 | |||||
| Season | 2014–15 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 68 | ||||
| Finals site | Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana | ||||
| Champions | Duke Blue Devils (5th title, 11th title game, 16th Final Four) | ||||
| Runner-up | Wisconsin Badgers (2nd title game, 4th Final Four) | ||||
| Semifinalists |
| ||||
| Winning coach | Mike Krzyzewski (5th title) | ||||
| MOP | Tyus Jones (Duke) | ||||
| |||||
The2015NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in asingle-elimination tournament that determined theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)Division I men'sbasketball national champion for the2014–15 season. The 77th edition of the tournament began on March 17, 2015, and concluded with thechampionship game on April 6, atLucas Oil Stadium inIndianapolis, Indiana.
The Final Four consisted ofKentucky (who went in undefeated at 38–0),Wisconsin, making their second consecutive trip to the Final Four,Michigan State, making their first Final Four since2010 (also held in Indianapolis) and the 7th under head coachTom Izzo, andDuke, making their first appearance since their2010 national championship. Duke defeated Wisconsin in the championship game, 68–63, clinching their 5th national championship underMike Krzyzewski.Tyus Jones of Duke was the tournament'sMost Outstanding Player.
Unlike the past three tournaments, this tournament featured fewer upsets, with 7. However, for the first time since the1995 tournament, two of the No. 14 seeds won in the same tournament. In the West Region, #14Georgia State of theSun Belt Conference defeated #3Baylor. In the South Region, #14UAB ofConference USA defeated #3Iowa State.
Three teams made their NCAA tournament debuts,North Florida from theAtlantic Sun Conference (ASUN),UC Irvine from theBig West Conference (BWC), andBuffalo from theMid-American Conference (MAC).
The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 2015 tournament:[1]
First Four
First and Second rounds (round of 64 and round of 32)
Regional semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)
National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)
Indianapolis hosted the Final Four for the seventh time, having previously hosted in2010, and also the second Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Out of 333 eligible Division I teams, 68 participated in the tournament. Eighteen Division I teams were ineligible due to failing to meet APR requirements, self-imposed postseason bans, or reclassification from a lower division.[4]
Of the 32 automatic bids, 31 were given to programs that won theirconference tournaments. TheIvy League did not hold a tournament, but held aone-game playoff to break a tie in the regular season conference standings, with the winner receiving the automatic bid.[5] The remaining 36 bids were granted on an "at-large" basis, which were extended by the NCAA Selection Committee to the teams it deemed to be the best 36 teams that did not receive automatic bids.
Eight teams—the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams—played in the First Four (the successor to what had been popularly known as "play-in games" through the 2010 tournament). The winners of these games advanced to the main tournamentbracket.
TheSelection Committee will also seed the entire field from 1 to 68.
The following teams are automatic qualifiers for the 2015 NCAA field by virtue of winning their conference's automatic bid.
| Seed | School | Conference | Record | Berth type | Overall rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky | SEC | 34–0 | Auto | 1 |
| 2 | Kansas | Big 12 | 26–8 | At-large | 8 |
| 3 | Notre Dame | ACC | 29–5 | Auto | 12 |
| 4 | Maryland | Big Ten | 27–6 | At-large | 14 |
| 5 | West Virginia | Big 12 | 23–9 | At-large | 19 |
| 6 | Butler | Big East | 22–10 | At-large | 23 |
| 7 | Wichita State | Missouri Valley | 28–4 | At-large | 26 |
| 8 | Cincinnati | American | 22–10 | At-large | 29 |
| 9 | Purdue | Big Ten | 21–12 | At-large | 36 |
| 10 | Indiana | Big Ten | 20–13 | At-large | 37 |
| 11 | Texas | Big 12 | 20–13 | At-large | 41 |
| 12 | Buffalo | Mid American | 23–9 | Auto | 48 |
| 13 | Valparaiso | Horizon | 28–5 | Auto | 51 |
| 14 | Northeastern | Colonial | 23–11 | Auto | 56 |
| 15 | New Mexico State | WAC | 23–10 | Auto | 59 |
| 16* | Manhattan | MAAC | 19–13 | Auto | 67 |
| Hampton | MEAC | 16–17 | Auto | 68 |
| Seed | School | Conference | Record | Berth type | Overall rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | 31–3 | Auto | 4 |
| 2 | Arizona | Pac-12 | 31–3 | Auto | 6 |
| 3 | Baylor | Big 12 | 24–9 | At-large | 10 |
| 4 | North Carolina | ACC | 24–11 | At-large | 13 |
| 5 | Arkansas | SEC | 26–8 | At-large | 18 |
| 6 | Xavier | Big East | 21–13 | At-large | 24 |
| 7 | VCU | Atlantic 10 | 26–9 | Auto | 28 |
| 8 | Oregon | Pac-12 | 25–9 | At-large | 30 |
| 9 | Oklahoma State | Big 12 | 18–13 | At-large | 34 |
| 10 | Ohio State | Big Ten | 23–10 | At-large | 39 |
| 11* | Mississippi | SEC | 20–12 | At-large | 43 |
| BYU | West Coast | 25–9 | At-large | 44 | |
| 12 | Wofford | Southern | 28–6 | Auto | 49 |
| 13 | Harvard | Ivy | 22–7 | Auto | 52 |
| 14 | Georgia State | Sun Belt | 24–9 | Auto | 55 |
| 15 | Texas Southern | SWAC | 22–12 | Auto | 61 |
| 16 | Coastal Carolina | Big South | 24–9 | Auto | 64 |
| Seed | School | Conference | Record | Berth type | Overall rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Villanova | Big East | 32–2 | Auto | 2 |
| 2 | Virginia | ACC | 29–3 | At-large | 5 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | Big 12 | 22–10 | At-large | 11 |
| 4 | Louisville | ACC | 24–8 | At-large | 15 |
| 5 | Northern Iowa | Missouri Valley | 30–3 | Auto | 20 |
| 6 | Providence | Big East | 22–11 | At-large | 22 |
| 7 | Michigan State | Big Ten | 23–11 | At-large | 25 |
| 8 | North Carolina State | ACC | 20–13 | At-large | 31 |
| 9 | LSU | SEC | 22–10 | At-large | 35 |
| 10 | Georgia | SEC | 21–11 | At-large | 40 |
| 11* | Boise State | Mountain West | 25–8 | At-large | 45 |
| Dayton | Atlantic 10 | 25–8 | At-large | 46 | |
| 12 | Wyoming | Mountain West | 25–9 | Auto | 47 |
| 13 | UC Irvine | Big West | 21–12 | Auto | 54 |
| 14 | Albany | America East | 24–8 | Auto | 58 |
| 15 | Belmont | Ohio Valley | 22–10 | Auto | 60 |
| 16 | Lafayette | Patriot | 20–12 | Auto | 63 |
| Seed | School | Conference | Record | Berth type | Overall rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke | ACC | 29–4 | At-large | 3 |
| 2 | Gonzaga | West Coast | 32–2 | Auto | 7 |
| 3 | Iowa State | Big 12 | 25–8 | Auto | 9 |
| 4 | Georgetown | Big East | 21–10 | At-large | 16 |
| 5 | Utah | Pac-12 | 24–8 | At-large | 17 |
| 6 | SMU | American | 27–6 | Auto | 21 |
| 7 | Iowa | Big Ten | 21–11 | At-large | 27 |
| 8 | San Diego State | Mountain West | 26–8 | At-large | 32 |
| 9 | St. John's | Big East | 21–11 | At-large | 33 |
| 10 | Davidson | Atlantic 10 | 24–7 | At-large | 38 |
| 11 | UCLA | Pac-12 | 20–13 | At-large | 42 |
| 12 | Stephen F. Austin | Southland | 29–4 | Auto | 50 |
| 13 | Eastern Washington | Big Sky | 26–8 | Auto | 53 |
| 14 | UAB | C-USA | 19–15 | Auto | 57 |
| 15 | North Dakota State | Summit | 23–9 | Auto | 62 |
| 16* | North Florida | Atlantic Sun | 23–11 | Auto | 65 |
| Robert Morris | NEC | 19–14 | Auto | 66 |
*SeeFirst Four
Since the2004 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the four 1 seeds have been seeded overall. This was the third time Kentucky was the overall top seed. The previous time was in the 2012 tournament. Duke was the overall 3 seed for the fourth time, previously advancing to the Final Four in two of those years:2004 and2010. Villanova was a 1 seed for the second time in school history;2006 was the other time. This was the first 1 seed for Wisconsin.
TheFirst Four games involved eight teams: the four overall lowest-ranked teams, and the four lowest-ranked at-large teams.
| March 18 – East Region | ||||
| 11 | Boise State | 55 | ||
| 11 | Dayton | 56 | ||
| March 18 – South Region | ||||
| 16 | North Florida | 77 | ||
| 16 | Robert Morris | 81 | ||
| First Round Round of 64 March 19–20 | Second round Round of 32 March 21–22 | Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 26 | Regional Final Elite 8 March 28 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Kentucky | 79 | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Hampton | 56 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Kentucky | 64 | |||||||||||||||||
| Louisville – Thu/Sat | |||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Cincinnati | 51 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Cincinnati | 66OT | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Purdue | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Kentucky | 78 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | West Virginia | 39 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | West Virginia | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Buffalo | 62 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | West Virginia | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
| Columbus – Fri/Sun | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Maryland | 59 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Maryland | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
| 13 | Valparaiso | 62 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Kentucky | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Notre Dame | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Butler | 56 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Texas | 48 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Butler | 64 | |||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh – Thu/Sat | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Notre Dame | 67OT | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Notre Dame | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Northeastern | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Notre Dame | 81 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Wichita State | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Wichita State | 81 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Indiana | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Wichita State | 78 | |||||||||||||||||
| Omaha – Fri/Sun | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Kansas | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Kansas | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
| 15 | New Mexico State | 56 | |||||||||||||||||
TBS |
Saturday, March 28 8:49 pmEDT |
| #3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 66,#1 Kentucky Wildcats68 | ||
| Scoring by half: 31–31, 35–37 | ||
| Pts:Zach Auguste – 20 Rebs: Zach Auguste,Pat Connaughton – 9 Asts:Jerian Grant – 6 | Pts:Karl-Anthony Towns – 25 Rebs: Karl-Anthony Towns,Trey Lyles – 5 Asts: Towns – 4 | |
Quicken Loans Arena,Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 19,464 Referees: Chris Rastatter,Joe DeRosa, David Hall |
Regional all-tournament team:Pat Connaughton, Notre Dame;Zach Auguste, Notre Dame;Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky;Andrew Harrison, Kentucky[6]
Regional most outstanding player:Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky[7]
| First Round Round of 64 March 19–20 | Second round Round of 32 March 21–22 | Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 26 | Regional Final Elite 8 March 28 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Wisconsin | 86 | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Coastal Carolina | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Wisconsin | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
| Omaha – Fri/Sun | |||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Oregon | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Oregon | 79 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Oklahoma State | 73 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Wisconsin | 79 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | North Carolina | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Arkansas | 56 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Wofford | 53 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Arkansas | 78 | |||||||||||||||||
| Jacksonville – Thu/Sat | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | North Carolina | 87 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | North Carolina | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
| 13 | Harvard | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Wisconsin | 85 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Arizona | 78 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Xavier | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Ole Miss | 57 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Xavier | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
| Jacksonville – Thu/Sat | |||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Georgia State | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Baylor | 56 | |||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Georgia State | 57 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Xavier | 60 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Arizona | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Virginia Commonwealth | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Ohio State | 75OT | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Ohio State | 58 | |||||||||||||||||
| Portland – Thu/Sat | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Arizona | 73 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Arizona | 93 | |||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Texas Southern | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
TBS |
Saturday, March 28 3:09 pmPDT |
| #2 Arizona Wildcats 78,#1 Wisconsin Badgers85 | ||
| Scoring by half:33–30, 45–55 | ||
| Pts:Brandon Ashley,R. Hollis-Jefferson – 17 Rebs: R. Hollis-Jefferson – 8 Asts:T. J. McConnell – 5 | Pts:F. Kaminsky III – 29 Rebs: F. Kaminsky III – 6 Asts:Nigel Hayes – 4 | |
Staples Center,Los Angeles, California Attendance: 19,125 Referees: Pat Adams, Michael Stephens, Mike Eades |
Regional all-tournament team:Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin;Josh Gasser, Wisconsin;[8]T. J. McConnell, Arizona;Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona[9]
Regional most outstanding player:Sam Dekker, Wisconsin[10]
| First Round Round of 64 March 19–20 | Second round Round of 32 March 21–22 | Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 27 | Regional Final Elite 8 March 29 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Villanova | 93 | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Lafayette | 52 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Villanova | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh – Thu/Sat | |||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | NC State | 71 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | NC State | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | LSU | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | NC State | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Louisville | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Northern Iowa | 71 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Wyoming | 54 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Northern Iowa | 53 | |||||||||||||||||
| Seattle – Fri/Sun | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Louisville | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Louisville | 57 | |||||||||||||||||
| 13 | California-Irvine | 55 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Louisville | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Michigan State | 76OT | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Providence | 53 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Dayton | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Dayton | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
| Columbus – Fri/Sun | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Oklahoma | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Oklahoma | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Albany | 60 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Oklahoma | 58 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Michigan State | 62 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Michigan State | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Georgia | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Michigan State | 60 | |||||||||||||||||
| Charlotte – Fri/Sun | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Virginia | 54 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Virginia | 79 | |||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Belmont | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
On February 20, 2018, the NCAA announced that the wins and records for Louisville's2011–12,2012–13,2013–14, and2014–15 seasons were vacated due to thesex scandal at Louisville.[11] Unlike forfeiture, a vacated game does not result in the other school being credited with a win, only with Louisville removing the wins from its own record.
CBS |
Sunday, March 29 2:20 pm EDT |
| #7 Michigan State Spartans76, #4 Louisville Cardinals 70 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by half: 32–40,33–25 Overtime:11–5 | ||
| Pts:Travis Trice – 17 Rebs:Branden Dawson – 11 Asts:Denzel Valentine – 6 | Pts:Wayne Blackshear – 28 Rebs:Montrezl Harrell – 9 Asts: Montrezl Harrell – 4 | |
Regional all-tournament team:Denzel Valentine, Michigan State;Terry Rozier, Louisville;Montrezl Harrell, Louisville;Wayne Blackshear, Louisville[12]
Regional most outstanding player:Travis Trice, Michigan State.[13]
| First Round Round of 64 March 19–20 | Second round Round of 32 March 21–22 | Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 27 | Regional Final Elite 8 March 29 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Duke | 85 | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Robert Morris | 56 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Duke | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
| Charlotte – Fri/Sun | |||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | San Diego State | 49 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | San Diego State | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | St. John's | 64 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Duke | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Utah | 57 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Utah | 57 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Stephen F. Austin | 50 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Utah | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
| Portland – Thu/Sat | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Georgetown | 64 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Georgetown | 84 | |||||||||||||||||
| 13 | Eastern Washington | 74 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Duke | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Gonzaga | 52 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | SMU | 59 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | UCLA | 60 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | UCLA | 92 | |||||||||||||||||
| Louisville – Thu/Sat | |||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | UAB | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Iowa State | 59 | |||||||||||||||||
| 14 | UAB | 60 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | UCLA | 62 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Gonzaga | 74 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Iowa | 83 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Davidson | 52 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Iowa | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
| Seattle – Fri/Sun | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Gonzaga | 87 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Gonzaga | 86 | |||||||||||||||||
| 15 | North Dakota State | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
CBS |
Sunday, March 29 4:05 pmCDT |
| #2 Gonzaga Bulldogs 52,#1 Duke Blue Devils66 | ||
| Scoring by half: 26–31, 26–35 | ||
| Pts:Kyle Wiltjer – 16 Rebs: Kyle Wiltjer,Przemek Karnowski,Byron Wesley – 5 Asts: Przemek Karnowski, Byron Wesley,Gary Bell – 2 | Pts:Matt Jones,Justise Winslow – 16 Rebs:Jahlil Okafor – 8 Asts:Tyus Jones – 6 | |
Regional all-tournament team:Matt Jones, Duke;Justise Winslow, Duke;Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga;Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga[14]
Regional most outstanding player:Tyus Jones, Duke[15]
During the Final Four round, regardless of the seeds of the participating teams, the champion of the top overall top seed's region plays (Kentucky's Midwest Region) against the champion of the fourth-ranked top seed's region (Wisconsin's West Region), and the champion of the second overall top seed's region plays (Michigan State's East Region) against the champion of the third-ranked top seed's region (Duke's South Region).
| National Semifinals Final Four Saturday, April 4 | National Championship Game Monday, April 6 | ||||||||
| MW1 | Kentucky | 64 | |||||||
| W1 | Wisconsin | 71 | |||||||
| W1 | Wisconsin | 63 | |||||||
| S1 | Duke | 68 | |||||||
| E7 | Michigan State | 61 | |||||||
| S1 | Duke | 81 | |||||||
TBS |
Saturday, April 4 6:09 p.m. EDT |
| #E7 Michigan State Spartans 61,#S1 Duke Blue Devils81 | ||
| Scoring by half: 25–36, 36–45 | ||
| Pts:Denzel Valentine – 22 Rebs: Denzel Valentine – 11 Asts:Travis Trice,Lourawls Nairn Jr. – 5 | Pts:Justise Winslow – 19 Rebs: Justise Winslow – 9 Asts:Tyus Jones – 4 | |
Lucas Oil Stadium,Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 72,238 Referees: Bryan Kersey, Pat Adams, Mike Eades |
TBS |
Saturday, April 4 9:06 p.m. EDT |
| #W1 Wisconsin Badgers71, #MW1 Kentucky Wildcats 64 | ||
| Scoring by half: 36–36,35–28 | ||
| Pts:F. Kaminsky III – 20 Rebs: F. Kaminsky III – 11 Asts: F. Kaminsky III,Traevon Jackson,Bronson Koenig – 2 | Pts:Karl-Anthony Towns – 16 Rebs: Karl-Anthony Towns – 9 Asts:Andrew Harrison – 4 | |
Lucas Oil Stadium,Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 72,238 Referees: Verne Harris, John Higgins, Doug Sirmons |
CBS |
Monday, April 6 9:18 p.m. EDT |
| #W1 Wisconsin Badgers 63,#S1 Duke Blue Devils68 | ||
| Scoring by half: 31–31, 32–37 | ||
| Pts:F. Kaminsky III - 21 Rebs: F. Kaminsky III - 12 Asts:Bronson Koenig - 4 | Pts:Tyus Jones - 23 Rebs:Justise Winslow - 9 Asts:Quinn Cook,Amile Jefferson - 2 | |
Lucas Oil Stadium,Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 71,149 Referees:Joe DeRosa, Michael Stephens, Pat Driscoll |
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Kentucky entered the tournament unbeaten. After 22 years without an unbeaten team in the tournament, followingUNLV in 1991, this is the second consecutive tournament with an unbeaten team (afterWichita State in the previous). The Wildcats, by beatingCincinnati in the third round, set an NCAA men's record with 36 straight wins to start a season. They would win two more beforeWisconsin upset them in the Final Four.
Defending national championUConn did not qualify.
Kansas extended its streak of consecutive tournament appearances to 26 in a row. They have made each NCAA Tournament dating back to 1990. Kansas would qualify again the next two seasons to set the record for consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances formerly held by North Carolina (1975–2001).
With both Buffalo andAlbany winning their respective conferences and reaching the tournament, this is the first time two schools in theState University of New York system have reached the Division I tournament in the same year.[17]
Two teams broke appearance droughts of over 20 years with their bids:Colonial Athletic Association championNortheastern made its first NCAA appearance since1991, andAmerican championSouthern Methodist made its first NCAA appearance since1993.
Harvard and Yale played a one-game playoff at the Palestra. Harvard won in dramatic fashion.[5]
Dayton played a First Four game at their home arena, which is usually not allowed during the men's tournament. The NCAA selection committee indicated that putting Dayton in its home arena "falls within the context" of the committee's procedures.[18]
Of the sixteen games played on March 19, five were decided by one point, a single-day record.
For the first time since2007 and the fourth time since the field expanded to 64 teams in1985, all four 5 seeds won their Second Round games. This was also the first time since 2007 that there were four 4 vs. 5 matchups in the third round.
On March 20, all but one "chalk" team won their game (there was only one upset), compared to the four upsets the previous day.
Michigan State reached its seventh Final Four in the last 18 seasons—the best mark in the nation during that time span.[19]
For the first time since2009, multiple 1 seeds reached the Final Four.
For the first time since2008, two 1 seeds reached the Championship, between Kansas and Memphis (later vacated by Memphis).
Wisconsin was in its first final since1941, and lost; and Duke in its first final since2010, and won.
The Wisconsin loss extended theBig Ten Conference's losing streak in national championship games to six. As of 2015,Michigan State is the last Big Ten team to win a National Championship, having done so in2000.
Per the NCAA, "Upsets are defined as when the winner of the game was seeded five or more places lower than the team it defeated." The 2015 tournament saw a total of 7 upsets; 4 of them were in the first round and 3 of them were in the second round.
| Round | Midwest | West | East | South |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | None | No. 14Georgia State defeated No. 3Baylor, 57–56 | No. 11Dayton defeated No. 6Providence, 66–53 |
|
| Second Round | No. 7Wichita State defeated No. 2Kansas, 78–65 | None |
| None |
| Sweet 16 | None | None | None | None |
| Elite 8 | None | None | None | None |
| Conference | Bids | Record | Win % | R64 | R32 | S16 | E8 | F4 | CG | NC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACC | 6 | 17–5 | .773 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Big Ten | 7 | 12–7 | .632 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | – |
| SEC | 5 | 6–5 | .545 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| Pac-12 | 4 | 8–4 | .667 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – |
| West Coast | 2 | 3–2 | .600 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Big 12 | 7 | 5–7 | .417 | 7 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
| Big East | 6 | 5–6 | .455 | 6 | 4 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| Missouri Valley | 2 | 3–2 | .600 | 2 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| Atlantic 10 | 3 | 2–3 | .400 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mountain West | 3 | 1–3 | .250 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| American | 2 | 1–2 | .333 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Conference USA | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Sun Belt | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| MEAC | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Northeast | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The round of 64 started off with multiple upsets with majority of the upsets coming out of theBig 12 conference. The television coverages ofCBS and Turner had one of the best overall ratings on March 20, 2015. According to Nielsen estimates, exclusive coverage of the opening full round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV averaged a 6.6 overnight household rating/14 share — up 10% from last year and the highest since the tournament expanded to four telecast windows for the entire day.[20]
One of the upsets that happened was UAB upsetting No. 3 seed Iowa State 60–59. The 19-15 UAB Blazers qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011 by winning three-straight to earn the Conference USA tournament title and an automatic bid.[21]
Baylor, a No. 3 seed, took on No. 14 seedGeorgia State and with less than three minutes to go, Georgia State staged a 13–0 run to beat Baylor. "The comeback was punctuated with a three byR. J. Hunter, son of stool-bound coachRon Hunter, that has already produced a moment sure to go down in history – the elder Hunter, who already tore his Achilles celebrating the team's Sun Belt conference tourney victory, fell off that stool in ecstasy after his son's three dropped to give the Panthers the 57-56 lead that would be the final margin,"[22] according to Andy Hutchins.
However, the most talked about headline was UCLA not only making the tournament despite a poor performance in thePac-12, but also with a call with 13 seconds left when UCLA took on SMU and coachLarry Brown. A late secondgoaltending that cost SMU the game sparked a lot of attention in sports media and social media. The Bruins moved on to play UAB in the round of 32. Both teams played each other earlier in the season, when UCLA beat the Blazers 88–76 in the Bahamas back in November. Sam Vecenie a CBS writer, was quoted saying, "Funny part of that story? It was the last-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. Cool to see how these two teams have turned around their season."[23]
The year 2015 marked the fifth year of a 14-year partnership betweenCBS andTurner cable networksTBS,TNT, andtruTV to cover the entire tournament under theNCAA March Madness banner.TBS aired the Final Four for the second consecutive year.
For the second consecutive year, the semifinals were exclusive to cable, with TBS airing the standard broadcast with Nantz, Raftery, Hill, and Wolfson. TNT and TruTV airedTeam Stream byBleacher Report broadcasts (known asTeamcasts during the 2014 tournament), which featured localized commentary and features with specific focuses on each participating team.[27][28][29]
Westwood One had exclusive radio rights to the entire tournament.[30]
First Four[edit]
Second and Third rounds[edit]
| Regionals[edit]
Final Four[edit]
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