2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
Encyclopedia
The 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament
to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball
as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball season. It began on March 18, 2008, and concluded as the Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Memphis Tigers
75-68 in overtime on April 7 at the Alamodome
in San Antonio, Texas
, to win their fifth national championship, and third NCAA championship. The host institution was the University of Texas at San Antonio
. For the first time in tournament history since seeding began, the top seeded team from each of the four regionals made it to the final four: Kansas
, Memphis, North Carolina
, and UCLA
. On August 20, 2009, the NCAA forced Memphis to vacate all of its wins from the 2007-08 season, as well as their trip to the Final Four and the NCAA Championship Game. The penalty, which was due to use of the ineligible Derrick Rose
, was upheld by the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee on March 22, 2010.
Entering the tournament on March 18, the top ranked team was North Carolina
in both the AP Top 25 and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Polls, followed by Memphis, UCLA
and Kansas
.
American University
, UMBC, Texas-Arlington
, and Portland State all entered the tournament for the first time in their school's history. Another school, Coppin State won the MEAC Tournament to became the first 20-loss school ever to make the field. The first round of the tournament featured some unprecedented upsets, with four upsets in all four games played in Tampa. The surprise of the tournament was tenth-seeded Davidson
, who advanced to the Elite Eight before losing to eventual champion Kansas 59-57, each team's closest game of the tournament. This tournament was also notable for being the only one to date to feature two 12 vs. 13 matchups.
The total tournament attendance of 763,607 set a record for highest total tournament attendance, breaking the record set during the 1999 tournament
.
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is an annual single-elimination tournament featuring 65 teams representing all Division I Conferences in the nation. A "play-in" game determined which of the two lowest seeds would play in the first round of 64 against a top seed team. The Selection Committee
seeded the entire field from 1 to 65 within four regionals of 16 teams; Mount St. Mary's, as the winner of the play-in game, automatically received a 16 seed. The first and second round games were played at the following sites, which were not restricted to any one particular Tournament Region, because of the "pod system":
March 20 and 22
March 21 and 23
The four regionals are officially named after their geographic areas, a practice that resumed in 2007. Between 2004 and 2006, the regionals were named for their host cities. The following arenas/stadia and cities were the sites for the 2008 regionals:
March 27 and 29
March 28 and 30
Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four
.
April 5 and 7
), Cal State Fullerton (1978
), Cornell (1988
), and Baylor (1988).
# Both Southern California and Memphis later vacated all wins from the season, leaving their official records at 0-11 and 0-1, respectively.
.
and Ty Lawson's 21 points each. They met Arkansas in the second round, a ninth seed who defeated eighth-seed Indiana 86-72. Indiana had struggled with several tough losses late in the season after a coaching scandal. Sonny Weems
had a career-high 31 points despite having two AP All-Americans, D.J. White and Eric Gordon
on their team. Fifth seed Notre Dame advanced to the second round with a 68-50 win over 12th seed George Mason. George Mason had two starters from the 2006 final four team, but were unable to come back after a surge by the Irish early in the first half. In the same pod, fourth seeded Washington State defeated 13th-seed Winthrop 71-40, holding them to 11 points in the second half and leaving them far behind after a 25-1 run. In Birmingham, Alabama
, the sixth seed Oklahoma defeated 11-th seeded St. Joseph's 72-64, led by David Godbold, a senior not normally known as a team leader who surprised many with his 25 points. Later in the evening, third seeded Louisville defeated WAC champion and 14th seed Boise State 79-61, sending the Broncos home for the second straight time. They had defeated Boise St. in the 1994 tournament as well, the last time the WAC team came to the tournament. In the afternoon session at Birmingham, seventh seeded Butler defeated 10th seed South Alabama in an 81-61 blowout, setting a school record for 30 wins in one season, and number two seed Tennessee survived a brief scare at the hands of 15th-seeded American, 72-57. American's star player, Garrison Carr, led his team with 26 points, tying the game at 40 with 11 minutes to go before Tennessee went on a 10-0 run to score the win.
East Regional by handily beating fifth-seeded Notre Dame, 61-41 in Denver, Colorado
. The rout came as a shock to many sportscasters, who expected Notre Dame's offense, which was averaging about 80 points a game, to outdo the Cougars. Instead, Notre Dame shot 24% from the field, their worst offensive effort since 1983 and the fifth-worst in the history of the NCAA tournament's opening rounds. Washington State's win brought them to their first-ever trip to the Sweet 16. Top-seeded North Carolina will challenge the Cougars after defeating Arkansas, the ninth seed, 108-77. The win marked only the third time the Tar Heels had won their first two tournament games by more than 20 points. The other two UNC teams to do this, in 1993 and 2005, went on to win the championship. With the win, North Carolina also set a school record for wins in a season, with 34. Second-seeded Tennessee survived an upset bid from number seven seed Butler, winning in overtime 76-71. Butler was behind throughout regulation, but managed to keep the game close and bring it to overtime, where they gained their first lead, 68-66, about 2 minutes into overtime. Some key defensive stands and free throws by the Volunteers, however, pulled them ahead. They will play third seed Louisville, who beat sixth seed Oklahoma, 78-48. Sooner star Blake Griffin
had trouble scoring against Louisville's double-teams, and Louisville's 30-point win was the school's best tournament win since 1968.
scored 17 points, 13 of them coming in the second half, and had 12 rebounds to lead the Cardinals. The Volunteers were held to 34% shooting and Louisville coach Rick Pitino improved to 8-0 in Regional semifinal games.
of the top-seeded Tar Heels carried the team with a 28-point performance, including five straight points after the Cardinals tied UNC midway through the second half to lead UNC to a 83-73 win. The Cardinals came close as the game neared its end, but a Ty Lawson 3 broke a 59-59 tie. Defensive stands combined with 8 for 8 free throw shooting down the stretch gave the Tar Heels the victory. Hansbrough was named the East Region's Tournament MVP.
The Midwest Region featured upsets knocking off the fourth through seventh seeds. Among these was the first upset of the tournament with 11th seed Kansas State's win over the sixth seeded Southern California Trojans 80-67 in Omaha, Nebraska
. The media had focused a lot of attention on the freshman stars of both teams, the Wildcats' Michael Beasley
and the Trojans' O. J. Mayo
. In reality, while Beasley and Mayo did well, it was the other K-State players who made the difference, applying a strong defense to the Men of Troy's attack and coming up with the school's first tournament win since 1988. Also in the Midwest Region, #10 seed Davidson defeated seventh seeded Gonzaga 82-76 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Stephen Curry
led the Wildcats with 40 points, 30 of them in the second half. His 40 points are the fifth most in NCAA tournament history, and gave Davidson their first tournament win since 1969. In the same region, 13th seed Siena upset fourth seed Vanderbilt 83-62 in Tampa, Florida
. The Saints never trailed in the game and became the first MAAC team to advance since 2004. The Midwest's first-round play ended with 12th seed Villanova's upset of fifth seed Clemson, 75-69, also in Tampa. Behind by eighteen late in the first half, the Wildcats came back, taking the lead at about the twelve minute mark and holding it for the win. The Wildcats have won more games as an underdog in the tournament since seedings began in 1979 than any other team. With Villanova's win, the Forum saw a tournament record four upsets in one day. Earlier in the day, Western Kentucky, San Diego, and Siena defeated Drake, UConn, and Vanderbilt, to set the record.
Earlier that day in Omaha, ninth seed Kent State tied an NCAA Tournament record for scoring lows with their 10 points in one half against UNLV. Eighth-seed UNLV won the game 71-58. Top seed Kansas defeated 16th seed Portland State 85-61, thoroughly dominating both inside and outside with the win. Second-seed Georgetown defeated fifteenth seed Maryland-Baltimore County 66-47 in their first round game, holding them to 31% shooting as compared to their 51%, and third seed Wisconsin stopped an upset threat from 14th seed Cal State Fullerton. The Titans' Josh Akognon
scored 31 points, tying a career high, and Fullerton held the lead early in the second half, but were unable hold the lead under the Badgers' offensive pressure.
and the Midwest Regional. KSU freshman star Michael Beasley was again dominant with 23 points and 14 rebounds, though he struggled in the second half with only six points due to the Badger defense. Top-seeded Kansas also advanced to the Sweet 16 by defeating eighth-seed UNLV 75-56. Four Jayhawks scored in double figures and the team shot 58% from the field while holding the Rebels to 26.7%. The following afternoon, the 12th-seeded Villanova Wildcats defeated the 13th-seeded Siena Saints in a 12-seed versus 13-seed Cinderella
match-up by a score of 84-72 to reach their third Sweet 16 in four years. The Wildcats took an early lead and never trailed the entire game. Tenth-seeded Davidson became the second double-digit seed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen hours after Villanova's victory, ousting second-seeded Georgetown 74-70, to play Wisconsin in the other regional semifinal. Davidson won on the back of another tour-de-force performance in the second half by Stephen Curry
. Curry singlehandedly outscored the Hoyas over the final 14:24, putting up 25 points to Georgetown's 22.
. Curry became only the fourth player in history to score 30 or more points in his first three tournament games. The Wisconsin defense, best in the nation at points allowed with 53.9, remained close until early in the second half, when some key steals and Davidson threes pulled the Wildcats far ahead. Prior to the game, Wisconsin guard Michael Flowers had said of Curry, "At the end of the game I want him to be breathless and remember what team he played against and how hard he worked." Curry would score 33 and cause Flowers' quote to completely backfire.
In the night game, top-seeded Kansas defeated # 12 Villanova, 72-57. The Jayhawks went on a 14-2 run early and never faltered—Villanova never getting within six. Brandon Rush, Russell Robinson, and Mario Chalmers each scored 16, 15, and 14 points, respectively.
's first regional final win. The Wildcats' 25-game winning streak, the longest in the nation, was broken with the loss. Davidson's Stephen Curry scored 25 points and was chosen as the Midwest Region's Most Outstanding Player.
. Memphis went on to meet Mississippi State, an eight seed which came back from 13-down early in the second half against Oregon to rally for the win, 76–69. Fifth-seed Michigan State handily defeated # 12 Temple, 72–61, and fourth-seed Pittsburgh defeated 13th seed Oral Roberts 82-63, leaving the Golden Eagles behind after an 18–0 run in the first half. Sixth-seeded Marquette won its first tournament game since 2003 with a 74-66 win over #11 Kentucky in Anaheim. Kentucky got to within two points with 22 seconds remaining, but two Marquette free throws and a late steal handed the Wildcats an early tournament loss. They met third seed Stanford in the next round, who handily defeated 14th-seeded Cornell 77-53, never trailing the entire game, and never allowing the Big Red to get closer than 18 points in the second half. Miami (Florida), the seventh seed, defeated 10th seed Saint Mary's (California) 78-64, led by Jack McClinton
and his 38 points. Their next opponent was second seed Texas, who never trailed in their 74-54 win over 15th seed Austin Peay, a game with four Longhorns scoring in double-figures.
make the difference in overtime with a basket with 1.3 seconds left to beat Marquette 82-81 and advance to Houston, Texas
. Stanford coach Trent Johnson
was ejected in the first half, and Stanford had to fight a six-point deficit at halftime to come back for the win. Michigan State became the first lower seed to win in the region, with a 65-54 victory over Pittsburgh. The game was extremely physical and hard-fought, with the Panther coming back from 10 down to take the lead in the middle of the second half, only to see it vanish in the final minutes with help from eight straight points from the Spartan's Drew Neitzel
. The Spartans would go on to play Memphis, the region's top seed after the Tigers beat eighth seed Mississippi State, 77-74. In their game, Memphis had four players scoring in double figures in what was a physical, defensive game—unlike what the games the Tigers were used to playing. Mississippi State gave them a late scare by coming to within two with four seconds left, but a free throw by Chris Douglas-Roberts
of Memphis followed by a missed three on Mississippi's end gave the Tigers the win. Texas, the second seed, will play the Cardinal in their home state after a 75-72 victory over seventh-seed Miami (Florida). Leading 66-50 with 4:15 left in the game, the Longhorns saw their lead melt in the face of a strong Hurricane rally and a hostile Arkansas crowd. Two key free throws by A. J. Abrams with 9.5 seconds left carried them to a three-point lead which held to the end of regulation.
. Normally not even a starter, Pittman was effective on the court, throwing his size against the tall Lopez twins, high-scorers at Stanford. On the offensive end, D.J. Augustin scored twenty-three points to combine with Damion James
' 18 for the win. Stanford made things close at about the 13 minute mark of the second half, bringing it to within one at 52-51, but Texas went on a 16-2 run and turned the game into a rout. Later in the day, top-seeded Memphis defeated fifth seed Michigan State, 92-74. Memphis entered the game as a bit of an underdog, with many predicting them the top seed most likely to lose. Instead, the Tigers went into halftime with a 30-point lead. Derrick Rose led his team with 27 points, and Chris Douglas-Roberts
followed with 25, while Spartan star Drew Neitzel
was held to just six.
, but a Gerald Henderson
layup with 11.9 seconds left, together with a steal off the inbounds by DeMarcus Nelson
in the final seconds, lifted the Blue Devils to victory. This would have been only the fifth time a 15 seed beat a 2 seed. The top seeded UCLA Bruins set several records in their win against 16th-seeded Mississippi Valley State at Anaheim, California, holding them to 29 points in a 70-29 victory. This was the lowest score in the first round in tournament history, and the lowest overall since 1946, before the shot clock
rule was introduced. The Delta Devils' 19.7% shooting set another record for lowest shooting percentage in a game in tournament history.
Elsewhere in the West, third seed Xavier avoided an upset by 14th-seeded Georgia, coming back from nine down at the half to win 73-61. They were to play sixth-seeded Purdue next, who scored their 10th-straight first-round win by defeating the 11th seeded Baylor 90-79. Brigham Young, an eighth seed, lost to ninth-seeded Texas A&M 67-62. The Cougars suffered early, not scoring until about the 14-minute mark, but managed to bring the game to a tie at the half. Twenty-six points by Aggie forward Josh Carter
, however, made the difference in Texas A&M's win. Lastly, West Virginia, seventh seed in the region, defeated 10th seed Arizona 75-65, scoring 11 three-point shots. With the win, the Mountaineers broke Arizona's streak of twenty straight 20-win seasons, previously the longest streak in the nation.
. Texas A&M had one final chance to tie it, but Donald Sloan
's drive to the basket was stopped by two UCLA players (pictures show that they both appear to be grabbing Sloan, in what could have been a foul called on UCLA). The ensuing dunk by UCLA's Russell Westbrook was later waved off by officials as occurring after time had expired, making the final score 51–49. The Bruins then played Western Kentucky, a #12 seed who beat #13 seed San Diego by a 73–62 score. San Diego trailed by as much as 15 in the second half, but an 18–2 run gave them a one-point lead with 6-and-a-half minutes remaining. Western Kentucky, however, managed to pull ahead once again for the win, making this tournament only the third in history to feature at least two 12-or-lower seeds in the Sweet 16.
, the third straight year and the 18th time in school history they have done it, with a 76-57 victory over Xavier. Kevin Love
led the Bruins with 19 points and ten rebounds, tied as high scorer with Darren Collison
. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
contributed 13 points and 13 rebounds. Derrick Brown led the Musketeers with 13 points. Overall, Xavier was held to 36% shooting from the floor while UCLA shot 56.8%. Love was picked as the West Region's MOP.
The second semifinal was a highly anticipated matchup between North Carolina Head Coach Roy Williams
and the team he had coached for 15 years before spurning them to go to UNC. The game itself could be divided up as if it were three different games. The Jayhawks took a 40-12 lead in the first 15 minutes, causing CBS analyst Billy Packer to declare that the game was over. North Carolina narrowed the deficit to 17 at halftime and opened the second half on a 23-10 run to close to within 4 points with 11 minutes to play. After the teams traded baskets for a few minutes, Kansas pulled away, closing on a 20-7 run for a 84-66 victory. After Kansas went out to the 40-12 lead, North Carolina never held the ball with a chance to take the lead. Brandon Rush led the Jayhawks with 25 points. AP Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough scored 17 points and had 9 rebounds, both below his season averages. The Tar Heels were led by Wayne Ellington's 18 points.
and Memphis' John Calipari
) had garnered a national championship during their head coaching careers. Memphis guard Chris Douglas-Roberts
had been the leading scorer in the tournament, averaging 23.6 points per game. Memphis became the first team currently from a conference other than the six majors to play in the championship game since 1998. Utah advanced to the championship game in 1998, and UNLV was the last team from a non-major conference to win the national title in 1990.
On the day of the game, the betting lines set by Las Vegas
casino
s Las Vegas Hilton
, Station Casinos
, and The Mirage
made Memphis the favorite by a spread
of 2 points.
The first half was back-and-forth as Kansas led for 7:37 minutes and Memphis led for 6:51 minutes. Kansas led 33-28 at halftime, the first second-half deficit that Memphis faced in the entire tournament. Memphis scored the first five points of the second half to tie the score at 33 with 18:57 left in regulation. After that Kansas maintained a small lead from the 16:04 mark until Memphis retook the lead with 8:11 remaining. Memphis then went on a 10-0 run to build a seven-point lead with 5:10 remaining and increased it to nine points with 2:12 remaining in regulation.
Kansas strategically fouled Memphis—an extremely poor free throw shooting team all season—which missed four of its final five free throws in regulation while Kansas furiously scored 12 points in the final two minutes of regulation. During that stretch Kansas made 100% of their shots going 2 for 2 from two point range, 2 for 2 from three point range and 2 for 2 from the free throw line. When Memphis failed to foul, which arguably would have all but assured a victory for the Tigers, Kansas guard Mario Chalmers
hit a three-point basket with 2.1 seconds remaining to tie the game at 63, sending the game into overtime. Kansas fans now refer to this shot as Mario's Miracle. At the end of regulation, the Jayhawks had led the score a total of 17:55 minutes and Memphis 15:51 minutes.
In overtime, Kansas scored the first six points en route to a 75-68 win. They continued the blistering stretch they started in regulation, going 4 of 6 from the field and 4 of 4 from the line in overtime. It was KU's third NCAA title since the modern tournament began in 1939 (fifth national title overall, including two Helms decisions). It was also the first national championship for the program since the 1988 team
.
This was the 7th overtime National Championship Game in NCAA Division I tournament history. It also represented the first national title for the Big 12 Conference
.
* Mount St. Mary's
won the opening round game.
Sixteen conferences — America East Conference
, Atlantic Sun Conference
, Big Sky Conference
, Big South Conference
, Big West Conference
, Colonial Athletic Association
, Ivy League
, MAC
, MEAC
, Missouri Valley Conference
, Ohio Valley Conference
, Patriot League
, Southland
, SWAC
, Summit League and WAC
— went 0-1.
For the 27th consecutive year, CBS Sports
telecast the tournament, and for the 18th consecutive year, broadcast every game in the main bracket from the first round to the championship, as Jim Nantz
and Billy Packer
called the Final Four. ESPN
carried the 64th-seed Opening Round game between Coppin State and Mount St. Mary's on March 18, with Brent Musburger
, Steve Lavin
and Erin Andrews
serving as the announcing team, as the network has done the Opening Round game since 2002.
The complete list of announcing teams follows:
Greg Gumbel
once again served as the studio host, joined by analysts Clark Kellogg
and Seth Davis
. For the first time since the rights were acquired, the host team spent the entire tournament at the CBS Broadcast Center
in New York City and did not travel to the Final Four site. CBS cited budget cutbacks ordered by the parent company, CBS Corporation
. This would be Billy Packer's 35th and final tournament as a broadcaster, ending a streak that began in 1975; in July 2008, it was announced that Kellogg would replace Packer as Nantz's color man in 2009
.
Several affiliates showed additional games on digital subchannels, and once, the Los Angeles
area had simultaneous telecasts on two stations: On March 20, UCLA vs. Mississippi Valley State was shown on KCBS
and Cal State Fullerton vs. Wisconsin was on independent station KDOC
at the same time. (KCBS has a duopoly with KCAL
, but KCAL was unavailable because of a third basketball game, one between the Los Angeles Lakers
and the Utah Jazz
in Salt Lake City.)
Unlike CBS Sports on the broadcast side, CBS College Sports Network did send a team to San Antonio, with Blackburn anchoring coverage and hosting the postgame highlights show, called the NCAA March Madness Highlights Show. Earlier, Greg Amsinger
had hosted the postgame program from the network's studios at Chelsea Piers
in lower Manhattan
. Analysts included Steve Lappas
, Greg Anthony
, and Jay Williams
.
, hosted by Tommy Tighe
.
Kugler called his first Final Four replacing Harlan, with Raftery and Thompson on color commentary and Jim Gray
as sideline reporter.
once again offered NCAA Mega March Madness as a pay-per-view
package for one payment of US$69. This allowed access to all tournament games in the first three rounds of the main draw not shown on the local CBS station in the viewer's area. This package was exclusive to DirecTV and not available to Dish Network
, fiber optic
, or cable
subscribers.
Online, CBSSports.com
and NCAA.com teamed up for NCAA March Madness on Demand. Computer users with broadband connections were able to watch all tournament games from the first round to the championship game for free, thanks to advertiser support from Coca-Cola
, AT&T Mobility, Pontiac
, and various other companies. The ads were not the same as those shown on television, and there was a separate halftime show hosted by Jason Horowitz joined by analysts including St. John's
head basketball coach Norm Roberts
.
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament
Single-elimination tournament
A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball season. It began on March 18, 2008, and concluded as the Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Memphis Tigers
Memphis Tigers
The Memphis Tigers represent the University of Memphis in Division I of the NCAA. They are members of C-USA and currently feature nine women's sports and nine men's sports...
75-68 in overtime on April 7 at the Alamodome
Alamodome
The Alamodome is a domed 65,000 seat, multi-purpose facility that is primarily used as a football/basketball stadium and convention center in San Antonio, Texas, U.S...
in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, to win their fifth national championship, and third NCAA championship. The host institution was the University of Texas at San Antonio
University of Texas at San Antonio
The University of Texas at San Antonio, commonly referred to as UTSA, is a state university in San Antonio, Texas. With an enrollment of more than 30,000 students, it is the third-largest of nine universities and six health institutions in the University of Texas System and the eighth-largest in...
. For the first time in tournament history since seeding began, the top seeded team from each of the four regionals made it to the final four: Kansas
2007-08 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team
The 2007–08 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas for the NCAA Division I men's intercollegiate basketball season of 2007–2008. The team was led by Bill Self in his fifth season as head coach. The team played its home games in Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence,...
, Memphis, North Carolina
2007-08 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
The 2007–08 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Roy Williams...
, and UCLA
2007-08 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
The 2007–08 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team was a college sports team representing the University of California, Los Angeles in the Pacific-10 Conference for the 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. In his fifth year as head coach, Ben Howland led the team to its third straight Final...
. On August 20, 2009, the NCAA forced Memphis to vacate all of its wins from the 2007-08 season, as well as their trip to the Final Four and the NCAA Championship Game. The penalty, which was due to use of the ineligible Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose
Derrick Martell Rose is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association ....
, was upheld by the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee on March 22, 2010.
Entering the tournament on March 18, the top ranked team was North Carolina
2007-08 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
The 2007–08 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Roy Williams...
in both the AP Top 25 and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Polls, followed by Memphis, UCLA
2007-08 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
The 2007–08 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team was a college sports team representing the University of California, Los Angeles in the Pacific-10 Conference for the 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. In his fifth year as head coach, Ben Howland led the team to its third straight Final...
and Kansas
2007-08 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team
The 2007–08 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas for the NCAA Division I men's intercollegiate basketball season of 2007–2008. The team was led by Bill Self in his fifth season as head coach. The team played its home games in Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence,...
.
American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
, UMBC, Texas-Arlington
University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington is a public research university located in Arlington, Texas, United States. The campus is situated southwest of downtown Arlington, and is located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. The university was founded in 1895 and served primarily a military...
, and Portland State all entered the tournament for the first time in their school's history. Another school, Coppin State won the MEAC Tournament to became the first 20-loss school ever to make the field. The first round of the tournament featured some unprecedented upsets, with four upsets in all four games played in Tampa. The surprise of the tournament was tenth-seeded Davidson
Davidson Wildcats men's basketball
The Davidson Wildcats basketball team is the basketball team that represents Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, in the NCAA Division I. The school's team currently competes in the Southern Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2008. The...
, who advanced to the Elite Eight before losing to eventual champion Kansas 59-57, each team's closest game of the tournament. This tournament was also notable for being the only one to date to feature two 12 vs. 13 matchups.
The total tournament attendance of 763,607 set a record for highest total tournament attendance, breaking the record set during the 1999 tournament
1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1999, and ended with the championship game on March 29 at Tropicana Field in St....
.
Tournament procedure
NCAA basketball tournament selection process
The selection process for College basketball's NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship determines which 68 teams will enter the tournament, known as March Madness, and where they will be seeded and placed in the bracket...
seeded the entire field from 1 to 65 within four regionals of 16 teams; Mount St. Mary's, as the winner of the play-in game, automatically received a 16 seed. The first and second round games were played at the following sites, which were not restricted to any one particular Tournament Region, because of the "pod system":
March 20 and 22
- Honda Center, Anaheim, CaliforniaAnaheim, CaliforniaAnaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
(Host: Big West ConferenceBig West ConferenceThe Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
) - Pepsi CenterPepsi CenterPepsi Center is a multi-purpose arena in Denver, Colorado, United States. The building is home to the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association, the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League, and the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League...
, Denver, ColoradoDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
(Hosts: Colorado State UniversityColorado State UniversityColorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
and Mountain West ConferenceMountain West ConferenceThe Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
) - Qwest Center OmahaQwest Center OmahaCenturyLink Center is an arena and convention center facility in the North Downtown neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska. The 1.1 million ft² facility has an 18,300-seat arena, a 194,000-ft² exhibition hall and 62,000 ft² of meeting space....
, Omaha, NebraskaOmaha, NebraskaOmaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
(Hosts: Creighton UniversityCreighton UniversityCreighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...
and Missouri Valley ConferenceMissouri Valley ConferenceThe Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
) - Verizon CenterVerizon CenterVerizon Center is a sports and entertainment arena in Washington, D.C., USA, named after telecommunications sponsor Verizon Communications, and has been nicknamed the "Phone Booth" because of its association with telecommunications companies...
, Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
(Host: Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown UniversityGeorgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
)
March 21 and 23
- BJCC ArenaBirmingham Jefferson Convention ComplexThe Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex is a sports, convention and entertainment complex located in Birmingham, Alabama...
, Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham, AlabamaBirmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
(Host: Southeastern ConferenceSoutheastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
) - Alltel ArenaAlltel ArenaVerizon Arena is an 18,000-seat multi-purpose arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas, directly across the Arkansas River from downtown Little Rock. The arena opened in October 1999...
, North Little Rock, ArkansasNorth Little Rock, Arkansasthe city was 62.55% White, 33.98% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races...
(Host: University of Arkansas at Little RockUniversity of Arkansas at Little RockUniversity of Arkansas at Little Rock , is a public research university located in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, and the second largest university by enrollment in the state of Arkansas....
) - RBC Center, Raleigh, North CarolinaRaleigh, North CarolinaRaleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
(Host: North Carolina State UniversityNorth Carolina State UniversityNorth Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
) - St. Pete Times ForumSt. Pete Times ForumThe St. Pete Times Forum is an arena in Tampa, Florida, that has been used for ice hockey, basketball, and arena football games, as well as concerts....
, Tampa, FloridaTampa, FloridaTampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
(Host: University of South FloridaUniversity of South FloridaThe University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
)
The four regionals are officially named after their geographic areas, a practice that resumed in 2007. Between 2004 and 2006, the regionals were named for their host cities. The following arenas/stadia and cities were the sites for the 2008 regionals:
March 27 and 29
- East Regional, Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
(Host: University of North Carolina at CharlotteUniversity of North Carolina at CharlotteThe University of North Carolina at Charlotte , also known as UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte, is a public research university located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States...
) - West Regional, US Airways CenterUS Airways CenterUS Airways Center is a sports and entertainment arena located in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. It opened in 1992, and is the home of the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association, the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena...
, Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix, ArizonaPhoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
(Host: Arizona State UniversityArizona State UniversityArizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
)
March 28 and 30
- Midwest Regional, Ford FieldFord FieldFord Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, USA, that is the current home field of the NFL's Detroit Lions. It is owned by the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority. It regularly seats 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for...
, Detroit, MichiganDetroit, MichiganDetroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
(Host: University of Detroit MercyUniversity of Detroit MercyUniversity of Detroit Mercy is a private, Roman Catholic co-educational university in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with the Society of Jesus and the Sisters of Mercy. Antoine M. Garibaldi is the president. With origins dating from 1877, it is the largest Roman Catholic university...
) - South Regional, Reliant StadiumReliant StadiumReliant Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in Houston, Texas, USA. Reliant Stadium has a seating capacity of 71,500, a total square footage of with of natural grass playing surface....
, Houston, TexasHouston, TexasHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
(Hosts: University of HoustonUniversity of HoustonThe University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
and Rice UniversityRice UniversityWilliam Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
)
Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
.
April 5 and 7
- AlamodomeAlamodomeThe Alamodome is a domed 65,000 seat, multi-purpose facility that is primarily used as a football/basketball stadium and convention center in San Antonio, Texas, U.S...
, San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, TexasSan Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
(Host: University of Texas at San AntonioUniversity of Texas at San AntonioThe University of Texas at San Antonio, commonly referred to as UTSA, is a state university in San Antonio, Texas. With an enrollment of more than 30,000 students, it is the third-largest of nine universities and six health institutions in the University of Texas System and the eighth-largest in...
)
Qualifying teams
Listed by grouping & seeding
A total of 31 teams received automatic bids for winning their conference tournament championship. Since the Ivy League does not hold a tournament, its regular season champion received the automatic bid. This left 34 at-large bids to be decided from the rest of the field by the NCAA Selection Committee. The at-large bids, along with the seeding for each team in the tournament, were announced on Sunday, March 16. Coppin State was the first team to make the tournament with 20 losses. Maryland-Baltimore County, American, Texas-Arlington, and Portland State all received their first tournament bids in school history. Three other teams returned after absences from the NCAA Tournament of 20 years or more—Drake (last appearing in 19711971 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1971 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1971, and ended with the championship game on March 27 in Houston, Texas...
), Cal State Fullerton (1978
1978 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1978 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1978, and ended with the championship game on March 27 in St. Louis, Missouri...
), Cornell (1988
1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 17, 1988, and ended with the championship game on April 4 returning to Kansas City, Missouri...
), and Baylor (1988).
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Opening Round Game – Dayton, Ohio
Winner advances to 16th seed in East Regional vs. (1) North CarolinaUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
.
East Regional – Charlotte, North Carolina
Midwest Regional - Detroit, Michigan
South Regional – Houston, Texas
West Regional – Phoenix, Arizona
Final Four – Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
Bracket SourceFirst round
Top seed North Carolina defeated the play-in game winner Mount St. Mary's 113-74. Their high scoring tied the mark for second most in North Carolina tournament history, aided by Tyler HansbroughTyler Hansbrough
Andrew Tyler Hansbrough is an American basketball player for the Indiana Pacers. Hansbrough completed a college basketball career with the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team in 2009, and was drafted into the NBA by the Indiana Pacers with the 13th pick of the 1st round of the 2009 NBA...
and Ty Lawson's 21 points each. They met Arkansas in the second round, a ninth seed who defeated eighth-seed Indiana 86-72. Indiana had struggled with several tough losses late in the season after a coaching scandal. Sonny Weems
Sonny Weems
Clarence "Sonny" Weems is an American basketball player who plays for Zalgiris Kaunas. Weems was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 2008 NBA Draft and shortly thereafter traded to the Denver Nuggets. Weems played collegiate basketball at the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas...
had a career-high 31 points despite having two AP All-Americans, D.J. White and Eric Gordon
Eric Gordon
Eric Ambrose Gordon, Jr. , nicknamed "EJ", is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA. In high school, he was named "Mr. Basketball" of Indiana during his senior year while playing at North Central High School...
on their team. Fifth seed Notre Dame advanced to the second round with a 68-50 win over 12th seed George Mason. George Mason had two starters from the 2006 final four team, but were unable to come back after a surge by the Irish early in the first half. In the same pod, fourth seeded Washington State defeated 13th-seed Winthrop 71-40, holding them to 11 points in the second half and leaving them far behind after a 25-1 run. In Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex
The Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex is a sports, convention and entertainment complex located in Birmingham, Alabama...
, the sixth seed Oklahoma defeated 11-th seeded St. Joseph's 72-64, led by David Godbold, a senior not normally known as a team leader who surprised many with his 25 points. Later in the evening, third seeded Louisville defeated WAC champion and 14th seed Boise State 79-61, sending the Broncos home for the second straight time. They had defeated Boise St. in the 1994 tournament as well, the last time the WAC team came to the tournament. In the afternoon session at Birmingham, seventh seeded Butler defeated 10th seed South Alabama in an 81-61 blowout, setting a school record for 30 wins in one season, and number two seed Tennessee survived a brief scare at the hands of 15th-seeded American, 72-57. American's star player, Garrison Carr, led his team with 26 points, tying the game at 40 with 11 minutes to go before Tennessee went on a 10-0 run to score the win.
Second round
Washington State, the region's fourth seed, was first to earn a spot in the Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte Bobcats Arena
Time Warner Cable Arena , is an entertainment and sports venue, located in center city Charlotte, North Carolina. Its primary use is as the home court of the Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA...
East Regional by handily beating fifth-seeded Notre Dame, 61-41 in Denver, Colorado
Pepsi Center
Pepsi Center is a multi-purpose arena in Denver, Colorado, United States. The building is home to the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association, the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League, and the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League...
. The rout came as a shock to many sportscasters, who expected Notre Dame's offense, which was averaging about 80 points a game, to outdo the Cougars. Instead, Notre Dame shot 24% from the field, their worst offensive effort since 1983 and the fifth-worst in the history of the NCAA tournament's opening rounds. Washington State's win brought them to their first-ever trip to the Sweet 16. Top-seeded North Carolina will challenge the Cougars after defeating Arkansas, the ninth seed, 108-77. The win marked only the third time the Tar Heels had won their first two tournament games by more than 20 points. The other two UNC teams to do this, in 1993 and 2005, went on to win the championship. With the win, North Carolina also set a school record for wins in a season, with 34. Second-seeded Tennessee survived an upset bid from number seven seed Butler, winning in overtime 76-71. Butler was behind throughout regulation, but managed to keep the game close and bring it to overtime, where they gained their first lead, 68-66, about 2 minutes into overtime. Some key defensive stands and free throws by the Volunteers, however, pulled them ahead. They will play third seed Louisville, who beat sixth seed Oklahoma, 78-48. Sooner star Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin
Blake Austin Griffin is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association . Griffin had a renowned high school career at Oklahoma Christian School, winning state titles each of his four years under his father, Tommy Griffin, who was the...
had trouble scoring against Louisville's double-teams, and Louisville's 30-point win was the school's best tournament win since 1968.
Regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)
Top-seeded North Carolina defeated fourth seeded Washington State 68-47. Washington State was held to 47 points, the least allowed by a Tar Heel team in the tournament since 1946. Tyler Hansbrough struggled in the first half, but North Carolina's other players stepped to give the team a 14-point lead a halftime. In the second half, he led the team with 16 points, contributing to what was at one point in the half a 26-point lead. Third-seeded Louisville went on to face the Tar Heels in the East finals after defeating the second-seeded Tennessee Volunteers, 79-60. Earl ClarkEarl Clark
Earl Rashad Clark is an American professional basketball player. Clark played collegiate basketball for the University of Louisville men's basketball team and was drafted 14th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2009 NBA Draft....
scored 17 points, 13 of them coming in the second half, and had 12 rebounds to lead the Cardinals. The Volunteers were held to 34% shooting and Louisville coach Rick Pitino improved to 8-0 in Regional semifinal games.
Regional final (Elite Eight)
In the East Regional finals in their home state, against third-seed Louisville, Tyler HansbroughTyler Hansbrough
Andrew Tyler Hansbrough is an American basketball player for the Indiana Pacers. Hansbrough completed a college basketball career with the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team in 2009, and was drafted into the NBA by the Indiana Pacers with the 13th pick of the 1st round of the 2009 NBA...
of the top-seeded Tar Heels carried the team with a 28-point performance, including five straight points after the Cardinals tied UNC midway through the second half to lead UNC to a 83-73 win. The Cardinals came close as the game neared its end, but a Ty Lawson 3 broke a 59-59 tie. Defensive stands combined with 8 for 8 free throw shooting down the stretch gave the Tar Heels the victory. Hansbrough was named the East Region's Tournament MVP.
First round
Qwest Center Omaha
CenturyLink Center is an arena and convention center facility in the North Downtown neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska. The 1.1 million ft² facility has an 18,300-seat arena, a 194,000-ft² exhibition hall and 62,000 ft² of meeting space....
. The media had focused a lot of attention on the freshman stars of both teams, the Wildcats' Michael Beasley
Michael Beasley
Michael Paul Beasley, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association . He plays both forward positions, and shoots his jump shot left-handed, though he is also ambidextrous...
and the Trojans' O. J. Mayo
O. J. Mayo
Ovinton J'Anthony "O. J." Mayo , is an American basketball player currently playing with the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA. He signed with the team on July 8, 2008. He played college basketball for the University of Southern California...
. In reality, while Beasley and Mayo did well, it was the other K-State players who made the difference, applying a strong defense to the Men of Troy's attack and coming up with the school's first tournament win since 1988. Also in the Midwest Region, #10 seed Davidson defeated seventh seeded Gonzaga 82-76 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry (basketball)
-Freshman season:Before Stephen Curry played even one college game, head coach, Bob McKillop, said at a Davidson Alumni event, "Wait till you see Steph Curry...
led the Wildcats with 40 points, 30 of them in the second half. His 40 points are the fifth most in NCAA tournament history, and gave Davidson their first tournament win since 1969. In the same region, 13th seed Siena upset fourth seed Vanderbilt 83-62 in Tampa, Florida
St. Pete Times Forum
The St. Pete Times Forum is an arena in Tampa, Florida, that has been used for ice hockey, basketball, and arena football games, as well as concerts....
. The Saints never trailed in the game and became the first MAAC team to advance since 2004. The Midwest's first-round play ended with 12th seed Villanova's upset of fifth seed Clemson, 75-69, also in Tampa. Behind by eighteen late in the first half, the Wildcats came back, taking the lead at about the twelve minute mark and holding it for the win. The Wildcats have won more games as an underdog in the tournament since seedings began in 1979 than any other team. With Villanova's win, the Forum saw a tournament record four upsets in one day. Earlier in the day, Western Kentucky, San Diego, and Siena defeated Drake, UConn, and Vanderbilt, to set the record.
Earlier that day in Omaha, ninth seed Kent State tied an NCAA Tournament record for scoring lows with their 10 points in one half against UNLV. Eighth-seed UNLV won the game 71-58. Top seed Kansas defeated 16th seed Portland State 85-61, thoroughly dominating both inside and outside with the win. Second-seed Georgetown defeated fifteenth seed Maryland-Baltimore County 66-47 in their first round game, holding them to 31% shooting as compared to their 51%, and third seed Wisconsin stopped an upset threat from 14th seed Cal State Fullerton. The Titans' Josh Akognon
Josh Akognon
Joshua Emmanuel Akognon is a Nigerian American professional basketball guard who played collegiate basketball for Washington State University and Cal State Fullerton .-High school:...
scored 31 points, tying a career high, and Fullerton held the lead early in the second half, but were unable hold the lead under the Badgers' offensive pressure.
Second round
The third-seeded Badgers from the University of Wisconsin defeated Kansas State, 72-55 to become the first school to advance to Detroit, MichiganFord Field
Ford Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, USA, that is the current home field of the NFL's Detroit Lions. It is owned by the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority. It regularly seats 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for...
and the Midwest Regional. KSU freshman star Michael Beasley was again dominant with 23 points and 14 rebounds, though he struggled in the second half with only six points due to the Badger defense. Top-seeded Kansas also advanced to the Sweet 16 by defeating eighth-seed UNLV 75-56. Four Jayhawks scored in double figures and the team shot 58% from the field while holding the Rebels to 26.7%. The following afternoon, the 12th-seeded Villanova Wildcats defeated the 13th-seeded Siena Saints in a 12-seed versus 13-seed Cinderella
Cinderella (sports)
In American and Canadian sports, a Cinderella or "Cinderella Story" refers to a team or player who advances much further in a tournament or career than originally anticipated. Cinderellas tend to gain much media and fan attention as they move closer to the championship game at the end of the...
match-up by a score of 84-72 to reach their third Sweet 16 in four years. The Wildcats took an early lead and never trailed the entire game. Tenth-seeded Davidson became the second double-digit seed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen hours after Villanova's victory, ousting second-seeded Georgetown 74-70, to play Wisconsin in the other regional semifinal. Davidson won on the back of another tour-de-force performance in the second half by Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry (basketball)
-Freshman season:Before Stephen Curry played even one college game, head coach, Bob McKillop, said at a Davidson Alumni event, "Wait till you see Steph Curry...
. Curry singlehandedly outscored the Hoyas over the final 14:24, putting up 25 points to Georgetown's 22.
Regional Semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)
Stephen Curry scored 33 points to lead Davidson to a 73-56 victory over Wisconsin. Davidson, the 10-seed, advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since the 1969 tournament1969 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1969 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1969, and ended with the championship game on March 22 in Louisville, Kentucky...
. Curry became only the fourth player in history to score 30 or more points in his first three tournament games. The Wisconsin defense, best in the nation at points allowed with 53.9, remained close until early in the second half, when some key steals and Davidson threes pulled the Wildcats far ahead. Prior to the game, Wisconsin guard Michael Flowers had said of Curry, "At the end of the game I want him to be breathless and remember what team he played against and how hard he worked." Curry would score 33 and cause Flowers' quote to completely backfire.
In the night game, top-seeded Kansas defeated # 12 Villanova, 72-57. The Jayhawks went on a 14-2 run early and never faltered—Villanova never getting within six. Brandon Rush, Russell Robinson, and Mario Chalmers each scored 16, 15, and 14 points, respectively.
Regional final (Elite Eight)
Kansas completed the first all top-seeded Final Four in NCAA Tournament history as they defeated 10th seeded Davidson 59-57. The outcome remained in doubt down to the final seconds. Kansas' Sherron Collins missed a shot with 21 seconds left, giving Davidson the final shot. Sophomore star Stephen Curry was double teamed, couldn't find a shot, and passed to Jason Richards, whose shot missed. It was head coach Bill SelfBill Self
Bill Self is an American college men's basketball coach at the University of Kansas, where he led the Jayhawks to the 2008 NCAA national championship....
's first regional final win. The Wildcats' 25-game winning streak, the longest in the nation, was broken with the loss. Davidson's Stephen Curry scored 25 points and was chosen as the Midwest Region's Most Outstanding Player.
First round
Top seed Memphis took on Texas-Arlington, the region's 16th seed, and went on to win their opening-round contest, 87–63, in North Little Rock, ArkansasAlltel Arena
Verizon Arena is an 18,000-seat multi-purpose arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas, directly across the Arkansas River from downtown Little Rock. The arena opened in October 1999...
. Memphis went on to meet Mississippi State, an eight seed which came back from 13-down early in the second half against Oregon to rally for the win, 76–69. Fifth-seed Michigan State handily defeated # 12 Temple, 72–61, and fourth-seed Pittsburgh defeated 13th seed Oral Roberts 82-63, leaving the Golden Eagles behind after an 18–0 run in the first half. Sixth-seeded Marquette won its first tournament game since 2003 with a 74-66 win over #11 Kentucky in Anaheim. Kentucky got to within two points with 22 seconds remaining, but two Marquette free throws and a late steal handed the Wildcats an early tournament loss. They met third seed Stanford in the next round, who handily defeated 14th-seeded Cornell 77-53, never trailing the entire game, and never allowing the Big Red to get closer than 18 points in the second half. Miami (Florida), the seventh seed, defeated 10th seed Saint Mary's (California) 78-64, led by Jack McClinton
Jack McClinton
Jack Paul McClinton is an American professional basketball player. A former college basketball player, he was the starting shooting guard for the University of Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team. He was selected in the second round by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2009 NBA Draft...
and his 38 points. Their next opponent was second seed Texas, who never trailed in their 74-54 win over 15th seed Austin Peay, a game with four Longhorns scoring in double-figures.
Second round
Third-seeded Stanford saw Brook LopezBrook Lopez
Brook Lopez is a 7'0" American basketball center who plays for the New Jersey Nets of the NBA. He is the twin brother of fellow basketball player Robin Lopez...
make the difference in overtime with a basket with 1.3 seconds left to beat Marquette 82-81 and advance to Houston, Texas
Reliant Stadium
Reliant Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in Houston, Texas, USA. Reliant Stadium has a seating capacity of 71,500, a total square footage of with of natural grass playing surface....
. Stanford coach Trent Johnson
Trent Johnson
Trent Johnson is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the LSU Tigers men's basketball team. Johnson had previously been the head coach at Stanford University and Nevada, where he achieved some success in the 2004 NCAA tournament with star player Kirk Snyder and...
was ejected in the first half, and Stanford had to fight a six-point deficit at halftime to come back for the win. Michigan State became the first lower seed to win in the region, with a 65-54 victory over Pittsburgh. The game was extremely physical and hard-fought, with the Panther coming back from 10 down to take the lead in the middle of the second half, only to see it vanish in the final minutes with help from eight straight points from the Spartan's Drew Neitzel
Drew Neitzel
Drew Neitzel is a former point guard for the Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team. Neitzel is currently playing for the German team BBC Bayreuth.-High school career:...
. The Spartans would go on to play Memphis, the region's top seed after the Tigers beat eighth seed Mississippi State, 77-74. In their game, Memphis had four players scoring in double figures in what was a physical, defensive game—unlike what the games the Tigers were used to playing. Mississippi State gave them a late scare by coming to within two with four seconds left, but a free throw by Chris Douglas-Roberts
Chris Douglas-Roberts
Chris Douglas-Roberts, also known as CDR is an American basketball player who plays for Virtus Bologna. He played college basketball for the Memphis Tigers.-High school:...
of Memphis followed by a missed three on Mississippi's end gave the Tigers the win. Texas, the second seed, will play the Cardinal in their home state after a 75-72 victory over seventh-seed Miami (Florida). Leading 66-50 with 4:15 left in the game, the Longhorns saw their lead melt in the face of a strong Hurricane rally and a hostile Arkansas crowd. Two key free throws by A. J. Abrams with 9.5 seconds left carried them to a three-point lead which held to the end of regulation.
Regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)
Tens of thousands of Texas fans turned out to Reliant Stadium in Houston and saw the second seeded Longhorns defeat the number three seeded Stanford Cardinal, 82-62. The unlikely defensive star of the game was Texas' Dexter PittmanDexter Pittman
Dexter Jerome Pittman is an American professional basketball player with the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association.-High school:...
. Normally not even a starter, Pittman was effective on the court, throwing his size against the tall Lopez twins, high-scorers at Stanford. On the offensive end, D.J. Augustin scored twenty-three points to combine with Damion James
Damion James
Damion Marquez Williams James is an American professional basketball player for the New Jersey Nets of the NBA...
' 18 for the win. Stanford made things close at about the 13 minute mark of the second half, bringing it to within one at 52-51, but Texas went on a 16-2 run and turned the game into a rout. Later in the day, top-seeded Memphis defeated fifth seed Michigan State, 92-74. Memphis entered the game as a bit of an underdog, with many predicting them the top seed most likely to lose. Instead, the Tigers went into halftime with a 30-point lead. Derrick Rose led his team with 27 points, and Chris Douglas-Roberts
Chris Douglas-Roberts
Chris Douglas-Roberts, also known as CDR is an American basketball player who plays for Virtus Bologna. He played college basketball for the Memphis Tigers.-High school:...
followed with 25, while Spartan star Drew Neitzel
Drew Neitzel
Drew Neitzel is a former point guard for the Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team. Neitzel is currently playing for the German team BBC Bayreuth.-High school career:...
was held to just six.
Regional final (Elite Eight)
Top seeded Memphis defeated the Texas Longhorns to earn the third pass into the Final Four for the first time in 23 years with a convincing 85-67 win. Memphis spread the floor and used every man on the field to win. Texas star D J Augustin scored 16 points, but struggled with four turnovers in the second half. Derrick Rose won the Region's Most Outstanding Player award. This Memphis win would later be vacated as the result of Memphis' NCAA Rules Violations.West Region
First round
In the West Region, with a pod in Tampa as well, Western Kentucky entering as the 12th seed, defeated fifth seeded Drake in overtime 101-99. Drake had come back from sixteen down in the final eight minutes, bringing the game to overtime, and were ahead with 5.7 seconds left. Ty Rogers' three-pointer at the buzzer, the NCAA record-setting 30th three-point basket gave the Hilltoppers the walk-off victory. Also in the West, 13th seeded San Diego upset fourth seed Connecticut 70-69 in another overtime game. The Huskies struggled throughout the game, compounded by the loss of leading scorer A.J. Price to a torn ACL, and De'Jon Jackson's long jumper with 1.2 seconds remaining in the bonus period pulled the Toreros ahead for their first-ever tournament victory, and handed UConn their earliest egress from the tournament since 1979 as well as the first under coach Jim Calhoun. As regards to close games and record-breakers, West Region 15th seed Belmont nearly upset second-seeded Duke in Washington, D.C.Verizon Center
Verizon Center is a sports and entertainment arena in Washington, D.C., USA, named after telecommunications sponsor Verizon Communications, and has been nicknamed the "Phone Booth" because of its association with telecommunications companies...
, but a Gerald Henderson
Gerald Henderson, Jr.
Jerome McKinley "Gerald" Henderson, Jr. is an American basketball player who was drafted 12th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats of the National Basketball Association...
layup with 11.9 seconds left, together with a steal off the inbounds by DeMarcus Nelson
DeMarcus Nelson
DeMarcus De'Juan Nelson is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for BC Donetsk. He can play at either the point guard or shooting guard positions. Nelson has played in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors.-College career:Nelson played at the shooting guard position on...
in the final seconds, lifted the Blue Devils to victory. This would have been only the fifth time a 15 seed beat a 2 seed. The top seeded UCLA Bruins set several records in their win against 16th-seeded Mississippi Valley State at Anaheim, California, holding them to 29 points in a 70-29 victory. This was the lowest score in the first round in tournament history, and the lowest overall since 1946, before the shot clock
Shot clock
A shot clock is used in some sports to quicken the pace of the game. It is normally associated with basketball, but has also found use in sports such as snooker, professional lacrosse, water polo, and korfball....
rule was introduced. The Delta Devils' 19.7% shooting set another record for lowest shooting percentage in a game in tournament history.
Elsewhere in the West, third seed Xavier avoided an upset by 14th-seeded Georgia, coming back from nine down at the half to win 73-61. They were to play sixth-seeded Purdue next, who scored their 10th-straight first-round win by defeating the 11th seeded Baylor 90-79. Brigham Young, an eighth seed, lost to ninth-seeded Texas A&M 67-62. The Cougars suffered early, not scoring until about the 14-minute mark, but managed to bring the game to a tie at the half. Twenty-six points by Aggie forward Josh Carter
Josh Carter
Joshua Neville Carter is an American professional basketball player at guard/forward. He played college basketball for Texas A&M. He also played for the Athletes in Action basketball team in 2006 and 2007, helping the team win the William Jones Cup in 2006...
, however, made the difference in Texas A&M's win. Lastly, West Virginia, seventh seed in the region, defeated 10th seed Arizona 75-65, scoring 11 three-point shots. With the win, the Mountaineers broke Arizona's streak of twenty straight 20-win seasons, previously the longest streak in the nation.
Second round
Seventh-seeded West Virginia began the second round of the tournament by defeating Duke, the second seed, 73-67. The Mountaineers trailed until about eight minutes into the second half, when they took a 43-40 lead. They outrebounded the Blue Devils 47-27, which, combined with several three-point shots, aided in the win. This loss marked Duke's second consecutive loss before the Sweet Sixteen round. West Virginia's Sweet Sixteen opposition in Phoenix, Arizona was #3 Xavier, who defeated Purdue, 85–78. Xavier trailed as late as the 5:30 mark of the second half, but a widespread showing of talent from the Musketeers proved too difficult to stop, as four Xavier players scored in double figures, with two more tied at eight points each. Later that day, the top-seeded UCLA Bruins defeated ninth-seeded Texas A&M, 51–49. The Bruins trailed by as much as ten early in the first half, but slowly chipped away at the lead as the half progressed. The winning basket was scored with 9.5 seconds left on a lay-up by Darren CollisonDarren Collison
Darren Michael Collison is an American professional basketball point guard for the Indiana Pacers. He was drafted 21st overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by New Orleans. He is a right-hander and a native of Rancho Cucamonga, California...
. Texas A&M had one final chance to tie it, but Donald Sloan
Donald Sloan (basketball)
Donald Sloan is an American basketball player who formerly played for the NBADL's Reno Bighorns. He played shooting guard for Texas A&M. As a senior during the 2009-10 season, Sloan led the Aggies in scoring with a 17.8 points per game average and was a first team All-Big 12 Conference selection...
's drive to the basket was stopped by two UCLA players (pictures show that they both appear to be grabbing Sloan, in what could have been a foul called on UCLA). The ensuing dunk by UCLA's Russell Westbrook was later waved off by officials as occurring after time had expired, making the final score 51–49. The Bruins then played Western Kentucky, a #12 seed who beat #13 seed San Diego by a 73–62 score. San Diego trailed by as much as 15 in the second half, but an 18–2 run gave them a one-point lead with 6-and-a-half minutes remaining. Western Kentucky, however, managed to pull ahead once again for the win, making this tournament only the third in history to feature at least two 12-or-lower seeds in the Sweet 16.
Regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)
Xavier, the third seed in the West, defeated seventh seed West Virginia, 79-75 in overtime thanks to two B.J. Raymond three-pointers in the final 78 seconds. Raymond scored all eight of his points in the bonus round after being held scoreless in regulation, and poor free-throw shooting by the Mountaineers, missing four out of six free throws, sealed the victory. Josh Duncan led the Musketeers in scoring with a career high 26 points, followed by Joe Alexander's 18 points and 10 rebounds. Xavier led by as much as much as 18 during the game, but trailed six late in OT, counting on Raymond's threes to give them the victory. Number one seed UCLA would play the Musketeers in the final, after outlasting 12th seeded Western Kentucky, 88-78. WKU came to within four late in the game, taking advantage of several sloppy Bruin mistakes. Kevin Love led UCLA with 29 points and 14 rebounds, aided by James Keefe's 18 points and 12 rebounds and Russell Westbrooks' 14 and 11. Trailing 41-20 at the half, WKU came out of the locker room determined to win, as evidenced by Hilltopper star Tyrone Brazelton's 31 points, 25 of which came in the second half. A. J. Slaughter missed a crucial three-point shot that would have brought them to within one, and a UCLA run left them nine points behind only two minutes later.Regional final (Elite Eight)
UCLA was the first team to advance to the Final Four in San Antonio, TexasAlamodome
The Alamodome is a domed 65,000 seat, multi-purpose facility that is primarily used as a football/basketball stadium and convention center in San Antonio, Texas, U.S...
, the third straight year and the 18th time in school history they have done it, with a 76-57 victory over Xavier. Kevin Love
Kevin Love
Kevin Love, born in Des Moines, Iowa, is a former NASCAR driver. He ran five races in the 2004 Craftsman Truck Series season, all for Fiddleback Racing....
led the Bruins with 19 points and ten rebounds, tied as high scorer with Darren Collison
Darren Collison
Darren Michael Collison is an American professional basketball point guard for the Indiana Pacers. He was drafted 21st overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by New Orleans. He is a right-hander and a native of Rancho Cucamonga, California...
. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association . Mbah a Mouté is a prince in his native village of Bia Messe , as he is a son of the elected village chief, Camille Mouté à Bidias...
contributed 13 points and 13 rebounds. Derrick Brown led the Musketeers with 13 points. Overall, Xavier was held to 36% shooting from the floor while UCLA shot 56.8%. Love was picked as the West Region's MOP.
Final Four
For the first time since the current seeding system started in 1979, all four #1 seeds made it to the Final Four.Memphis vs. UCLA
Memphis became the first team ever to win 38 games in one season by defeating UCLA 78-63. Chris Douglas-Roberts, who scored a game-high of 28 points, combined with Derrick Rose to score a total of 53 of Memphis' 78 points. UCLA star Kevin Love was held to 12 points, and the Bruins lost their second straight Final Four game. Memphis had lost to Ohio State in the Alamodome in the 2007 tournament, and had made it a goal to win in the arena in this year's tournament. This win would later be vacated as the result of a Memphis NCAA Rules Infraction.Kansas vs. North Carolina
Roy Williams (coach)
Roy Williams is head coach of the men's basketball team at the University of North Carolina. After averaging nearly an 80% win percentage in 15 seasons at the University of Kansas, he became the eighteenth head coach at North Carolina when he replaced Matt Doherty in 2003...
and the team he had coached for 15 years before spurning them to go to UNC. The game itself could be divided up as if it were three different games. The Jayhawks took a 40-12 lead in the first 15 minutes, causing CBS analyst Billy Packer to declare that the game was over. North Carolina narrowed the deficit to 17 at halftime and opened the second half on a 23-10 run to close to within 4 points with 11 minutes to play. After the teams traded baskets for a few minutes, Kansas pulled away, closing on a 20-7 run for a 84-66 victory. After Kansas went out to the 40-12 lead, North Carolina never held the ball with a chance to take the lead. Brandon Rush led the Jayhawks with 25 points. AP Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough scored 17 points and had 9 rebounds, both below his season averages. The Tar Heels were led by Wayne Ellington's 18 points.
National Championship Game
The National Championship Game pitted Memphis against Kansas. Neither team's head coach (KU's Bill SelfBill Self
Bill Self is an American college men's basketball coach at the University of Kansas, where he led the Jayhawks to the 2008 NCAA national championship....
and Memphis' John Calipari
John Calipari
John Calipari is an American basketball coach. Since April 2009, he has been the men's head coach at the University of Kentucky....
) had garnered a national championship during their head coaching careers. Memphis guard Chris Douglas-Roberts
Chris Douglas-Roberts
Chris Douglas-Roberts, also known as CDR is an American basketball player who plays for Virtus Bologna. He played college basketball for the Memphis Tigers.-High school:...
had been the leading scorer in the tournament, averaging 23.6 points per game. Memphis became the first team currently from a conference other than the six majors to play in the championship game since 1998. Utah advanced to the championship game in 1998, and UNLV was the last team from a non-major conference to win the national title in 1990.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
s Las Vegas Hilton
Las Vegas Hilton
The Las Vegas Hilton is a hotel, casino, and convention center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a joint venture between Colony Capital, which owns 60 percent, and New York City-based REIT Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, which owns the remaining 40 percent...
, Station Casinos
Station Casinos
Station Casinos Inc. is a gaming company based in the Las Vegas suburb of Summerlin, Nevada, founded by Frank Fertitta Jr.Station Casinos along with Boyd Gaming, Cannery Casino Resorts, American Casino & Entertainment Properties, and Herbst Gaming, dominate the Locals market in Las Vegas.The...
, and The Mirage
The Mirage
The Mirage is a 3,044 room hotel and casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States.The Mirage is connected by a free tram to Treasure Island. The marquee in front of the Mirage is the largest free standing marquee in the world.-History:The Mirage was built by...
made Memphis the favorite by a spread
Spread betting
Spread betting is any of various types of wagering on the outcome of an event, where the pay-off is based on the accuracy of the wager, rather than a simple "win or lose" outcome, such as fixed-odds betting or parimutuel betting. A spread is a range of outcomes and the bet is whether the outcome...
of 2 points.
The first half was back-and-forth as Kansas led for 7:37 minutes and Memphis led for 6:51 minutes. Kansas led 33-28 at halftime, the first second-half deficit that Memphis faced in the entire tournament. Memphis scored the first five points of the second half to tie the score at 33 with 18:57 left in regulation. After that Kansas maintained a small lead from the 16:04 mark until Memphis retook the lead with 8:11 remaining. Memphis then went on a 10-0 run to build a seven-point lead with 5:10 remaining and increased it to nine points with 2:12 remaining in regulation.
Kansas strategically fouled Memphis—an extremely poor free throw shooting team all season—which missed four of its final five free throws in regulation while Kansas furiously scored 12 points in the final two minutes of regulation. During that stretch Kansas made 100% of their shots going 2 for 2 from two point range, 2 for 2 from three point range and 2 for 2 from the free throw line. When Memphis failed to foul, which arguably would have all but assured a victory for the Tigers, Kansas guard Mario Chalmers
Mario Chalmers
Almario Vernard "Mario" Chalmers is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the NBA. He was selected 34th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves...
hit a three-point basket with 2.1 seconds remaining to tie the game at 63, sending the game into overtime. Kansas fans now refer to this shot as Mario's Miracle. At the end of regulation, the Jayhawks had led the score a total of 17:55 minutes and Memphis 15:51 minutes.
In overtime, Kansas scored the first six points en route to a 75-68 win. They continued the blistering stretch they started in regulation, going 4 of 6 from the field and 4 of 4 from the line in overtime. It was KU's third NCAA title since the modern tournament began in 1939 (fifth national title overall, including two Helms decisions). It was also the first national championship for the program since the 1988 team
1987-88 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team
The 1987–88 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas for the NCAA Division I men's intercollegiate basketball season of 1987–1988. The team was led by Larry Brown in his fifth season as head coach...
.
This was the 7th overtime National Championship Game in NCAA Division I tournament history. It also represented the first national title for the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
.
Record by conference
| Conference | # of Bids | Record | Win % | Second Round | Sweet Sixteen | Elite Eight | Final Four | Championship Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big East Big East Conference The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports... |
8 | 11-8 | 0.579 | 7 | 3 | 1 | - | - |
| Big 12 Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving... |
6 | 12-5 | 0.706 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Pac-10 | 6 | 8-6 | 0.571 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - |
| SEC Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama... |
6 | 4-6 | 0.400 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - |
| ACC Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities... |
4 | 6-4 | 0.600 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
| Big Ten Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east... |
4 | 5-4 | 0.556 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - |
| Atlantic 10 | 3 | 3-3 | 0.500 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| WCC West Coast Conference The West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletics conference consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington.... |
3 | 1-3 | 0.250 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Sun Belt Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions... |
2 | 2-2 | 0.500 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - |
| Mountain West Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999... |
2 | 1-2 | 0.333 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| C-USA Conference USA Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports... |
1 | 5-1 | 0.833 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Southern Southern Conference The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North... |
1 | 3-1 | 0.750 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| Horizon Horizon League The Horizon League is a ten school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in five of the Midwestern United States.... |
1 | 1-1 | 0.500 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| MAAC Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. MAAC teams compete in the NCAA's Division I. Most of the members are Catholic or formerly Catholic institutions; the only exception is the private but secular Rider... |
1 | 1-1 | 0.500 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Northeast Northeast Conference The Northeast Conference is a college athletic conference whose schools are members of the NCAA. The NCAA designates the Northeast Conference to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision for Division I Men's Football and to Division I Sports for all other sports.Founded in 1981 as the ECAC-Metro... |
1 | 1-1* | 0.500 | - | - | - | - | - |
Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers men's basketball
The Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers Basketball team is the basketball team that represents Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Northeast Conference. The team's last appearance in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball...
won the opening round game.
Sixteen conferences — America East Conference
America East Conference
The America East Conference is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located mainly in the northeastern United States. The conference was known as the ECAC North from 1979 to 1988 and the North Atlantic Conference from the fall semester of 1988 to the end of the spring...
, Atlantic Sun Conference
Atlantic Sun Conference
The Atlantic Sun Conference is a college athletic conference operating in the Southeastern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I; it does not sponsor football. The conference was established in 1978 as the Trans America Athletic Conference...
, Big Sky Conference
Big Sky Conference
The Big Sky Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I, with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. The BSC was founded in 1963. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the states of Arizona,...
, Big South Conference
Big South Conference
The Big South Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. The conference's football teams are part of the Football Championship Subdivision...
, Big West Conference
Big West Conference
The Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
, Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
, Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
, MAC
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
, MEAC
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is a collegiate athletic conference of historically black colleges and universities in the Southeastern United States...
, Missouri Valley Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
, Ohio Valley Conference
Ohio Valley Conference
The Ohio Valley Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Championship Subdivision , the lower of two levels of Division I...
, Patriot League
Patriot League
The Patriot League is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I) for a number of sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision...
, Southland
Southland Conference
The Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
, SWAC
Southwestern Athletic Conference
The Southwestern Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black universities in the Southern United States...
, Summit League and WAC
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
— went 0-1.
- Source:
CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
telecast the tournament, and for the 18th consecutive year, broadcast every game in the main bracket from the first round to the championship, as Jim Nantz
Jim Nantz
James William Nantz, III is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his work with CBS Sports television.-Early life:...
and Billy Packer
Billy Packer
Anthony William "Billy" Packer is a former American sportscaster for CBS Sports and a published author.-Early life:Packer is a graduate of Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania...
called the Final Four. ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
carried the 64th-seed Opening Round game between Coppin State and Mount St. Mary's on March 18, with Brent Musburger
Brent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...
, Steve Lavin
Steve Lavin
Steve Lavin is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head men's basketball coach at St. John's University in Queens, New York. Lavin previously served as the head coach for UCLA....
and Erin Andrews
Erin Andrews
Erin Jill Andrews is an American sportscaster, journalist, and television personality. As of 2011 she is a co-host of the ESPN entertainment show College GameDay and a contributor for Good Morning America on the ABC network...
serving as the announcing team, as the network has done the Opening Round game since 2002.
The complete list of announcing teams follows:
- Jim NantzJim NantzJames William Nantz, III is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his work with CBS Sports television.-Early life:...
, Billy PackerBilly PackerAnthony William "Billy" Packer is a former American sportscaster for CBS Sports and a published author.-Early life:Packer is a graduate of Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania...
and Sam Ryan (she was only used as Sideline Reporter for the Final Four and NCAA Championship game) - 1st & 2nd rounds at Raleigh, NC; South Regional at Houston, TX; Final Four at San Antonio, TX - Dick EnbergDick EnbergRichard Alan "Dick" Enberg is an American sportscaster. He currently provides play-by-play for telecasts of San Diego Padres baseball on 4SD, following a long career calling various sports for such networks as NBC, CBS, and ESPN...
/Carter BlackburnCarter BlackburnCarter Blackburn is an American sportscaster. He currently works for ESPN and ESPNU as play-by-play announcer on various telecasts. By age thirty-one, Blackburn had called the NFL on Fox, NCAA Basketball Tournaments on CBS, and college football on ABC...
and Jay BilasJay BilasJay Scot Bilas is an American lawyer and basketball analyst for ESPN and CBS Sports. He is also a former college basketball player.-Playing career:...
- Blackburn Thursday afternoon; Enberg Thursday night, & 2nd rounds at Anaheim, CA; East Regional at Charlotte, NC - Verne LundquistVerne LundquistMerton Laverne "Verne" Lundquist, Jr. is an American sportscaster, currently employed by CBS Sports television.-Early life and career:Lundquist was born in Duluth, Minnesota...
and Bill RafteryBill RafteryBill Raftery is an American basketball analyst and play-by-play announcer and former college basketball coach.-High School:...
- 1st & 2nd rounds at Birmingham, AL; West Regional at Phoenix, AZ - Gus JohnsonGus Johnson (sportscaster)Augustus Cornelius "Gus" Johnson, Jr. is an American sportscaster. Formerly employed by CBS Sports, he currently calls play-by-play for Fox Sports, Showtime, the Big Ten Network and EA Sports.-Education:...
and Len ElmoreLen ElmoreLeonard J. "Len" Elmore is an American sportscaster, lawyer and former National Basketball Association player....
- 1st & 2nd rounds at Denver, CO; Midwest Regional at Detroit, MI - Kevin HarlanKevin HarlanKevin Harlan is an American television sports announcer. The son of former Green Bay Packers executive Bob Harlan, he currently broadcasts NFL and college basketball games on CBS. Harlan is also a play-by-play announcer for the NBA on TNT...
and Dan BonnerDan BonnerDan Bonner is an analyst and color commentator covering NCAA men's basketball. He previously played basketball at the University of Virginia and coached the UVa women's team for two seasons. He also coached girls' basketball and soccer at Robert E...
- 1st & 2nd rounds at Omaha, NE - Ian EagleIan EagleIan Eagle is an American sports announcer calling National Football League games on CBS, New Jersey Nets games on the YES Network and hosts Full Court Press, a basketball talk show with former player Kenny Smith on Sirius Satellite Radio...
and Jim SpanarkelJim SpanarkelJames Gerard Spanarkel is an American television analyst for the National Basketball Association. Spanarkel, who himself was a professional basketball player, was selected 16th overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1980...
- 1st & 2nd rounds at Little Rock, AR - Craig BolerjackCraig BolerjackCraig Bolerjack is an American sportscaster. He is currently an announcer for FOX Sports, working mostly college football and college basketball games.-Biography:...
and Bob WenzelBob WenzelBob Wenzel is a former American college basketball coach and a current broadcaster for ESPN, the Big East Network, and CBS Sports.-College playing/Coaching career:...
- 1st & 2nd rounds at Washington, D.C. - Tim BrandoTim BrandoTim Brando is a radio host and CBS Sports studio host and play-by-play announcer.-Biography:...
and Mike GminskiMike GminskiMichael Thomas Gminski is a retired American college and professional basketball player. Gminski played his high school ball for Masuk High School in Monroe, CT. From there he played four seasons with the Duke Blue Devils, from 1977 to 1980. He led the team in scoring during his junior and senior...
- 1st & 2nd rounds at Tampa, FL
Greg Gumbel
Greg Gumbel
Greg Gumbel is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments on the CBS network...
once again served as the studio host, joined by analysts Clark Kellogg
Clark Kellogg
Clark Clifton Kellogg, Jr. is the VP of player relations for the Indiana Pacers as well as the lead college basketball analyst for CBS Sports and former player in the National Basketball Association.-High School:...
and Seth Davis
Seth Davis
Seth Davis is a writer for Sports Illustrated magazine and an in-studio analyst for CBS' NCAA men's college basketball coverage with Greg Anthony and host Greg Gumbel. Davis attended Duke University, graduating in 1992 with a degree in political science...
. For the first time since the rights were acquired, the host team spent the entire tournament at the CBS Broadcast Center
CBS Broadcast Center
The CBS Broadcast Center is a television and radio production facility located in New York City, New York. It is CBS's main East Coast production center, much as Television City in Los Angeles is the West Coast hub.-Overview:...
in New York City and did not travel to the Final Four site. CBS cited budget cutbacks ordered by the parent company, CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on commercial broadcasting, publishing, billboards and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's...
. This would be Billy Packer's 35th and final tournament as a broadcaster, ending a streak that began in 1975; in July 2008, it was announced that Kellogg would replace Packer as Nantz's color man in 2009
2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:First and Second Rounds: Thursday and Saturday, March 19 and 21, 2009-Qualifying teams:-Brackets:Results to date * – Denotes overtime periodAll times in U.S. EDT....
.
Several affiliates showed additional games on digital subchannels, and once, the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area had simultaneous telecasts on two stations: On March 20, UCLA vs. Mississippi Valley State was shown on KCBS
KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV, channel 2, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter...
and Cal State Fullerton vs. Wisconsin was on independent station KDOC
KDOC-TV
KDOC-TV is an independent television station based in Orange County, California . The station's transmitter is located on Mount Wilson, California...
at the same time. (KCBS has a duopoly with KCAL
KCAL-TV
KCAL-TV, channel 9, is an independent television station in Los Angeles, California, USA, owned by the CBS Corporation. KCAL-TV shares its studio facilities with KCBS-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.-Digital...
, but KCAL was unavailable because of a third basketball game, one between the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in Salt Lake City.)
CBS College Sports Network
Sibling cable network CBS College Sports Network (formerly known as CSTV) picked up one CBS TV broadcast on each of the first two days of the tournament. It aired the Stanford-Cornell contest from Anaheim on March 20, and the St. Joseph's-Oklahoma game on March 21.Unlike CBS Sports on the broadcast side, CBS College Sports Network did send a team to San Antonio, with Blackburn anchoring coverage and hosting the postgame highlights show, called the NCAA March Madness Highlights Show. Earlier, Greg Amsinger
Greg Amsinger
Greg Amsinger is an American sportscaster and currently a studio host for MLB Network.-Career:Prior to arriving at CSTV in 2003, Amsinger was Sports Director at WTHI-TV in Terre Haute, IN. A 2001 graduate of Lindenwood University Greg Amsinger (b. May 24, 1979, St. Louis, MO) is an American...
had hosted the postgame program from the network's studios at Chelsea Piers
Chelsea Piers
Chelsea Piers is a series of piers on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City that was a passenger ship terminal in the early 1900s that was used by the RMS Lusitania and was the destination of the RMS Titanic....
in lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
. Analysts included Steve Lappas
Steve Lappas
Steve Lappas is an American college men's basketball coach. He coached at Manhattan College , Villanova University and the University of Massachusetts , compiling a 280-237 record over a 17-year coaching career...
, Greg Anthony
Greg Anthony
Gregory Carlton Anthony is an American former National Basketball Association basketball player and former personality on the ESPN family of networks. He is currently an analyst for CBS's college basketball coverage...
, and Jay Williams
Jay Williams (basketball)
Jason David Williams , professionally known as Jay Williams, is a former American professional basketball player with the NBA Chicago Bulls. He last signed with the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League, but was waived by the Toros on December 30, 2006 to rehabilitate a nagging injury...
.
Radio
Radio broadcasts were once again being handled again by CBS subsidiary Westwood OneWestwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
, hosted by Tommy Tighe
Tommy Tighe
Tommy Tighe is a sports radio broadcaster who previously worked for the Westwood One radio network. He had been employed by the network since CBS radio days, hired in 1987 as a reporter and a commentator. He currently does work for ESPN Radio as a sportscenter anchor.-Career:Tighe can currently be...
.
First/Second Round
- Mark ChampionMark ChampionMark Champion is an American radio sportscaster who is the current primary radio play-by-play voice of the Detroit Pistons, a position he has served in since 2001...
and Glenn ConsorGlenn ConsorGlenn Consor is a radio color commentator for the Washington Wizards. -Biography:Glenn is the color analyst for radio station 106.7 The Fan, which services the Washington, D.C. metro areal. The 2009-10 season marks Glenn Consor’s third season as the color analyst and post-game call-in show host...
- 1st & 2nd rounds at Washington, D.C. - Brad ShamBrad ShamBrad Michael Sham is an American sportscaster who is known as the "Voice of the Dallas Cowboys". Sham is currently heard on the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network, including the flagship stations 1080 AM KRLD, where Sham held the position of Sports Director between 1976 and 1981; and 105.3 KRLD-FM "The...
and John ThompsonJohn Thompson (basketball)John R. Thompson, Jr. is an American former basketball coach for the Georgetown University Hoyas. He is now a professional radio and TV sports commentator...
- 1st & 2nd rounds at Raleigh, NC - Wayne LarriveeWayne LarriveeWayne Larrivee is an American sportscaster, who is the radio play-by-play voice of the Green Bay Packers and football and basketball play-by-play voice for the Big Ten Network.-Early life and career:...
and Kevin GreveyKevin GreveyKevin Michael Grevey is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6'5" swingman, the left-handed Grevey played for the Washington Bullets from 1975-1983 and the Milwaukee Bucks from 1983-1985...
- 1st & 2nd rounds at Tampa, FL - Joey Wahler and Pete GillenPete GillenPete Gillen is an American former college basketball head coach of the Division I Xavier Musketeers, Providence Friars and Virginia Cavaliers and is a member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame...
- 1st & 2nd rounds at Birmingham, AL - Kevin KuglerKevin KuglerKevin Kugler is a radio personality at 1620 the Zone in Omaha, Nebraska, co-host of the afternoon program "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" from 2:00pm to 6:00pm Central Time. He is also the lead play-by-play announcer on the Westwood One/NCAA Radio Network for college football and college basketball. He...
and Reid GettysReid GettysA "set up man" in large part, Reid Gettys played a pivotal role in the success of the powerhouse Phi Slama Jama basketball teams at the University of Houston during the early-to-mid 1980s....
- 1st & 2nd rounds at Omaha, NE - Spencer RossSpencer RossSpencer Ross is an American sportscaster. With the exception of the New York Mets, Ross has called play-by-play for every professional New York metropolitan area sports franchise, including the Yankees of MLB, the Nets and Knicks of the NBA, and Jets and Giants of the NFL...
and Kyle Macy - 1st & 2nd rounds at Little Rock, AR - Ted RobinsonTed Robinson (sportscaster)Theodore "Ted" Robinson is an American sportscaster. He is currently the radio play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco 49ers, having taken over for longtime 49ers announcer, Joe Starkey, following Starkey's retirement in 2009.-Early life:Ted Robinson grew up in Rockville Centre, New York and...
and Mike MontgomeryMike MontgomeryMike Montgomery is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the California Golden Bears men's basketball team. He was also the men's basketball coach of at Stanford from 1986 to 2004 and at the University of Montana for eight seasons prior to coaching at Stanford...
- 1st & 2nd rounds at Denver, CO - Dave SimsDave SimsDave Sims is an American sportscaster. He currently is the television play-by-play commentator for the Seattle Mariners, the radio play-by-play man for Sunday Night Football on Westwood One, and the host of Basketball and Beyond with Coach K on Sirius XM Satellite Radio...
and Bill FriederBill FriederBill Frieder is a former basketball coach at the University of Michigan and Arizona State University . Just before the 1989 NCAA Tournament, Frieder announced that he would leave Michigan for Arizona State at the end of the season...
- 1st & 2nd rounds at Anaheim, CA
Regionals
- Kevin Kugler and Pete Gillen - West Regional at Phoenix, AZ
- Ian EagleIan EagleIan Eagle is an American sports announcer calling National Football League games on CBS, New Jersey Nets games on the YES Network and hosts Full Court Press, a basketball talk show with former player Kenny Smith on Sirius Satellite Radio...
and Bill Frieder - East Regional at Charlotte, NC - Brad Sham and Reid Gettys - South Regional at Houston, TX
- Wayne Larrivee and John ThompsonJohn Thompson (basketball)John R. Thompson, Jr. is an American former basketball coach for the Georgetown University Hoyas. He is now a professional radio and TV sports commentator...
- Midwest Regional at Detroit, MI
Final Four
- Kevin Kugler, John Thompson and Bill RafteryBill RafteryBill Raftery is an American basketball analyst and play-by-play announcer and former college basketball coach.-High School:...
- at San Antonio, TX
Kugler called his first Final Four replacing Harlan, with Raftery and Thompson on color commentary and Jim Gray
Jim Gray (sportscaster)
Jim Gray is an American sportscaster. He has previously worked as a reporter with NBC Sports and CBS Sports. He is currently with Westwood One radio network, Showtime, Golf Channel, the Sacramento Kings, and ESPN/ESPN on ABC...
as sideline reporter.
Other media
DirecTVDirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
once again offered NCAA Mega March Madness as a pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
package for one payment of US$69. This allowed access to all tournament games in the first three rounds of the main draw not shown on the local CBS station in the viewer's area. This package was exclusive to DirecTV and not available to Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
, fiber optic
Fíos
Fíos is one of 17 parishes in Parres, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northern Spain....
, or cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
subscribers.
Online, CBSSports.com
CBSSports.com
CBSSports.com was founded in 1994 as SportsLine USA, and today is a CBS-owned website that provides sports scores, news, statistics, live and on-demand video, mobile apps, e-commerce, fantasy sports products, services, and information..Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, CBSSports.com it is...
and NCAA.com teamed up for NCAA March Madness on Demand. Computer users with broadband connections were able to watch all tournament games from the first round to the championship game for free, thanks to advertiser support from Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
, AT&T Mobility, Pontiac
Pontiac
Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
, and various other companies. The ads were not the same as those shown on television, and there was a separate halftime show hosted by Jason Horowitz joined by analysts including St. John's
St. John's Red Storm
The St. John's Red Storm is the nickname used for the 16 varsity athletic programs of St. John's University. St. John's 16 NCAA Division I teams compete in the Big East Conference, with the exception of the fencing and lacrosse teams, which compete in the ECAC...
head basketball coach Norm Roberts
Norm Roberts
Norman Roberts is a men's college basketball coach. He is currently an assistant coach at Florida and is the former head coach of the St. John's Red Storm...
.
See also
- 2007-08 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Season2007-08 NCAA Division I men's basketball seasonThe 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 5, 2007 ended with the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 7, 2008 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.-Season headlines:...
- 2008 National Invitation Tournament2008 National Invitation Tournament-Semifinals and Final:Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City on April 1 and 3* - Overtime game.-External links:*...
- 2008 College Basketball Invitational2008 College Basketball InvitationalThe 2008 College Basketball Invitational was a single-elimination tournament of 16 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I teams that did not participate in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament or the 2008 National Invitation Tournament...
- 2008 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament2008 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 2008 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the 2007–08 national champion of women's NCAA Division I college basketball. It commenced on March 22, 2008, and concluded when the University of Tennessee Lady...
- 2008 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament2008 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 2008 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held from March 19th to 25th at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri...