Using the same simulation engine I've recently used for the all time NFL Tournament (the '08 Steelers. Who knew?) I've got a 68 team, 1986-2025 NCAA Basketball Tournament. Records below are regular season +postseason. There are 30 NCAA Champions in the field.
Here's the East Region.
1. 1999 Duke Blue Devils 42-3 ACC Champs (L. NCAA Finals UConn 77-74)
2. 2005 North Carolina Tar Heels 39-4 National Champions (d. Illinois 75-70)
3. 2025 Florida Gators 42-4 National Champions (d. Houston 65-63)
4. 1988 Oklahoma Sooners 40-5 Big 8 Champs (L. NCAA Finals Kansas 83-79)
5. 2018 Villanova Wildcats 42-4 National Champions (d. Michigan 79-62)
6. 2022 Gonzaga Bulldogs 30-5 WCC Champs (L Regional Semi Arkansas 74-68)
7. 2002 Duke Blue Devils 33-5 ACC Tourney Champs (L Regional Semi Indiana 74-73)
8. 1991 North Carolina Tar Heels 33-7 ACC Tourney Champs (L NCAA Semi Kansas 79-73)
9. 2024 Purdue Boilermakers 39-6 Big 10 Champs (L NCAA Finals UConn 75-60)
10. 1999 Connecticut Huskies 40-2 National Champions (d. Duke 77-74)
11. 2025 Alabama Crimson Tide 31-10 3rd SEC (L Regional Final Duke 85-65)
12. 2007 Florida Gators 41-5 National Champions (d. Ohio St 84-75)
13. 2015 Wisconsin Badgers 41-5 Big 10 Champs (L Finals Duke 68-63)
14. 2016 Villanova Wildcats 41-5 National Champions (d. North Carolina 77-74)
15. 1993 Kentucky Wildcats 34-5 SEC Tourney Champ (L Semis Michigan 81-78)
16. 2000 Stanford Cardinal 28-5 Pac 10 Champs (L 2nd Rnd UNC 60-53)
16. 2003 Kansas Jayhawks 35-9 Big 12 Champs (L NCAA Finals Syracuse 81-78)
PLAY IN GAME:
'03 KANSAS 90 '00 STANFORD 85
-Kirk Hinrich scores 22 and the first game of the tournament belongs to the 2003 Jayhawks, double/double for Nick Collison, 13 points and 11 rebounds. Ryan Mendez scored 22 points in 23 minutes in the loss for the Cardinal.
ROUND ONE
1. '99 DUKE 93 16. '03 KANSAS 76
-The number one seeded Duke Blue Devils spread it around, 7 players in double figures in the easy round one win. 17 pts, 9 assists for sophomore guard Will Avery, sophomore center Elton Brand had 12 pts, 13 boards and 7 blocks. Senior guard Kirk Hinrich scored 33 in the loss.
8. '91 NORTH CAROLINA 97 9. '24 PURDUE 88
-Junior guard Hubert Davis scores 25 and the Tar Heels will be facing Duke in round two. 18 points/8 rebounds for senior forward Rick Fox. Senior center Zach Edey had a dominating 29 points and 15 boards in the loss.
5. '18 VILLANOVA 99 12. '07 FLORIDA 79
-Battle of the first two National Champs to play in the tournament; Junior guard Jalen Brunson scores 25 with 9 assists, freshman forward Omari Spellman with the 10 pt/10 board double double. Junior forward Al Horford goes 18/10 in the loss.
4. '88 OKLAHOMA 103 13. '15 WISCONSIN 97
-200 combined points in this 4/13 matchup. Senior forward Harvey Grant provided 26 of them for the winning Sooners, adding 9 boards. 18 points and 7 boards for junior center Stacey King. Senior center Frank Kaminsky went 22/9 in the defeat.
Favorites (all playing at home, we'll go to neutral sites at the sweet 16) take the first four games.
6. '22 GONZAGA 106 11. '25 ALABAMA 102
-Junior forward Drew Timme has the top performance to date, 32 points/10 boards, Freshman center Chet Holmgren scores 21 with 7 blocks. Alabama senior guard Mark Sears scores 26, 5 assists/5 steals in the defeat. Alabama led by 10 with under 5 minutes to play, Holmgren scored 8 down the stretch and the Zags advance.
14. '16 VILLANOVA 98 3. '25 FLORIDA
-Battle of National Champions produces the first upset of the tournament; Nova '18 beat Florida '07 earlier in the round and Nova '16 keeps up that energy here. Junior guard Josh Hart scores 27. 21 for Florida senior Walter Clayton in the loss.
7. '02 DUKE 106 10. '99 UCONN 96
-30 points, 7 boards and 6 steals for junior forward Mike Dunleavy Jr., Junior guard Jay Williams adds 22. 19 for Rip Hamilton in the loss.
2. '05 NORTH CAROLINA 92 15. '93 KENTUCKY 72
-Junior guard Raymond Felton leads the way for the second seed in the East, 16 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds. Travis Ford scores 18 in the loss.
Just one upset, here's the largely chalky second round.
1. 1999 Duke v. 8. 1991 North Carolina
5. 2018 Villanova v. 4. 1988 Oklahoma
6. 2022 Gonzaga v. 14. 2016 Villanova
2. 2005 North Carolina v. 7. 2002 Duke
We've got 2 Duke/North Carolina matchups in round 2, Coach K taking on Dean Smith and Roy Williams. We've also got essentially the same Villanova core in two matchups.
ROUND TWO
1. 1999 DUKE 109 8. 1991 NORTH CAROLINA 84
-The top seed in the East reaches the Sweet 16. Elton Brand goes 22 and 11, 18 points for Shane Battier. Rick Fox filled the sheet in the loss, 16 points, 5 boards, 5 assists, 4 steals.
4. 1988 OKLAHOMA 106 5. 2018 VILLANOVA 86
-Oklahoma's gone for over a hundred in both rounds and reaches the sweet 16. Stacey King goes OFF, 37 points and holds Omari Spellman on the other end to 4 of 12 from the floor. Mookie Blaylock has 23 points, 7 assists, 6 steals. Eric Paschall paced the losing side with 22. Seed holds, Duke and Oklahoma will face off in the Sweet 16.
14. 2016 VILLANOVA 90 6. 2022 GONZAGA 81
-Villanova's national title team reaches the Sweet 16. 21 for Kris Jenkins - 17 rebounds for Daniel Ochefu. 20 for Rasir Bolton in the loss. The Wildcats took the lead with 15 to play and never gave it up.
2. 2005 NORTH CAROLINA 102 7. 2002 DUKE 75
-The East region is set, seeds 1,2,4 advancing to the Sweet 16. 20 points and 16 rebounds for Sean May. Jay Williams has 26 in the loss.
So - there you go, the 4 teams to head to the Sweet 16.
1. 1999 DUKE v. 4. 1988 OKLAHOMA
2. 2005 NORTH CAROLINA v. 14. 2016 VILLANOVA
