

North Carolina's Chris McCue Associated Press

A top-seeded team has not won the College World Series since Miami in 1999. That contrasts sharply with men's basketball, which has had the top overall seed win in each of the past two years, and women's basketball, which has been dominated by elite programs like Connecticut and Baylor in the past decade. Likewise, men's hockey, volleyball and softball have all had multiple top seeds win championships since the last top seed won in baseball.

The drought for top overall seeds in college baseball will continue on for another season, as unseeded UCLA knocked out top-seeded North Carolina in the semifinals to earn the right to face unseeded Mississippi State in the championship series starting Monday night.

The NCAA seeds the top eight teams in the nation before the tournament, and since Miami's title run in 1999, only six seeded teams have won the College World Series.

At least North Carolina can take solace in the fact it made it to Omaha. Four No. 1 seeds since 1999 have failed to make it to the national tournament in Nebraska, losing in the regional or super-regional rounds.

Though this might be a disheartening trend for college baseball's best, it's not surprising. More than any other sport, baseball has a lot of randomness, which is why the regular seasons are longer. A 64-team, double elimination tournament devalues the regular season, and it makes luck and winning at the right time more important than being the best.

—Kevin Trahan