.6%: Christian Koloko’s 82.6% field goal percentage through two rounds is the highest of any player in this year’s tournament (minimum 15 FG attempts).

47-9: Since seeding began in 1979, 1-seeds are 47-9 (.839) against 5-seeds.