The 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 7, 2011 with the (2K Sports Classic) and ended with the

2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament involving 68 schools playing to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. The 74th edition of the tournament began on Marc ...

's championship game on April 2, 2012 at the

Mercedes-Benz Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. The tournament began with four first-round games on March 13–14, 2012 in

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 ...

, US, followed by second and third rounds on Thursday through Sunday, March 15–18, 2012. Regionals games were played on Thursday through Sunday, March 22–25, 2012, with the Final Four played on Saturday and Monday, March 31 and April 2, 2012.

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 ...

claimed its eighth NCAA title, defeating

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

67–59 in the final. Consensus national player of the year

Anthony Davis Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. (born March 11, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the power forward and center positions. Davis is an eight-time NB ...

of Kentucky was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

Season headlines

*September 13 – NCAA recruiting frenzy resumed when high school junior

Jabari Parker Jabari Ali Parker (born March 15, 1995) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the second overall pick in the ...

held an open practice attended by representatives of 42 NCAA Division I schools, including

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 to 2022, during which he led the Blue Devils to five natio ...

, Roy Williams,

Tom Izzo Tom Izzo (, ); born January 30, 1955) is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Michigan State University since 1995. On April 4, 2016, Izzo was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Izzo has led the Spart ...

, Bruce Weber,

Billy Kennedy Billy Kennedy may refer to: *Billy Kennedy (basketball) (born 1964), former head men's basketball coach at Texas A&M University * Billy Kennedy (''Neighbours''), a character in the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' * Billy Kennedy (loyalist), se ...

Thad Matta Thad Michael Matta (born July 11, 1967) is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team. From 2004 to 2017, Matta led the Ohio State Buckeyes to five Big Ten Conference regular seas ...

Bill Self Billy Eugene Self Jr. (born December 27, 1962) is an American basketball coach. He is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Kansas, a position he has held since 2003. During his 19 seasons as head coach, he has led the Jayhawks to ...

Oliver Purnell Oliver Gordon Purnell Jr. (born May 19, 1953) is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Radford University from 1988 to 1991, Old Dominion University from 1991 to 1994, the University of Dayto ...

and

Larry Krystkowiak Larry Brett Krystkowiak ( ; born September 23, 1964) is a retired American professional basketball player, and former head coach of the Utah Utes men's basketball team. Early life He was born in Missoula, Montana, to Bernard and Helen Krystkowia ...

. *November 1 – The AP preseason All-American team was named. Ohio State's

Jared Sullinger Jared Sullinger Sr. (born March 4, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Shenzhen Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for Ohio State University before being drafted 21st overall ...

was the only unanimous pick. Joining Sullinger were

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

forward

Harrison Barnes Harrison Bryce Jordan Barnes (born May 30, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels before being sele ...

(63 of 65 possible votes),

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

guard Jordan Taylor (51),

forward

Terrence Jones Terrence Alexander Jones (born January 9, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Kaohsiung Steelers of the Taiwanese P. League+. He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. High school career Jones was ranked ...

(33) and

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

guard

Jeremy Lamb Jeremy Emmanuel Lamb (born May 30, 1992) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a freshman, he was the second-leading scorer on the 2011 national cha ...

(25). *After

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

head coach

Bruce Pearl Bruce Alan Pearl (born March 18, 1960) is an American college basketball coach, and the head coach of the Auburn Tigers men's basketball team. He previously served as the head coach at Tennessee, Milwaukee, and Southern Indiana. Pearl led Souther ...

was fired following the 2010–11 season for major recruiting violations, he took a job as vice president of marketing with a Knoxville-based wholesale grocery company, H.T. Hackney.Bruce Pearl leaves coaching for marketing job in Knoxville
Accessed November 13, 2011. He had been offered an opportunity to coach the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

Texas Legends The Texas Legends are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Frisco, Texas, and are affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks. The Legends play their home games at the Comerica Center. The team began as the Colorado ...

but declined because he wanted to stay in the Knoxville area with his family. *November 11 – the game between

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

and #1

, known as the inaugural

Carrier Classic The Carrier Classic was a series of college basketball games that were played on the deck of a U. S. Navy aircraft carrier. The first game was held on November 11, 2011 aboard , between Michigan State and North Carolina. President Barack Obama ...

, was played on the deck of the USS ''Carl Vinson'' off the coast of

Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort city located in San Diego County, California, United States, across the San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population was 24,697 at the ...

Veterans Day Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than di ...

.Inaugural 'NCAA Carrier Classic' basketball game honors veterans
. Frere, Eileen. November 11, 2011. Accessed November 13, 2011. It was the first ever college basketball game played on a Navy aircraft carrier. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

and

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

attended the game as North Carolina won 67–55. *November 17 –

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

associate head coach

Bernie Fine Bernard Arthur Fine (born December 23, 1945) is a former associate head basketball coach for the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team and founding member of the Jewish Coaches Association. In 2011, Fine was fired after being accused of sexual ...

was placed on paid administrative leave after accusations by multiple former

ball boy Ball boys and ball girls, also known as ball kids are individuals, usually human youths but sometimes dogs, who retrieve and supply balls for players or officials in sports such as association football, American football, bandy, cricket, tennis ...

s claimed that he sexually molested them a number of times spanning more than 10 years.Syracuse coach Bernie Fine accused of sex abuse; Boeheim defends assistant
Accessed November 18, 2011. The story about Fine broke less than two weeks after the

Penn State sex abuse scandal The Penn State child sex abuse scandal concerned allegations and subsequent convictions of child sexual abuse committed by Jerry Sandusky, an assistant coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, over a period of at least fifteen years ...

came to light. Fine was subsequently fired on November 27, ending his streak as Division I's longest-tenured assistant coach at one school. *December 5 –

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

became ranked in the

AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...

for the first time in school history, coming in at No. 25 after an 8–0 start. It leaves

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model used ...

as the only remaining

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 ...

school to have never been ranked in the poll and leaves only seven schools that have played Division I basketball since the AP Poll began that have never been ranked in it. *December 5 – Mike Krzyzewski and Tennessee Lady Volunteers coach

Pat Summitt Patricia Susan Summitt (; June 14, 1952 – June 28, 2016) was an American women's college basketball head coach who accrued 1,098 career wins, the most in college basketball history at the time of her retirement. She served as the head coac ...

were named the co-recipients of the annual ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

Sportsman of the Year Since its inception in 1954, ''Sports Illustrated'' has annually presented the Sportsman of the Year award to "the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement." Both Americans and non-Amer ...

award, making them the third and fourth college basketball coaches selected in its 57-year history. *December 28 – After beating (15 AP/14

Coaches Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

)

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univers ...

, the

Baylor Bears The Baylor Bears are the athletic teams that represent Baylor University. The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as one of only two private school members of the Big 12 Conference. Prior to j ...

had their program's first ever 13–0 start and a school-record tying 13-game winning streak. The Bears' record reached 17–0 before finally losing to No. 7

, 92–74, on January 16.Tyshawn Taylor helps Kansas whip Baylor
Retrieved on January 19, 2012. At the time of their first loss they were ranked No. 3 in the nation, another all-time program high. *December 31 – No. 13

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

defeats No. 2 Ohio State, becoming the first Hoosiers men's basketball team to defeat both the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the same season (they had also previously upset then-#1

, 73–72).Indiana adds another upset by edging No. 2 Ohio State
Accessed January 1, 2012. *January 5 – A Sun Belt Conference game between Louisiana–Lafayette and

Western Kentucky Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state. ;Always included * The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...

ends in controversy, as officials failed to notice that the Ragin' Cajuns had six men on the court when Elfrid Payton drove for the layup that gave them a 72–70 win on WKU's home court. The conference's coordinator of officials stated that the error was not correctable post-game, but indicated that suspensions of the three officials involved were possible. *February 9 –

Murray State Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper level and graduate courses in Paducah, ...

, the last unbeaten team in Division I men's basketball and ranked No. 9 in the country, loses at home to

Tennessee State Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennes ...

72–68.No. 9 Murray State Loses as Last Unbeaten Falls
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. February 9, 2012. Retrieved on February 15, 2012. *February 21 –

Binghamton Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...

becomes the last team in Division I to win a game.After 26 losses, Binghamton U. earns first men's basketball win of season
Worthy, Lynn. February 21, 2012. Retrieved on February 22, 2012. They started 0–26 until a 57–53 upset win over

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. *February 24 – Radford receives two years of probation, but no postseason ban, for providing impermissible benefits to recruits. Former head coach

Brad Greenberg Brad Howard Greenberg (born February 24, 1954) is an American basketball coach. Early life and college playing career Greenberg was one of three sons of Marilyn and Ralph Greenberg of Plainview, New York, on Long Island. One of his brothers, Seth ...

, who left after the 2010–11 season, is hit with a five-year

show-cause penalty In the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), a show-cause penalty is an administrative punishment ordering that any NCAA penalties imposed on a coach found to have committed major rules violations will stay in effect against that coach fo ...

for leading an effort to mislead NCAA investigators. *March 8 –

Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from STATS, Inc. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. Bef ...

reports that the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

is investigating suspended

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

point guard Varez Ward for possible involvement in a

point shaving In organized sports, point shaving is a type of match fixing where the perpetrators try to change the final score of a game without changing who wins. This is typically done by players colluding with gamblers to prevent a team from covering a p ...

scheme. A second Auburn player had been investigated, but was cleared.

Milestones and records

*November 11 –

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

coach

Rick Pitino Richard Andrew Pitino (born September 18, 1952) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach for Iona College. He was also the head coach of Greece's senior national team. He has been the head coach of several teams in NCAA D ...

recorded his 600th career win in an 83–48 victory over Tennessee–Martin.Rick Pitino Wins 600th as No. 8 Louisville Cruises
. November 11, 2011. Retrieved on December 2, 2011. He became the 15th fastest coach to do so (38th overall). *November 15 –

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

coach

recorded his 903rd win as a head coach, surpassing his former college coach

Bob Knight Robert Montgomery Knight (born October 25, 1940) is an American former basketball coach. Nicknamed "the General", Knight won 902 NCAA Division I men's college basketball games, a record at the time of his retirement, and currently fourth all-ti ...

for the most in Division I men's basketball history.Coach K sets NCAA wins record at 903
Accessed November 15, 2011. The #6 Blue Devils defeated Michigan State, 74–69, at

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 ...

. *November 20 – Connecticut point guard

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 ...

recorded the ninth

triple-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

in school history.Shabazz Napier's triple-double helps UConn rally to beat Coppin State
November 20, 2011. Accessed on November 22, 2011. He compiled 22 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds in an 87–70 win over

Coppin State Coppin State University (Coppin) is a public historically black university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is part of the University System of Maryland and a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. In terms of demographics, the Coppin State stu ...

. *November 22 –

forward Jeronne Maymon scored 32 points and grabbed a

Maui Invitational Tournament The Maui Invitational, currently known as the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, is an annual early-season college basketball tournament that takes place Thanksgiving (US), Thanksgiving week, normally in Lahaina, Hawaii, Lahaina, Hawaii, at the Lahaina ...

-record 20 rebounds in a double-overtime loss to #8

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, 99–97. *November 28 –

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 ...

coach

Billy Donovan William John Donovan Jr. (born May 30, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He has served as head coach of the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) since September 2020 after previously coa ...

recorded his 400th career win in a 96–70 defeat of

Stetson Stetson is a brand of hat manufactured by the John B. Stetson Company. "Stetson" is also used as a generic trademark to refer to any campaign hat, in particular, in Scouting. John B. Stetson gained inspiration for his most famous hats when he ...

. *December 3 – Ohio State coach

recorded his 300th career win in a 64–35 defeat of Texas–Pan American. *December 10 – IUPUI player Alex Young scored a team record 43 points in an 84–76 win over

. *December 30 – Coppin State coach

Fang Mitchell Ronald L. "Fang" Mitchell (born February 8, 1948) is an American college basketball coach and the former head men's basketball coach at Coppin State University. Early life, education, and business career Born in Philadelphia and raised in Camde ...

recorded his 400th win at the school in a 93–83 defeat of

Nebraska-Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (Omaha or UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was originally kno ...

. *January 4 –

Zack Rosen Zack Rosen (born March 14, 1989) is an American basketball player. Rosen, a point guard, played collegiately at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was an All-American and Ivy League player of the year. College career Rosen is Jewish, f ...

became Penn's all-time assist leader, passing his coach Jerome Allen's mark of 505. Rosen finished his career with 588 assists. *January 10 –

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

guard Brandon Paul scored 43 points in a 79–74 upset over No. 5 Ohio State.Brandon Paul scores a career high 43 to fuel Illinois' upset of Ohio State
Retrieved on January 11, 2012. The 43 points was the third-highest scoring game in Illinois history and his eight three-pointers tied a school record. *Guard Alex Young of IUPUI,

UC Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...

guard

Orlando Johnson Orlando Vincent Johnson (born March 11, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for Club Atlético Aguada of the Liga Uruguaya de Básquetbol (LUB). He played college basketball for Loyola Marymount and UC Santa Barbara. College car ...

, High Point guard Nick Barbour,

Oral Roberts Granville Oral Roberts (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009) was an American Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christianity, Christian televangelist, ordained in both the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, Pentecostal Holin ...

forward Dominique Morrison,

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

guard Reggie Hamilton,

Tennessee Tech Tennessee Technological University, commonly referred to as Tennessee Tech, is a public research university in Cookeville, Tennessee, United States. It was formerly known as Tennessee Polytechnic Institute, and before that as University of Dixie ...

guard Kevin Murphy, Lehigh guard

CJ McCollum Christian James McCollum (born September 19, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his third year in the league in 2015–16, he was named the NBA Mos ...

, St. Bonaventure forward Andrew Nicholson and Northwestern forward

John Shurna John William Shurna (born April 30, 1990) is an American–Lithuanian professional basketball player for Herbalife Gran Canaria of the Liga ACB. He is the 2012 Big Ten scoring champion. He played in the 2012 NBA Summer League with the Atlanta ...

each passed the 2,000 point mark for their careers. *January 17 –

Western Carolina Western Carolina University (WCU) is a public university in Cullowhee, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. The fifth oldest institution of the sixteen four-year universities in the UNC system, WCU was founded t ...

defeated

Toccoa Falls College Toccoa Falls College is a private Christian college in Toccoa Falls, Georgia. The campus occupies , bordering the Chattahoochee National Forest and is home to Toccoa Falls, a high waterfall. It is affiliated with the Christian and Missionary ...

(a member of the

National Christian College Athletic Association The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) is an association of Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada whose mission is "the promotion and enhancement of intercollegiate athletic co ...

) by a score of 141–39, making the 102-point win margin the third largest in NCAA Division I men's basketball history.Western Carolina beats team by 102 points
Retrieved on January 17, 2012. It also set WCU program records for points in a game and points in a half (72; first half). Nine players scored in double figures for the Catamounts. *January 28 –

Towson Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorp ...

defeated

UNC Wilmington The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW or UNC Wilmington) is a public research university in Wilmington, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina System and enrolls 17,499 undergraduate and graduate students eac ...

66–61, ending the longest losing streak in Division I men's basketball history at 41 games. *January 30 –

guard Kevin Murphy scored 50 points against

SIU Edwardsville Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) is a public university in Edwardsville, Illinois. SIUE was established in 1957 as an extension of Southern Illinois University Carbondale.Butler 1976, p. 18 It is the younger of the two major inst ...

, breaking the previous school record of 38. *February 18 –

Iona Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: �iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there ...

point guard Scott Machado set the

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Of its current 11 full members, 10 are located in three states of the northeastern United States: Connecticut, New Jersey, and N ...

record for single-season and career assists in a Bracket Buster game against

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

Machado finished the season with 327 assists and tallied 880 for his career. *February 29 –

point guard

Kendall Marshall Kendall Dewan Marshall (born August 19, 1991) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He was born in Dumfries, Virginia, and attended Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia. He played college basketball for th ...

broke

Ed Cota Eduardo Enrique Cota (born May 19, 1976) is a Panamanian-American former professional basketball player. High school career Cota played his freshman and sophomore years at Brooklyn, New York's Samuel J. Tilden High School. As a sophomore, he ...

's school single-season assist record (284) in a win over

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

On March 9 in an ACC tournament game against

NC State 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 university ...

, Marshall eclipsed

Craig Neal Craig Duane Neal (born February 16, 1964) is an American basketball coach and former professional player who is currently the associate head coach for the Nevada Wolf Pack of the Mountain West Conference (MWC). He was selected by the Portland Tr ...

's ACC single season assist mark of 303. Marshall finished the season with 351 assists. * Missouri's Ricardo Ratliffe set the Missouri and

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 ...

single season record for

field goal percentage Field goal percentage in basketball is the ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. Its abbreviation is FG%. Although three-point field goal percentage is often calculated separately, three-point field goals are included in the gener ...

. Ratliffe shot 69.3% from the floor, also leading the country in this category. *March 16 – In the NCAA tournament's Round of 64, Michigan State's

Draymond Green Draymond Jamal Green Sr. (born March 4, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Green, who plays primarily at the power forward position, is a four-time N ...

recorded a triple-double with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.Draymond Green's triple-double leads Michigan State business-like victory
Retrieved on March 17, 2012. Green also had recorded a triple-double in a 2011 tournament game, making him one of only three players in history to record multiple triple-doubles in its history, and the only one officially recognized by the NCAA to have accomplished this feat. The others were Hall of Famers

Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson played ...

(4) and

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...

(2). *April 2 – By winning the national championship game, Kentucky records its 38th win, setting a new all-time single season record for a men's Division I basketball program. *April 2 – Jeff Withey of

broke

Joakim Noah Joakim Simon Noah ( ; born February 25, 1985) is an American-born French-Swedish former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007. The Chicago B ...

's NCAA tournament

blocked shot In basketball, a block or blocked shot occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player to prevent a score. The defender is not allowed to make contact with the offensive player's hand (unless the de ...

record of 29, set in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

. Withey finished with 31 blocks in the 2012 NCAA tournament.

also tied Noah's record.

Conference membership changes

The 2011–12 season saw the first wave of membership changes resulting from a major realignment of NCAA Division I conferences. The cycle began in 2010 with the

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

and the then-

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

publicly announcing their intentions to expand. The fallout from these conferences' moves later affected a majority of D-I conferences.

New arenas

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on ...

, which had played since 1960 at the on-campus

Anderson Arena Anderson Arena is an indoor arena located in Memorial Hall on the campus of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio and is currently home to the Bowling Green Falcons women's gymnastics team. The arena, which opened in 1960, served ...

, opened the

Stroh Center The Stroh Center is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. It replaced Anderson Arena as the home of the Bowling Green Falcons men's and women's basketball and women's volle ...

, also on campus. In the first regular-season game in the new arena, the Falcons defeated

Howard Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...

63–48 on November 11. *

Evansville Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in S ...

moved from

Roberts Municipal Stadium Roberts Municipal Stadium was a multi-purpose arena in Evansville, Indiana, for sports, public events, and concerts. The arena was built in 1956. It seated up to 12,732 spectators and featured four locker rooms and a press room. On June 13, 1972, ...

, their home since 1956, to the new Ford Center in

downtown Evansville Downtown Evansville is the central business district of Evansville, Indiana. The boundaries of downtown Evansville have changed as the city has grown, but they are generally considered to be between Canal Street at the south and east, the Lloyd E ...

. The Purple Aces also won their first regular-season game in the new building, defeating

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 ...

80–77 in overtime on November 12. (Incidentally, this was Butler's second consecutive season as the first regular-season opponent in a new facility; the 2010–11 team christened Louisville's new KFC Yum! Center.) * UNC Asheville, like Bowling Green, moved from one on-campus facility to another, leaving behind their home since 1963, the

Justice Center The Justice Center is a 1,100-seat multi-purpose arena in Asheville, North Carolina. It is home to the University of North Carolina at Asheville Bulldogs volleyball team and hosted the 2006 Big South Conference women's basketball tournament and ...

, for the new

Kimmel Arena Kimmel Arena is the home of the UNC Asheville Bulldogs basketball programs, both men and women's. It is a 3,200-seat arena located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina. Kimmel Arena, named fo ...

. The Bulldogs brought in top-ranked

for the arena's regular-season opening on November 13. The Tar Heels, playing in head coach Roy Williams'

hometown Hometown, HomeTown, or Home Town may refer to: *A hometown, the town where someone lives or the town that they come from, typically their place of birth. *In developing nations particularly: native place, village of origin in newly urbanized soci ...

, won 91–75. (UNC Asheville was also christening a new arena for the second consecutive season; the 2010–11 team defeated

in the first regular-season game at the Tigers' new

Auburn Arena Neville Arena, formerly Auburn Arena, is a 9,121-seat multi-purpose arena in Auburn, Alabama, on the campus of Auburn University. Built in 2010 to replace Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum, the $86 million facility is the home of the Auburn T ...

.) * UT Arlington moved in midseason. The Mavericks started the season at

Texas Hall Texas Hall is a proscenium theater on the campus of The University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, Texas. It opened in 1965, and has a seating capacity of 2,625. Texas Hall hosts numerous events per year, including concerts, lectures, mee ...

, which opened in 1965 when the team was known as the Arlington State Rebels. On February 1, the Mavericks opened

College Park Center College Park Center (CPC) is an indoor, multi-purpose arena on The University of Texas at Arlington campus in Arlington, Texas, United States. It seats up to 7,000 spectators. Its primary tenant is the Mavericks athletic department including ...

, located on the opposite side of their campus, defeating UTSA 67–66.

Major rule changes

Beginning in 2011–12, the following rules change was implemented: *The charge circle was instituted – a semi-circle in front of the basket. Secondary defenders must be outside of this circle to effectively draw a charge. Otherwise they will be assessed an automatic blocking foul.

Season outlook

Pre-season polls

The top 25 from the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls.

Regular season

A number of early-season tournaments marked the beginning of the college basketball season.

Early-season tournaments

*Although these tournaments include more teams, only the number listed play for the championship.

Conference winners and tournaments

Thirty

athletic conference An athletic conference is a collection of sports teams, playing competitively against each other in a sports league. In many cases conferences are subdivided into smaller divisions, with the best teams competing at successively higher levels. Confe ...

s each end their

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of Se ...

s with 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 ...

. The teams in each conference that win their regular season title are given the number one seed in each tournament. The winners of these tournaments receive automatic invitations to the

. The

does not have a conference tournament, instead giving their automatic invitation to their regular-season champion. As of 2012, the Great West Conference does not have an automatic bid to the NCAA Men or Women's College Tournament but the men's tourney champion does receive an automatic bid to the

CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament The CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was an American men's college basketball postseason tournament founded by Collegeinsider.com. The tournament was oriented toward schools that did not get selected for the NCAA Division I men's ...

Statistical leaders

Conference standings

Postseason tournaments

NCAA tournament

Final Four – Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Tournament upsets

For this list, a "major upset" is defined as a win by a team seeded 7 or more spots below its defeated opponent.

National Invitation tournament

After the NCAA Tournament field was announced, the NCAA invited 32 teams to participate in the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...

. The tournament began on March 13, with all games prior to the semifinals played on campus sites. The semifinals and final were respectively held on March 27 and 29 at the traditional site of Madison Square Garden.

NIT Semifinals and Final

Played at

in New York City

College Basketball Invitational

The fifth

College Basketball Invitational The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI s ...

(CBI) Tournament was held beginning March 13 and ended with a best-of-three final, which went to the maximum number of games and ended on March 30.

CollegeInsider.com Postseason tournament

The fourth

was held beginning March 15 and ended with a championship game on March 28. This tournament places an emphasis on selecting successful teams from "mid-major" conferences who were left out of the NCAA Tournament and NIT.

Award winners

Consensus All-American teams

The following players are recognized as the 2012 Consensus All-Americans:

Major player of the year awards

Wooden Award The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award, and recognizing the ...

Naismith Award Naismith Award is a basketball award named after James Naismith, and awarded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Naismith Awards include: * Naismith College Player of the Year (men's and women's; NCAA Division I basketball) * Naismith College Coach of the ...

: Anthony Davis, Kentucky * Associated Press Player of the Year: Anthony Davis, Kentucky *

NABC Player of the Year The NABC Player of the Year is an award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to recognize the top player in men's college basketball. The award has been given since the 1974–75 season to National Collegiate Athl ...

Oscar Robertson Trophy The Oscar Robertson Trophy is given out annually to the outstanding men's college basketball player by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). The trophy is considered to be the oldest of its kind and has been given out since 195 ...

(

USBWA The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) was founded in 1956 by National Collegiate Athletic Association director Walter Byers to serve the interests of journalists who cover college basketball. Scholarships The USBWA annually awar ...

): Anthony Davis, Kentucky Anthony Davis wins 2011–12 Oscar Robertson Trophy
accessed March 14, 2012 *

Adolph Rupp Trophy The Adolph F. Rupp Trophy was an award given annually to the top player in men's Division I NCAA basketball until 2015. The recipient of the award was selected by an independent panel consisting of national sportswriters, coaches, and sports admi ...

: Anthony Davis, Kentucky * ''Sporting News'' Player of the Year: Anthony Davis, KentuckyAnthony Davis named Sporting News' 2012 College Basketball Player of the Year
accessed March 6, 2012

Major freshman of the year awards

Wayman Tisdale Award The USBWA National Freshman of the Year, with the men's and women's versions respectively named the Wayman Tisdale Award and Tamika Catchings Award, is an annual basketball award given to college basketball's most outstanding freshman male player ...

(

): Anthony Davis, Kentucky *''

Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

'' Freshman of the Year: Anthony Davis, KentuckySporting News 2012 All-American college basketball teams
accessed March 6, 2012

Major coach of the year awards

* Associated Press Coach of the Year:

Frank Haith Frank James Haith Jr. (born November 3, 1965) is an American men's basketball coach, currently serving as an assistant coach for the University of Memphis. He previously served as head coach of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane from 2014 to 2022, and pr ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

Henry Iba Award The Henry Iba Award was established in 1959 to recognize the best college basketball coach of the year by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). Five nominees are presented and the individual with the most votes receives the aw ...

(

): Frank Haith, Missouri *

NABC Coach of the Year The NABC Coach of the Year Award has been presented by the National Association of Basketball Coaches since . A longtime sponsor of the award was Kodak; it is currently sponsored by the UPS Store The UPS Store (formerly Mail Boxes Etc.) is a s ...

Naismith College Coach of the Year Naismith College Coach of the Year Award is an award given by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to one men's and one women's NCAA Division I collegiate coach each season since 1987. The award was originally given to the two winning coaches of the NCAA Divis ...

Adolph Rupp Cup The Adolph Rupp Cup was an award given annually since 2004 to the men's college basketball head coach in NCAA Division I competition "who best exemplifies excellence in his dedication to the game of basketball and to his student athletes." The a ...

: Bill Self, Kansas * ''Sporting News'' Coach of the Year: Bill Self, Kansas

Other major awards

Bob Cousy Award The Bob Cousy Award presented by The College of the Holy Cross (or Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award) is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate point guard. ...

(Best point guard):

Pete Newell Big Man Award The Pete Newell Big Man Award has been awarded by the National Association of Basketball Coaches since 2000. It is presented to the top low-post player each season. The award is named after Pete Newell, the coach who ran the Pete Newell Big Man C ...

(Best big man): Anthony Davis, Kentucky *

NABC Defensive Player of the Year The NABC Defensive Player of the Year is an award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches to recognize the top defensive player in United States college basketball. The award has been given since 1987 and was previously kn ...

: Anthony Davis, Kentucky *

Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award The Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award was an annual college basketball award in the United States intended to honor shorter-than-average players who excelled on the court despite their size. The award, named in honor of James Naismith's daughter-in-la ...

(Best senior 6'0"/1.83 m or shorter): Reggie Hamilton,

Lowe's Senior CLASS Award The Senior CLASS Award is awarded to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in 10 NCAA Division I sports. An acronym for "Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School," the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete ...

(top senior):

Robbie Hummel Robert John Hummel (born March 8, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player and current TV commentator. He played college basketball for Purdue University. He currently is a member of Princeton 3X3 on the FIBA 3x3 World Tour. On ...

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in

Philadelphia Big 5 The Big 5 is an informal association of college athletic programs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is not a conference, but rather a group of NCAA Division I basketball schools who compete for the city’s collegiate championship. The Big 5 c ...

, Penn * NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

metro area): Scott Machado,

Ben Jobe Award The Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding minority men's college basketball head coach in NCAA Division I competition. The award was established in 2010 and is named for head coach Ben Jobe, wh ...

(Top minority coach):

Sean Woods Sean Woods (born March 29, 1970) is an American former basketball player and former head coach for the Southern Jaguars basketball team. Playing career Woods attended Cathedral High School in Indianapolis before playing college basketball at ...

Mississippi Valley State Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU, The Valley or Valley) is a public historically black university in Mississippi Valley State, Mississippi, adjacent to Itta Bena, Mississippi.Hugh Durham Award The Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award (formerly called the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award from 2005 to 2009) is an award given annually to the most outstanding mid-major men's college basketball head coach in NCAA ...

(Top mid-major coach):

Eddie Payne Edward G. Payne (July 10, 1951 – July 7, 2021) was an American college basketball coach and the head men's basketball coach at the University of South Carolina Upstate. Payne led the USC Upstate Spartans through their first season of Division ...

USC Upstate USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of S ...

Jim Phelan Award The Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award (formerly called the CollegeInsider.com National Coach of the Year Award from 2003 to 2009) is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's college basketball head coach in NCAA Division I ( ...

(Top head coach):

Mike Brey Michael Paul Brey (born March 22, 1959) is an American college basketball coach. He has been the men's head coach at the University of Notre Dame since July 14, 2000. Early life and education Brey, the son of Olympic swimmer Betty Brey, graduate ...

, Notre Dame *

Lefty Driesell Award The Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's college basketball defender in NCAA Division I competition. The award was established in 2010 and is named for head coach Lefty Driesel ...

(Top defensive player): Anthony Davis, Kentucky *

Lou Henson Award The Lou Henson Award is an award given annually by '' CollegeInsider.com'' to the most outstanding mid-major men's college basketball player in NCAA Division I competition. The award, established in 2010, is named for legendary Illinois Fighting Il ...

(Top mid-major player):

Kyle O'Quinn Kyle Brandon O'Quinn (born March 26, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for San-en NeoPhoenix of the Japanese B.League. He played for the Norfolk State Spartans, and led them to a victory over the #2 seed Missouri Tigers in the ...

Norfolk State Norfolk State University (NSU) is a public historically black university in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Virginia High-Tech Partnership. History The institution was founded on September 18, 1935 ...

Lute Olson Award The Lute Olson Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's college basketball player in NCAA Division I competition. The award was established in 2010 and is named for former Arizona Wildcats head coach Lute Olson Robert Lut ...

(Top non-freshman or transfer player):

Doug McDermott Douglas Richard McDermott (born January 3, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). While playing college basketball for Creighton University, he led the nation i ...

, Creighton *

Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award The Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award is an award given annually to the nation's men's head basketball coach in NCAA Division I competition who also exhibits strong moral character. The award was established in 2008 and is named for head coach Sk ...

(Coach with moral character):

Jimmy Patsos James John Patsos (born October 1, 1966) is an American college basketball coach. Patsos earned his B.A. from The Catholic University of America, Catholic University in 1989. There, he played basketball under Jack Bruen, who later coached Colgate ...

, Loyola (MD) * Academic All-American of the Year (Top scholar-athlete):

Tyler Zeller Tyler Paul Zeller (born January 17, 1990) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the University of North Carolina, where as a freshman he played on their 2009 national championship team and as a seni ...

Elite 89 Award The Elite 90 Award or more formally The Elite 90 Academic Recognition Award Program, originally the Elite 88 Award and later the Elite 89 Award, is an award by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recognizing the student athlete w ...

(Top GPA at Final Four):

Aaron Craft Aaron Vincent Craft (born February 12, 1991) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Ohio State University. High school career Craft attended Liberty-Benton High School near Findlay, Ohio, and gradua ...

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during and after the season.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2011-12 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Season