It was phenomenal when at the Sweet Sixteen level, there were four institutions -- UCLA, Baylor, South Carolina and Oregon -- with both Men And Women teams remaining. One week later and it has moved to flat-out unbelievable. On the men's side, the Ducks and Gamecocks have both made it to the final four. On the women's side, both Oregon and South Carolina will be facing formidable foes at the Elite Eight stage. Regardless, there is something more than just coincidental about it.

Coaching common denominators?

Frank Martin (USC-M), Dawn Stanley (USC-W), Dana Altman (UO-M), Kelly Graves (US-W) are the respective coaches from the March Madness basketball duos.

All four of their career records are notable -- some more notable than others. Stanley, the lone female coach, leads the pack with an overall record sitting at .732. Close behind is Kelly (.685), followed by Altman (.657) and then Martin (.630). These coaching stats are a near neck-and-neck horse race, with little to no significant difference across them, the only denominator that can be discerned is the need to have an above average record in order to increase the likelihood of making it to the near final dance -- men or women.

March Madness experience

If experience equates to eventual success, the Ducks have a slight edge. The Oregon men stand out in this crowd with 15 NCAA tourney appearances.

The Oregon women file in right behind them with 14. The women of South Carolina hold the record at their institution with 14 appearances and the Gamecock men's team falls in at nine. The combined experience among these four teams is more than impressive. No one is a newbie -- every team has been there and done that before.

With all four being led by coaches who stand out in their field, and with all four having the NCAA experience needed to play in a high stakes game with a solid level of past experience, the thought of having a duo win on the part of the men and women from either USC or Oregon is more than just a slight possibility.

With a little luck, it will be a probability as well as a sure audience pleaser.
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