ACC champs Georgia Tech enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 9 seed in the Midwest Regional, facing 8th-seeded Loyola Chicago in the opening round (4 p.m., Friday on TBS).
While tournament history may not favor such a starting position on the bracket, here are a few things to know about the 9s and this regional crowd:
A history of 9s
In the last 35 years, the No. 9 vs. No. 8 matchup has been won 72 of 140 times (.514) by the lower seed. The 9s are the only lower seed with an overall winning record in the tournament.
Things get harrier in the following round. The 8-9 winner has most often faced the region’s No. 1 team in the second round, winning just seven of 73 tries. Five of those teams reached the Sweet 16; four moved on to the Elite Eight; and only one has made it to the tournament semifinals.
The last team to topple a No. 1 seed in the second round? 2013 Wichita State. The Shockers upset Gonzaga en route to a Final Four appearance.
About this 8-9 matchup
Tech (17-8) is riding an eight-game winning streak, dating back to Feb. 14. Loyola Chicago (24-4), winners of six straight, last lost on Feb. 14.
The Ramblers have the nation’s best defensive rating and are favored (-2.5, 124.5 O/U) to move on the bracket.
Tourney history
The Yellow Jackets earned an automatic berth by upsetting No. 15 Florida State for the ACC championship Saturday night in Greensboro, N.C. It was Tech’s first ACC Tournament title since 1993.
The team has made 16 tournaments, earning a 23-16 record and two Final Four showings. The Jackets lost to Connecticut in the title game in 2004. They last played in the tournament in 2010, when as an 10th seed they defeated No. 7 Oklahoma State in the opening round and were eliminated by No. 2 Ohio State in the second round.
The Rambers earned an automatic bid to this year’s field of 68 as winners of the Missouri Valley Conference. They have made six appearances in the tournament and are 13-5 overall. They have made it to two Final Fours — most recently in 2018 — and won a national championship (1963).
College hoops fans may be familiar team chaplain, 101-year-old Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, who became the beloved star of the 2018 NCAA Tournament during Loyola’s run to the Final Four (which including Sweet 16 and Elite Eight wins at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena).
She will be allowed to make the trip to Indianapolis.
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
On the rebound
Georgia Tech is back in the NCAAs following a near-decade long’s absence. A few others in the region have experienced longer tournament droughts.
No. 16 Drexel and No. 10 Rutgers are making their first appearances this century.
Drexel is in the field for the first time since advancing to the second round in 1996. The Dragons play top-seeded Illinois. Rutgers, appearing for the first time since 1991, is a No. 10 seed and plays Clemson in the first round. The Scarlet Knights haven’t won a tournament game since 1983.
Orange fever
Brace your eyes.
Six teams in Tech’s branch of the bracket wear orange as their primary jersey color. Two are ACC foes the Jackets defeated during the season.
The oranges are No. 1 Illinois, No. 4 Oklahoma State, No. 5 Tennessee, No. 7 Clemson, No. 11 Syracuse and No. 12 Oregon State.
The Jackets could potentially meet the Fighting Ilini in the second round Sunday.
