Eight schools going for basketball-football double in NCAA tourney

Oklahoma was heavily favored when it played in the 1988 national championship game, but Kansas upset the Sooners. Cameron Clark (21), shown against Iowa State, and his teammates have a No. 8 seed. The Sooners have five consensus football titles, the last in 2000.Pittsburgh won the 1976 football championship. Coach Jamie Dixon (pictured) has had the Panthers in the NCAA basketball tourney nine times in his 10 years leading the program. The Panthers made it to a regional final in 2009, but have yet to make it to the Final Four. Notre Dame has been voted national champion seven times in football and played for the 2012 BCS title. But the Irish have made only one appearance in basketball's Final Four, losing to Duke in the 1978 semifinals. Coach Mike Brey (pictured) and the Irish were awarded a No. 7 seed this time around.View the list »
As a No. 2 seed, Miami (seen celebrating its ACC tourney title) has the best opportunity on paper to complete the football-basketball double this year. The Hurricanes have won five national championships in football (1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, and 2001) but they have yet to advance past the regional semifinals in six appearances. 

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With the announcement of the pairings for the 2013 NCAA Basketball Championship, eight schools will be trying to complete a rather unique double in college sports.

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Five schools in this year’s 68-team field have won national titles in football at the Football Bowl Subdivision level as recognized by the major polls (post 1936) and are looking for their first basketball title.

Three others have won Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) playoffs, but have yet to win the national title in basketball.

In all, seven teams in this year’s NCAA tourney have completed the double.

Florida, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Syracuse, and UCLA have completed the double with No. 1 finishes in the football polls and a basketball title.

Villanova won the 2009 FCS playoffs to go with the basketball championship it won in 1985.

Here is a list of the candidates for this season.

View the list
  • As a No. 2 seed, Miami (seen celebrating its ACC tourney title) has the best opportunity on paper to complete the football-basketball double this year. The Hurricanes have won five national championships in football (1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, and 2001) but they have yet to advance past the regional semifinals in six appearances. 
  • Notre Dame has been voted national champion seven times in football and played for the 2012 BCS title. But the Irish have made only one appearance in basketball's Final Four, losing to Duke in the 1978 semifinals. Coach Mike Brey (pictured) and the Irish were awarded a No. 7 seed this time around.
  • Pittsburgh won the 1976 football championship. Coach Jamie Dixon (pictured) has had the Panthers in the NCAA basketball tourney nine times in his 10 years leading the program. The Panthers made it to a regional final in 2009, but have yet to make it to the Final Four. 
  • Oklahoma was heavily favored when it played in the 1988 national championship game, but Kansas upset the Sooners. Cameron Clark (21), shown against Iowa State, and his teammates have a No. 8 seed. The Sooners have five consensus football titles, the last in 2000.
  • Coach Tubby Smith (shown) won a basketball title while at Kentucky, but he hasn't worked his magic yet with the Minnesota. The Gophers were national champs in football back in 1940, 1941, and 1960.
  • Western Kentucky won an FCS crown in 2002, but the Hilltoppers of coach Ron Harper (shown) are looking for their first in basketball. Their Final Four appearance in 1971 was wiped from the record book because of NCAA penalties.
  • Montana has won two football titles on the FCS level, in 1995 and 2001, but Will Cherry (shown) and his teammates will have a long hill to climb to add a basketball championship. They are a 13 seed.
  • James Madison won the 2004 FCS championship, but coach Matt Brady (shown) has the Dukes in the NCAA field for the first time since 1994. They face LIU-Brooklyn in a play-in game for the right to face No. 1 regional seed Indiana.
View the list
Suggested by the author:

, Miami Hurricanes Basketball Examiner

Paul Borden, a former sportswriter, has written auto reviews and other automotive topics for more than 11 years as a senior editor for AMI AutoWorld magazine (no longer publishing) and as the auto editor for Miami Monthly Magazine. He also has written on a freelance basis for n magazine of naples...

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