I wanted to share a good omen before tonight's big game.
Since 1985, only 17 teams have been a #1 seed and have had the eventual national player of the year.
Here's how far the previous 17 teams made it: 12 teams made at least the final 4, 16 teams made at least the elite 8, and three have won it all.
* Won national championship: 92 Duke, 01 Duke, 12 Kentucky
* National Runner Up: 85 Georgetown, 86 Duke, 99 Duke, 15 Wisconsin
* Final Four: 91 UNLV, 96 UMass, 98 UNC, 03 Texas, 08 UNC
* Elite 8: 93 Indiana, 94 Purdue, 04 Saint Joe's, 06 Duke
* Sweet 16: 02 Duke
The last #1 seed with the NPOTY to win a championship was in 2012 when Kentucky won (against us) with Anthony Davis
Frank Mason is the presumptive front runner for the national player of the year and Kansas is a 1 seed. Will they join the 16 other one seeds who made at least the elite 8 with the NPOTY on their team? History points to yes, but this will be our most difficult challenge to date this season.
