The 2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 teams playing in a
single-elimination tournament
A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, ...
that determined the
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
(NCAA)
Division I men's
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
national champion for the
2008–09 season. The 71st annual edition of the tournament began on March 17, 2009, and concluded with the
championship game on April 6 at
Ford Field
Ford Field is a domed American football stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It primarily serves as the home of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL), the Mid-Americ ...
in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
,
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
.
The University of North Carolina defeated
Michigan State to become the champion. It was the Tar Heels 5th title, and 2nd under
Roy Williams. The 2009 tournament was the first time the Final Four had a minimum seating capacity of 70,000, and by having most of the tournament in the February Sweeps of the Nielsen Ratings due to the
digital television transition in the United States on June 12, 2009, this was the last NCAA basketball tournament, in all three divisions, to air on analog television.
Prior to the start of the tournament, the top ranked team was
Louisville
Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...
in both the
AP Top 25 and the
ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Polls, followed by
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
,
Memphis, and
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
. Only the Tar Heels of North Carolina were the regional winners and played in the Final Four. The Tar Heels completed one of the most dominant runs in the tournament's history by winning each of their games by at least twelve points.
For the first time since seeding began, all #1 to #3 seeds made it into the Sweet 16, and for the third consecutive time, all #1 seeds made the Elite Eight.
Four schools made their NCAA tournament debut, all respective conference champions: Binghamton (America East), Morgan State (MEAC), Stephen F. Austin (Southland), and North Dakota State (Summit), a school in its first season of Division I eligibility.
Tournament procedure
Sixty-five teams were selected for the tournament. Thirty of the teams earned automatic bids by winning their
conference
A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...
tournaments. The automatic bid of the
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an American collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of eight Private university, private Research university, research universities in the Northeastern United States. It participates in the National Collegia ...
, which does not conduct a postseason tournament, went to
Cornell, its regular season champion. The remaining 34 teams were granted "at-large" bids by the NCAA Selection Committee.
Two teams play an opening-round game, popularly called the "
play-in game". The winner of that game advances to the main draw of the tournament as a 16 seed and plays a top seed in one of the regionals. The 2009 game was played on Tuesday, March 17, at the
University of Dayton Arena in
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
, as it has since its inception in
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
.
All 64 teams were seeded 1 to 16 within their regions; the winner of the play-in game automatically received a 16 seed. The
Selection Committee seeded the entire field from 1 to 65. SEC commissioner
Michael Slive served his last year as chairman of the committee.
Schedule and venues
The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 2009 tournament:
Opening Round
*March 17
**
University of Dayton Arena,
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
(Host:
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton (UD) is a Private university, private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary (Marianists), Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the U ...
)
First and Second Rounds
*March 19 and 21
**
Greensboro Coliseum,
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...
(Host:
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...
)
**
Sprint Center,
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
(Host:
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...
)
**
Wachovia Center,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
(Host:
Saint Joseph's University
Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a Private university, private Jesuits, Jesuit university in Philadelphia, Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by the Jesuits, Society of J ...
)
**
Rose Garden,
Portland, Oregon
Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
(Host:
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...
)
*March 20 and 22
**
Taco Bell Arena,
Boise, Idaho
Boise ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Idaho, most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Loca ...
(Host:
Boise State University)
**
University of Dayton Arena,
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
(Host:
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton (UD) is a Private university, private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary (Marianists), Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the U ...
)
**
American Airlines Arena,
Miami, Florida
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
(Host:
Florida International University
Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...
)
**
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome,
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
(Host:
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
)
Regional semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)
*March 26 and 28
**East Regional,
TD Garden,
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
(Host:
Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...
)
**West Regional,
University of Phoenix Stadium,
Glendale, Arizona
Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Located about nine miles northwest of the state capital Phoenix, Glendale is known for State Farm Stadium, which is the home of the Arizona Cardinals football team. The city al ...
(Host:
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
)
*March 27 and 29
**South Regional,
FedExForum,
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
(Host:
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students.
The university maintains the Herff Col ...
)
**Midwest Regional,
Lucas Oil Stadium
Lucas Oil Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in downtown Indianapolis, downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It replaced the RCA Dome as the home field of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). It opened on August ...
,
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
(Hosts:
Horizon League
The Horizon League is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the league's eleven member schools are located in ...
,
Butler University
Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study within six colleges in the arts, business, communic ...
)
National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)
*April 4 and 6
**
Ford Field
Ford Field is a domed American football stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It primarily serves as the home of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL), the Mid-Americ ...
,
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
(Host:
University of Detroit Mercy
The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Cath ...
)
Qualifying teams
Automatic bids
The following teams were automatic qualifiers for the 2009 NCAA field by virtue of winning their conference's tournament (except for the Ivy League, whose regular-season champion received the automatic bid).
Listed by region and seeding
Bracket
Results to date
All times in
U.S. ET.
Opening Round Game – Dayton, Ohio
Winner advanced to Midwest Regional vs. (1)
Louisville
Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...
.
Midwest Regional – Indianapolis, Indiana
West Regional – Glendale, Arizona
East Regional – Boston, Massachusetts
South Regional – Memphis, Tennessee
Final Four – Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Game summaries
Midwest Region
Goran Suton of Michigan State was the Midwest regional most outstanding player. He was joined by Spartan teammates
Kalin Lucas and
Travis Walton, Louisville's
Earl Clark and Kansas's
Cole Aldrich on the NCAA tournament All-Midwest Regional team.
First round
To play the top-seeded Louisville Cardinals in the first round, Morehead State defeated Alabama State 58–43, with the Eagles keeping the Hornets without a lead the entire game. This marked the first time either team had played in the tournament in five years; the Eagles had not played since 1984. Morehead State fell to Louisville 74–54, the 100th time a 1 seed beat a 16 seed in the tournament since seeding began. However, the Eagles managed to keep the game close until halftime, when Louisville led by only 2 points. In the second half, the Cardinals began to apply their signature fullcourt pressure, forcing turnovers and outscoring Morehead State 22–6 at the beginning of the half. Leon Buchanan's 17 points for the Eagles were not enough to upset Louisville, whose top scorers,
Samardo Samuels and
Terrence Williams, scored a combined 28 points. Morehead State has not beaten Louisville in 52 years until
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
.
In two overtimes, the Siena Saints beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 74–72. Ohio State had the advantage of playing an hour from their campus, and received 25 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists from
Evan Turner. The Saints made 6 out of 23 3-pointers and had 22 turnovers. Accordingly, Siena trailed for most of the game, but scored the last four points in regulation to force overtime. At the end of the first overtime, Siena's Ronald Moore drained his first 3-pointer to force a second overtime. With 3.9 seconds left in that overtime, he hit a second three from the same location to give the Saints a late 2-point lead. In an attempt to send the game into a third overtime, Turner shot a 15-footer immediately afterwards, but he missed it. This was Siena's fifth appearance in the tournament, after beating
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...
in 2008 as a 13 seed.
The Arizona-Utah matchup was not as close. The Fifth-seeded Utah Utes were upset by the twelfth-seeded Arizona Wildcats, one of the last teams to make it in the tournament and a questionable entry, by a score of 84–71. The Utes closed the lead to two with roughly five minutes left in the game, but the Wildcats' answer was a 10–1 run. Utah's
Luke Nevill committed two fouls less than four minutes into the game and scored only 12 points.
Nic Wise of Arizona, meanwhile, led the team with 29 points, with 21 in the second half. Tyler Kepkay led the Utes with a team 19 points in his embarking performance.
The Cleveland State-Wake Forest game was an even larger upset. In their second bid in the tournament, the Cleveland State Vikings shocked the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 84–69. This 15-point win ties for third-greatest victory margin for a 13 seed over a 4 seed. Wake Forest, once ranked first in the country, had 16 turnovers in the matchup, compared to six for the Vikings.
James Johnson of the Demon Deacons scored 22 points, although this could not compensate for a substandard offense. Their scoring leader,
Jeff Teague, finished with 10 points, half his average. For these reasons, Wake Forest never obtained a lead, while Cleveland State sank three consecutive 3-pointers in the early minutes of the game.
For the first time in 19 years, Dayton advanced to the second round of the tournament with a win over West Virginia 68–60. This also ended West Virginia's first-round winning streak, which had lasted since 1992.
Chris Wright
Christopher Allen Wright (born January 15, 1965) is an American government official, engineer, and businessman serving as the 17th United States Secretary of Energy, United States secretary of energy since 2025. Before his appointment, he was th ...
led the Dayton Flyers with 27 points, a career high, while also chalking up 10 rebounds.
Charles Little also aided the Flyers with 18 points.
Darryl Bryant, who led West Virginia with 21 points, shot two consecutive three-pointers to bring Dayton's lead to 48–47 with 11:02 minutes left in the game. However, that was the closest the Mountaineers had to a lead outside the beginning of the game.
In their first eligible year, North Dakota State appeared in the tournament, facing defending champion Kansas. The three-seeded Kansas Jayhawks staved off the fourteenth-seeded Bison's upset bid with an 84–74 victory.
Ben Woodside shined with 37 points for the Bison, his sixth game of the season with at least 30 points. However,
Sherron Collins and
Cole Aldrich proved too much for North Dakota State, accounting for 65 percent of the Jayhawks' points with 32 and 23 respectively.
The tenth-seeded USC Trojans demolished the seventh-seeded Boston College Eagles by a score of 72–55, helped by
Taj Gibson's 10-for-10 shooting from the field, tied for the second-best NCAA tournament field-goal shooting performance in history. He led the team with 24 points and recorded six rebounds, five assists, and three blocks.
Dwight Lewis also added 20 points for the Trojans. After leading 34–30 at halftime, the Eagles scored just a single field goal during one 13-minute stretch, as part of a 23.1 shooting percentage in the second half.
Robert Morris, the region's 15 seed, was blown away by second-seeded Michigan State 77–62. The game was tied with 4:44 left in the first half, but then the Colonials went almost 20 minutes without scoring a single point. The Spartans took advantage of this for a 21–0 run that sealed the game in their favor. The Colonials' Jeremy Chappell was the only team member to score double-digit points with 11, and he also led the team with six rebounds, two steals, and three blocks.
Raymar Morgan was the Spartans' leading scorer with 16 points.
Second round
Ninth-seeded Siena faced top seed Louisville, with the Cardinals emerging victorious 79–72. Taking advantage of Louisville's 19 turnovers, the Saints came back from a 12-point deficit with 17:21 left in the game to snatch the lead around the 9-minute mark.
Edwin Ubiles broke through Louisville's full-court pressure and added 24 points for Siena.
Terrence Williams, known as one of the most relaxed players on the Cardinals roster, saved his team by grabbing rebounds and making 3s. He led the team with 24 points, 15 rebounds, two steals, and four assists.
Earl Clark also helped the Cardinals' cause with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
In a 12 vs. 13 seed Cinderella matchup, Arizona handily defeated Cleveland State. The Wildcats' zone defense puzzled Cleveland State, and their fast breaks sealed the game. The smallest deficit the Vikings faced was 48–44 about midway through the second half, though the Wildcats then went on a 13–2 run led by
Nic Wise's five consecutive points. His 21 points led the team's four double-digit scorers. Arizona was excellent behind the free-throw line, finishing 24 for 28.
Cole Aldrich's
triple-double with 13 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 blocked shots paved the way for a third-seeded Kansas win over 11 seed Dayton. This was only the sixth triple-double in NCAA tournament history. With 43 points, Dayton scored the fewest points they had all season, compared to Kansas's 60. Despite their small point total, the Flyers shot 72 times, its most all season, amounting to a 22.2 shooting percentage. The Jayhawks were also not having one of their better offensive games, with
Sherron Collins being an exception; he made 25 points. This marked the third straight Sweet Sixteen appearance for Kansas.
Playing the tenth-seeded
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ...
, second-seeded Michigan State utilized
Travis Walton's career-high 18 points for a 74–69 win. Normally known as a defensive player and averaging 4.9 points per game, Walton shot 8 for 13 from the field. His team out-rebounded USC 33 to 23, and USC made only one three-point play. Star Trojan
Taj Gibson was in foul trouble throughout much of the game, and yet his teammates rallied for 14 lead changes and 16 ties.
Dwight Lewis, who gave a 19-point performance overall, scored six consecutive points for USC for a late tie. The Spartans only earned a victory after the Trojans missed their last nine shots. With the win, Michigan State has made it to the Sweet 16 eight times of the last 12 years, more than any other team except Duke.
Regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)
Louisville, the region's top seed, routed twelfth-seeded Arizona 103–64. In NCAA tournament history, this was Louisville's largest win and Arizona's largest loss. It was no surprise, given the Cardinals' 57.6 field goal percentage and their 48% shooting behind the arc. Their fullcourt pressure forced 15 turnovers on the Wildcats the entire game, including nine in the first half.
Earl Clark led the Cardinals with 19 points, whose ballhandling garnered 29 assists. This was the most lopsided Sweet 16 victory since 1972.
The Michigan State-Kansas matchup was much more intense. After overcoming a 13-point first half deficit, the Spartans won 67–62. They shot 16 of 17 from the foul line, and on their only miss they rebounded the ball and gave Raymar Morgan the only points of the night on a dunk. Such rallies in the second half narrowed the deficit and occasionally took the lead, although the Jayhawks responded and were up by 2 with 2 minutes left in the game. They were helped by
Sherron Collins and
Cole Aldrich's combined 37 points. However,
Kalin Lucas of the Spartans, who had scored 11 points in the first 39 minutes of the game, made seven straight points with 48 seconds left.
Goran Suton also added nine rebounds, five steals, and a season-high 20 points for Michigan State.
Regional final (Elite Eight)
Michigan State defeated overall number one seed Louisville, 64–52, to advance to their fifth Final Four since 1999. Michigan State held Louisville to their second lowest point total of the season with their man-to-man defense keeping them out of sync all game. Center Goran Suton had 19 points and Durrel Summers had 12 in the rout. Earl Clark had 19 for Louisville.
West Region
A. J. Price was named MVP of the West Regional. He was joined by teammate
Kemba Walker, Missouri's
DeMarre Carroll and
J. T. Tiller and Memphis'
Tyreke Evans on the NCAA West All-regional team.
First round
Forward
Quincy Pondexter scored 23 points to lead his
Washington Huskies to a first round 71–58 win over
Mississippi State Bulldogs in the West Regional. Only Barry Stewart put up double digit points (14) for the Bulldogs.
Second round
Pac-10 champions
Washington Huskies scored 46 points in the second half, but it was not enough to beat the
Purdue Boilermakers
The Purdue Boilermakers are the official college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams representing Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana. As is common with athletic nicknames, the Boilermakers nickname ...
in the second round of West Regional, falling short by two points (76–74). Leaders for Purdue were JaJuan Johnson with 22 points and Keaton Grant with 12 rebounds.
Isaiah Thomas with 24 points and
Jon Brockman with 18 rebounds led the Huskies.
Regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)
Connecticut faced Purdue at University of Phoenix Stadium in a West Regional semifinal. It was UConn who took full advantage of many Purdue mistakes and, even though
Robbie Hummel was able to shoot quite well scoring 17 points, it was
Hasheem Thabeet and the Huskies who pulled away for a 72–60 win to move onto the regional finals.
In the nightcap of the sweet sixteen matchups, two sets of Tigers met, pitting Missouri against Memphis in a matchup that saw teams with similar fast-paced styles meet. Missouri was able to pull away with a 27–7 run that gave them a 64–40 lead. Though Memphis attempted to claw back into the game through
Tyreke Evans' 33 points, it was JT Tiller,
DeMarre Carroll, and Leo Lyons that moved on to meet UConn in the regional final along with the rest of their Missouri Tigers.
Regional final (Elite Eight)
Kemba Walker came off the UConn bench to spark them to a victory over the 3 seeded Missouri Tigers.
East Region
Scottie Reynolds was named Regional most outstanding player. He was joined by teammates
Dwayne Anderson and
Dante Cunningham, Panthers
Sam Young and
DeJuan Blair on the NCAA East All-Regional team.
First round
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Big Ten Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF ...
'
Alfred Aboya scored two free-throw points with 48 seconds remaining in the game to help UCLA get by
VCU in the first round at the East Regional in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
's
Wachovia Center with Maynor's potential game winning jumper bouncing off the rim at the buzzer. Top scorers in the game were
Eric Maynor (21) for VCU and
Josh Shipp (16) for UCLA.
Villanova Wildcats, playing at home against an
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...
team that featured 5 seniors, fell behind early as American hit a barrage of 3 pointers. However, in the 2nd half, Villanova was able to take advantage of 20 free throws in the final 13 minutes of the game to win against American.
No. 12 seed
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
upset #5 seed
Florida St. 61–59 in OT. Down 31–19 at the half, the Badgers'
Jason Bohannon made a three-point jumper to give Wisconsin the lead with 45 seconds left in regulation. Trevon Hughes fouled Toney Douglas, who made two free throws to send the game into over-time. In over-time, the Badgers trailed by one with just seconds left when Hughes made a twisting shot from the lane over two defenders to put the Badgers ahead 60–59. Hughes was also fouled on the shot, and made the resulting free throw to make the score 61–59. Florida State had just enough time to run a full court in-bounds play but, the pass was deflected at half court thus securing the Badger victory.
Second round
By six Wildcats scoring double-digit points,
Villanova ended UCLA's hope of going to the Final Four for the fourth time in a row.
Dante Cunningham had 18 points; Reggie Redding and
Corey Fisher had 13;
Corey Stokes put up 12; eleven points came from
Scottie Reynolds and ten points were put up by Dwayne Anderson for the winning team. Josh Shipp had 18 points and Alfred Aboya had 8 rebounds for UCLA.
Regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)
Villanova (#3) upset
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
(#2), 77–54, to advance to the Regional Championship game to face
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
(#1). The Wildcats, who were ahead by 3 at half-time, were led in scoring by
Scottie Reynolds (16),
Dante Cunningham (14) and Reggie Redding (11).
Regional final (Elite Eight)
Number one seed
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
was upset by the
Villanova Wildcats, 78–76 in the East Regional Finals, denying the Panthers a chance for a first national championship in men's basketball. With five seconds remaining,
Levance Fields, who was fouled by
Corey Fisher, shot two free-throws to tie the game for Pitt. But
Scottie Reynolds' one-second jumper was good to give Villanova an upset victory. Pitt's
Sam Young scored 28 points and
DeJuan Blair had 20 points.
Dwayne Anderson was top scorer for the Wildcats with 17 points.
South Region
Ty Lawson was the South regional
MVP
MVP most commonly refers to:
* Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition
* Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering
MVP may also refer to:
...
and he was joined on the All-regional team by teammates
Danny Green and
Tyler Hansbrough as well as
Blake Griffin and Syracuse's
Jonny Flynn.
First round
WKU advanced to the second round for a second consecutive year as a 12 seed, beating 5th seeded Illinois. 10th seeded Michigan upset 7th seeded Clemson 62–59 in its first tournament win since 1998. It was Michigan's first tournament appearance in 11 years after the school was rocked with sanctions and punishments from the Chris Webber scandal in the mid-2000s.
Second round
Regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)
Regional final (Elite Eight)
Final Four
All final four teams in the tournament had won at least one national championship. Entering the tournament, North Carolina had the most, with four (
1957
Events January
* January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany.
* January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
* January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...
,
1982,
1993
The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as:
* International Year for the World's Indigenous People
The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
,
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
); Connecticut had two; (
1999
1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons.
Events January
* January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers.
* January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
,
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
); Michigan State also had two; (
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
,
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
), and Villanova won one; (
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
).
The Spartans had home court advantage by playing in their home state. Six teams have played the Final Four in their home states, but only four of them won. UCLA (
1968
Events January–February
* January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously.
* January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
,
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
,
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
) and North Carolina State (
1974) won the national title, but Duke (
1994
The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations.
In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
) and Purdue (
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
) lost in the Final Four. The biggest advantage came in 1968 and 1972 when UCLA played the championship game at the
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, which is a short distance from
Pauley Pavilion, their home court since 1965.
Michigan State vs. Connecticut
Michigan State, with 7 minutes to play, finally took hold of the game and defeated the number one seed
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
to advance to the championship game against North Carolina. The Spartans started the game with a 7-point run, but the Huskies came back to take a lead in the first half. Michigan State took it back and was leading by two at the half. Connecticut had the lead twice early in the second period. Michigan State, led by guard
Kalin Lucas with 21 points and forward
Raymar Morgan with 18 points, was just too much at the end for the Huskies. Scoring for Connecticut was shared by
Jeff Adrien (13), Stanley Robinson (15),
Hasheem Thabeet (17) and A.J. Price (15).
Villanova vs. North Carolina
After the first five minutes,
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
used an 11-point run to end Villanova's hope for a national championship and put the Tar Heels into the championship game for a chance to win their fifth title in nine trips.
Ty Lawson produced 22 points, followed by
Wayne Ellington with 20 points and
Tyler Hansbrough with 18 points. Hansbrough, the sixth-leading scorer in tournament history, pulled down 11 rebounds. For
Roy Williams, who coached North Carolina to a national championship in 2005, it is back to the title game again.
Championship game – Michigan State vs. North Carolina

This 71st title game featured #1 seed
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
, which had a 4–4 record in the finals, versus #2 seed
Michigan State, which had a 2–0 record going into the game. It was also a matchup featuring future Hall of Fame coach
Tom Izzo, who guided Michigan State to the championship in 2000 and 5 trips to the Final Four, against current Hall of Famer
Roy Williams, who won the title in 2005 and reached 7 Final Fours.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the
1979 national title game between
Michigan State Spartans and the
Sycamores of Indiana State, Hall of Fame players
Earvin "Magic" Johnson and
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend" Bird is widely regarded a ...
, who had played against each other, presented the game ball at the 2009 NCAA national championship game Monday night.
The game was a rematch of "
BasketBowl II", of 2008's
ACC-Big Ten Challenge, won by the Tar Heels 98–63. That game was also played at Ford Field.
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
, with a first bucket from
Deon Thompson, took off and ran to a 21-point lead at the 10-minute mark. The lead grew to 24 with less than 5 minutes remaining in the first half, with most points coming from
Wayne Ellington (15). The Spartans were behind 55–34 at the half, a tournament record lead for the Tar Heels.
Goran Suton had the most points for Michigan State.
In the second half, Michigan State made a comeback to within 13 points of North Carolina with 4:56 to go in the game, but was unable to overcome the record 21 turnovers. Roy Williams and his Tar Heels defeated the Spartans 89–72 to take home his second trophy for the university.
Ty Lawson set a record with 8 steals.
All Tournament team
*
Wayne Ellington, ''
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
'' (
Most Outstanding Player)
*
Tyler Hansbrough, ''
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
''
*
Ty Lawson, ''
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
''
*
Kalin Lucas, ''
Michigan State''
*
Goran Suton, ''
Michigan State''
Tournament notes
* Largest tournament point differential (+121) by the champion since 1996 (a new record was set in 2016 after the Villanova Wildcats defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels).
* Highest attended National semifinal Games (72,456) in Final Four history, breaking the old record of 64,959 (a new record was set in 2014).
* Highest attended National Championship Game (72,922) in Final Four history breaking the old record of 64,959 (a new record was set in 2014).
* Highest total Final Four attendance (145,378) ever breaking the old record of 129,918 (a new record was set in 2014).
*
Roy Williams is one of four active
coaches to win multiple titles.
Billy Donovan,
Mike Krzyzewski
Michael William Krzyzewski ( , ; born February 13, 1947), nicknamed "Coach K", is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at Duke University from 1980–81 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team, 1980 to 2021� ...
and
Jim Calhoun are the three other coaches.
*
Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
for the Championship Game were down 7% to 11.9/19 versus a 12.8/20 the previous year. The entire tournament averaged a 6.3/13, a 5% increase.
*
Blake Griffin of
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
was the winner of the
John Wooden Award, presented by the
Los Angeles Athletic Club
Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC) is a privately owned Sports club, athletic club and social club in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California, United States. Established in 1880, the club is today best known for its John R. Wooden Award pr ...
on Friday, April 10 in Los Angeles.
* 708,296 fans in attendance over the course of 35 sessions.
The NCAA News: Basketball attendance unaffected by economic slide
May 12, 2009
Record by conference
* Morehead State won the Opening Round game.
The America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, CAA, Ivy, MAC, MEAC, MVC, NEC
is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered at the NEC Supertower in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It provides IT and network solutions, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), Inte ...
, Patriot, Southland, SoCon, SWAC, Summit
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...
, and WAC conferences all went 0–1.
The columns R32, S16, E8, F4, and CG respectively stand for the Round of 32, Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, Final Four, and championship Game.
Media
Television
Once again, except for the play-in game, which was telecast on ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
, CBS and CBS College Sports Network served as broadcasters on television for the tournament. The only change from past years at the Final Four was that Jim Nantz worked with Clark Kellogg in the color commentary position instead of Billy Packer, who left CBS in July 2008.
*Studio: Greg Gumbel, Greg Anthony and Seth Davis
* Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg and Tracy Wolfson (she was only used as a backstage reporter for the Final Four and NCAA Championship game) – First & Second Round at Greensboro, North Carolina; South Regional at Memphis, Tennessee; Final Four at Detroit, Michigan
* Dick Enberg or Carter Blackburn and Jay Bilas – Blackburn Thursday afternoon; Enberg Thursday night, First & Second round at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; West Regional at Glendale, Arizona
* Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery – First & Second Round at Dayton, Ohio; East Regional at Boston, Massachusetts
* Gus Johnson and Len Elmore – First & Second Round at Minneapolis, Minnesota; Midwest Regional at Indianapolis, Indiana
* Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner – First & Second Round at Portland, Oregon
* Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel – First & Second Round at Miami, Florida
* Craig Bolerjack and Bob Wenzel – First & Second Round at Boise, Idaho
* Tim Brando and Mike Gminski – First & Second Round at Kansas City, Missouri
For the play-in game in Dayton, ESPN had Brent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger (born May 26, 1939) is an American sportscaster, currently the lead broadcaster and managing editor at Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN).
With CBS Sports from 1973 until 1990, he was the original host of their ...
, Steve Lavin
Stephen Michael Lavin (born September 4, 1964) is an American college basketball coach and former broadcaster who is the head coach of the San Diego Toreros men's basketball team at the University of San Diego (USD). He previously served as head ...
and Erin Andrews
Erin Jill Andrews (born May 4, 1978) is an American sportscaster and television personality. She rose to prominence as a correspondent on the American cable sports channel ESPN after joining the network in 2004. She later joined Fox Sports in 2 ...
working as the announcers.
Some CBS affiliates put additional game broadcasts on digital subchannels, or, as in the following two instances, on other stations:
*WOIO
WOIO (channel 19) is a television station licensed to Shaker Heights, Ohio, United States, serving the Cleveland area as an affiliate of CBS. It is owned by Gray Media alongside The CW, CW affiliate WUAB (channel 43), Telemundo affiliate WTCL-LD ...
and WUAB
WUAB (channel 43) is a television station licensed to Lorain, Ohio, United States, serving the Cleveland area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Gray Media alongside CBS affiliate WOIO (channel 19), Telemundo affiliate WTCL-LD (channel 6) ...
(Raycom Media
Raycom Media, Inc. was an American television broadcasting company based in Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery, Alabama. Raycom owned and/or provided services for 65 television stations and two radio stations across 44 markets in 20 states. Raycom ...
duopoly
A duopoly (from Greek , ; and , ) is a type of oligopoly where two firms have dominant or exclusive control over a market, and most (if not all) of the competition within that market occurs directly between them.
Duopoly is the most commonly ...
): On March 20, WOIO aired Ohio State vs. Siena, while Cleveland State vs. Wake Forest was on WUAB at the same time. The Cleveland
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
area has a substantial number of OSU alumni, and Mansfield, Ohio, Mansfield, although part of the Cleveland market, is equidistant to both Columbus, Ohio, Columbus and Cleveland.
*KOTV-DT, KOTV and KQCW (Griffin Media duopoly): Also on March 20, KOTV aired Oklahoma State vs. Tennessee; at the same time, Kansas vs. North Dakota State was on KQCW. The reason for this simulcast is that part of the Tulsa market includes Coffeyville, Kansas, Coffeyville and other communities at the southern end of Kansas.
Radio
Westwood One (1976–2011), Westwood One was once again the radio home for the tournament.
Opening Round Game
*Marc Vandermeer and Steve Lappas – at Dayton, Ohio
First/Second Round
*Bill Rosinski and Kyle Macy – at Greensboro, North Carolina
*Kevin Kugler and Pete Gillen – at Kansas City, Missouri
*Wayne Larrivee and John Thompson (basketball), John Thompson – at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
*Dave Sims and P.J. Carlesimo – at Portland, Oregon
*Ted Robinson (sportscaster), Ted Robinson and Bill Frieder – at Boise, Idaho
*Mark Champion and Kelly Tripucka – at Dayton, Ohio
*Tom McCarthy (broadcaster), Tom McCarthy and Kevin Grevey – at Miami, Florida
*Brad Sham and Reid Gettys – at Minneapolis, Minnesota
Regionals
*Kevin Kugler and John Thompson (basketball), John Thompson – East Regional at Boston, Massachusetts
* Ian Eagle and Pete Gillen – Midwest Regional at Indianapolis, Indiana
* Kevin Harlan and P.J. Carlesimo – South Regional at Memphis, Tennessee
*Wayne Larrivee and Bill Frieder – West Regional at Glendale, Arizona
Final Four
*Kevin Kugler, John Thompson (basketball), John Thompson and Bill Raftery – at Detroit, Michigan
International broadcasters
*: CBC Television, uses the CBS broadcast and commentators, the CBC personalities, themes and graphics.
*: 10 Bold, One HD / ESPN Australia, uses the CBS broadcast and commentators.
*: ESPN Brasil, uses the CBS broadcast.
*Europe, North Africa and Middle East: ESPN America
*: Live/delayed on Basketball TV, and recorded on Radio Philippines Network, C/S9; uses the CBS broadcast and commentators.
Yahoo! Sports and NCAA.com also broadcast the entire tournament live for free on the internet.
See also
* 2009 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament
* 2009 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament
* 2009 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
* 2009 NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament
* NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament, 2009 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament
* 2009 National Invitation Tournament
* 2009 Women's National Invitation Tournament
* 2009 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament
* 2009 NAIA Division II men's basketball tournament
* NAIA Women's Basketball Championships, 2009 NAIA Division I women's basketball tournament
* NAIA Women's Basketball Championships#Division II, 2009 NAIA Division II women's basketball tournament
* 2009 College Basketball Invitational
* 2009 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
* 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
2009 in sports in Oregon, NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
March 2009 sports events in the United States, NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
April 2009 sports events in the United States, NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
Sports in Portland, Oregon