Revisiting SI’s Final Four picks, 1998-2015

It’s March, and for history’s sake, let’s take a look through the SI archives.

It’s March, and for history’s sake, let’s take a look through the SI archives.

Sports Illustrated has picked every game since 1998 — though we didn’t go beyond the Final Four in ‘98, ‘00 or ‘01.

And like most people this time of the year, admittedly our accuracy has been mixed. SI has predicted 28 of 72 Final Four teams in that span (38.9%), has correctly put nine teams through to the final, and picked just two correct national champions (Connecticut in 2004, Louisville in 2013).

For the record, our 2016 picks are Kansas, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Michigan State, with Kansas over UNC in the title game.

Find all our picks below.

• What you need to know about every team in the NCAA tournament

1998

SI Picks: North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, Arizona

Actual Final Four: North Carolina, Kentucky, Stanford, Utah

1999

SI: Connecticut, Maryland, Arizona, Duke

Final: Duke over Connecticut

Actual: Connecticut, Ohio State, Michigan State, Duke

Final: Connecticut over Duke

2000

LSU, Michigan State, Temple, Stanford

Actual: Wisconsin, Michigan State, Florida, North Carolina

2001

Duke, Arizona, Michigan State, Stanford

Actual: Duke, Arizona, Michigan State, Maryland

• THAMEL: Duke’s Ingram playing for glory, top selection

2002

SI Final Four: Oklahoma, USC, Kansas, Maryland

Title game: Kansas over Oklahoma

Actual: Oklahoma, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland

Final: Maryland over Indiana

2003

Pitt, Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma

Arizona over Oklahoma

Actual: Marquette, Kansas, Texas, Syracuse

Final: Syracuse over Kansas

2004

Duke, Gonzaga, Wisconsin, Connecticut

Final: Connecticut over Gonzaga

Actual: Duke, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, Connecticut

Final: Connecticut over Georgia Tech

2005

Illinois, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Syracuse

Final: Illinois over North Carolina

Actual: Illinois, Louisville, North Carolina, Michigan State

Final: North Carolina over Illinois

• History, stats tell two stories for Villanova

2006

Duke, Kansas, Connecticut, Ohio State

Final: Duke over Connecticut

Actual: LSU, UCLA, George Mason, Florida

Final: Florida over UCLA

2007

Texas A&M, Georgetown, Kansas, Florida

Final: Kansas over Florida

Actual: Ohio State, Georgetown, UCLA, Florida

Final: Florida over Ohio State

2008

Louisville, Kansas, Texas, UCLA

Final: UCLA over Kansas

Actual: North Carolina, Kansas, Memphis, UCLA

Final: Kansas over Memphis

2009

Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Connecticut

Final: Pittsburgh over Connecticut

Actual: Villanova, North Carolina, Michigan State, Connecticut

Final: North Carolina over Michigan State

• ​Wolff: What we learned from eight years of Obama’s brackets

2010

Kansas, Syracuse, Duke, West Virginia

Final: Kansas over West Virginia

Actual: Michigan State, Butler, Duke, West Virginia

Actual: Duke over Butler

2011

Ohio State, San Diego State, Kansas, Pitt

Final: Ohio State, Kansas

Actual: Kentucky, Connecticut, VCU, Butler

Final: Connecticut over Butler

2012

Kentucky, Michigan State, Ohio State, North Carolina

Final: Michigan State over North Carolina

Actual: Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, Kansas

Final: Kentucky over Kansas

2013

Georgetown, Miami, Gonzaga, Louisville,

Final: Louisville over Miami

Actual: Michigan, Syracuse, Wichita State, Louisville

Final: Louisville over Michigan

2014

Arizona, Wichita State, Florida, Michigan State

Final: Florida over Wichita State

Actual: Wisconsin, Kentucky, Florida, Connecticut

Final: Connecticut over Kentucky

2015

Duke, Virginia, Kentucky, Arizona

Final: Kentucky over Duke

Actual: Duke, Michigan State, Kentucky, Wisconsin

Final: Duke over Wisconsin