In one of the wildest examples of college basketball’s unpredictability, the newly crowned national champions, the Florida Gators, can be “connected” to the worst team in Division I basketball this season—through a chain of unlikely wins that includes several HBCU programs, culminating with Mississippi Valley State.
Yes, Mississippi Valley State. The Delta Devils, who finished 3-28 and dead last—364th out of 364 teams—in KenPom’s final ratings, somehow sit at the start of a whimsical “transitive property” path that leads directly to the Gators’ national championship trophy.
Here’s how the HBCU trail unfolds: Mississippi Valley State, an HBCU in the SWAC, defeated fellow HBCU Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Pine Bluff then beat Texas Southern, another proud HBCU program. Texas Southern took down Alabama A&M, another SWAC HBCU, who then beat Coastal Carolina. From there, the chain runs through Georgia State, Tulsa, and Temple before reaching Memphis, which beat Missouri—who, incredibly, handed Florida one of its rare losses during the season.
So, by the twisted logic of “team A beat team B” all the way up the ladder, Mississippi Valley State—again, the 364th team out of 364—can lay a humorous, if entirely unofficial, claim to being part of the national title conversation.
This chaotic chain reminds us of the deep interconnectedness of college basketball and how, on any given night, even a struggling HBCU can topple a giant—or at least someone who eventually helps topple a giant. While it doesn’t change the standings, it highlights the competitive spirit alive across all levels, including the HBCU ranks.
In a season where parity ruled and madness reigned, it’s only fitting that four different HBCUs helped form a chain that connects college basketball’s basement to its summit.