Under current NCAA rules and tournament formats, what is the maximum number of games a men’s team can play in a season? Bonus points if you can tell me how they get to that number.
I am probably wrong, but I believe it’s 43.
31 regular season games. 5 conference tournament games, 7 NCAAT games (counting a first four game).
I’m using SEC as a base. For example: this year we had 13 NC games. We play an 18 game conference schedule. If we finish in the bottom four we play first day in the SECT. Then to make it to the finals, we’d have to play 5 games (Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Su). Then we get a “first four” game in the NCAAT. Then make a run to the NC game, it would be 7 games (first four, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, NCG). That’s 43.
You are correct but there are two additional steps. To play 31 regular season games, you have to play in a “qualifying event”. Otherwise the limit is 29. This year our QE was the Collegiate Hoops Roadshow which included the Texas Southern, Montana and South Dakota games. After that, you have to be in one of the four conferences with more than 12 teams (SEC, CUSA, Big Ten and ACC) and finish 11th or worse (10th in the ACC). Then, reach the final, make the Dance, get sent to Dayton, win there and five more, and reach the NCG. And that gets you to 43.
The chances of anyone actually playing 43? Very, very slim.
That’s a lot of games! No team will play 43 games!
The 31 regular season games makes sense.
Texas Tech and Virginia both played 38 last year. And Tech lost its first game in the Big 12 tournament. UVa lost in the ACC semifinals. If Tech had made the B12 finals they would have played 40.
I think our school record is 39 games in a year; we were 32-7 after we lost in the '95 NCG to UCLA.
So to follow up on that, what’s the max number of WINS that is possible?
I would say 40 – 31-0 regular season, you’d have 3 conference tournament games and 6 NCAAT games.
I don’t know if the women have the same scheduling rules, but Baylor in 2012 and UConn in 2014 both went 40-0.
The SEC conference schedule is 16 games! The men play 18.
I believe that is right
Seems to me that Kentucky team that lost the semifinals to Whisky was 38-0 going into that game
Yep, UK finished 38-1 that year.
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