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The 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the men's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 2015–16 season. The 78th edition of the Tournament began on March 15, 2016, and concluded with the championship game on April 4, at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.[1] This was the first NCAA tournament to adopt the NCAA March Madness branding, including fully-branded courts at each of the tournament venues.

Quick Facts Season, Teams ...
2016 NCAA Division I
men's basketball tournament
Thumb
Season2015–16
Teams68
Finals siteNRG Stadium
Houston, Texas
ChampionsVillanova Wildcats (2nd title, 3rd title game,
5th Final Four)
Runner-upNorth Carolina Tar Heels (10th title game,
19th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachJay Wright (1st title)
MOPRyan Arcidiacono (Villanova)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
«2015 2017»
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Upsets were the story of the first round of the Tournament;[2] No. 15 seed Middle Tennessee upset No. 2 seed Michigan State in the biggest upset, just the eighth ever win for a No. 15 seed over a No. 2.[3] At least one team seeded #9 through #15 won a first-round game for the third time ever and the first time since 2013.

The Final Four consisted of Villanova (first appearance since 2009), Oklahoma (first appearance since 2002), North Carolina (returning after their 2009 national championship), and Syracuse (the "Cinderella team" of the tournament, and also the first 10 seed to reach the Final Four). Villanova defeated North Carolina in the championship game 77–74, on a three-point buzzer beater by Kris Jenkins.[4] Pundits called the game one of the best in tournament history, going on to say this was one of the most competitive finals ever.[5][6]

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Schedule and venues

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Dayton
Dayton
Providence
Providence
Des Moines
Des Moines
Raleigh
Raleigh
Denver
Denver
Brooklyn
Brooklyn
St. Louis
St. Louis
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City
Spokane
Spokane
2016 First Four (orange) and First and Second rounds March 17 and 19 (green) March 18 and 20 (blue)
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Chicago
Chicago
Anaheim
Anaheim
Philadelphia
Philadelphia
Louisville
Louisville
Houston
Houston
2016 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

Previously, the round of 64 was known as the second round since the 2011 edition, but it was reverted to the moniker first round for this coming tournament. The first four was previously named the first round.

First four

First and second rounds

Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)

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Qualifying and selection procedure

Further information: 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament qualifying teams

Out of 336 eligible Division I teams, 68 participate in the tournament. Of the total, 15 Division I teams were ineligible due to failing to meet APR requirements, self-imposed postseason bans, or reclassification from a lower division.

Of the 32 automatic bids, 31 were given to programs that won their conference tournaments. For the final time, the Ivy League awarded its NCAA Tournament bid to the team with the best regular-season record and did not hold a tournament (unless playoffs games were needed to resolve tied champions). The Ivy League will hold a postseason tournament for the first time after the 2016–17 Ivy League season.[7] The remaining 36 bids were granted on an "at-large" basis, which were extended by the NCAA Selection Committee to the teams it deems 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 first round (round of 64). The Selection Committee also seeded the entire field from 1 to 68.[8]

Automatic qualifiers

The following teams were automatic qualifiers for the 2016 NCAA field by virtue of winning their conference's automatic bid:[9]

More information Conference, Team ...
Conference Team Appearance Last bid
ACC North Carolina 47th 2015
America East Stony Brook 1st Never
Atlantic 10 Saint Joseph's 21st 2014
American UConn 33rd 2014
Atlantic Sun Florida Gulf Coast 2nd 2013
Big 12 Kansas 45th 2015
Big East Seton Hall 10th 2006
Big Sky Weber State 16th 2014
Big South UNC Asheville 4th 2012
Big Ten Michigan State 30th 2015
Big West Hawaii 5th 2002
CAA UNC Wilmington 5th 2006
C-USA Middle Tennessee 8th 2013
Horizon Green Bay 5th 1996
Ivy League Yale 4th 1962
MAAC Iona 11th 2013
MAC Buffalo 2nd 2015
MEAC Hampton 6th 2015
Missouri Valley Northern Iowa 8th 2015
Mountain West Fresno State 6th 2001
NEC Fairleigh Dickinson 5th 2005
Ohio Valley Austin Peay 6th 2008
Pac-12 Oregon 14th 2015
Patriot Holy Cross 13th 2007
SEC Kentucky 56th 2015
Southern Chattanooga 11th 2009
Southland Stephen F. Austin 4th 2015
SWAC Southern 9th 2013
Summit League South Dakota State 3rd 2013
Sun Belt Little Rock 5th 2011
WCC Gonzaga 19th 2015
WAC Cal State Bakersfield 1st Never
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Tournament seeds

More information Seed, School ...
South Regional – KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Seed School Conference Record Berth type Overall rank
1 Kansas Big 12 30–4 Auto 1
2 Villanova Big East 29–5 At-large 7
3 Miami ACC 25–7 At-large 10
4 California Pac-12 23–10 At-large 14
5 Maryland Big Ten 25–8 At-large 19
6 Arizona Pac-12 25–8 At-large 23
7 Iowa Big Ten 21–10 At-large 27
8 Colorado Pac-12 22–11 At-large 30
9 UConn American 24–10 Auto 36
10 Temple American 21–11 At-large 38
11* Vanderbilt SEC 19–13 At-large 41
Wichita State Missouri Valley 24–8 At-large 43
12 South Dakota State Summit League 26–7 Auto 50
13 Hawaii Big West 27–5 Auto 52
14 Buffalo MAC 20–14 Auto 56
15 UNC Asheville Big South 22–11 Auto 61
16 Austin Peay Ohio Valley 18–17 Auto 63
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More information Seed, School ...
West Regional – Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Seed School Conference Record Berth type Overall rank
1 Oregon Pac-12 28–6 Auto 4
2 Oklahoma Big 12 25–7 At-large 6
3 Texas A&M SEC 26–8 At-large 12
4 Duke ACC 23–10 At-large 13
5 Baylor Big 12 22–11 At-large 20
6 Texas Big 12 20–12 At-large 21
7 Oregon State Pac-12 19–12 At-large 28
8 Saint Joseph's Atlantic 10 27–7 Auto 32
9 Cincinnati American 22–10 At-large 35
10 VCU Atlantic 10 24–10 At-large 40
11 Northern Iowa Missouri Valley 22–12 Auto 46
12 Yale Ivy League 22–6 Auto 49
13 UNC Wilmington CAA 25–7 Auto 51
14 Green Bay Horizon 23–12 Auto 55
15 Cal State Bakersfield WAC 24–8 Auto 60
16* Holy Cross Patriot 14–19 Auto 68
Southern SWAC 22–12 Auto 67
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More information Seed, School ...
East Regional – Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
Seed School Conference Record Berth type Overall rank
1 North Carolina ACC 28–6 Auto 2
2 Xavier Big East 27–5 At-large 8
3 West Virginia Big 12 26–8 At-large 9
4 Kentucky SEC 26–8 Auto 15
5 Indiana Big Ten 25–7 At-large 17
6 Notre Dame ACC 21–11 At-large 22
7 Wisconsin Big Ten 20–12 At-large 25
8 USC Pac-12 21–12 At-large 31
9 Providence Big East 23–10 At-large 33
10 Pittsburgh ACC 21–11 At-large 37
11* Michigan Big Ten 22–12 At-large 42
Tulsa American 20–11 At-large 45
12 Chattanooga Southern 29–5 Auto 47
13 Stony Brook America East 26–6 Auto 53
14 Stephen F. Austin Southland 27–5 Auto 58
15 Weber State Big Sky 26–8 Auto 62
16* Florida Gulf Coast Atlantic Sun 20–13 Auto 65
Fairleigh Dickinson NEC 18–14 Auto 66
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Keenan Evans of Texas Tech, at the tournament
More information Seed, School ...
Midwest Regional – United Center, Chicago
Seed School Conference Record Berth type Overall rank
1 Virginia ACC 26–7 At-large 3
2 Michigan State Big Ten 29–5 Auto 5
3 Utah Pac-12 26–8 At-large 11
4 Iowa State Big 12 21–11 At-large 16
5 Purdue Big Ten 26–8 At-large 18
6 Seton Hall Big East 25–8 Auto 24
7 Dayton Atlantic 10 25–7 At-large 26
8 Texas Tech Big 12 19–12 At-large 29
9 Butler Big East 21–10 At-large 34
10 Syracuse ACC 19–13 At-large 39
11 Gonzaga WCC 26–7 Auto 44
12 Little Rock Sun Belt 29–4 Auto 48
13 Iona MAAC 22–10 Auto 54
14 Fresno State Mountain West 25–9 Auto 57
15 Middle Tennessee C-USA 24–9 Auto 59
16 Hampton MEAC 21–10 Auto 64
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*See First Four

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Bracket

All times are listed as Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)

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.

March 15 – South Region
   
11 Vanderbilt 50
11 Wichita State 70
March 15 – East Region
   
16 Florida Gulf Coast 96
16 Fairleigh Dickinson 65
March 16 – East Region
   
11 Michigan 67
11 Tulsa 62
March 16 – West Region
   
16 Holy Cross 59
16 Southern 55

South Regional – Louisville, Kentucky

First round
Round of 64
March 17–18 		Second Round
Round of 32
March 19–20 		Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 24 		Regional Final
Elite 8
March 26
            
1 Kansas 105
16 Austin Peay 79
1 Kansas 73
Des Moines – Thu/Sat
9 UConn 61
8 Colorado 67
9 UConn 74
1 Kansas 79
5 Maryland 63
5 Maryland 79
12 South Dakota State 74
5 Maryland 73
Spokane – Fri/Sun
13 Hawaii 60
4 California 66
13 Hawaii 77
1 Kansas 59
2 Villanova 64
6 Arizona 55
11 Wichita State 65
11 Wichita State 57
Providence – Thu/Sat
3 Miami (FL) 65
3 Miami (FL) 79
14 Buffalo 72
3 Miami (FL) 69
2 Villanova 92
7 Iowa 72OT
10 Temple 70
7 Iowa 68
Brooklyn – Fri/Sun
2 Villanova 87
2 Villanova 86
15 UNC Asheville 56

South Regional Final

CBS
Saturday, March 26
8:49 pm EDT
#2 Villanova Wildcats 64, #1 Kansas Jayhawks 59
Scoring by half: 32–25, 32–34
Pts: R. Arcidiacono, J. Hart, K. Jenkins – 13
Rebs: D. Ochefu – 8
Asts: K. Jenkins – 3		 Pts: D. Graham – 17
Rebs: L. Lucas – 12
Asts: F. Mason III – 4
KFC Yum! Center – Louisville, KY
Attendance: 19,422
Referees: Jeff Clark, Terry Wymer, Chris Rastatter

South Regional all tournament team

West Regional – Anaheim, California

First round
Round of 64
March 17–18 		Second Round
Round of 32
March 19–20 		Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 24 		Regional Final
Elite 8
March 26
            
1 Oregon 91
16 Holy Cross 52
1 Oregon 69
Spokane – Fri/Sun
8 Saint Joseph's 64
8 Saint Joseph's 78
9 Cincinnati 76
1 Oregon 82
4 Duke 68
5 Baylor 75
12 Yale 79
12 Yale 64
Providence – Thu/Sat
4 Duke 71
4 Duke 93
13 UNC Wilmington 85
1 Oregon 68
2 Oklahoma 80
6 Texas 72
11 Northern Iowa 75
11 Northern Iowa 88
Oklahoma City – Fri/Sun
3 Texas A&M 922OT
3 Texas A&M 92
14 Green Bay 65
3 Texas A&M 63
2 Oklahoma 77
7 Oregon State 67
10 VCU 75
10 VCU 81
Oklahoma City – Fri/Sun
2 Oklahoma 85
2 Oklahoma 82
15 Cal State Bakersfield 68

West Regional Final

CBS
Saturday, March 26
3:09 pm PDT
#2 Oklahoma Sooners 80, #1 Oregon Ducks 68
Scoring by half: 48–30, 32–38
Pts: B. Hield – 37
Rebs: C. James – 10
Asts: I. Cousins – 7		 Pts: E. Cook – 24
Rebs: J. Bell – 12
Asts: D. Brooks, E. Cook – 4
Honda Center – Anaheim, CA
Attendance: 16,232
Referees: Tony Padilla, Mike Eades, Ray Natili

West Regional all tournament team

East Regional – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

First round
Round of 64
March 17–18 		Second Round
Round of 32
March 19–20 		Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 25 		Regional Final
Elite 8
March 27
            
1 North Carolina 83
16 Florida Gulf Coast 67
1 North Carolina 85
Raleigh – Thu/Sat
9 Providence 66
8 USC 69
9 Providence 70
1 North Carolina 101
5 Indiana 86
5 Indiana 99
12 Chattanooga 74
5 Indiana 73
Des Moines – Thu/Sat
4 Kentucky 67
4 Kentucky 85
13 Stony Brook 57
1 North Carolina 88
6 Notre Dame 74
6 Notre Dame 70
11 Michigan 63
6 Notre Dame 76
Brooklyn – Fri/Sun
14 Stephen F. Austin 75
3 West Virginia 56
14 Stephen F. Austin 70
6 Notre Dame 61
7 Wisconsin 56
7 Wisconsin 47
10 Pittsburgh 43
7 Wisconsin 66
St. Louis – Fri/Sun
2 Xavier 63
2 Xavier 71
15 Weber State 53

East Regional Final

TBS
Sunday, March 27
8:49 pm EDT
#6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 74, #1 North Carolina Tar Heels 88
Scoring by half: 38–43, 36–45
Pts: D. Jackson – 26
Rebs: B. Colson – 5
Asts: D. Jackson – 4		 Pts: B. Johnson – 25
Rebs: B. Johnson – 12
Asts: J. Berry II – 8
Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA
Attendance: 20,743
Referees: Tom Eades, Ed Corbett, Michael Stephens

East Regional all tournament team

Midwest Regional – Chicago, Illinois

First round
Round of 64
March 17–18 		Second Round
Round of 32
March 19–20 		Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 25 		Regional Final
Elite 8
March 27
            
1 Virginia 81
16 Hampton 45
1 Virginia 77
Raleigh – Thu/Sat
9 Butler 69
8 Texas Tech 61
9 Butler 71
1 Virginia 84
4 Iowa State 71
5 Purdue 83
12 Little Rock 852OT
12 Little Rock 61
Denver – Thu/Sat
4 Iowa State 78
4 Iowa State 94
13 Iona 81
1 Virginia 62
10 Syracuse 68
6 Seton Hall 52
11 Gonzaga 68
11 Gonzaga 82
Denver – Thu/Sat
3 Utah 59
3 Utah 80
14 Fresno State 69
11 Gonzaga 60
10 Syracuse 63
7 Dayton 51
10 Syracuse 70
10 Syracuse 75
St. Louis – Fri/Sun
15 Middle Tennessee 50
2 Michigan State 81
15 Middle Tennessee 90

Midwest Regional Final

TBS
Sunday, March 27
5:09 pm CDT
#10 Syracuse Orange 68, #1 Virginia Cavaliers 62
Scoring by half: 21–35, 47–27
Pts: M. Richardson – 23
Rebs: T. Roberson – 8
Asts: M. Gbinije – 6		 Pts: L. Perrantes – 18
Rebs: M. Brogdon – 7
Asts: M. Brogdon – 7
United Center – Chicago, IL
Attendance: 20,155
Referees: Mike Roberts, John Higgens, John Gaffney

Midwest Regional all tournament team

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London Perrantes
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Final Four

During the Final Four round, regardless of the seeds of the participating teams, the champion of the top overall top seed's region (Kansas's South Region) plays against the champion of the fourth-ranked top seed's region (Oregon's West Region), and the champion of the second overall top seed's region (North Carolina's East Region) plays against the champion of the third-ranked top seed's region (Virginia's Midwest Region).

Final Four - NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

National Semifinals
Final Four
Saturday, April 2 		National Championship Game
Monday, April 4
      
S2 Villanova 95
W2 Oklahoma 51
S2 Villanova 77
E1 North Carolina 74
E1 North Carolina 83
MW10 Syracuse 66

Final Four

TBS
Saturday, April 2
5:09 pm CDT
#2 Villanova Wildcats 95, #2 Oklahoma Sooners 51
Scoring by half: 42–28, 53–23
Pts: J. Hart – 23
Rebs: K. Jenkins, J. Hart – 8
Asts: J. Hart – 4		 Pts: J. Woodard – 12
Rebs: B. Hield – 7
Asts: B. Hield, J. Woodard – 2
NRG Stadium – Houston, TX
Attendance: 75,505
Referees: Tom Eades, Tony Padilla, Mark Whitehead
TBS
Saturday, April 2
7:49 pm CDT
#10 Syracuse Orange 66, #1 North Carolina Tar Heels 83
Scoring by half: 28–39, 38–44
Pts: T. Cooney – 22
Rebs: T. Roberson – 9
Asts: M. Gbinije – 2		 Pts: B. Johnson, J. Jackson – 16
Rebs: B. Johnson – 9
Asts: J. Berry II – 10
NRG Stadium – Houston, TX
Attendance: 75,505
Referees: Jeff Clark, Roger Ayers, Mike Eades

The Villanova–Oklahoma result was not only the most one-sided in the tournament so far, but also in the history of the men's Final Four. The Wildcats shot 71.4% for the game, surpassed in Final Four games only by the Wildcats' 78.6% performance in the 1985 final against Georgetown. The 44-point margin was also greater than the combined margin of defeat in Oklahoma's seven previous losses in 2015–16. In addition, the 2016 semifinals were the first since 2008 to both be decided by double-digit margins, and the combined 61-point margin broke a men's Final Four record set in 1949.[15]

National Championship

Main article: 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game
TBS
Monday, April 4
8:19 pm CDT
#2 Villanova Wildcats 77, #1 North Carolina Tar Heels 74
Scoring by half: 34–39, 43–35
Pts: P. Booth – 20
Rebs: J. Hart – 8
Asts: R. Arcidiacono, D. Ochefu – 2		 Pts: M. Paige – 21
Rebs: B. Johnson – 8
Asts: M. Paige – 6
NRG Stadium – Houston, TX
Attendance: 74,340
Referees: Michael Stephens, John Higgins, Terry Wymer

The Wildcats' Championship run was the 3rd most dominant in NCAA Tournament history, with a total point differential of +124 (breaking the 2009 record set by the North Carolina Tar Heels of +121[16]), behind the 1996 Kentucky Wildcats (+129) and the 2024 UConn Huskies (+140).

Final Four all-tournament team

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Tournament notes

America East Conference champion Stony Brook and WAC champion Cal State Bakersfield made their first NCAA Tournament appearances in school history.[18][19]

Yale made its first NCAA appearance since 1962 as winners of the Ivy League, which, for the final time, did not stage a conference tournament. Of those that do hold a tournament, Horizon League champion Green Bay made its first appearance since 1996 and Oregon State made its first appearance since 1990.

Yale also earned its first Tournament win in school history with a 79–75 win over Baylor. Hawaii likewise earned its first NCAA Tournament win by defeating California 77–66. Arkansas-Little Rock won its first Tournament game in 30 years and Middle Tennessee won its first Tournament game in 27 years.

In the Midwest Region, No. 15 seed Middle Tennessee upset No. 2 seed Michigan State for just the eighth ever win for a No. 15 seed over a No. 2.[3] More than one-third of ESPN Tournament Challenge brackets predicted Michigan State to make the Final Four.[20]

In the East Region, No. 14 seed Stephen F. Austin upset No. 3 seed West Virginia, marking the fourth straight tournament in which a No. 14 seed upset a No. 3 seed.[21]

By winning the Midwest Regional final, Syracuse became the first No. 10 seed in history to advance to the Final Four. However, six lower seeds, all No. 11, have advanced to that stage (in 1986, 2006, 2011, 2018, 2021, and 2024.[22]

Kansas extended its streak of consecutive tournament appearances to 27 in a row, making every NCAA Tournament dating back to 1990.[23] This tied the record for most consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances held by North Carolina (1975–2001).[24]

This Tournament marked the first championship for Villanova in 31 years. It was also the first championship by a school without a Division I FBS football team since Connecticut in 1999. Villanova fields a Division I FCS football team, as did UConn before 2002.

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 2016 tournament saw a total of 11 upsets; 8 of them were in the first round, 2 of them were in the second round, none in the Sweet Sixteen, and one in the Elite Eight.

More information Round, South ...
RoundSouthWestEastMidwest
First round
No. 14 Stephen F. Austin defeated No. 3 West Virginia, 70–56
Second Round None None No. 7 Wisconsin defeated No. 2 Xavier, 66–63 No. 11 Gonzaga defeated No. 3 Utah, 82–59
Sweet 16 None None None None
Elite 8 None None None No. 10 Syracuse defeated No. 1 Virginia, 68–62
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Record by conference

More information Conference, Bids ...
Conference Bids[25] Record Win % R64 R32 S16 E8 F4 CG NC
Big East 5 9–4 .692 5 4 1 1 1 1 1
ACC 7 19–7 .731 7 6 6 4 2 1 –
Big 12 7 9–7 .563 7 3 3 2 1 – –
Pac-12 7 4–7 .364 7 2 1 1 – – –
Big Ten 7 8–7 .533 7 4 3 – – – –
SEC 3 3–3 .500 2 2 1 – – – –
WCC 1 2–1 .667 1 1 1 – – – –
Atlantic 10 3 2–3 .400 3 2 – – – – –
Missouri Valley 2 2–2 .500 2 2 – – – – –
American 4 1–4 .200 3 1 – – – – –
Big West 1 1–1 .500 1 1 – – – – –
C-USA 1 1–1 .500 1 1 – – – – –
Ivy League 1 1–1 .500 1 1 – – – – –
Southland 1 1–1 .500 1 1 – – – – –
Sun Belt 1 1–1 .500 1 1 – – – – –
Atlantic Sun 1 1–1 .500 1 – – – – – –
Patriot 1 1–1 .500 1 – – – – – –
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    • 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 Big Ten, Missouri Valley, Atlantic Sun, and Patriot conferences and losses in the First Four for the SEC and American conferences.
    • The NEC and SWAC each had one representative, both eliminated in the First Four with a record of 0–1.
    • The America East, Big Sky, Big South, CAA, Horizon, MAAC, MAC, MEAC, Mountain West, Ohio Valley, Southern, Summit, and WAC conferences each had one representative, eliminated in the first round with a record of 0–1.
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    Media coverage

    Television

    CBS Sports and Turner Sports held joint U.S. television broadcast rights to the Tournament under the NCAA March Madness brand. Beginning in 2016, rights to the Final Four and championship game began to alternate between Turner and CBS, with Turner networks broadcasting the 2016 Final Four and championship; a conventional telecast aired on TBS, accompanied by "Team Stream" broadcasts on TNT and TruTV which featured commentary and coverage focused on each participating team. Turner employed this multi-channel presentation of the semifinals in 2014 and 2015, but this was the first time it was used for the final.[26] It marked the first time in tournament history that the national championship game aired on cable channels, and ended CBS' streak of broadcasting 34 consecutive National Championship games.[27][28] However, Turner allowed the tournament's closing theme, One Shining Moment, to be played for the 30th year in a row. To date, the song is still played in this manner, no matter which network airs the National Championship game.

    For 2016, the selection show on CBS was expanded into a two-hour broadcast—a move which proved unpopular with viewers due to the decreased speed at which the participating teams were unveiled. These issues were exacerbated by a leak of the full bracket shortly into the broadcast, which spread on Twitter. Although ratings for the selection show had steadily decreased over the past four years, the 3.7 overnight rating for the broadcast was the lowest in 20 years.[29][30] CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus admitted that the extended special was a failure, stating that "we haven't had any specific discussions but I think we all agree it would serve all of us well including the fan to release the brackets in a little more timely manner".[31]

    Studio hosts

    • Greg Gumbel (New York City and Houston) – First round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
    • Ernie Johnson Jr. (New York City, Atlanta, and Houston) – First round, second round, Regional Semi-Finals, Final Four and National Championship Game
    • Matt Winer (Atlanta) – First Four, First Round and Second Round

    Studio analysts

    • Charles Barkley (New York City and Houston) – First round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
    • Swin Cash (Atlanta) – First Four
    • Seth Davis (Atlanta and Houston) – First Four, first round, second round, Regional Semi-Finals, Final Four and National Championship Game
    • Johnny Dawkins (New York City) – Second Round
    • Doug Gottlieb (New York City) – Regionals
    • Ron Hunter (Atlanta) – First round
    • Clark Kellogg (New York City and Houston) – First round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
    • Reggie Miller (Houston) – Final Four and National Championship Game
    • Kenny Smith (New York City and Houston) – First round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
    • Steve Smith (Houston) – Final Four and National Championship Game
    • Kevin Stallings (Atlanta) – Second Round
    • Wally Szczerbiak (Atlanta) – First Four, first round, second round and Regional Semi-Finals
    • Buzz Williams (Atlanta) – Regional Semi-Finals

    Commentary teams

    Team Stream broadcasts
    Final Four
    National Championship Game

    Radio

    Westwood One had exclusive radio rights to the entire tournament.[32]

    Local radio

    More information Seed, School ...
    SeedSchoolStationPlay–by–playColor analystStudio host
    South Region
    2VillanovaWTEL–AM 610 and Villanova IMG Sports NetworkRyan FannonWhitey RigsbyJoe Weil
    East Region
    1North CarolinaWCHL–AM 1360 and Tar Heel Sports NetworkJones AngellEric Montross
    Close

    Internet

    The games were streamed on the NCAA March Madness Live website and app, with streams for Turner games also available on the Bleacher Report website and Team Stream app, and CBS games available on the CBS Sports website and app.[33] Games on TBS were available on Watch TBS app. Games on TNT were made available on Watch TNT app. Games on TruTV were available on Watch TruTV app. Westwood One's radio broadcasts, including a "National Mix" channel consisting of whip-around coverage during the first and second rounds, was available on its website and on the TuneIn app.

    The games were also viewable on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Xbox One video game consoles via the PlayStation Vue (PS3/PS4; all games), Sling TV (XB1; TBS, TNT, TruTV games) and TuneIn (Vita/XB1; all games) apps.

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    See also

    Notes

    1.^ The 15 teams that were ineligible, and the reasons for ineligibility:
    Academic Progress Rate[34]
    Alcorn State
    Central Arkansas
    Florida A&M
    Stetson
    Other NCAA infractions
    SMU[35]
    Self-imposed bans
    Louisville[36]
    Missouri[37]
    Cal State Northridge[38]
    Pacific[39]
    Southern Miss[40]
    Reclassification[41]
    Abilene Christian
    Grand Canyon
    Incarnate Word
    UMass Lowell
    Northern Kentucky

    References

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