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]
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.
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.[1]
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]
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 - Houston, TX
Final Four
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
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).
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]
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.
Record by conference
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.
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
Westwood One had exclusive radio rights to the entire tournament.[32]
Local radio
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.
^"Division I Men's Basketball". NCAA. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
^Mike Rutherford (March 19, 2016). "NCAA Tournament 2016: The best and worst from the wildest day in March Madness history". SB Nation. Vox Media. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
^ a bMike Rutherford (March 18, 2016). "Middle Tennessee State's win over Michigan State is the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history". SBNation. Vox Media. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
^"Villanova's national championship, Kris Jenkins' heroics product of instant title classic". go.com.
^"Villanova beating UNC was the greatest NCAA championship game ever, period". sportingnews.com. April 5, 2016.
^"Villanova-UNC was the best NCAA championship game ever". usatoday.com. April 5, 2016.
^"The Ivy League Adds Men's, Women's Basketball Tournaments Beginning in 2017" (Press release). Ivy League. March 10, 2016. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
^"Men's Basketball Selections 101 – Selections". NCAA – The Official Site of the NCAA. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
^"2016 NCAA tournament auto-bids". si.com.
^ a b c d e"NCAA Tournament 2016: 4 Villanova players named to South Regional All-Tournament Team". Philadelphia. March 27, 2016. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
^ a b c d eRich DeCray (March 27, 2016). "Trio of Oklahoma Sooners Named To West Regional All-Tournament Team". Crimson And Cream Machine. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
^"Brice Johnson makes UNC NCAA tournament history". newsobserver. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
^ a b c d"NCAA College Basketball Box Scores". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
^ a b c d e"Jim Boeheim's halftime fury adds chapter to his legend". New York Post. March 28, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
^Forde, Pat (April 3, 2016). "Why the 2016 NCAA Final Four could be the worst ever". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
^"2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament". Database Sports.
^ a b c d e"Ryan Arcidiacono named Most Outstanding Player of 2016 NCAA Final Four". Syracuse.com. April 4, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
^Molly Geary (February 10, 2016). "Jameel Warney leads Stony Brook toward first NCAA tournament". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
^Fox Sports. "Cal State Bakersfield wins WAC tournament, beats New Mexico State". Retrieved April 4, 2016.
^"Tournament Challenge: Six perfect brackets left after Middle Tennessee upset". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
^Gabriel Baumgaertner (March 18, 2016). "Stephen F. Austin rides stingy defense to upset of West Virginia". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
^"Syracuse becomes first No. 10 seed to reach Final Four". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
^"Kansas kicks off the NCAA tournament Thursday afternoon". 247Sports.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
^"College Basketball: Longest active NCAA Tournament streaks". NCAA. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
^Patterson, Chip (March 14, 2016). "2016 NCAA Tournament: Bids broken down by conferences". CBS Sports.
^"CBS/Turner unveil 2016 NCAA Tournament announcers; Brian Anderson to call Elite Eight". Awful Announcing. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
^"CBS Sports, Turner Sports announce programming schedule for 2014, 2015". National Collegiate Athletic Association. May 7, 2013. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
^"CBS Sports and Turner Sports Announce 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Commentator Team". NCAA. March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
^"Ratings for CBS's NCAA tournament selection show were almost as bad as show itself". The Washington Post. March 14, 2016.
^"NCAA says it's investigating the bracket leak that saved us from the two-hour Selection Sunday show". Los Angeles Times. March 14, 2016.
^"CBS and Turner Sports lock down NCAA tournament through 2032". The Washington Post. April 12, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
^"NCAA, Westwood One extend deal". NCAA. January 13, 2011. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
^"NCAA March Madness Live to Provide Access to the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Across More Platforms Than Ever Before". NCAA. March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
^Brutlag Hosick, Michelle (May 27, 2015). "Raising the bar". NCAA. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
^James, Emily (September 29, 2015). "SMU commits men's basketball and golf violations". NCAA. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
^Pemberton, Kim (February 5, 2016). "University Makes Major Announcement on Friday". Louisville Athletics. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
^Missouri Athletics (January 13, 2016). "Missouri basketball announces details of NCAA review, self-imposed penalties". NCAA. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
^"CSUN Men's Basketball Self-Imposes 2016 Post-Season Basketball Ban". CSUN Athletics. January 7, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
^"Athletics Administers Self-Imposed Penalties On Men's Basketball". Pacific Athletics. December 17, 2015. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
^Norlander, Matt (November 8, 2015). "Southern Miss self-imposes postseason ban for 2nd straight year". CBSSports.com. CBS Interactive.
^"Multidivision and Reclassifying for 2015–16" (PDF). NCAA. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 22, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
