A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
 | |||||
| Season | 2014–15 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 68 | ||||
| Finals site | Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, Indiana | ||||
| Champions | Duke Blue Devils (5th title, 11th title game, 16th Final Four) | ||||
| Runner-up | Wisconsin Badgers (2nd title game, 4th Final Four) | ||||
| Semifinalists |
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| Winning coach | Mike Krzyzewski (5th title) | ||||
| MOP | Tyus Jones (Duke) | ||||
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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.
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
The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 2015 tournament:[1]
First Four
- March 17 and 18
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
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
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
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.
Automatic qualifiers
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 |