CINCINNATI – The University of Louisville and University of Michigan are set to match up in the NCAA championship game tonight. Even though you may be watching with a busted bracket, here are five fun facts about the game and the teams.
1) Michigan is trying to become the 10th consecutive championship with blue as one of their primary colors. The Wolverines’ John Beilein would be the first first-time NCAA Championship winning coach since Kansas’ Bill Self in 2008.
2) This is Rick Pitino’s third trip to the title game. Pitino is trying to become the first coach to win NCAA titles with two different schools (Kentucky 1996).
3) Louisville hasn’t won an NCAA championship since Ronald Reagan was president (1986); Michigan’s last title came during the George H.W. Bush administration (1989).
4) Michigan would be the lowest seed to win an NCAA crown since fourth-seeded Arizona won it in 1997. It’s Michigan’s fourth trip to the Title Game and the first since the infamous Chris Webber timeout incident in 1993.
5) Louisville would become first school since the NCAA field expanded in 1985 to win NCAA titles representing different conferences (Metro Conference – 1986).
The Cardinals and Wolverines face off at 9:23 p.m. Monday.
