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10 facts about Holy Cross’ improbable NCAA Tournament trip

Holy Cross celebrates after defeating Southern in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at UD Arena. Getty Images

By Chris Greenberg

March 18, 2016

1 minute to read

Some of the early madness of March 2016 has come to a bracket near you by way of Worcester. Holy Cross’ men’s basketball team claimed a shock spot in NCAA Tournament thanks to an improbable run through the Patriot League Tournament. After a stunning upset of Lehigh in the conference tournament title game, the 14-19 Crusaders kept their ride going into the field of 64 with a First Four triumph.

Here is a look at a few of the facts and stats about Holy Cross’ unlikely NCAA Tournament trip:

4: Holy Cross needed to win four straight road games in the Patriot League Tournament to earn the conference’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

0: Holy Cross won zero road games in conference during the regular season.

10: Holy Cross entered the Patriot League Tournament with just 10 wins against 19 losses.

7: Holy Cross lost seven of its last eight games during the regular season.

0.05: Holy Cross had a 1 in 2,000 chance (0.05 percent) of winning the Patriot League Tournament, according to KenPom statistics.

25: Holy Cross is the 25th team since 1955 to get into the NCAA Tournament with a losing record, according to STATS.

63: Holy Cross’ win over Southern in the First Four was its first NCAA Tournament win in 63 years.

19: Holy Cross’ Robert Champion came off the bench against Southern to score a game-high 19 points. His tie-breaking three-point shot in the final minute helped propel the Crusaders to their 59-55 win.

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3: Holy Cross is the third team with 19+ losses to win a NCAA Tournament game, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

1: After defeating fellow No. 16 seed Southern in the First Four, Holy Cross advanced to face the West Region’s No. 1 seed, Oregon, on Friday evening.

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