The 2014
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as NCAA March Madness and commonly called March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball teams from ...
involved 68 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 each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
to determine the national champion of men's
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division I college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
. It began on March 18, 2014, and concluded with the
UConn Huskies
The UConn Huskies (or Connecticut Huskies) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, located in Storrs. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference. The university's fo ...
winning the
championship game
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
on April 7 at
AT&T Stadium
AT&T Stadium, formerly Cowboys Stadium, is a retractable roof, retractable-roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and was completed on May 27, 2009. I ...
in
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...
.
The East Regional semifinals and final were held in
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
, the first time that arena has been used as an NCAA Tournament venue and the first time in 63 years that tournament games have been held in New York City.
With No. 7 seed
UConn
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Ha ...
and No. 8 seed
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
reaching the championship game, this tournament's final was the first ever not to include at least one 1, 2, or 3 seed. It is also only the third final not to feature a 1 or 2 seed (
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
#3
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
vs. #3
Seton Hall
Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan u ...
and
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
#3
UConn
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Ha ...
vs. #8
Butler
A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...
). UConn was the first 7 seed ever to reach and win the championship game. The two teams combined for the highest seed total in championship game history with 15. The previous record (11) was held by UConn and Butler in 2011.
The next day, the
UConn Huskies women's team won the
women's NCAA basketball tournament, only the second time that a school has won both the men's and women's Division I national basketball championships in the same year; UConn first accomplished this in 2004.
The previous season, UConn was academically ineligible for the postseason.
Tournament procedure
For 2014 the selection committee picked a total of 68 teams that would enter the 2014 tournament, of which 32 were "automatic bids" (teams winning their
conference
A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic.
Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...
tournaments, with the exception of the
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...
, which does not host a post-season conference tournament; thus, its regular-season conference champion is awarded the automatic bid) while the remaining 36 were "at large" bids which were extended by the NCAA Selection Committee on the Sunday preceding the First Four play-in tournament and dubbed ''
Selection Sunday
The selection process for college basketball's NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments determine which teams (68 men's and 68 women's) will enter the tournaments (the centerpieces of the basketball championship frenzy known as ...
'' by the media and fans. The
Selection Committee also seeded the entire field from 1 to 68.
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 those games advanced to the main draw of the tournament.
Schedule and venues
The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 2014 tournament:
First Four
*March 18 and 19
**
University of Dayton Arena
University of Dayton Arena (commonly known as UD Arena) is a 13,409-seat multi-purpose arena located in Dayton, Ohio. The arena opened in 1969. It is home to the University of Dayton Flyers basketball teams. From 2001 to 2010, the facility host ...
,
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...
(Host:
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...
)
Second and third rounds
*March 20 and 22
**
First Niagara Center
KeyBank Center is a multipurpose indoor arena located in Buffalo, New York. Originally known as Marine Midland Arena, the venue has since been named HSBC Arena and First Niagara Center. Home to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League ...
,
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
(Host:
Canisius College
Canisius College is a private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 master's ...
,
Niagara University
Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and has 3,300 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs. Appro ...
)
**
Bradley Center
The Bradley Center (also known as the BMO Harris Bradley Center under sponsorship agreements) was a multi-purpose arena located on the northwest corner of North Vel R. Phillips Ave. and West State Streets in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United ...
,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
(Host:
Marquette University
Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...
)
**
Amway Center
Amway Center is an indoor arena located in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The arena is home to the Orlando Magic of the NBA, the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, and the Orlando Predators of the National Arena League.
Amway Center hosted the 2012 N ...
,
Orlando, Florida
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
(Host:
Stetson University
Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I–4 corridor in Central Florida with the primary undergraduate campus in DeLand. The university was founded in 1883 and was later established in 1887 ...
)
**
Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (Spokane Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in the northwestern United States, located in Spokane, Washington. Opened in 1995, it is home to the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League.
Facility Construction
Wi ...
,
Spokane, Washington
Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...
(Host:
Washington State University
Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant unive ...
)
*March 21 and 23
**
PNC Arena
PNC Arena (originally Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena and formerly the RBC Center) is an indoor arena located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The arena seats 18,680 for ice hockey and 19,722 for basketball, including 61 suites, 13 loge boxes an ...
,
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...
(Host:
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...
)
**
AT&T Center
AT&T Center is a list of indoor arenas, multi-purpose indoor arena on the east side of San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is the home of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association.
The arena seats 18,418 for basketball, and ...
,
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
(Host:
University of Texas at San Antonio
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is a public research university in San Antonio, Texas. With over 34,000 students across its four campuses spanning 758 acres, UTSA is the largest university in San Antonio and the eighth-largest by ...
)
**
Viejas Arena
Viejas Arena (formerly Cox Arena) is the home stadium of the San Diego State Aztecs men's and women's basketball teams. It is located on the San Diego State University (SDSU) campus in San Diego, California. Viejas Arena opened in July 1997 an ...
,
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
(Host:
San Diego State University
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
)
**
Scottrade Center
The Enterprise Center is an 18,096-seat arena located in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Its primary tenant is the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League, but it is also used for other functions, such as NCAA basketball, NCA ...
,
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
(Host:
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest.
History
The MVC was established ...
)
Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)
*March 27 and 29
**South Regional,
FedExForum
FedExForum is a multi-purpose arena located in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee. It is the home of the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA and the NCAA Division I men's basketball program of the University of Memphis, both of whom previously played home ga ...
,
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
(Host:
University of Memphis
}
The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students.
The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering ...
)
**West Regional,
Honda Center
The Honda Center (formerly known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim) is an indoor arena located in Anaheim, California. The arena is home to the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League.
Originally named the Anaheim Arena during construction, ...
,
Anaheim, California
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...
(Host:
Big West Conference
The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific ...
)
*March 28 and 30
**East Regional,
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
,
New York, New York
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...
(Hosts:
St. John's University,
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and M ...
)
**Midwest Regional,
Lucas Oil Stadium
Lucas Oil Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It replaced the RCA Dome as the home field of the National Football League (NFL)'s Indianapolis Colts and opened on August 16, 2008. The stadium was ...
,
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
(Hosts:
IUPUI,
Horizon League
The Horizon League is an 11-school collegiate athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, whose members are located in and near the Great Lakes region.
The Horizon League founded in 1979 as the Midw ...
)
National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)
*April 5 and 7
**
AT&T Stadium
AT&T Stadium, formerly Cowboys Stadium, is a retractable roof, retractable-roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and was completed on May 27, 2009. I ...
,
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...
(Host:
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
)
Qualified teams
Automatic qualifiers
The following teams are automatic qualifiers for the 2014 NCAA field by virtue of winning their conference's tournament (except for the Ivy League, whose regular-season champion receives the automatic bid).
Tournament seeds
Florida was the overall 1 seed for the second time, the other being
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
when they repeated as national champions. Arizona was a 1 seed for the 6th time in school history. They lost in the West regional final for the 3rd straight time as a 1 seed, all games being played in Anaheim (also in
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
and
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
). Virginia was a 1 seed for the 4th time in school history, their first since three straight 1 seeds in
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
,
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
, and
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
.
Bracket
* – Denotes overtime period
''Unless otherwise noted, all times listed are
Eastern ''Daylight'' Time (
UTC-04)''
First Four – Dayton, Ohio
The
First Four
The First Four is a play-in round of the NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments. It consists of two games contested between the four lowest-ranked teams in the field, and two games contested between the four lowest-seeded "a ...
games involved eight teams: the four overall lowest-ranked teams, and the four lowest-ranked at-large teams.
South Regional – Memphis, Tennessee
Regional Final summary
South Regional all-tournament team
Regional all-tournament team:
Michael Frazier II
Michael Frazier II (born March 8, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Florida Gators.
College career
In the 2013–14 season ...
, Florida;
Devin Oliver, Dayton;
Dyshawn Pierre
Dyshawn Pierre (born November 17, 1993) is a Canadian professional basketball player for Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL) and the EuroLeague. He is from Whitby, Ontario and played college basketball for the Dayton ...
, Dayton;
Dwight Powell
Dwight Harlan Powell (born July 20, 1991) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal and is a member of the Canadia ...
, Stanford
Regional most outstanding player:
Scottie Wilbekin
Scottie Jordan Wilbekin (born April 5, 1993) is an American-born naturalized Turkish professional basketball player for Fenerbahçe Beko of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Flori ...
, Florida
East Regional – New York City, New York
Regional Final summary
East Regional all-tournament team
Regional all-tournament team:
DeAndre Daniels
DeAndre Martise Daniels (born April 15, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Townsville Heat of the NBL1 North. He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies, where he won a national championship and made the NCAA Fina ...
, UConn;
Gary Harris
Gary Harris (born September 14, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans.
High school career
Harris atte ...
, Michigan State;
Dustin Hogue
Dustin Hogue (born June 30, 1992) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Promitheas Patras of the Greek Basket League. He played college basketball for Indian Hills Community College and Iowa State Cyclones. Hogue enter ...
, Iowa State;
Adreian Payne
Adreian DeAngleo Payne (February 19, 1991 – May 9, 2022) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Orlando Magic as well as for se ...
, Michigan State
Regional most outstanding player:
Shabazz Napier
Shabazz Bozie Napier (born July 14, 1991) is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague.
He was drafted 24th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2014 NBA draf ...
, UConn
West Regional – Anaheim, California
Regional Final summary
West Regional all-tournament team
Regional all-tournament team:
Aaron Gordon
Aaron Addison Gordon (born September 16, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the University of Arizona before bein ...
, Arizona;
Traevon Jackson
Traevon Jackson (born December 11, 1992) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Norrköping Dolphins of the Swedish Basketball League. He played college basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers. Jackson's father, Jim, p ...
, Wisconsin;
Nick Johnson, Arizona;
Xavier Thames
Xavier Raynard Thames (born January 9, 1991) is an American professional 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 ...
, San Diego State
Regional most outstanding player:
Frank Kaminsky
Francis Stanley Kaminsky III (born April 4, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers.
During his college basket ...
, Wisconsin
Midwest Regional – Indianapolis, Indiana
Regional Final summary
Midwest Regional all-tournament team
Regional all-tournament team:
Aaron Harrison
Aaron Malik Harrison (born October 28, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Kaohsiung Steelers of the P. League+. He was considered one of the top high school recruits in 2013 and played college basketball for the University o ...
, Kentucky;
Marcus Lee
Marcus Lee (born September 14, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Reggiana of the Lega Basket Serie A. He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats and University of California Golden Bears.
High sch ...
, Kentucky;
Caris LeVert
Caris Coleman LeVert (born August 25, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines. As a freshman for the ...
, Michigan;
Nik Stauskas
Nikolas Tomas Stauskas (born October 7, 1993) is a Canadian professional basketball player who last played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A shooting guard, Stauskas played two seasons of college basketball f ...
, Michigan
Regional most outstanding player:
Julius Randle
Julius Deion Randle (born November 29, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In his second season with the Knicks in 2020–21, he was a first-time NBA All-Star ...
, Kentucky
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.
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
(placed in the South Regional) was selected as the top overall seed, and
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
(in the East Regional) was named as the #4 overall seed. Thus, the South champion (Florida) played the East Champion (UConn) in one semifinal game, and the West Champion (Wisconsin) faced the Midwest Champion (Kentucky) in the other semifinal game.
The overall No. 1 seed Florida lost only two games during the regular season: to West Champion Wisconsin and to East Champion (and eventual National Champion) UConn; Florida also played and beat Midwest Champion Kentucky twice during the regular season and again in the
conference championship game.
Final Four – AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Game summaries
Final four
National Championship
Final Four all-tournament team
*
Julius Randle
Julius Deion Randle (born November 29, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In his second season with the Knicks in 2020–21, he was a first-time NBA All-Star ...
, Kentucky
*
James Young, Kentucky
*
Ryan Boatright
Ryan Jamar Boatright (born December 27, 1992) is an American-born naturalized Armenian professional basketball player for BC Avtodor, Avtodor Saratov of the VTB United League. He also represents the Armenian national basketball team. He completed ...
, UConn
*
DeAndre Daniels
DeAndre Martise Daniels (born April 15, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Townsville Heat of the NBL1 North. He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies, where he won a national championship and made the NCAA Fina ...
, UConn
*
Shabazz Napier
Shabazz Bozie Napier (born July 14, 1991) is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague.
He was drafted 24th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2014 NBA draf ...
, UConn,
Most Outstanding Player
Tournament notes
Wichita State
Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...
became the first team since UNLV in 1991 to go into the tournament undefeated. The Shockers entered the tournament 34-0. Their perfect record of 35-0 (a then NCAA men's record) was spoiled by
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
in the third round. Kentucky in turn set an NCAA-men's-record 38 straight wins to start a season the next year.
Kentucky became the first team to field all-freshman starters at the Final Four and championship games since the 1991–92 Michigan Wolverines under the
Fab Five. The 1992 Final Four and championship appearances by Michigan were subsequently vacated.
MEAC
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern and the Mid-Atlantic United States. It participates in the National C ...
champion
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University (NCCU or NC Central) is a public historically black university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by James E. Shepard in affiliation with the Chautauqua movement in 1909, it was supported by private funds from b ...
and
Big West
The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific ...
champion
Cal Poly made their first NCAA Division I tournament appearances.
For only the second time since 1973 no teams from the state of Indiana (a state noted for its basketball powerhouse programs) were in the tournament.
There were five overtime games in the second round of the tournament, the most overtime games ever in tournament history. In contrast, the previous two tournaments had two overtime games ''combined''.
North Dakota State
North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as th ...
's victory against
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
secured the first tournament win for the state of
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
.
Mercer
Mercer may refer to:
Business
* Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925)
* Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City
* Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader ...
,
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin (November 3, 1793 – December 27, 1836) was an American-born empresario. Known as the "Father of Texas" and the founder of Anglo Texas,Hatch (1999), p. 43. he led the second and, ultimately, the successful colonization ...
,
Albany, and Cal Poly had their first NCAA tournament wins. Cal Poly's victory over Texas Southern marked only the third time a team with a losing record won a game in the tournament.
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 2014 tournament saw a total of 13 upsets; 6 of them were in the first round, 4 of them were in the second round, none in the Sweet Sixteen, one in the Elite Eight, and 2 in the Final Four.
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 (second round), round of 32 (third round), Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, championship game, and national champion, respectively.
*The "Record" column includes wins in the first round (First Four) for
ACC
ACC most often refers to:
* Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US
*American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...
,
America East
The America East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I founded in 1979, whose members are located in the Northeastern United States.
The conference has nine core members including eight public research u ...
,
Big West
The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific ...
, and
SEC.
*The "Record" column also includes losses in the first round (First Four) for
Big East
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...
and
Big 10.
*The
SWAC and
NEC
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The company was known as the Nippon Electric Company, Limited, before rebranding in 1983 as NEC. It prov ...
each had one representative, eliminated in the first round with a record of 0–1.
*The
MAAC,
OVC,
WAC,
Patriot League
The Patriot League is a collegiate athletic conference comprising private institutions of higher education and two United States service academies based in the Northeastern United States. Outside the Ivy League, it is among the most selective gr ...
,
Colonial
Colonial or The Colonial may refer to:
* Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology)
Architecture
* American colonial architecture
* French Colonial
* Spanish Colonial architecture
Automobiles
* Colonial (1920 au ...
,
Sun Belt
The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered to stretch across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the 36th parallel. Several climates can be found in the region — des ...
,
Big Sky,
Horizon League
The Horizon League is an 11-school collegiate athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, whose members are located in and near the Great Lakes region.
The Horizon League founded in 1979 as the Midw ...
,
Big South
The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. Originally a non-football conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 as part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Th ...
,
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly ...
,
MAC,
C-USA
Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...
, and
MEAC
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern and the Mid-Atlantic United States. It participates in the National C ...
each had one representative, eliminated in the second round with a record of 0–1.
Media coverage
Television
The year 2014 marked the fourth year of a 14-year partnership between
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
and
Turner
Turner may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Turner (surname), a common surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Turner (given name), a list of people with the given name
*One who uses a lathe for turni ...
cable networks
TBS,
TNT
Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...
and
truTV
TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows.
The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that focu ...
to cover the entire tournament under the ''
NCAA March Madness
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as NCAA March Madness and commonly called March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball teams from ...
'' banner. TBS aired the Final Four for the first year since CBS' 32 consecutive years of airing. The tournament was considered a ratings success. Tournament games averaged 10.5 million viewers, and the championship game garnered an average of 21.2 million viewers and a peak viewership of 24.3 million.
*First Four
truTV
TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows.
The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that focu ...
*Second and third rounds
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
,
TBS,
TNT
Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...
, and truTV
*Regional semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) CBS and TBS
*National semifinals (Final Four) TBS, TNT, truTV
**TBS provided traditional coverage; TNT and truTV each gave
team-specific broadcasts.
*National Championship CBS
Studio hosts
*Greg Gumbel (New York City and Arlington) – Second Round, Third round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
*Ernie Johnson Jr. (New York City, Atlanta and Arlington) – Second Round, Third round, Regional Semi-Finals, Final Four and National Championship Game
*Matt Winer (Atlanta) – First Four, second round and third round
Studio analysts
*Charles Barkley (New York City and Arlington) – Second Round, Third round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
*Mateen Cleaves (New York City) – Third round
*Seth Davis (Atlanta and Arlington) – First Four, second round, Third round, Regional Semi-Finals, Final Four and National Championship Game
*Doug Gottlieb (Atlanta) – Regional Semi-Finals
*Grant Hill (Atlanta and Arlington) – First Four, second round, Third round, Regional Semi-Finals, Final Four and National Championship Game
*Clark Kellogg (New York City and Arlington) – Second Round, Third round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
*Reggie Miller (Arlington) – Final Four
*Kenny Smith (New York City and Arlington) – Second Round, Third round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
*Steve Smith (basketball), Steve Smith (Atlanta) – First Four, second round, Third round and Regional Semi-Finals
*Buzz Williams (New York City) – Third round
Commentary teams
*Jim Nantz/Greg Anthony/Steve Kerr/Tracy Wolfson – Second and third round at St. Louis, Missouri; Midwest Regional at Indianapolis, Indiana; Final Four at Arlington, Texas
''Kerr joined Nantz and Anthony during the Final Four and National Championship games''
*Marv Albert/Steve Kerr/Craig Sager – Second and third round at San Antonio, Texas; West Regional at Anaheim, California
*Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery/Allie LaForce – Second and third round at Buffalo, New York; East Regional at New York City, New York
*Kevin Harlan/Len Elmore/Reggie Miller/Rachel Nichols (journalist), Rachel Nichols – First Four at Dayton, Ohio; Second and third round at Raleigh, North Carolina; South Regional at Memphis, Tennessee
*Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel/Lewis Johnson – Second and third round at Milwaukee, Wisconsin
*Brian Anderson (broadcaster), Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner/Kristine Leahy – First Four at Dayton, Ohio; Second and third round at Orlando, Florida
*Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb/Jaime Maggio – Second and third round at Spokane, Washington
*Andrew Catalon/Mike Gminski/Otis Livingston – Second and third round at San Diego, California
=Team casts
=
For the first time in the history of the tournament, Turner broadcast the semifinals. TBS aired the traditional neutral broadcast (with Nantz/Anthony/Kerr/Wolfson commentator set that is also being used for CBS's national championship coverage). However, Turner also distributed team-centered broadcasts for the Final Four broadcasts on TNT and truTV. The announcers for these broadcasts are as follows:
*David Steele (sports announcer), David Steele/Mark Wise/James Bates Florida Teamcast on TNT
*Eric Frede/Donny Marshall/Swin Cash UConn Teamcast on truTV
*Rob Bromley/Rex Chapman/Dave Baker (sportscaster), Dave Baker Kentucky Teamcast on TNT
*Wayne Larrivee/Mike Kelley (basketball), Mike Kelley/Phil Dawson Wisconsin Teamcast on truTV
International
ESPN International distributes broadcast rights to the tournament outside the United States, and will produce separate international broadcasts of the semi-final and championship games with announcers Dan Shulman (play-by-play), Dick Vitale (analyst for the final and one semi-final), and Jay Bilas (analyst for the other semi-final). For the initial rounds, they use CBS/Turner coverage with an additional host to transition between games, with whiparound coverage similar to the CBS-only era. ESPN also has exclusive digital rights to the NCAA tournament outside of North America.
In Canada, the broadcasting rights are with The Sports Network, TSN. In The Philippines it's aired on TV5 (Philippines), TV5.
Radio
Westwood One (current), Westwood One has exclusive national radio rights to the entire tournament.
Team radio networks also hold the rights to broadcast their teams through their entire progression within the tournament and no flagship restrictions. However men's team radio networks cannot stream the games online during the NCAA tournament. WestwoodOne is the only group authorized to stream the tournament online.
First Four
*John Tautges and Kyle Macy – at Dayton, Ohio
Second and Third rounds
*Gary Cohen and Kevin Grevey – Buffalo, New York
*Wayne Larrivee and Kelly Tripucka – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
*Tom McCarthy (broadcaster), Tom McCarthy and Donny Marshall – Orlando, Florida
*Ted Robinson (sportscaster), Ted Robinson and P. J. Carlesimo – Spokane, Washington
*Scott Graham and John Thompson (basketball), John Thompson – Raleigh, North Carolina
*Brad Sham and Will Perdue – San Antonio, Texas
*Dave Sims and Bill Frieder – San Diego, California
*Kevin Kugler and Jim Jackson (basketball), Jim Jackson – St. Louis, Missouri
Regionals
*Ian Eagle and John Thompson – East Regional at New York City, New York
*Kevin Kugler and P. J. Carlesimo – Midwest Regional at Indianapolis, Indiana
*Gary Cohen and Will Perdue – South Regional at Memphis, Tennessee
*Ted Robinson and Bill Frieder – West Regional at Anaheim, California
Final four
*Kevin Kugler, John Thompson, Bill Raftery, and Jim Gray (sportscaster), Jim Gray – Arlington, Texas
See also
* 2014 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament
* 2014 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament
* 2014 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
* NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament, 2014 NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament
* NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament, 2014 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament
* 2014 National Invitation Tournament
* 2014 Women's National Invitation Tournament
* 2014 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament
* 2014 NAIA Division II men's basketball tournament
* NAIA Women's Basketball Championships, 2014 NAIA Division I women's basketball tournament
* NAIA Women's Basketball Championships#Division II, 2014 NAIA Division II women's basketball tournament
* 2014 College Basketball Invitational
* 2014 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
2014 in sports in Texas, NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
March 2014 sports events in the United States, NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
April 2014 sports events in the United States, NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
Sports competitions in Anaheim, California
Sports competitions in New York City
Sports in Arlington, Texas
21st century in Arlington, Texas
Sports in Dayton, Ohio
Sports in Memphis, Tennessee
Sports competitions in Indianapolis
Basketball in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
Basketball in San Antonio