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The UCLA Bruins are the first team in NCAA men’s basketball tournament history to reach the Final Four after appearing in the tournament on a four-game losing streak, according to Elias Sports Bureau research . After losing their last three games of the regular season, the Bruins lost to Oregon State in their first game of the Pac-12 tournament. No team has lost its conference tournament opener and won the NCAA tournament.
Yet here’s the Bruins, ready to take on undefeated Gonzaga in the national semifinals on Saturday night after needing extra time to beat Michigan State in the top four, then topple BYU, Abilene Christian, Alabama and Michigan.
In light of UCLA’s impressive run, we took a look at other sports teams that have done playoff damage after being on a negative note.
Men’s college basketball
1984-85 Villanova Wildcats
From January 27 to March 8, Villanova posted a 6-7 record, culminating in an 89-74 loss to St. John’s in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament. That left the Wildcats at 19-10 and with a No.8 seed in the NCAA tournament. But Villanova went on to claim six straight wins for the first time since the start of the season 7-0, the final victory being a 66-64 victory over Georgetown which is still recognized as one of the greatest upheavals in the history of the tournament. Villanova remains one of three teams to win the national championship after entering the tournament with double-digit losses (1983 NC State, 1988 Kansas).
2010-11 UConn Huskies
UConn has gone 1-4 in its last five regular season games and 4-7 in its last 11 regular season games after starting the season 17-2. The Huskies have won 11 straight games once their conference tournament begins – winning five games in five days to win the Big East tournament, then all six games of their NCAA tournament, beating Butler to win the national championship.
2015-16 Syracuse Orange
Syracuse lost five of six games entering the NCAA tournament, including its first game in the ACC tournament – as a No.10 seed – to bring its record down to 19-13. The Orange made the NCAA tournament as a 10 seed, then defeated No.7 seed Dayton, No.15 seed Middle Tennessee, No.11 seed Gonzaga and the seeded No.1 Virginia to become the first seeded No.10 to make the Final Four. The race would end there, however, as the Orange fell in North Carolina.
MLB
2000 New York Yankees
By mid-September of the 2000 season, the Yankees, the two-time defending World Series champions, had gained a sizable lead in the AL East, so a third straight MLB title seemed a strong possibility. But when New York closed the regular season losing 15 of its last 18 games, the mighty Bronx Bombers suddenly looked vulnerable. The Yankees lost Game 1 of their divisional series with Oakland, but rallied to win three of the next four to knock out the As, then beat the Mariners in six and the Mets in five to clinch another championship.
2006 Cardinals of Saint-Louis
In a below par NL Central, the Cardinals were the best of a bad lot. Even after losing nine of their last 12 games, they won the division with a pedestrian record of 83-78. But everyone starts the playoffs 0-0, and St. Louis beat the Padres in four games, then the Mets in seven, with Yadier Molina providing the key blow with a two-run homer in the ninth inning of Game 7. The Cards crossed past the Tigers, a 95-winning team, to become the World Series champion with the lowest winning percentage in the regular season (.516).
NFL
2009 Saints of New Orleans
The Saints were rolling at 13-0, but then took their foot off the accelerator and lost their last three games, though they still won the NFC South and got a playoff pass in the first round. . New Orleans blew up the Cardinals in the divisional round, then beat the Vikings in overtime to make their first Super Bowl. After beating the Colts 31-17, the Saints became the only team in a 16-game season to lose their last three regular-season games but win the Super Bowl.
2012 Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens started the season 9-2 but stumbled down the straight, losing four of their last five. They hung on to beat the Bengals for the AFC North title, but missed a pass in the first round. But Baltimore regrouped in the playoffs, winning at home against the Colts, on the road against Peyton Manning and the Broncos in overtime, and against Tom Brady and the Patriots in the AFC championship game. The Ravens then held their ground for a 34-31 win over the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.
NHL
1999-2000 New Jersey Devils
The Devils fired coach Robbie Ftorek with eight games left in the regular season, then went 4-4-0 under interim coach Larry Robinson before activating him in the playoffs. New Jersey overcame a 3-1 series deficit against the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals before defeating the Dallas Stars in six games (including a double overtime thriller in Game 6) to win the franchise’s second Stanley Cup.
2001-02 Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings have won just one win in their last 10 regular season games (1-3-6) and are 2-0 behind in their Western Conference quarterfinal streak against the Vancouver Canucks. Detroit bounced back and won the next four games to win this series and practically managed to win a Stanley Cup title, winning 16 of 21 games.
PGA
John daly
While UCLA was among the last four teams at the NCAA tournament, John Daly was the “last in” – or ninth substitute – in the PGA Championship Championship in 1991. Daly, a 25-year-old PGA rookie Tour, which did not fit the profile of the typical tourism professional, secured a place in the tournament only because others above him withdrew. The Long Course Daly quickly conquered galleries with its aggressive styling and pulled off one of the biggest upheavals in golf history, making its first tour a major championship.
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