2019 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

The 2019 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 68 teams to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college basketball national champion for the 2018–19 season. The 81st annual edition of the tournament began on March 19, 2019, and concluded with the championship game on April 8 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Virginia Cavaliers, with Virginia winning 85–77 in overtime.^[1][2]

2019 NCAA Division I
men's basketball tournament

Season	2018–19
Teams	68
Finals site	U.S. Bank Stadium Minneapolis, Minnesota
Champions	Virginia Cavaliers (1st title, 1st title game, 3rd Final Four)
Runner-up	Texas Tech Red Raiders (1st title game, 1st Final Four)
Semifinalists	Auburn Tigers (1st Final Four) Michigan State Spartans (10th Final Four)
Winning coach	Tony Bennett (1st title)
MOP	Kyle Guy (Virginia)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments «2018 2020»

Two schools made their first appearances in the tournament: Big South champion Gardner–Webb and Southland champion Abilene Christian.

For the first time since 2001, no #8 seed survived the first round of the tournament. This was also the first time since the First Four was established in 2011 that no team in the First Four advanced past the first round of the tournament.^[a]

This tournament marked the first time that the Auburn Tigers of the Southeastern Conference and the Texas Tech Red Raiders of the Big 12 Conference made the Final Four. This also marked the third Final Four appearance for the Virginia Cavaliers of the Atlantic Coast Conference, but their first since 1984.

The 2019 tournament was the first since 1979 to see two first-time Final Four participants, and the first since 2006 to have a first-time national champion.^[3] As a result of a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic that started in late 2019 and subsequently forced the cancellation of the 2020 tournament, this would be the last tournament held until 2021, and this would be also the last tournament held across the United States until 2022.

Carsen Edwards of Purdue was the leading scorer, with 139 points in only 4 games–producing an average of 34.8 points per game. Edwards also set the record for most made 3-point shots in a tournament, with 28. The previous record holder, Glen Rice of Michigan in 1989, made 27, but did so in 6 games.

In the previous year's tournament, Virginia had infamously become the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed. At the conclusion of this year's title game, CBS announcer Jim Nantz dubbed Virginia's win the "all-time turnaround title."^[4]

Tournament procedure

Further information: NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship § Tournament format

A total of 68 teams entered the 2019 tournament. 32 automatic bids were awarded to each program that won their conference's tournament. The remaining 36 bids were "at-large", with selections extended by the NCAA Selection Committee.

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 draw of the tournament.

The Selection Committee seeded the entire field from 1 to 68.

The selections and seedings were completed and revealed on Sunday, March 17.

Schedule and venues

 

 

Dayton

 

Hartford

 

Salt Lake City

 

Des Moines

 

Jacksonville

 

Tulsa

 

Columbus

 

Columbia

 

San Jose

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2019 First Four (orange) and first and second rounds (green)

 

 

Louisville

 

Anaheim

 

Washington, D.C.

 

Kansas City

 

Minneapolis

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2019 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 2019 tournament:^[5]

First Four

• March 19 and 20
  • University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio (Host: University of Dayton)

First and Second Rounds (Subregionals)

• March 21 and 23
  • East and West Region
  • XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut (Host: University of Connecticut)
  • Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa (Host: Drake University)
  • VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Florida (Host: Jacksonville University)
  • Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah (Host: University of Utah)
• March 22 and 24
  • South and Midwest Region
  • Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina (Host: University of South Carolina)
  • Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio (Host: Ohio State University)
  • BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma (Host: University of Tulsa)
  • SAP Center, San Jose, California (Host: West Coast Conference)

Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

• March 28 and 30
  • West Regional, Honda Center, Anaheim, California (Host: Big West Conference)
  • South Regional, KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky (Host: University of Louisville)
• March 29 and 31
  • East Regional, Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C. (Host: Georgetown University)
  • Midwest Regional, Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri (Host: Missouri Valley Conference)

National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)

• April 6 and 8
  • U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota (Host: University of Minnesota)^[6]

U.S. Bank Stadium became the 40th venue to host the Final Four. This was the first hosting of the event at the facility, built on the former site of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, a two-time host in 1992 and 2001. The tournament returned to Hartford's XL Center for the first time since 1998. For the first time since 1970, the tournament returned to Columbia, South Carolina, with games played at the Colonial Life Arena.^[7]

Qualification and selection

Further information: 2019 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament qualifying teams

Four teams, out of 353 in Division I, were ineligible to participate in the 2019 tournament; Alabama A&M and Florida A&M failed to meet APR requirements, while California Baptist and North Alabama are amidst reclassification from Division II.^[8][9][10]

Automatic qualifiers

Conference	Team	Record	Appearance	Last bid
ACC	Duke	29–5	43rd	2018
America East	Vermont	27–6	7th	2017
American	Cincinnati	28–6	33rd	2018
ASUN	Liberty	28–6	4th	2013
Atlantic 10	Saint Louis	23–12	10th	2014
Big 12	Iowa State	23–11	20th	2017
Big East	Villanova	25–9	39th	2018
Big Sky	Montana	26–8	12th	2018
Big South	Gardner–Webb	23–11	1st	Never
Big Ten	Michigan State	28–6	33rd	2018
Big West	UC Irvine	30–5	2nd	2015
Colonial	Northeastern	23–10	9th	2015
C-USA	Old Dominion	26–8	12th	2011
Horizon	Northern Kentucky	26–8	2nd	2017
Ivy League	Yale	22–7	5th	2016
MAAC	Iona	17–15	14th	2018
MAC	Buffalo	31–3	4th	2018
MEAC	North Carolina Central	18–15	4th	2018
Missouri Valley	Bradley	20–14	9th	2006
Mountain West	Utah State	28–6	20th	2011
NEC	Fairleigh Dickinson	20–13	6th	2016
Ohio Valley	Murray State	27–4	17th	2018
Pac-12	Oregon	23–12	16th	2017
Patriot	Colgate	24–10	3rd	1996
SEC	Auburn	26–9	10th	2018
Southern	Wofford	29–4	5th	2015
Southland	Abilene Christian	27–6	1st	Never
SWAC	Prairie View A&M	22–12	2nd	1998
Summit League	North Dakota State	18–15	4th	2015
Sun Belt	Georgia State	24–9	5th	2018
WAC	New Mexico State	30–4	25th	2018
West Coast	Saint Mary's	22–11	10th	2017

Tournament seeds

The tournament seeds and regions were determined through the NCAA basketball tournament selection process.

East Regional – Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C. Seed School Conference Record Overall Seed Berth type 1 Duke ACC 29–5 1 Automatic 2 Michigan State Big Ten 28–6 6 Automatic 3 LSU SEC 26–6 11 At-Large 4 Virginia Tech ACC 24–8 16 At-Large 5 Mississippi State SEC 23–10 20 At-Large 6 Maryland Big Ten 22–10 22 At-Large 7 Louisville ACC 20–13 25 At-Large 8 VCU Atlantic 10 25–7 29 At-Large 9 UCF American 23–8 34 At-Large 10 Minnesota Big Ten 21–13 39 At-Large 11* Temple American 23–9 43 At-Large Belmont Ohio Valley 26–5 42 At-Large 12 Liberty ASUN 28–6 50 Automatic 13 Saint Louis Atlantic 10 23–12 53 Automatic 14 Yale Ivy 22–7 55 Automatic 15 Bradley Missouri Valley 20–14 61 Automatic 16* North Carolina Central MEAC 18–15 68 Automatic North Dakota State Summit 18–15 67 Automatic

West Regional – Honda Center, Anaheim, California Seed School Conference Record Overall Seed Berth type 1 Gonzaga West Coast 30–3 4 At-Large 2 Michigan Big Ten 28–6 8 At-Large 3 Texas Tech Big 12 26–6 10 At-Large 4 Florida State ACC 27–7 14 At-Large 5 Marquette Big East 24–9 17 At-Large 6 Buffalo MAC 31–3 23 Automatic 7 Nevada Mountain West 29–4 26 At-Large 8 Syracuse ACC 20–13 30 At-Large 9 Baylor Big 12 19–13 35 At-Large 10 Florida SEC 19–15 40 At-Large 11* Arizona State Pac-12 22–10 45 At-Large St. John's Big East 21–12 47 At-Large 12 Murray State Ohio Valley 27–4 46 Automatic 13 Vermont America East 27–6 52 Automatic 14 Northern Kentucky Horizon 26–8 58 Automatic 15 Montana Big Sky 26–8 59 Automatic 16* Fairleigh Dickinson Northeast 20–13 66 Automatic Prairie View A&M SWAC 22–12 65 Automatic

South Regional – KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky Seed School Conference Record Overall Seed Berth type 1 Virginia ACC 29–3 2 At-Large 2 Tennessee SEC 29–5 5 At-Large 3 Purdue Big Ten 23–9 12 At-Large 4 Kansas State Big 12 25–8 15 At-Large 5 Wisconsin Big Ten 23–10 19 At-Large 6 Villanova Big East 25–9 21 Automatic 7 Cincinnati American 28–6 27 Automatic 8 Ole Miss SEC 20–12 31 At-Large 9 Oklahoma Big 12 19–13 36 At-Large 10 Iowa Big Ten 22–11 37 At-Large 11 Saint Mary's West Coast 22–11 44 Automatic 12 Oregon Pac-12 23–12 48 Automatic 13 UC Irvine Big West 30–5 51 Automatic 14 Old Dominion C-USA 26–8 56 Automatic 15 Colgate Patriot 24–10 60 Automatic 16 Gardner–Webb Big South 23–11 63 Automatic

Midwest Regional – Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri Seed School Conference Record Overall Seed Berth type 1 North Carolina ACC 27–6 3 At-Large 2 Kentucky SEC 27–6 7 At-Large 3 Houston American 31–3 9 At-Large 4 Kansas Big 12 25–9 13 At-Large 5 Auburn SEC 26–9 18 Automatic 6 Iowa State Big 12 23–11 24 Automatic 7 Wofford Southern 29–4 28 Automatic 8 Utah State Mountain West 28–6 32 Automatic 9 Washington Pac-12 26–8 33 At-Large 10 Seton Hall Big East 20–13 38 At-Large 11 Ohio State Big Ten 19–14 41 At-Large 12 New Mexico State WAC 30–4 49 Automatic 13 Northeastern CAA 23–10 54 Automatic 14 Georgia State Sun Belt 24–9 57 Automatic 15 Abilene Christian Southland 27–6 62 Automatic 16 Iona MAAC 17–15 64 Automatic

*See First Four

Tournament bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

First Four – Dayton, OH

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

	March 19 – West Region
	16	Prairie View A&M	76
	16	Fairleigh Dickinson	82

	March 19 – East Region
	11	Belmont	81
	11	Temple	70

	March 20 – East Region
	16	North Carolina Central	74
	16	North Dakota State	78

	March 20 – West Region
	11	St. John's	65
	11	Arizona State	74

East Regional – Washington, DC

	First round Round of 64 March 21 and 22					Second Round Round of 32 March 23 and 24					Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 29					Regional Final Elite 8 March 31
	1	Duke	85
	16	North Dakota State	62
						1	Duke	77
	Columbia, SC – Fri/Sun
						9	UCF	76
	8	VCU	58
	9	UCF	73
											1	Duke	75
											4	Virginia Tech	73
	5	Mississippi State	76
	12	Liberty	80
						12	Liberty	58
	San Jose, CA – Fri/Sun
						4	Virginia Tech	67
	4	Virginia Tech	66
	13	Saint Louis	52
																1	Duke	67
																2	Michigan State	68
	6	Maryland	79
	11	Belmont	77
						6	Maryland	67
	Jacksonville, FL – Thu/Sat
						3	LSU	69
	3	LSU	79
	14	Yale	74
											3	LSU	63
											2	Michigan State	80
	7	Louisville	76
	10	Minnesota	86
						10	Minnesota	50
	Des Moines, IA – Thu/Sat
						2	Michigan State	70
	2	Michigan State	76
	15	Bradley	65

East Regional Final

CBS

March 31 5:05 pm EDT

Box score

#2 Michigan State Spartans 68, #1 Duke Blue Devils 67
Scoring by half: 34–30, 34–37
Pts: C. Winston – 20 Rebs: K. Goins, X. Tillman – 9 Asts: C. Winston – 10		Pts: Z. Williamson – 24 Rebs: Z. Williamson – 14 Asts: R. Barrett – 6

Capital One Arena – Washington, D.C. Attendance: 20,125 Referees: Doug Sirmons, Keith Kimble, John Gaffney

East Regional all tournament team

• Cassius Winston, Michigan State (MOP)
• Xavier Tillman, Michigan State
• Zion Williamson, Duke
• RJ Barrett, Duke
• Kerry Blackshear Jr., Virginia Tech

^[11]

West Regional – Anaheim, CA

	First round Round of 64 March 21 and 22					Second Round Round of 32 March 23 and 24					Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 28					Regional Final Elite 8 March 30
	1	Gonzaga	87
	16	Fairleigh Dickinson	49
						1	Gonzaga	83
	Salt Lake City, UT – Thu/Sat
						9	Baylor	71
	8	Syracuse	69
	9	Baylor	78
											1	Gonzaga	72
											4	Florida State	58
	5	Marquette	64
	12	Murray State	83
						12	Murray State	62
	Hartford, CT – Thu/Sat
						4	Florida State	90
	4	Florida State	76
	13	Vermont	69
																1	Gonzaga	69
																3	Texas Tech	75
	6	Buffalo	91
	11	Arizona State	74
						6	Buffalo	58
	Tulsa, OK – Fri/Sun
						3	Texas Tech	78
	3	Texas Tech	72
	14	Northern Kentucky	57
											3	Texas Tech	63
											2	Michigan	44
	7	Nevada	61
	10	Florida	70
						10	Florida	49
	Des Moines, IA – Thu/Sat
						2	Michigan	64
	2	Michigan	74
	15	Montana	55

West Regional Final

TBS

March 30 3:09 pm PDT

Box score

#3 Texas Tech Red Raiders 75, #1 Gonzaga Bulldogs 69
Scoring by half: 35–37, 40–32
Pts: J. Culver – 19 Rebs: T. Owens – 7 Asts: M. Mooney – 5		Pts: R. Hachimura – 23 Rebs: B. Clarke – 12 Asts: J. Perkins – 6

Honda Center – Anaheim, California Attendance: 15,277 Referees: John Higgins, Roger Ayers, Earl Walton

West Regional all tournament team

• Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech (MOP)
• Matt Mooney, Texas Tech
• Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga
• Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga
• Trent Forrest, Florida State

^[11]

South Regional – Louisville, KY

	First round Round of 64 March 21 and 22					Second Round Round of 32 March 23 and 24					Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 28					Regional Final Elite 8 March 30
	1	Virginia	71
	16	Gardner–Webb	56
						1	Virginia	63
	Columbia, SC – Fri/Sun
						9	Oklahoma	51
	8	Ole Miss	72
	9	Oklahoma	95
											1	Virginia	53
											12	Oregon	49
	5	Wisconsin	54
	12	Oregon	72
						12	Oregon	73
	San Jose, CA – Fri/Sun
						13	UC Irvine	54
	4	Kansas State	64
	13	UC Irvine	70
																1	Virginia	80*
																3	Purdue	75
	6	Villanova	61
	11	Saint Mary's	57
						6	Villanova	61
	Hartford, CT – Thu/Sat
						3	Purdue	87
	3	Purdue	61
	14	Old Dominion	48
											3	Purdue	99*
											2	Tennessee	94
	7	Cincinnati	72
	10	Iowa	79
						10	Iowa	77
	Columbus, OH – Fri/Sun
						2	Tennessee	83*
	2	Tennessee	77
	15	Colgate	70

South Regional Final

TBS

March 30 8:49 pm EDT

Box score

#3 Purdue Boilermakers 75, #1 Virginia Cavaliers 80 (OT)
Scoring by half: 30–29, 40–41 Overtime: 5–10
Pts: C. Edwards – 42 Rebs: T. Williams – 7 Asts: N. Eastern – 3		Pts: K. Guy – 25 Rebs: K. Guy – 10 Asts: T. Jerome – 7

KFC Yum! Center – Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 21,623 Referees: Ron Groover, Tony Padilla, Bo Boroski

South Regional all tournament team

• Carsen Edwards, Purdue (MOP)
• Kyle Guy, Virginia
• Mamadi Diakite, Virginia
• Ty Jerome, Virginia
• Ryan Cline, Purdue

^[11]

Midwest Regional – Kansas City, MO

	First round Round of 64 March 21 and 22					Second Round Round of 32 March 23 and 24					Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 29					Regional Final Elite 8 March 31
	1	North Carolina	88
	16	Iona	73
						1	North Carolina	81
	Columbus, OH – Fri/Sun
						9	Washington	59
	8	Utah State	61
	9	Washington	78
											1	North Carolina	80
											5	Auburn	97
	5	Auburn	78
	12	New Mexico State	77
						5	Auburn	89
	Salt Lake City, UT – Thu/Sat
						4	Kansas	75
	4	Kansas	87
	13	Northeastern	53
																5	Auburn	77*
																2	Kentucky	71
	6	Iowa State	59
	11	Ohio State	62
						11	Ohio State	59
	Tulsa, OK – Fri/Sun
						3	Houston	74
	3	Houston	84
	14	Georgia State	55
											3	Houston	58
											2	Kentucky	62
	7	Wofford	84
	10	Seton Hall	68
						7	Wofford	56
	Jacksonville, FL – Thu/Sat
						2	Kentucky	62
	2	Kentucky	79
	15	Abilene Christian	44

Midwest Regional Final

CBS

March 31 1:20 pm CDT

Box score

#5 Auburn Tigers 77, #2 Kentucky Wildcats 71 (OT)
Scoring by half: 30–35, 30–25 Overtime: 17–11
Pts: J. Harper – 26 Rebs: S. Doughty, D. Purifoy – 7 Asts: J. Harper – 5		Pts: P. Washington – 28 Rebs: P. Washington – 13 Asts: T. Herro – 6

Sprint Center – Kansas City, Missouri Attendance: 17,174 Referees: Terry Wymer, Mike Roberts, Brian Dorsey

Midwest Regional all tournament team

• Jared Harper, Auburn (MOP)
• Bryce Brown, Auburn
• Chuma Okeke, Auburn
• P. J. Washington, Kentucky
• Tyler Herro, Kentucky

^[11]

Final Four – Minneapolis, MN

	National semifinals Final Four April 6					National Championship Game April 8
	E2	Michigan State	51
	W3	Texas Tech	61
						W3	Texas Tech	77
						S1	Virginia	85*
	S1	Virginia	63
	MW5	Auburn	62

* – Denotes overtime game

National semifinals

CBS

Saturday, April 6 5:09 pm CDT

Box score

#5 Auburn Tigers 62, #1 Virginia Cavaliers 63
Scoring by half: 31–28, 31–35
Pts: S. Doughty – 13 Rebs: A. McLemore – 12 Asts: J. Harper, B. Brown – 3		Pts: T. Jerome – 21 Rebs: T. Jerome – 9 Asts: T. Jerome – 6

U.S. Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, Minnesota Attendance: 72,711 Referees: Doug Sirmons, Keith Kimble, James Breeding

CBS

Saturday, April 6 7:49 pm CDT

Box score

#3 Texas Tech Red Raiders 61, #2 Michigan State Spartans 51
Scoring by half: 23–21, 38–30
Pts: M. Mooney – 22 Rebs: N. Odiase – 9 Asts: Three tied – 2		Pts: C. Winston – 16 Rebs: X. Tillman, K. Goins – 8 Asts: K. Goins, C. Winston – 2

U.S. Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, Minnesota Attendance: 72,711 Referees: Jeff Anderson, Doug Shows, Bo Boroski

National Championship

Main article: 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game

CBS

Monday, April 8 8:20 pm CDT

#3 Texas Tech Red Raiders 77, #1 Virginia Cavaliers 85 (OT)
Scoring by half: 29–32, 39–36 Overtime: 9–17
Pts: B. Francis – 17 Rebs: J. Culver – 9 Asts: J. Culver – 6		Pts: D. Hunter – 27 Rebs: B. Key – 10 Asts: T. Jerome – 9

U.S. Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, Minnesota Attendance: 72,062 Referees: Michael Stephens, Terry Wymer, Ron Groover

Final Four all-tournament team

• Kyle Guy (Jr, Virginia) – Final Four Most Outstanding Player^[12]
• Jarrett Culver (So, Texas Tech) ^[12]
• Matt Mooney (Gr, Texas Tech)^[12]
• De'Andre Hunter (So, Virginia)^[12]
• Ty Jerome (Jr, Virginia)^[12]

Game summaries and tournament notes

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." There were 5 upsets during the whole tournament, and all of them were in the first round.

Round	East	West	South	Midwest
First round	No. 12 Liberty defeated No. 5 Mississippi State, 80–76	No. 12 Murray State defeated No. 5 Marquette, 83–64	No. 13 UC Irvine defeated No. 4 Kansas State, 70–64 No. 12 Oregon defeated No. 5 Wisconsin, 72–54	No. 11 Ohio State defeated No. 6 Iowa State, 62–59

Record by conference

Conference	Bids	Record	Win %	R64	R32	S16	E8	F4	CG	NC
ACC	7	15–6	.714	7	5	5	2	1	1	1
Big 12	6	8–6	.571	6	4	1	1	1	1	–
Big Ten	8	13–8	.619	8	7	3	2	1	–	–
SEC	7	12–7	.632	7	5	4	2	1	–	–
WCC	2	3–2	.600	2	1	1	1	–	–	–
American	4	3–4	.429	3	2	1	–	–	–	–
Pac-12	3	4–3	.571	3	2	1	–	–	–	–
Big East	4	1–4	.200	3	1	–	–	–	–	–
Ohio Valley	2	2–2	.500	2	1	–	–	–	–	–
Atlantic Sun	1	1–1	.500	1	1	–	–	–	–	–
Big West	1	1–1	.500	1	1	–	–	–	–	–
MAC	1	1–1	.500	1	1	–	–	–	–	–
Southern	1	1–1	.500	1	1	–	–	–	–	–
Atlantic 10	2	0–2	.000	2	–	–	–	–	–	–
Mountain West	2	0–2	.000	2	–	–	–	–	–	–
NEC	1	1–1	.500	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Summit	1	1–1	.500	1	–	–	–	–	–	–

• The R64, R32, S16, E8, F4, CG, and NC columns indicate how many teams from each conference were in the round of 64 (first round), round of 32 (second round), Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, championship game, and national champion, respectively.
• The "Record" column includes wins in the First Four for the NEC, Ohio Valley, Pac-12, and Summit conferences and losses in the First Four for the American and Big East conference.
• The SWAC and MEAC each had one representative, eliminated in the First Four with a record of 0–1.
• The America East, Big Sky, Big South, Colonial, C-USA, Horizon, MAAC, Missouri Valley, Patriot, Southland, Sun Belt, WAC, and Ivy League each had one representative, eliminated in the Round of 64 with a record of 0–1.

Media coverage

Television

CBS Sports and Turner Sports (via TBS, TNT, and truTV) had U.S. television rights to the tournament.^[13] As part of a cycle than began in 2016, CBS televised the 2019 Final Four and championship game.

In response to criticism over TBS's handling of the selection show in 2018 (which featured an unconventional two-hour format where all the qualifying teams were first revealed in alphabetical order before the matchups were actually unveiled, and had viewership fall by 52% partly due to it also being aired on cable rather than CBS), it was announced that CBS's selection show would revert to an hour-long format, and prioritize unveiling the bracket. CNN president Jeff Zucker, who had also become head of WarnerMedia's sports properties after a reorganization, explained that "it's a sign of understanding when things don't necessarily go as well as you would hope you change it. So there's no shame in that. At the end of the day, you have to give the fans what they want."^[14] The show attracted its highest viewership since 2014 and averaged a 4.0 share on Nielsen overnight ratings.^[15]

Television channels

• First Four – truTV
• First and Second rounds – CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV
• Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) – CBS and TBS
• National semifinals (Final Four) and championship – CBS

Studio hosts

• Greg Gumbel (New York City and Minneapolis) – First round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
• Ernie Johnson (New York City, Atlanta, and Minneapolis) – First round, second round, Regional Semi-Finals, Final Four and National Championship Game
• Casey Stern (Atlanta) – First Four, first round and Second Round

Studio analysts

• Charles Barkley (New York City and Minneapolis) – First round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
• Mike Brey (Atlanta) – Regional Semi-Finals
• Jeff Capel (Atlanta) – First round
• Seth Davis (Atlanta and Minneapolis) – First Four, first round, second round, Regional Semi-Finals, Final Four and National Championship Game
• Brendan Haywood (Atlanta) – First Four, first round, second round and Regional Semi-Finals
• Clark Kellogg (New York City and Minneapolis) – First round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
• Porter Moser (Atlanta) – Second Round
• Candace Parker (Atlanta and Minneapolis) – First Four, first round, second round, Regional Semi-Finals and Final Four
• Kenny Smith (New York City and Minneapolis) – First round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
• Gene Steratore (New York City and Minneapolis) (Rules Analyst) – First Four, first round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
• Wally Szczerbiak (New York City and Minneapolis) – Second Round and Final Four
• Jay Wright (Minneapolis) – Final Four

Commentary teams

• Jim Nantz/Bill Raftery/Grant Hill/Tracy Wolfson – First and Second Rounds at Columbia, South Carolina; East Regional at Washington, D.C.; Final Four and National Championship at Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Brian Anderson/Chris Webber/Allie LaForce – First and Second Rounds at Columbus, Ohio; South Regional at Louisville, Kentucky
• Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel/Jamie Erdahl – First and Second Rounds at Jacksonville, Florida; Midwest Regional at Kansas City, Missouri
• Kevin Harlan/Reggie Miller/Dan Bonner/Dana Jacobson – First Four at Dayton, Ohio (Tuesday); First and Second Rounds at Des Moines, Iowa; West Regional at Anaheim, California
• Brad Nessler/Steve Lavin/Jim Jackson/Evan Washburn – First and Second Rounds at Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Spero Dedes/Steve Smith/Len Elmore or Jim Jackson/Rosalyn Gold-Onwude – First Four at Dayton, Ohio (Wednesday); First and Second Rounds at San Jose, California
  • Jackson called the First Four (Wednesday) with Elmore doing the First and Second Rounds with Dedes, Smith and Gold-Onwude.
• Andrew Catalon/Steve Lappas/Lisa Byington – First and Second Rounds at Salt Lake City, Utah
• Carter Blackburn/Debbie Antonelli/John Schriffen – First and Second Rounds at Hartford, Connecticut

ESPN International had international rights to the tournament. Coverage uses CBS/Turner play-by-play teams until the Final Four.^[16]

• Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas (Texas Tech vs. Michigan State), Dick Vitale (Virginia vs. Auburn, National Championship Game)

Radio

Westwood One had exclusive radio rights to the entire tournament.

First Four Ted Emrich and Austin Croshere – at Dayton, Ohio First and Second Rounds Scott Graham and Donny Marshall – Hartford, Connecticut Kevin Kugler and Robbie Hummel – Des Moines, Iowa Tom McCarthy and Jon Crispin – Jacksonville, Florida John Sadak and Dan Dickau – Salt Lake City, Utah Brandon Gaudin and John Thompson – Columbia, South Carolina Craig Way and Will Perdue – Columbus, Ohio Ryan Radtke and P. J. Carlesimo – Tulsa, Oklahoma Chris Carrino and Mike Montgomery – San Jose, California

Regionals Kevin Kugler and John Thompson – East Regional at Washington, D.C. Scott Graham and P. J. Carlesimo – Midwest Regional at Kansas City, Missouri Brandon Gaudin and Will Perdue – South Regional at Louisville, Kentucky Ryan Radtke and Jim Jackson – West Regional at Anaheim, California Final Four Kevin Kugler, John Thompson, Clark Kellogg, and Jim Gray – Minneapolis, Minnesota

Internet

Video

Live video of games was available for streaming through the following means:^[17]

• NCAA March Madness Live (website and app, no CBS games on digital media players; access to games on WarnerMedia channels (TBS, TNT, truTV) required TV Everywhere authentication through provider)
• CBS All Access (only CBS games, service subscription required)
• CBS Sports website and app (only CBS games)
• Watch TBS website and app (only TBS games, required TV Everywhere authentication)
• Watch TNT website and app (only TNT games, required TV Everywhere authentication)
• Watch truTV website and app (only truTV games, required TV Everywhere authentication)
• Websites and apps of cable, satellite, and OTT providers of CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV (access required subscription)

In addition, the March Madness app offered Fast Break, whiparound coverage of games similar to NFL RedZone.

• Adam Lefkoe, Tony Delk, Steve Alford, Andy Katz - Atlanta^[18]

Audio

Live audio of games was available for streaming through the following means:

• NCAA March Madness Live (website and app)
• Westwood One Sports website
• TuneIn (website and app)
• Websites and apps of Westwood One Sports affiliates

Film

Sixteen-Seed Gardner-Webb's season and appearance in the Tournament became the subject of a documentary titled The Dancin' Bulldogs released on October 16, 2020.

See also

• 2019 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament
• 2019 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament
• 2019 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament

Footnotes

1. This remains the only such instance in the men's tournament. However, the D-I women's tournament added its own First Four when it expanded to 68 teams in 2022, and no First Four winner in that tournament advanced beyond the first round.

References

1. Prather, Shannon (December 7, 2017). "Plans for 2019 NCAA Final Four are underway". Minneapolis Star Tribune. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
2. "March Madness 2019 dates and schedule". NCAA. March 7, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
3. Russo, Ralph D. (April 7, 2019). "First time finalists meet". The Chippewa Herald.
4. Schuknecht, Cat. "'This Is A Great Story', Says Virginia Cavaliers' Coach On Team's NCAA Comeback". npr.org. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
5. "Future Division I Men's Basketball Championship sites". NCAA. April 21, 2017.
6. Cooper, J. A.; Alderman, Derek H. (May 26, 2020). "Cancelling March Madness exposes opportunities for a more sustainable sports tourism economy". Tourism Geographies. 22 (3): 525–535. doi:10.1080/14616688.2020.1759135. ISSN 1461-6688. S2CID 219462858.
7. "March Madness tournament could generate $9 million for Columbia". WLTX-TV. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
8. Hosick, Michelle Brutlag (May 23, 2018). "Penalties, lost postseason numbers decline". NCAA.
9. "Reclassifying Members". NCAA. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
10. Sharrock, Rory (February 13, 2019). "FAMU men's basketball, men's indoor/outdoor track, golf ineligible for postseason play". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
11. "2019 NCAA Tournament Summary". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
12. Patterson, Chip (April 8, 2019). "2019 Final Four All-Tournament Team: Kyle Guy named Most Outstanding Player". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
13. "Turner Sports and CBS Sports Announce 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Commentator Teams". Turner Broadcasting. March 11, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2019.^{[permanent dead link]}
14. Strauss, Ben (March 12, 2019). "After backlash, the NCAA tournament selection show is going back to basics". Washington Post. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
15. Rosenthal, Phil (March 18, 2019). "CBS' streamlined NCAA 'Selection Show' scores best overnight ratings in 5 years". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
16. "ESPN to Present Extensive Coverage from Minneapolis Throughout the Men's Final Four". ESPN Press Room U.S. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
17. Maiman, Beth (March 8, 2017). "March Madness TV schedule: How to watch and live stream every game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament". NCAA. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
18. "Catch Tony Delk Adam Lefkoe Steve Alford March Madness Live App Thursday Sunday night Thursday".