Bumpy Ride: Seven Ex-Champs Lost Tourney Game By Larger Margin Than KU

It was a jolt to Kansas fans when the Jayhawks were smothered by Southern California, 85-51, in the second round of the West Regional. But their ardent followers can take some solace in fact that seven other former champions - Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Holy Cross, Maryland, Virginia and Wyoming - lost an NCAA Tournament game by more than 34 points.

On the other end of the spectrum, is a traditional blueblood other than KU such as Connecticut, Duke, Georgetown, Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA or Villanova the only former national kingpin never to lose an NCAA playoff game by fewer than 15 points? No, but the ex-champ holding this distinction boasts school colors of Blue and Gold. It's La Salle, the 1954 titlist which subsequently lost three separate tourney games by 14 points.

Ohio State is the lone power-conference member in this group never to incur an NCAA playoff setback by at least 20 points. Georgetown and North Carolina departed in one-sided results this year but they've previously been eliminated by even wider margin. Former NCAA champions Wyoming (49 points) and UConn (47) sustained the worst reversals on the following list of most-lopsided losses in NCAA Tournament competition among the 36 former titlists: