8) It would seem that North Carolina State has a tough road ahead as the eighth and lowest remaining seed in the East. But not so fast. Since the tourney expanded to 64 teams in 1985, No. 8 seeds actually are 11?3 in the regional semis, 5?3 in the Elite Eight and 3?2 in the national semifinals, with the legendary 1985 Villanova squad notably winning it all. Now, all Mark Gottfried needs to do is channel his inner Jim Valvano
4) Kentucky may be the first Div. I team to reach 36?0, but the Wildcats haven?t exactly played the toughest of schedules so far. Of the 16 remaining teams, only Gonzaga (84th), Notre Dame (94th), and Wichita State (120th) had RPI strength of schedule ratings lower than Kentucky?s 45th-ranked slate entering the postseason. Moreover, in the Wildcats? last 21 games leading into the Big Dance (since the start of 2015), they only faced one opponent (Arkansas, twice) ranked in the RPI top 36
