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2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

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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.

2015 NCAA Division I
men's basketball tournament
Season2014–15
Teams68
Finals siteLucas Oil Stadium
Indianapolis, Indiana
ChampionsDuke Blue Devils (5th title, 11th title game,
16th Final Four)
Runner-upWisconsin Badgers (2nd title game,
4th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachMike Krzyzewski (5th title)
MOPTyus Jones (Duke)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
«2014 2016»

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 less 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

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Dayton
 
Jacksonville
 
Louisville
 
Pittsburgh
 
Portland
 
Charlotte
 
Columbus
 
Omaha
 
Seattle
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2015 First Four (orange) and first and second rounds March 19 and 21 (green) March 20 and 22 (Blue)
 
 
Cleveland
 
Los Angeles
 
Houston
 
Syracuse
 
Indianapolis
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2015 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

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 in 2010, and also the second Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Qualifying and selection procedure

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The 2015 bracket displayed on the JW Marriott Indianapolis
Further information: 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.[4]

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.[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 tournament bracket.

The Selection Committee will also seed the entire field from 1 to 68.

Further information: 2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament qualifying teams

Automatic qualifiers

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The following teams are automatic qualifiers for the 2015 NCAA field by virtue of winning their conference's automatic bid.

Conference Team Appearance Last bid
ACC Notre Dame 34th 2013
America East Albany 5th 2014
A–10 VCU 14th 2014
American SMU 11th 1993
Atlantic Sun North Florida 1st Never
Big 12 Iowa State 17th 2014
Big East Villanova 34th 2014
Big Sky Eastern Washington 2nd 2004
Big South Coastal Carolina 4th 2014
Big Ten Wisconsin 21st 2014
Big West UC Irvine 1st Never
Colonial Northeastern 8th 1991
C-USA UAB 15th 2011
Horizon Valparaiso 9th 2013
Ivy League Harvard 5th 2014
MAAC Manhattan 8th 2014
MAC Buffalo 1st Never
MEAC Hampton 5th 2011
Missouri Valley Northern Iowa 7th 2010
Mountain West Wyoming 15th 2002
Northeast Robert Morris 8th 2010
Ohio Valley Belmont 7th 2013
Pac-12 Arizona 30th 2014
Patriot Lafayette 4th 2000
SEC Kentucky 55th 2014
Southern Wofford 4th 2014
Southland Stephen F. Austin 3rd 2014
SWAC Texas Southern 6th 2014
Summit North Dakota State 3rd 2014
Sun Belt Georgia State 3rd 2001
West Coast Gonzaga 18th 2014
WAC New Mexico State 22nd 2014

Tournament seeds

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Midwest Region – Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
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
West Region – Staples Center, Los Angeles
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
East Region – Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York
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
South Region – NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
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

*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

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First Four – Dayton, Ohio

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The First Four games involved eight teams: the four overall lowest-ranked teams, and the four lowest-ranked at-large teams.

March 17 – West Region
   
11 BYU 90
11 Ole Miss 94
March 17 – Midwest Region
   
16 Hampton 74
16 Manhattan 64
March 18 – East Region
   
11 Boise State 55
11 Dayton 56
March 18 – South Region
   
16 North Florida 77
16 Robert Morris 81

Midwest Regional – Cleveland, Ohio

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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

Regional Final summary

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TBS
Saturday, March 28
8:49 pm EDT
#3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 66, #1 Kentucky Wildcats 68
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

Midwest Regional all-tournament team

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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]

West Regional – Los Angeles, California

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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

Regional Final summary

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TBS
Saturday, March 28
3:09 pm PDT
#2 Arizona Wildcats 78, #1 Wisconsin Badgers 85
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

West Regional all-tournament team

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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]

East Regional – Syracuse, New York

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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's 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, and 2014–15 seasons were vacated due to the sex 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.

Regional Final summary

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CBS
Sunday, March 29
2:20 pm EDT
#7 Michigan State Spartans 76, #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
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York
Attendance: 24,404
Referees: Pat Driscoll, Doug Shows, Verne Harris

East Regional all-tournament team

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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]

South Regional – Houston, Texas

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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

Regional Final summary

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CBS
Sunday, March 29
4:05 pm CDT
#2 Gonzaga Bulldogs 52, #1 Duke Blue Devils 66
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
NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 20,744
Referees: Mike Stuart, Doug Sirmons, Jeffrey Anderson

South Regional all-tournament team

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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]

Final Four

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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

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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

Game summaries

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Final Four

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TBS
Saturday, April 4
6:09 p.m. EDT
#E7 Michigan State Spartans 61, #S1 Duke Blue Devils 81
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 Badgers 71, #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

National Championship

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Main article: 2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game
CBS
Monday, April 6
9:18 p.m. EDT
#W1 Wisconsin Badgers 63, #S1 Duke Blue Devils 68
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

Final Four all-tournament team

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[16]

Tournament notes

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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.[17]

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.[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 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.[19]

For the first time since 2009, multiple 1 seeds reached the Final Four.

For the first time since 2008, two 1 seeds 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 2015, Michigan State is the last Big Ten team to win a National Championship, having done so in 2000.

Upsets

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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. 14 Georgia State defeated No. 3 Baylor, 57–56 No. 11 Dayton defeated No. 6 Providence, 66–53
Second Round No. 7 Wichita State defeated No. 2 Kansas, 78–65 None
None
Sweet 16 None None None None
Elite 8 None None None None

Record by conference

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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 – – – – – –

Media coverage

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Story headlines

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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.[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 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,"[22] 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."[23]

Television

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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.

Studio hosts

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  • 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

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  • 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

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Sources:[25][26]

Team Stream broadcasts
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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.[27][28][29]

Radio

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Westwood One had exclusive radio rights to the entire tournament.[30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Preliminary round sites announced for 2014, 2015 NCAA tournaments". NCAA. December 16, 2012. Archived from the original on May 11, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ Dobbertean, Chris (March 17, 2015). "2015 Conference tournament Central". SB Nation. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  4. ^ 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 Bluff[2]
    • Self-imposed bans: Southern Miss, Syracuse
    • Reclassification: Abilene Christian, Grand Canyon, Incarnate Word, Northern Kentucky, Omaha, UMass Lowell[3]
  5. ^ a b "2015 Men's Basketball Playoff Details Announced" (Press release). Ivy League. March 9, 2015. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  6. ^ "All-Tournament team from the Midwest Regional". Blue Gold Illustrated. March 28, 2015. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  7. ^ Roberts, Ben. "Karl-Anthony Towns grows from 'prima donna' into prime-time player". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  8. ^ Polzin, Jim (March 29, 2015). "Badgers men's basketball: Sam Dekker's big shot clinches UW's victory over Arizona, return to Final Four". Madison.com. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  9. ^ Pascoe, Bruce. "UA-Wisconsin postgame: On NBA decisions, tears and pride". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  10. ^ "Wisconsin heads to Final Four after 85-78 win over Arizona". sports.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  11. ^ James, Emily (February 20, 2018). "Louisville men's basketball must vacate wins and pay fine". NCAA.org - The Official Site of the NCAA (Press release). Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  12. ^ Griffith, Mike. "Michigan State senior Travis Trice voted Most Outstanding Player in NCAA East Regional". MLive. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  13. ^ Rexrod3, Joe. "MSU 76 Louisville 70: MSU Advances to Final Four". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 29, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "Gonzaga vs Duke (3/29/15 at Houston, Texas (NRG Stadium))". GoZags.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  15. ^ "Notes: Duke 66, Gonzaga 52". GoDuke.com. March 29, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  16. ^ "All-tourney team". Duke Basketball. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  17. ^ Buffalo, UAlbany give SUNY two reps in NCAA men's hoops. Business First. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  18. ^ Kollars, Brian (March 15, 2015). "Flyers staying home for start of NCAA tourney". Dayton Daily News.
  19. ^ Paine, Neil (March 30, 2015). "The Legend Of Tom Izzo Grows". FiveThirtyEight.
  20. ^ Kissell, Rick (March 20, 2015). "March Madness Breaks Ratings Record on Opening Day". variety.com. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  21. ^ Greenberg, Neil. "UAB Blazers are tournament's first bracket buster". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  22. ^ Hutchins, Andy (March 19, 2015). "2015 March Madness bracket: Georgia State stages dramatic upset of Baylor, Arizona rolls". sbnation.com. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  23. ^ Vecenie, Sam. "Goaltend call lifts UCLA past SMU; should goaltending be reviewable?". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  24. ^ Cardillo, Mike (March 28, 2015). "Marv Albert is 'under the weather', Replaced by Brian Anderson for Call of Kentucky-Notre Dame". the big lead. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  25. ^ "Hill, Raftery added to Final Four, national championship broadcast team" (Press release). NCAA. February 3, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  26. ^ "CBS Sports, Turner Sports announce championship commentator team for 2015 DI Men's Basketball tournament". NCAA. March 4, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  27. ^ "The Final Four Teamcasts Will Return In 2015". Awful Announcing. February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  28. ^ "TNT/truTV Final Four Teamcasts To Be Branded "Team Stream by Bleacher Report"". Awful Announcing. March 26, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  29. ^ "This Year's Team Stream Final Four Announcers Are Revealed". Awful Announcing. March 31, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  30. ^ "NCAA, Westwood One extend deal". NCAA. January 13, 2011. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
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