Virginia Commonwealth's run to the 2011 Final Four is historic in so many ways. VCU, who topped Kansas to get there, became the third No. 11 seed to reach the Final Four. It made the Final Four despite many believing they didn't even belong in the NCAA Tournament to begin with. It did so despite being one of the "First Four" teams. On and on.
↵But here's my favorite stat of them all. Along the way to Houston, VCU beat a Pac-10 team (USC), a Big East team (Georgetown), a Big 10 team (Purdue), an ACC team (Florida State) and a Big 12 team (Kansas). That's five schools from five different power conferences. How many times has that ever happened in NCAA Tournament history?
↵Try never. Yes, it's true: no team has ever defeated schools from five different power conferences in the same NCAA Tournament. A number of teams, including Maryland in 2002, defeated five power-conference schools, but never has a team defeated five power-conference schools from five different power conferences. Just another way to commemorate the year of the Mid-Major.
↵(Image via Mocksession)