2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The 2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 68 teams to determine the men's National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college basketball national champion for the 2017–18 [NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2017–18 season]. The 80th annual edition of the Division I men's basketball tournament|tournament] began on March 13, 2018, and concluded with the championship game on April 2, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
During the first round, UMBC became the first 16-seed to defeat a 1-seed in the men's tournament by defeating Virginia 74–54. For the first time in tournament history, all four top-seeded teams in a single region failed to make the Sweet 16. The tournament also featured the first regional final matchup of a 9-seed and an 11-seed.
Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team|Villanova], Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team|Michigan], Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team|Kansas], and Loyola–Chicago, all reached the Final Four. Villanova defeated Michigan in the championship game, 79–62.
The 2018 tournament was the first time since 1978 that none of the six Division I college basketball-playing schools based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area – American, Georgetown, George Mason, George Washington, Howard, and Maryland – made the NCAA tournament.
Atlantic Sun Conference champion Lipscomb made its NCAA tournament debut.
Tournament procedure
A total of 68 teams entered the 2018 tournament. 32 automatic bids were awarded, one to each program that won their conference tournament. The remaining 36 bids were "at-large", with selections extended by the NCAA Selection Committee.Eight teams played in the [|First Four]. The winners of these games advanced to the main draw of the tournament.
The Selection Committee seeded the entire field from 1 to 68.
Schedule and venues
The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2018 tournament:First Four
- March 13 and 14
- *University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio
- March 15 and 17
- * PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- * Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas
- * American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
- * Taco Bell Arena, Boise, Idaho
- March 16 and 18
- * Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
- * Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
- * Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
- * Viejas Arena, San Diego, California
- March 22 and 24
- *West Regional, Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
- *South Regional, Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
- March 23 and 25
- *East Regional, TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
- *Midwest Regional, CenturyLink Center Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
- March 31 and April 2
- *Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
Qualification and selection
Four teams, out of 351 in Division I, were ineligible to participate in the 2018 tournament due to failing to meet APR requirements: Alabama A&M, Grambling State, 2017–18 [Savannah State Tigers men's basketball team|Savannah State], and Southeast Missouri State. However, the NCAA granted the Savannah State Tigers a waiver which would have allowed the team to participate in the tournament, but the team failed to qualify.Automatic qualifiers
The following 32 teams were automatic qualifiers for the 2018 NCAA field by virtue of winning their conference's automatic bid.| Conference | Team | Record | Appearance | Last bid |
| America East | UMBC | 24–10 | 2nd | 2008 |
| American | Cincinnati | 30–4 | 32nd | 2017 |
| Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament|Atlantic 10] | Davidson | 21–11 | 14th | 2015 |
| ACC men's basketball tournament|ACC] | Virginia | 31–2 | 22nd | 2017 |
| ASUN | Lipscomb | 23–9 | 1st | |
| Big 12 men's basketball tournament|Big 12] | Kansas | 27–7 | 47th | 2017 |
| Big East | Villanova | 30–4 | 38th | 2017 |
| Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament|Big Sky] | Montana | 26–7 | 11th | 2013 |
| Big South Conference men's basketball tournament|Big South] | Radford | 22–12 | 3rd | 2009 |
| Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament|Big Ten] | Michigan | 28–7 | 28th | 2017 |
| Big West Conference men's basketball tournament|Big West] | Cal State Fullerton | 20–11 | 3rd | 2008 |
| CAA men's basketball tournament|CAA] | Charleston | 26–7 | 5th | 1999 |
| Conference USA | Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball team|Marshall] | 24–10 | 6th | 1987 |
| Horizon League men's basketball tournament|Horizon League] | Wright State | 25–9 | 3rd | 2007 |
| Ivy League men's basketball tournament|Ivy League] | Penn | 24–8 | 24th | 2007 |
| MAAC men's basketball tournament|MAAC] | Iona | 20–13 | 13th | 2017 |
| MAC | Buffalo | 26–8 | 3rd | 2016 |
| MEAC men's basketball tournament|MEAC] | North Carolina Central | 19–15 | 3rd | 2017 |
| Missouri Valley | Loyola–Chicago | 28–5 | 6th | 1985 |
| Mountain West | 2017–18 [San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball team|San Diego State] | 22–10 | 12th | 2015 |
| Northeast | LIU Brooklyn | 18–16 | 7th | 2013 |
| Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament|Ohio Valley] | Murray State | 26–5 | 16th | 2012 |
| Pac-12 Conference men's basketball tournament|Pac-12] | Arizona | 27–7 | 35th | 2017 |
| Patriot League men's basketball tournament|Patriot League] | Bucknell | 25–9 | 8th | 2017 |
| SEC men's basketball tournament|SEC] | Kentucky | 24–10 | 58th | 2017 |
| Southern Conference men's basketball tournament|Southern] | UNC Greensboro | 27–7 | 3rd | 2001 |
| Southland Conference men's basketball tournament|Southland] | Stephen F. Austin | 28–6 | 5th | 2016 |
| SWAC men's basketball tournament|SWAC] | Texas Southern Tigers basketball team|Texas Southern] | 15–19 | 8th | 2017 |
| Summit League | South Dakota State | 28–6 | 5th | 2017 |
| Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament|Sun Belt] | Georgia State | 24–10 | 4th | 2015 |
| West Coast | Gonzaga | 30–4 | 21st | 2017 |
| WAC men's basketball tournament|WAC] | New Mexico State | 28–5 | 24th | 2017 |
Tournament seeds
The tournament seeds were determined through the NCAA basketball tournament selection process. The seeds and regions were determined as follows:| Seed | School | Conference | Record | Berth type | Overall rank |
| 1 | Virginia | ACC | 31–2 | Auto | 1 |
| 2 | Cincinnati | American | 30–4 | Auto | 8 |
| 3 | Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball team|Tennessee] | SEC | 25–8 | At-large | 10 |
| 4 | Arizona | Pac-12 | 27–7 | Auto | 16 |
| 5 | Kentucky | SEC | 24–10 | Auto | 17 |
| 6 | Miami (FL) | ACC | 22–9 | At-large | 22 |
| 7 | Nevada | Mountain West | 27–7 | At-large | 27 |
| 8 | Creighton | Big East | 21–11 | At-large | 30 |
| 9 | Kansas State | Big 12 | 22–11 | At-large | 34 |
| 10 | Texas | Big 12 | 19–14 | At-large | 39 |
| 11 | Loyola–Chicago | Missouri Valley | 28–5 | Auto | 46 |
| 12 | Davidson | Atlantic 10 | 21–11 | Auto | 48 |
| 13 | Buffalo | MAC | 26–8 | Auto | 51 |
| 14 | Wright State | Horizon | 25–9 | Auto | 57 |
| 15 | Georgia State | Sun Belt | 24–10 | Auto | 60 |
| 16 | UMBC | America East | 24–10 | Auto | 63 |
| Seed | School | Conference | Record | Berth type | Overall rank |
| 1 | Xavier | Big East | 28–5 | At-large | 4 |
| 2 | North Carolina | ACC | 25–10 | At-large | 5 |
| 3 | Michigan | Big Ten | 28–7 | Auto | 11 |
| 4 | Gonzaga | WCC | 30–4 | Auto | 15 |
| 5 | Ohio State | Big Ten | 24–8 | At-large | 20 |
| 6 | Houston | American | 26–7 | At-large | 23 |
| 7 | Texas A&M | SEC | 20–12 | At-large | 25 |
| 8 | Missouri | SEC | 20–12 | At-large | 32 |
| 9 | Florida State Seminoles men's basketball team|Florida State] | ACC | 20–11 | At-large | 38 |
| 10 | Providence | Big East | 21–13 | At-large | 35 |
| 11 | San Diego State | Mountain West | 22–10 | Auto | 45 |
| 12 | South Dakota State | Summit League | 28–6 | Auto | 49 |
| 13 | UNC Greensboro | Southern | 27–7 | Auto | 52 |
| 14 | Montana | Big Sky | 26–7 | Auto | 56 |
| 15 | Lipscomb | Atlantic Sun | 23–9 | Auto | 59 |
| 16* | North Carolina Central | MEAC | 19–15 | Auto | 67 |
| 16* | Texas Southern | SWAC | 15–19 | Auto | 68 |
| Seed | School | Conference | Record | Berth type | Overall rank |
| 1 | Villanova | Big East | 30–4 | Auto | 2 |
| 2 | Purdue | Big Ten | 28–6 | At-large | 7 |
| 3 | Texas Tech | Big 12 | 24–9 | At-large | 12 |
| 4 | Wichita State | American | 25–7 | At-large | 14 |
| 5 | West Virginia | Big 12 | 24–10 | At-large | 18 |
| 6 | Florida Gators men's basketball team|Florida] | SEC | 20–12 | At-large | 21 |
| 7 | Arkansas | SEC | 23–11 | At-large | 26 |
| 8 | Virginia Tech | ACC | 21–11 | At-large | 31 |
| 9 | Alabama | SEC | 19–15 | At-large | 36 |
| 10 | Butler | Big East | 20–13 | At-large | 33 |
| 11* | St. Bonaventure | Atlantic 10 | 25–7 | At-large | 42 |
| 11* | UCLA | Pac-12 | 21–11 | At-large | 41 |
| 12 | Murray State | Ohio Valley | 26–5 | Auto | 50 |
| 13 | Marshall | Conference USA | 24–10 | Auto | 54 |
| 14 | Stephen F. Austin | Southland | 28–6 | Auto | 58 |
| 15 | Cal State Fullerton | Big West | 20–11 | Auto | 61 |
| 16* | LIU Brooklyn | NEC | 18–16 | Auto | 66 |
| 16* | Radford | Big South | 22–12 | Auto | 65 |
| Seed | School | Conference | Record | Berth type | Overall rank |
| 1 | Kansas | Big 12 | 27–7 | Auto | 3 |
| 2 | Duke | ACC | 26–7 | At-large | 6 |
| 3 | Michigan State | Big Ten | 29–4 | At-large | 9 |
| 4 | Auburn | SEC | 25–7 | At-large | 13 |
| 5 | Clemson | ACC | 23–9 | At-large | 19 |
| 6 | TCU | Big 12 | 21–11 | At-large | 24 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | Atlantic 10 | 25–7 | At-large | 28 |
| 8 | Seton Hall | Big East | 21–11 | At-large | 29 |
| 9 | NC State | ACC | 21–11 | At-large | 37 |
| 10 | Oklahoma | Big 12 | 18–13 | At-large | 40 |
| 11* | Arizona State | Pac-12 | 20–11 | At-large | 43 |
| 11* | Syracuse Orange men's basketball team|Syracuse] | ACC | 20–13 | At-large | 44 |
| 12 | New Mexico State | WAC | 28–5 | Auto | 47 |
| 13 | Charleston | CAA | 26–7 | Auto | 53 |
| 14 | Bucknell | Patriot | 25–9 | Auto | 55 |
| 15 | Iona | MAAC | 20–13 | Auto | 62 |
| 16 | Penn | Ivy League | 24–8 | Auto | 64 |
Regional brackets
All times are listed as Eastern Daylight TimeFirst Four – Dayton, Ohio">UD Arena">Dayton, Ohio
The First Four games involved eight teams: the four overall lowest-ranked teams, and the four lowest-ranked at-large teams.South Regional – Atlanta, Georgia">Philips Arena">Atlanta, Georgia
South Regional all tournament team
- Ben Richardson – South Regional most outstanding player
- Clayton Custer
- Donte Ingram
- Xavier Sneed
- Barry Brown Jr.
West Regional – Los Angeles, California">Staples Center">Los Angeles, California
West Regional all tournament team
- Charles Matthews – West Regional most outstanding player
- Moritz Wagner
- Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman
- Phil Cofer
- Terance Mann
East Regional – Boston, Massachusetts">TD Garden">Boston, Massachusetts
East Regional all tournament team
- Jalen Brunson – East Regional most outstanding player
- Omari Spellman
- Eric Paschall
- Carsen Edwards
- Keenan Evans
Midwest Regional – Omaha, Nebraska">CenturyLink Center Omaha">Omaha, Nebraska
Midwest Regional all tournament team
- Malik Newman – Midwest Regional most outstanding player
- Trevon Duval
- Gabe DeVoe
- Marvin Bagley III
- Devonte' Graham
- Gary Trent Jr.
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 plays against the champion of the fourth-ranked top seed's region, and the champion of the second overall top seed's region plays against the champion of the third-ranked top seed's region.[Alamodome] – San Antonio, Texas
Kansas vacated 15 wins, including all NCAA tournament wins from the 2017–18 season after an investigation into the eligibility of Silvio De Sousa. Unlike forfeiture, a vacated game does not result in the other school being credited with a win, only with Kansas removing the wins from its own record.Final Four all-tournament team
- Donte DiVincenzo – Final Four Most Outstanding Player
- Mikal Bridges
- Jalen Brunson
- Eric Paschall
- Moritz Wagner
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." The 2018 tournament saw a total of 11 upsets; 5 of them were in the first round, 5 of them were in the second round, and one of them was in the Sweet Sixteen.| Round | South | West | East | Midwest |
| First round | None | No. 13 Marshall defeated No. 4 Wichita State, 81–75 | No. 11 Syracuse defeated No. 6 TCU, 57–52 | |
| Second Round | None | No. 11 Syracuse defeated No. 3 Michigan State, 55–53 | ||
| Sweet 16 | None | No. 9 Florida State defeated No. 4 Gonzaga, 75–60 | None | None |
| Elite 8 | None | None | None | None |
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, round of 32, Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, championship game, and national champion, respectively.
- The "Record" column includes wins in the First Four for the ACC, Atlantic 10, Big South, and SWAC conferences and two losses in the First Four for the Pac-12 conference.
- The MEAC and NEC conferences each had one representative, eliminated in the First Four with a record of 0–1.
- The Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big West, CAA, Horizon, Ivy League, MAAC, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Summit, Sun Belt and WAC conferences each had one representative, eliminated in the first round with a record of 0–1.
Media coverage
Television
CBS Sports and Turner Sports had U.S. television rights to the Tournament under the NCAA [March Madness (CBS/Turner)|NCAA March Madness] brand. As part of a cycle beginning in 2016, TBS held the rights to the Final Four and to the championship game.For the first time, TBS held the rights to the Selection Show, which expanded into a two-hour format, was presented in front of a studio audience, and promoted that the entire field of the tournament would be unveiled within the first ten minutes of the broadcast. However, this entailed the 68-team field being revealed in alphabetical order, and not by bracket matchups. The new format was criticized for lacking suspense, and the show also faced criticism for technical issues, as well as a segment containing product placement for Pizza Hut.
Television channels
- First Four – TruTV
- First and second rounds – CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV
- Regional semifinals and Finals – CBS and TBS
- National semifinals and championship – TBS
Studio hosts
- Greg Gumbel – first round, second round, regionals, Final Four and national championship game
- Ernie Johnson Jr. – first round, second round, regional semi-finals, Final Four and national championship game
- Casey Stern – First Four, first round and second round
- Adam Zucker – first round and second round
Studio analysts
- Charles Barkley – first round, second round, regionals, Final Four and national championship game
- Seth Davis – First Four, first round, second round, regional semi-finals, Final Four and national championship game
- Brendan Haywood – First Four, first round, second round, regional semi-finals and Final Four
- Clark Kellogg – first round, second round, regionals, Final Four and national championship game
- Gregg Marshall – regional semi-finals
- Frank Martin – second round
- Candace Parker – First Four, first round, second round, regional semi-finals and Final Four
- Kenny Smith – first round, second round, regionals, Final Four and national championship game
- Wally Szczerbiak – second round
- Brad Underwood – first round
- Christian Laettner – Final Four
- Danny Manning – Final Four
- Kris Jenkins – Final Four
Commentary teams
- Jim Nantz/Bill Raftery/Grant Hill/Tracy Wolfson – first and second rounds at Charlotte, North Carolina; Midwest Regional at Omaha, Nebraska; Final Four and National Championship at San Antonio, Texas
- Brian Anderson/Chris Webber/Lisa Byington – first and second rounds at Boise, Idaho; South Regional at Atlanta, Georgia
- Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel/Allie LaForce – First Four at Dayton, Ohio ; first and second rounds at Detroit, Michigan; East Regional at Boston, Massachusetts
- Kevin Harlan/Reggie Miller/Dan Bonner/Dana Jacobson – first and second rounds at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; West Regional at Los Angeles, California
- Brad Nessler/Steve Lavin/Evan Washburn – first and second rounds at Wichita, Kansas
- Spero Dedes/Steve Smith/Len Elmore/Rosalyn Gold-Onwude – First Four at Dayton, Ohio ; first and second rounds at Dallas, Texas
- Andrew Catalon/Steve Lappas/Jamie Erdahl – first and second rounds at Nashville, Tennessee
- Carter Blackburn/Debbie Antonelli/John Schriffen – first and second rounds at San Diego, California
''Team Stream'' broadcasts
- Matt Park/Jay Feely/Dr. Sanjay Gupta – Michigan Team Stream on TNT
- Jeff Hagedorn/Jerry Harkness/Shams Charania – Loyola–Chicago Team Stream on truTV
- Dave Armstrong/Scot Pollard/Rob Riggle– Kansas Team Stream on TNT
- Scott Graham/Randy Foye/Kacie McDonnell – Villanova Team Stream on truTV
- Matt Park/Jay Feely/Dr. Sanjay Gupta – Michigan Team Stream on TNT
- Scott Graham/Randy Foye/Kacie McDonnell – Villanova Team Stream on truTV
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 Kelly Tripucka – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Brandon Gaudin and Donny Marshall – Wichita, Kansas
- Ryan Radtke and Jim Jackson – Dallas, Texas
- Jason Benetti and Dan Dickau – Boise, Idaho
- Kevin Kugler and Eric Montross/John Thompson – Charlotte, North Carolina
- Chris Carrino and P. J. Carlesimo – Detroit, Michigan
- Ted Emrich – Friday Afternoon/Craig Way – Friday Night & Sunday and Will Perdue – Nashville, Tennessee
- John Sadak and Mike Montgomery – San Diego, California
Regionals
- Gary Cohen and P. J. Carlesimo – East Regional at Boston, Massachusetts
- Kevin Kugler and Donny Marshall – Midwest Regional at Omaha, Nebraska
- Brandon Gaudin and John Thompson – South Regional at Atlanta, Georgia
- Tom McCarthy and Jim Jackson – West Regional at Los Angeles, California
Final Four
- Kevin Kugler, John Thompson, Clark Kellogg, and Jim Gray – San Antonio, Texas
Internet
Video
Live video of games was available for streaming through the following means:- NCAA March Madness Live
- CBS All Access
- CBS Sports website and app
- Bleacher Report website and Team Stream app
- Watch TBS website and app
- Watch TNT website and app
- Watch truTV website and app
- Websites and apps of cable, satellite, and OTT providers of CBS & Turner
Audio
Live audio of games was available for streaming through the following means:- NCAA March Madness Live
- Westwood One Sports website
- TuneIn
- Websites and apps of Westwood One Sports affiliates