2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

Edition of USA college basketball tournament September 2018 March 2026 2015 2015 NCAA Men's Final Four logo.svg 68 Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, Indiana Duke Blue Devils 5th 11th 16th Wisconsin Badgers 2nd 4th Kentucky Wildcats 17th Michigan State Spartans 9th Mike Krzyzewski 5th Tyus Jones Duke The 2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball national champion for the 2014–15 season. The 77th edition of the tournament began on March 17, 2015, and concluded with the championship game on April 6, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Final Four consisted of Kentucky (who went in undefeated at 38–0), Wisconsin, making their second consecutive trip to the Final Four, Michigan State, making their first Final Four since 2010 (also held in Indianapolis) and the 7th under head coach Tom Izzo, and Duke, making their first appearance since their 2010 national championship. Duke defeated Wisconsin in the championship game, 68–63, clinching their 5th national championship under Mike Krzyzewski. Tyus Jones of Duke was the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Unlike the past three tournaments, this tournament featured fewer upsets, with 7. However, for the first time since the 1995 tournament, two of the No. 14 seeds won in the same tournament. In the West Region, #14 Georgia State of the Sun Belt Conference defeated #3 Baylor. In the South Region, #14 UAB of Conference USA defeated #3 Iowa State. Three teams made their NCAA tournament debuts, North Florida from the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN), UC Irvine from the Big West Conference (BWC), and Buffalo from the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Schedule and venues USA 450 right 2015 First Four (orange) and first and second rounds March 19 and 21 (green) March 20 and 22 (Blue) USA orange pog.svg 39.735556 -84.2 left #FFFFFF Dayton University of Dayton Arena USA green pog.svg 30.325769 -81.645069 left #FFFFFF Jacksonville Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena USA green pog.svg 38.2575 -85.753889 right #FFFFFF Louisville KFC Yum! Center USA green pog.svg 40.439444 -79.989167 top #FFFFFF Pittsburgh Consol Energy Center USA green pog.svg 45.531667 -122.666667 right #FFFFFF Portland Moda Center USA blue pog.svg 35.225 -80.839167 bottom #FFFFFF Charlotte Time Warner Cable Arena USA blue pog.svg 39.969283 -83.006111 right #FFFFFF Columbus Nationwide Arena USA blue pog.svg 41.262667 -95.928206 left #FFFFFF Omaha CenturyLink Center Omaha USA blue pog.svg 47.622222 -122.354167 right #FFFFFF Seattle KeyArena USA 450 right 2015 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red) USA blue pog.svg 41.496389 -81.688056 left #FFFFFF Cleveland Quicken Loans Arena USA blue pog.svg 34.043056 -118.267222 bottom #FFFFFF Los Angeles Staples Center USA blue pog.svg 29.684722 -95.410833 left #FFFFFF Houston NRG Stadium USA blue pog.svg 43.036111 -76.136389 left #FFFFFF Syracuse Carrier Dome USA red pog.svg 39.760056 -86.163806 left #FFFFFF Indianapolis Lucas Oil Stadium The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 2015 tournament:Preliminary round sites announced for 2014, 2015 NCAA tournaments https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2012-11-12/preliminary-round-sites-announced-2014-2015-ncaa-tournaments NCAA May 12, 2013 December 16, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20130511053951/http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2012-11-12/preliminary-round-sites-announced-2014-2015-ncaa-tournaments May 11, 2013 dead First Four March 17 and 18 University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio (Host: University of Dayton) First and Second rounds (round of 64 and round of 32) March 19 and 21 Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Florida (Hosts: Jacksonville University, University of North Florida) KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky (Host: University of Louisville) Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Host: Duquesne University) Moda Center, Portland, Oregon (Host: University of Oregon) March 20 and 22 Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina (Host: University of North Carolina at Charlotte) Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio (Host: Ohio State University) CenturyLink Center Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska (Host: Creighton University) KeyArena, Seattle, Washington (Host: University of Washington) Regional semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) March 26 and 28 Midwest Regional, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio (Hosts: Cleveland State University, Mid-American Conference) West Regional, Staples Center, Los Angeles (Host: Pepperdine University) March 27 and 29 East Regional, Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York (Host: Syracuse University) South Regional, NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas (Hosts: University of Houston, Rice University) National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship) April 4 and 6 Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana (Hosts: IUPUI, Horizon League) Indianapolis hosted the Final Four for the seventh time, having previously hosted in 2010, and also the second Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium. Qualifying and selection procedure thumb|The 2015 bracket displayed on the JW Marriott Indianapolis NCAA basketball tournament selection process 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.The 18 teams that are ineligible, and the reasons for ineligibility, are: APR: Alabama State, Appalachian State, Central Arkansas, Florida A&M, Houston Baptist, Lamar, Milwaukee, San Jose State, Southern Other NCAA infractions: Arkansas–Pine Bluffhttps://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/Arkansas%20Pine%20Bluff%20Infractions%20Decision%20PUBLIC.PDF Archived copy August 23, 2017 April 7, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160407174832/http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/Arkansas%20Pine%20Bluff%20Infractions%20Decision%20PUBLIC.PDF dead Self-imposed bans: Southern Miss, Syracuse Reclassification: Abilene Christian, Grand Canyon, Incarnate Word, Northern Kentucky, Omaha, UMass Lowell2015 Conference tournament Central http://www.bloggingthebracket.com/2015/3/1/8127147/2015-conference-tournaments-brackets-schedule-tv-scores-college-basketball Chris Dobbertean SB Nation March 16, 2015 March 17, 2015 Of the 32 automatic bids, 31 were given to programs that won their conference tournaments. The Ivy League did not hold a tournament, but held a one-game playoff to break a tie in the regular season conference standings, with the winner receiving the automatic bid. 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 tournament bracket. The Selection Committee will also seed the entire field from 1 to 68. 2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament qualifying teams Automatic qualifiers The following teams are automatic qualifiers for the 2015 NCAA field by virtue of winning their conference's automatic bid. ConferenceTeamAppearanceLast bidACCNotre Dame34th2013America EastAlbany5th2014A–10VCU14th2014AmericanSMU11th1993Atlantic SunNorth Florida1stNeverBig 12Iowa State17th2014Big EastVillanova34th2014Big SkyEastern Washington2nd2004Big SouthCoastal Carolina4th2014Big TenWisconsin21st2014Big WestUC Irvine1stNeverColonialNortheastern8th1991C-USAUAB15th2011HorizonValparaiso9th2013Ivy LeagueHarvard5th2014MAACManhattan8th2014MACBuffalo1stNeverMEACHampton5th2011Missouri ValleyNorthern Iowa7th2010Mountain WestWyoming15th2002NortheastRobert Morris8th2010Ohio ValleyBelmont7th2013Pac-12Arizona30th2014PatriotLafayette4th2000SECKentucky55th2014SouthernWofford4th2014SouthlandStephen F. Austin3rd2014SWACTexas Southern6th2014SummitNorth Dakota State3rd2014Sun BeltGeorgia State3rd2001West CoastGonzaga18th2014WACNew Mexico State22nd2014 Tournament seeds +Midwest Region – Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OhioSeedSchoolConferenceRecordOverall SeedBerth typeLast bid1KentuckySEC34–01Auto20142KansasBig 1226–88At-large20143Notre DameACC29–512Auto20134MarylandBig Ten27–614At-large20105West VirginiaBig 1223–919At-large20126ButlerBig East22–1023At-large20137Wichita StateMissouri Valley28–426At-large20148CincinnatiAmerican22–1029At-large20149PurdueBig Ten21–1236At-large201210IndianaBig Ten20–1337At-large201311TexasBig 1220–1341At-large201412BuffaloMid-American23–948AutoNever13ValparaisoHorizon28–551Auto201314NortheasternColonial23–1156Auto199115New Mexico StateWAC23–1059Auto201416*ManhattanMAAC19–1367Auto2014HamptonMEAC16–1768Auto2011+West Region – Staples Center, Los Angeles, CaliforniaSeedSchoolConferenceRecordOverall SeedBerth typeLast bid1WisconsinBig Ten31–34Auto20142ArizonaPac-1231–36Auto20143BaylorBig 1224–910At-large20144North CarolinaACC24–1113At-large20145ArkansasSEC26–818At-large20086XavierBig East21–1324At-large20147VCUAtlantic 1026–928Auto20148OregonPac-1225–930At-large20149Oklahoma StateBig 1218–1334At-large201410Ohio StateBig Ten23–1039At-large201411*Ole MissSEC20–1243At-large2013BYUWest Coast25–944At-large201412WoffordSouthern28–649Auto201413HarvardIvy22–752Auto201414Georgia StateSun Belt24–955Auto200115Texas SouthernSWAC22–1261Auto201416Coastal CarolinaBig South24–964Auto2014+East Region – Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New YorkSeedSchoolConferenceRecordOverall SeedBerth typeLast bid1VillanovaBig East32–22Auto20142VirginiaACC29–35At-large20143OklahomaBig 1222–1011At-large20144LouisvilleACC24–815At-large20145Northern IowaMissouri Valley30–320Auto20106ProvidenceBig East22–1122At-large20147Michigan StateBig Ten23–1125At-large20148NC StateACC20–1331At-large20149LSUSEC22–1035At-large200910GeorgiaSEC21–1140At-large201111*Boise StateMountain West25–845At-large2013DaytonAtlantic 1025–846At-large201412WyomingMountain West25–947Auto200213UC IrvineBig West21–1254AutoNever14AlbanyAmerica East24–858Auto201415BelmontOhio Valley22–1060Auto201316LafayettePatriot20–1263Auto2000+South Region – NRG Stadium, Houston, TexasSeedSchoolConferenceRecordOverall SeedBerth typeLast bid1DukeACC29–43At-large20142GonzagaWest Coast32–27Auto20143Iowa StateBig 1225–89Auto20144GeorgetownBig East21–1016At-large20135UtahPac-1224–817At-large20096SMUAmerican27–621Auto19937IowaBig Ten21–1127At-large20148San Diego StateMountain West26–832At-large20149St. John'sBig East21–1133At-large201110DavidsonAtlantic 1024–738At-large201311UCLAPac-1220–1342At-large201412Stephen F. AustinSouthland29–450Auto201413Eastern WashingtonBig Sky26–853Auto200414UABC-USA19–1557Auto201115North Dakota StateSummit23–962Auto201416*North FloridaAtlantic Sun23–1165AutoNeverRobert MorrisNortheast19–1466Auto2010 *See First Four Since the 2004 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 and 2010. 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. Bracket First Four – Dayton, Ohio The First Four games involved eight teams: the four overall lowest-ranked teams, and the four lowest-ranked at-large teams. left March 17 – West Region 150 11 BYU 90 11 Ole Miss 94 left March 17 – Midwest Region 150 16 Hampton 74 16 Manhattan 64 left March 18 – East Region 150 11 Boise State 55 11 Dayton 56 left March 18 – South Region 150 16 North Florida 77 16 Robert Morris 81 Midwest Regional – Cleveland, Ohio First RoundRound of 64March 19–20 Second roundRound of 32March 21–22 Regional semifinalsSweet 16March 26 Regional FinalElite 8March 28 Louisville – Thu/Sat Columbus – Fri/Sun Pittsburgh – Thu/Sat Omaha – Fri/Sun 1 Kentucky 79 16 Hampton 56 8 Cincinnati 66OT 9 Purdue 65 5 West Virginia 68 12 Buffalo 62 4 Maryland 65 13 Valparaiso 62 6 Butler 56 11 Texas 48 3 Notre Dame 69 14 Northeastern 65 7 Wichita State 81 10 Indiana 76 2 Kansas 75 15 New Mexico State 56 1 Kentucky 64 8 Cincinnati 51 5 West Virginia 69 4 Maryland 59 6 Butler 64 3 Notre Dame 67OT 7 Wichita State 78 2 Kansas 65 1 Kentucky 78 5 West Virginia 39 3 Notre Dame 81 7 Wichita State 70 1 Kentucky 68 3 Notre Dame 66 Regional Final summary #e3e3e3 Saturday, March 28 8:49 pm EDT Box Score #3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 66 #1 Kentucky Wildcats 68 Zach Auguste – 20 Zach Auguste, Pat Connaughton – 9 Jerian Grant – 6 Karl-Anthony Towns – 25 Karl-Anthony Towns, Trey Lyles – 5 Towns – 4 31–31 35–37 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio 19,464 Chris Rastatter, Joe DeRosa, David Hall TBS Midwest Regional all-tournament team Regional all-tournament team: Pat Connaughton, Notre Dame; Zach Auguste, Notre Dame; Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky; Andrew Harrison, Kentuckyhttp://comanpub.uberflip.com/h/i/58861618-andrew-owens All-Tournament team from the Midwest Regional Blue Gold Illustrated March 28, 2015 April 3, 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150402155145/http://comanpub.uberflip.com/h/i/58861618-andrew-owens April 2, 2015 Regional most outstanding player: Karl-Anthony Towns, KentuckyRoberts Ben Karl-Anthony Towns grows from 'prima donna' into prime-time player http://www.kentucky.com/2015/03/29/3774139/towns-grows-from-prima-donna-into.html March 30, 2015 Lexington Herald-Leader West Regional – Los Angeles, California First RoundRound of 64March 19–20 Second roundRound of 32March 21–22 Regional semifinalsSweet 16March 26 Regional FinalElite 8March 28 Omaha – Fri/Sun Jacksonville – Thu/Sat Jacksonville – Thu/Sat Portland – Thu/Sat 1 Wisconsin 86 16 Coastal Carolina 72 8 Oregon 79 9 Oklahoma State 73 5 Arkansas 56 12 Wofford 53 4 North Carolina 67 13 Harvard 65 6 Xavier 76 11 Ole Miss 57 3 Baylor 56 14 Georgia State 57 7 Virginia Commonwealth 72 10 Ohio State 75OT 2 Arizona 93 15 Texas Southern 72 1 Wisconsin 72 8 Oregon 65 5 Arkansas 78 4 North Carolina 87 6 Xavier 75 14 Georgia State 67 10 Ohio State 58 2 Arizona 73 1 Wisconsin 79 4 North Carolina 72 6 Xavier 60 2 Arizona 68 1 Wisconsin 85 2 Arizona 78 Regional Final summary #e3e3e3 Saturday, March 28 3:09 pm PDT Box Score #2 Arizona Wildcats 78 #1 Wisconsin Badgers 85 Brandon Ashley, R. Hollis-Jefferson – 17 R. Hollis-Jefferson – 8 T. J. McConnell – 5 F. Kaminsky III – 29 F. Kaminsky III – 6 Nigel Hayes – 4 33–30 45–55 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California 19,125 Pat Adams, Michael Stephens, Mike Eades TBS West Regional all-tournament team Regional all-tournament team: Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin; Josh Gasser, Wisconsin;Polzin Jim Badgers men's basketball: Sam Dekker's big shot clinches UW's victory over Arizona, return to Final Four http://host.madison.com/sports/college/basketball/men/badgers-men-s-basketball-sam-dekker-s-big-shot-clinches/article_2dc93ed5-b438-59e1-98e6-2f28fb97044d.html Madison.com March 29, 2015 March 30, 2015 T. J. McConnell, Arizona; Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, ArizonaPascoe Bruce UA-Wisconsin postgame: On NBA decisions, tears and pride http://tucson.com/sports/blogs/pascoe/ua-wisconsin-postgame-on-nba-decisions-tears-and-pride/article_70ec4006-d5cd-11e4-a408-7b03c60cfacb.html March 30, 2015 Arizona Daily Star Regional most outstanding player: Sam Dekker, Wisconsinhttps://sports.yahoo.com/news/wisconsin-heads-final-four-85-78-win-over-003925886--ncaab.html Wisconsin heads to Final Four after 85-78 win over Arizona sports.yahoo.com January 14, 2017 March 5, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160305152141/http://sports.yahoo.com/news/wisconsin-heads-final-four-85-78-win-over-003925886--ncaab.html dead East Regional – Syracuse, New York First RoundRound of 64March 19–20 Second roundRound of 32March 21–22 Regional semifinalsSweet 16March 27 Regional FinalElite 8March 29 Pittsburgh – Thu/Sat Seattle – Fri/Sun Columbus – Fri/Sun Charlotte – Fri/Sun 1 Villanova 93 16 Lafayette 52 8 NC State 66 9 LSU 65 5 Northern Iowa 71 12 Wyoming 54 4 Louisville 57 13 California-Irvine 55 6 Providence 53 11 Dayton 66 3 Oklahoma 69 14 Albany 60 7 Michigan State 70 10 Georgia 63 2 Virginia 79 15 Belmont 67 1 Villanova 68 8 NC State 71 5 Northern Iowa 53 4 Louisville 66 11 Dayton 66 3 Oklahoma 72 7 Michigan State 60 2 Virginia 54 8 NC State 65 4 Louisville 75 3 Oklahoma 58 7 Michigan State 62 4 Louisville 70 7 Michigan State 76OT On February 20, 2018, the NCAA announced that the wins and records for Louisville's 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, and 2014–15 seasons were vacated due to the sex scandal at Louisville.James Emily Louisville men's basketball must vacate wins and pay fine https://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/louisville-mens-basketball-must-vacate-wins-and-pay-fine NCAA.org - The Official Site of the NCAA February 20, 2018 en February 20, 2018 February 20, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180220174859/http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/louisville-mens-basketball-must-vacate-wins-and-pay-fine dead 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. Regional Final summary #e3e3e3 Sunday, March 29 2:20 pm EDT Box Score #7 Michigan State Spartans 76 #4 Louisville Cardinals 70 Travis Trice – 17 Branden Dawson – 11 Denzel Valentine – 6 Wayne Blackshear – 28 Montrezl Harrell – 9 Montrezl Harrell – 4 32–40 33–25 11–5 Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York 24,404 Pat Driscoll, Doug Shows, Verne Harris CBS East Regional all-tournament team Regional all-tournament team: Denzel Valentine, Michigan State; Terry Rozier, Louisville; Montrezl Harrell, Louisville; Wayne Blackshear, LouisvilleGriffith Mike Michigan State senior Travis Trice voted Most Outstanding Player in NCAA East Regional http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2015/03/michigan_state_senior_travis_t.html March 30, 2015 MLive Regional most outstanding player: Travis Trice, Michigan State.Rexrod3 Joe MSU 76 Louisville 70: MSU Advances to Final Four http://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state/spartans/2015/03/29/michigan-state-spartans-louisville-cardinals-ncaa-tournament/70636880/ Detroit Free Press March 29, 2015 South Regional – Houston, Texas First RoundRound of 64March 19–20 Second roundRound of 32March 21–22 Regional semifinalsSweet 16March 27 Regional FinalElite 8March 29 Charlotte – Fri/Sun Portland – Thu/Sat Louisville – Thu/Sat Seattle – Fri/Sun 1 Duke 85 16 Robert Morris 56 8 San Diego State 76 9 St. John's 64 5 Utah 57 12 Stephen F. Austin 50 4 Georgetown 84 13 Eastern Washington 74 6 SMU 59 11 UCLA 60 3 Iowa State 59 14 UAB 60 7 Iowa 83 10 Davidson 52 2 Gonzaga 86 15 North Dakota State 76 1 Duke 68 8 San Diego State 49 5 Utah 75 4 Georgetown 64 11 UCLA 92 14 UAB 75 7 Iowa 68 2 Gonzaga 87 1 Duke 63 5 Utah 57 11 UCLA 62 2 Gonzaga 74 1 Duke 66 2 Gonzaga 52 Regional Final summary #e3e3e3 Sunday, March 29 4:05 pm CDT Box Score #2 Gonzaga Bulldogs 52 #1 Duke Blue Devils 66 Kyle Wiltjer – 16 Kyle Wiltjer, Przemek Karnowski, Byron Wesley – 5 Przemek Karnowski, Byron Wesley, Gary Bell – 2 Matt Jones, Justise Winslow – 16 Jahlil Okafor – 8 Tyus Jones – 6 26–31 26–35 NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas 20,744 Mike Stuart, Doug Sirmons, Jeffrey Anderson CBS South Regional all-tournament team Regional all-tournament team: Matt Jones, Duke; Justise Winslow, Duke; Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga; Domantas Sabonis, GonzagaGonzaga vs Duke (3/29/15 at Houston, Texas (NRG Stadium)) http://www.gozags.com/ViewContent.dbml?ATCLID=209990564&SPSID=627537&SPID=90846&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=26400&CONTENT_ID=1237965 GoZags.com March 30, 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150402143425/http://www.gozags.com/ViewContent.dbml?ATCLID=209990564&SPSID=627537&SPID=90846&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=26400&CONTENT_ID=1237965 April 2, 2015 Regional most outstanding player: Tyus Jones, DukeNotes: Duke 66, Gonzaga 52 http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=209990548 GoDuke.com March 29, 2015 March 30, 2015 Final Four thumb|250px|Lucas Oil Stadium before the national championship game between Duke and Wisconsin 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). Final Four - Indianapolis, IN National SemifinalsFinal FourSaturday, April 4 National Championship GameMonday, April 6 25 130 MW1 Kentucky 64 W1 Wisconsin 71 E7 Michigan State 61 S1 Duke 81 W1 Wisconsin 63 S1 Duke 68 Game summaries Final Four #e3e3e3 Saturday, April 4 6:09 p.m. EDT Box Score #E7 Michigan State Spartans 61 #S1 Duke Blue Devils 81 Denzel Valentine – 22 Denzel Valentine – 11 Travis Trice, Lourawls Nairn Jr. – 5 Justise Winslow – 19 Justise Winslow – 9 Tyus Jones – 4 25–36 36–45 Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana 72,238 Bryan Kersey, Pat Adams, Mike Eades TBS #ffdead Saturday, April 4 9:06 p.m. EDT Box Score #W1 Wisconsin Badgers 71 #MW1 Kentucky Wildcats 64 F. Kaminsky III – 20 F. Kaminsky III – 11 F. Kaminsky III, Traevon Jackson, Bronson Koenig – 2 Karl-Anthony Towns – 16 Karl-Anthony Towns – 9 Andrew Harrison – 4 36–36 35–28 Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana 72,238 Verne Harris, John Higgins, Doug Sirmons TBS National Championship 2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game #e3e3e3 Monday, April 6 9:18 p.m. EDT Box Score #W1 Wisconsin Badgers 63 #S1 Duke Blue Devils 68 F. Kaminsky III - 21 F. Kaminsky III - 12 Bronson Koenig - 4 Tyus Jones - 23 Justise Winslow - 9 Quinn Cook, Amile Jefferson - 2 31–31 32–37 Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana 71,149 Joe DeRosa, Michael Stephens, Pat Driscoll CBS Final Four all-tournament team All-tourney team https://twitter.com/dukeblueplanet/status/585297708790976513 Duke Basketball April 7, 2015 Sam Dekker, Wisconsin Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin Grayson Allen, Duke Justise Winslow, Duke Tyus Jones, Duke, Most Outstanding Player Tournament notes March 2015 Kentucky entered the tournament unbeaten. After 22 years without an unbeaten team in the tournament, following UNLV in 1991, this is the second consecutive tournament with an unbeaten team (after Wichita State in the previous). The Wildcats, by beating Cincinnati in the third round, set an NCAA men's record with 36 straight wins to start a season. They would win two more before Wisconsin upset them in the Final Four. Defending national champion UConn 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 and Albany winning their respective conferences and reaching the tournament, this is the first time two schools in the State University of New York system have reached the Division I tournament in the same year.Buffalo, UAlbany give SUNY two reps in NCAA men's hoops. Business First. Retrieved March 16, 2015. Two teams broke appearance droughts of over 20 years with their bids: Colonial Athletic Association champion Northeastern made its first NCAA appearance since 1991, and American champion Southern Methodist made its first NCAA appearance since 1993. Harvard and Yale played a one-game playoff at the Palestra. Harvard won in dramatic fashion.http://www.ivyleaguesports.com/sports/mbkb/2014-15/releases/2015_Mens_Basketball_Playoff_Details_Announced 2015 Men's Basketball Playoff Details Announced Ivy League March 9, 2015 March 15, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150315014417/http://www.ivyleaguesports.com/sports/mbkb/2014-15/releases/2015_Mens_Basketball_Playoff_Details_Announced 2015-03-15 dead mdy-all 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.http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/flyers-staying-home-for-start-of-ncaa-tourney/nkXQD/ Flyers staying home for start of NCAA tourney Dayton Daily News March 15, 2015 Brian Kollars Of the sixteen games played on March 19, five were decided by one point, a single-day record. For the first time since 2007 and the fourth time since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, 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.The Legend Of Tom Izzo Grows March 30, 2015 Neil Paine FiveThirtyEight https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/tom-izzo-michigan-state-coaching-final-four/ https://web.archive.org/web/20181106145153/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/tom-izzo-michigan-state-coaching-final-four/ dead November 6, 2018 For the first time since 2009, multiple 1 seeded teams reached the Final Four. For the first time since 2008, two 1 seeded teams reached the Championship, between Kansas and Memphis (later vacated by Memphis). Wisconsin was in its first final since 1941, and lost; and Duke in its first final since 2010, and won. The Wisconsin loss extended the Big Ten Conference's losing streak in national championship games to six. As of 2026, Michigan is the last Big Ten team to win a National Championship—having done so in 2026—breaking the streak. Upsets 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, with four in the first round and three in the second round. +Upsets in the 2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournamentRoundMidwestWestEastSouthRound of 64None No. 14 Georgia State defeated No. 3 Baylor, 57–56 No. 11 Dayton defeated No. 6 Providence, 66–53 No. 14 UAB defeated No. 3 Iowa State, 60–59 No. 11 UCLA defeated No. 6 SMU, 60–59Round of 32 No. 7 Wichita State defeated No. 2 Kansas, 78–65None No. 8 NC State defeated No. 1 Villanova, 71–68 No. 7 Michigan State defeated No. 2 Virginia, 60–54NoneSweet 16 NoneElite 8 NoneFinal 4 NoneNational Championship None Record by conference ConferenceBidsRecordWin %R64R32S16E8F4CGNCACC617–5 17 56653111Big Ten712–7 12 7752221-1 –SEC56–5 6 552111-1 –-1 –Pac-1248–4 8 44431-1 –-1 –-1 –West Coast23–2 3 21111-1 –-1 –-1 –Big 1275–7 5 7732-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –Big East65–6 5 6641-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –Missouri Valley23–2 3 2221-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –Atlantic 1032–3 2 331-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –Mountain West31–3 1 321-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –American21–2 1 221-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –Conference USA11–1 1 111-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –Sun Belt11–1 1 111-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –MEAC11–1 1 11-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –Northeast11–1 1 11-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 –-1 – note close The R64, R32, S16, E8, F4, CG, and NC columns indicate how many teams from each conference were in the round of 64 (second round), round of 32 (third round), Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, championship game, and national champion, respectively. The "Record" column includes wins in the First Four for Atlantic 10, MEAC, NEC, and SEC. The Atlantic Sun and MAAC each had one representative, eliminated in the First Four with a record of 0–1. The America East, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon League, Ivy, MAC, OVC, Patriot League, Southern, Southland, SWAC, Summit, and WAC each had one representative, eliminated in the second round with a record of 0–1. Media coverage Story headlines The round of 64 started off with multiple upsets with majority of the upsets coming out of the Big 12 conference. The television coverages of CBS 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.Kissell Rick March Madness Breaks Ratings Record on Opening Day https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/march-madness-ratings-hit-all-time-thursday-high-for-cbs-turner-sports-1201456888/ variety.com March 20, 2015 March 20, 2015 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.Greenberg Neil UAB Blazers are tournament's first bracket buster https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fancy-stats/wp/2015/03/19/no-14-uab-blazers-could-be-the-tournaments-first-bracket-buster/ washingtonpost.com March 20, 2015 Baylor, a No. 3 seed, took on No. 14 seed Georgia 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 by R. J. Hunter, son of stool-bound coach Ron 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,"Hutchins Andy 2015 March Madness bracket: Georgia State stages dramatic upset of Baylor, Arizona rolls https://www.sbnation.com/2015/3/19/8259901/march-madness-2015-bracket-ncaa-tournament-georgia-state-upset sbnation.com March 19, 2015 March 20, 2015 according to Andy Hutchins. However, the most talked about headline was UCLA not only making the tournament despite a poor performance in the Pac-12, but also with a call with 13 seconds left when UCLA took on SMU and coach Larry Brown. A late second goaltending 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."Vecenie Sam Goaltend call lifts UCLA past SMU; should goaltending be reviewable? http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25114503/goaltending-with-013-left-leads-ucla-to-upset-over-smu CBS Sports March 20, 2015 Television The year 2015 marked the fifth year of a 14-year partnership between CBS and Turner cable networks TBS, TNT, and truTV to cover the entire tournament under the NCAA March Madness banner. TBS aired the Final Four for the second consecutive year. First Four – truTV Second and third rounds – CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV Regional semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) – CBS and TBS/2015 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament National Championship – CBS National semifinals (Final Four) – TBS, TNT, truTV TBS provided traditional coverage; TNT and truTV each gave team-specific broadcasts. National Championship – CBS Reese's College Basketball All Star Game– CBS Studio hosts Greg Gumbel (New York City and Indianapolis) – second round, third round, regionals, Final Four and national championship game Ernie Johnson Jr. (New York City, Atlanta and Indianapolis) – second round, third round, regional semi-finals, Final Four and national championship game Matt Winer (Atlanta) – First Four, second round and third round Studio analysts Charles Barkley (New York City and Indianapolis) – second round, third round, regionals, Final Four and national championship game Mateen Cleaves (Atlanta) – First Four, second round and third round Seth Davis (Atlanta and Indianapolis) – First Four, second round, third round, regional semi-finals, Final Four and national championship game Jamie Dixon (Atlanta) – second round Doug Gottlieb (New York City) – Regionals Anthony Grant (Atlanta) – second round Ron Hunter (Atlanta) – regional semi-finals Clark Kellogg (New York City and Indianapolis) – second round, third round, regionals, Final Four and national championship game Reggie Miller (Indianapolis) – Final Four and national championship game Wally Szczerbiak (Atlanta and New York City) – First Four and Second Round Kenny Smith (New York City and Indianapolis) – second round, third round, regionals, Final Four and national championship game Steve Smith (Atlanta and Indianapolis) – regional semi-finals, Final Four and national championship game Buzz Williams (Atlanta) – second round Commentary teams Jim Nantz/Bill Raftery/Grant Hill/Tracy Wolfson – First and Second Rounds at Charlotte, North Carolina; South Regional at Houston, Texas; Final Four and National Championship at Indianapolis, Indiana Marv Albert or Brian Anderson/Chris Webber/Len Elmore/Lewis Johnson – First and Second Rounds at Omaha, Nebraska; Midwest Regional at Cleveland, Ohio Anderson called the Midwest Regional final after Albert withdrew from the game due to illness.Marv Albert is 'under the weather', Replaced by Brian Anderson for Call of Kentucky-Notre Dame http://thebiglead.com/2015/03/28/marv-albert-under-the-weather-replaced-by-brian-anderson-for-call-of-kentucky-notre-dame/ the big lead Mike Cardillo March 28, 2015 March 28, 2015 Verne Lundquist/Jim Spanarkel/Allie LaForce – First and Second Rounds at Louisville, Kentucky; East Regional at Syracuse, New York Kevin Harlan/Reggie Miller/Dan Bonner/Rachel Nichols – First and Second Rounds at Portland, Oregon; West Regional at Los Angeles, California Ian Eagle/Doug Gottlieb/Evan Washburn – First Four at Dayton, Ohio; First and Second Rounds at Columbus, Ohio Brian Anderson/Steve Smith/Lewis Johnson (First Four) or Dana Jacobson (Pittsburgh) – First Four at Dayton, Ohio; First and Second Rounds at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Spero Dedes/Mike Gminski/Jaime Maggio – First and Second Rounds at Seattle, Washington Andrew Catalon/Steve Lappas/Jamie Erdahl – First and Second Rounds at Jacksonville, Florida Sources:Hill, Raftery added to Final Four, national championship broadcast team https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2015-02-03/hill-raftery-added-final-four-national-championship-broadcast NCAA February 3, 2015 March 3, 2015CBS Sports, Turner Sports announce championship commentator team for 2015 DI Men's Basketball tournament https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2015-03-04/cbs-sports-turner-sports-announce-championship-commentator NCAA March 4, 2015 March 4, 2015 Team Stream broadcasts 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 aired Team Stream by Bleacher Report broadcasts (known as Teamcasts during the 2014 tournament), which featured localized commentary and features with specific focuses on each participating team.The Final Four Teamcasts Will Return In 2015 http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/final-four-teamcasts-will-return-2015.html Awful Announcing February 9, 2015 February 9, 2015TNT/truTV Final Four Teamcasts To Be Branded "Team Stream by Bleacher Report" http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/tnttrutv-final-four-teamcasts-to-be-branded-team-stream-presented-by-bleacher-report.html Awful Announcing March 26, 2015 March 26, 2015This Year's Team Stream Final Four Announcers Are Revealed http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/years-team-stream-final-four-announcers-revealed.html Awful Announcing March 31, 2015 March 31, 2015 Tom Werme/Alaa Abdelnaby/[[Chris Spatola]] – Duke Team Stream on TNT Brian Anderson/Mateen Cleaves/Shireen Saski – Michigan State Team Stream on truTV Dave Baker/Rex Chapman/Michael Eaves – Kentucky Team Stream on TNT Wayne Larrivee/Mike Kelley/Phil Dawson – Wisconsin Team Stream on truTV Radio Westwood One had exclusive radio rights to the entire tournament.NCAA, Westwood One extend deal https://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/2011-01-13/ncaa-westwood-one-extend-deal NCAA May 12, 2013 January 13, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20130516174340/http://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/2011-01-13/ncaa-westwood-one-extend-deal 2013-05-16 dead mdy-all First Four Brandon Gaudin and Alaa Abdelnaby – at Dayton, Ohio Second and Third rounds Tom McCarthy and Donny Marshall – Jacksonville, Florida John Sadak and Bill Frieder – Louisville, Kentucky Scott Graham and Kevin Grevey – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Wayne Larrivee and Mike Montgomery – Portland, Oregon Gary Cohen and Kelly Tripucka – Charlotte, North Carolina Dave Sims and Jim Jackson – Columbus, Ohio Kevin Kugler and Will Perdue – Omaha, Nebraska Kevin Calabro and P. J. Carlesimo – Seattle, Washington Regionals Ian Eagle and P. J. Carlesimo – East Regional at Syracuse, New York Gary Cohen and Bill Frieder – Midwest Regional at Cleveland, Ohio Kevin Kugler and Will Perdue – South Regional at Houston, Texas Wayne Larrivee and Donny Marshall – West Regional at Los Angeles, California Final Four Kevin Kugler, Clark Kellogg, and Jim Gray – Indianapolis, Indiana See also 2015 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament 2015 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament 2015 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament 2015 NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament 2015 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament 2015 National Invitation Tournament 2015 Women's National Invitation Tournament 2015 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament 2015 NAIA Division II men's basketball tournament 2015 NAIA Division I women's basketball tournament 2015 NAIA Division II women's basketball tournament 2015 College Basketball Invitational 2015 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament References 30em Ncaa tournament Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Category:2010s in Indianapolis Category:Basketball competitions in Indianapolis NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament