The 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 7, 2011, with the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and ended with the

2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball national champion for the 2011-12 ...

's championship game on April 2, 2012, at the

Mercedes-Benz Superdome Caesars Superdome (originally Louisiana Superdome and formerly Mercedes-Benz Superdome), commonly known as the Superdome, is a domed multi-purpose stadium in the southern United States, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home st ...

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

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

Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, followed by second and third rounds from Thursday through Sunday, March 15–18, 2012. Regional games were played from Thursday through Sunday, March 22–25, 2012, with the

Final Four In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...

played on Saturday March 31, 2012, and the national championship game on Monday, April 2, 2012.

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

claimed its eighth NCAA title, defeating

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

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

Anthony Davis Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. (born March 11, 1993), nicknamed "AD" and "the Brow", is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Davis, a Power forward (basketball), power f ...

of Kentucky was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

Season headlines

*September 13 – NCAA recruiting frenzy resumed when high school junior Jabari Parker 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 1980–81 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team, 1980 to 2021� ...

, Roy Williams,

Tom Izzo Thomas Michael 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 le ...

, Bruce Weber, Billy Kennedy, Thad Matta, Bill Self,

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 Dayt ...

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

Jared Sullinger Jared Malcolm Xavier Sullinger (born March 4, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Beijing Royal Fighters of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketbal ...

was the only unanimous pick. Joining Sullinger were

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

forward Harrison Barnes (63 of 65 possible votes),

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

guard Jordan Taylor (51),

forward Terrence Jones (33) and

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

guard Jeremy Lamb (25). *After

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

head coach Bruce Pearl 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 a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

's Texas Legends 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 or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...

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 Ob ...

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

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

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. It coincides with holidays in several countries, i ...

.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 was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

and

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama ( Robinson; born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, being married to Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United Stat ...

attended the game as North Carolina won 67–55. *November 17 – Syracuse associate head coach Bernie Fine was placed on paid administrative leave after accusations by multiple former ball boys 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 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, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

became ranked in the AP Poll 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 and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...

as the only remaining

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of eight Private university, private Research university, research universities in the Northeastern United States. It participates in the National Collegia ...

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 and college basketball player. As a coach, she acquired 1,098 career wins, the most in college basketball history at the time ...

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 a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

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-Ame ...

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

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States. It is classified among "R ...

, 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 three private school members of the Big 12 Conference. Prior t ...

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, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the 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 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, the last unbeaten team in Division I men's basketball and ranked No. 9 in the country, loses at home to Tennessee State 72–68.No. 9 Murray State Loses as Last Unbeaten Falls
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. February 9, 2012. Retrieved on February 15, 2012. *February 21 – Binghamton 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 U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. *February 24 – Radford receives two years of probation, but no postseason ban, for providing impermissible benefits to recruits. Former head coach Brad Greenberg, who left after the 2010–11 season, is hit with a five-year show-cause penalty 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 Perform. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. ...

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 Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

is investigating suspended Auburn 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 the intention of changing who wins. This is typically done by players colluding with gamblers to prevent a team fr ...

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

Milestones and records

*November 11 –

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

coach

Rick Pitino Richard Andrew Pitino (; born September 18, 1952) is an American basketball coach who is the head men's basketball coach at St. John's University (New York City), St. John's University. He was also the head coach of Greece national basketball t ...

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 Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

coach

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

Bob Knight Robert Montgomery Knight (October 25, 1940 – November 1, 2023) was an American men's college basketball coach (basketball), coach. Nicknamed "the General", he won 902 NCAA Division I men's basketball games, a record at the time of his retire ...

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 Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

. *November 20 – Connecticut point guard Shabazz Napier recorded the ninth triple-double 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. *November 22 –

forward Jeronne Maymon scored 32 points and grabbed a

Maui Invitational Tournament The Maui Invitational is an annual early-season college basketball tournament that takes place Thanksgiving week, normally in Lahaina, Hawaii, at the Lahaina Civic Center on the island of Maui. It is hosted by Chaminade University of Honolulu, ...

-record 20 rebounds in a double-overtime loss to #8 Memphis, 99–97. *November 28 –

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

coach Billy Donovan recorded his 400th career win in a 96–70 defeat of Stetson. *December 3 – Ohio State coach Thad Matta 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 Western Kentucky. *December 30 – Coppin State coach Fang Mitchell recorded his 400th win at the school in a 93–83 defeat of Nebraska-Omaha. *January 4 – Zack Rosen 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. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

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 County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an independent teachers college, UCSB joined ...

guard Orlando Johnson, 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, who was one of the first to propagate Prosperity theology, Prosperity Gospel Theo ...

forward Dominique Morrison,

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

guard Reggie Hamilton, Tennessee Tech guard Kevin Murphy, Lehigh guard CJ McCollum, St. Bonaventure forward Andrew Nicholson and Northwestern forward John Shurna each passed the 2,000 point mark for their careers. *January 17 – Western Carolina defeated Toccoa Falls College (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 c ...

) 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 defeated UNC Wilmington 66–61, ending the longest losing streak in Division I men's basketball history at 41 games. *January 30 – Tennessee Tech guard Kevin Murphy scored 50 points against SIU Edwardsville, breaking the previous school record of 38. *February 18 –

Iona Iona (; , sometimes simply ''Ì'') is an 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 are other buildings on the island. Iona Abbey was a centre of Gaeli ...

point guard

Scott Machado Michael Scott Machado (born June 8, 1990) is an American-Brazilian professional basketball player for Minas Clube of Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB). He played college basketball for the Iona Gaels and represents the Brazilian national team. High ...

set the

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Its current 13 full members are located in five Northeastern states: Connecticut, Maryland, Massachuse ...

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

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

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

point guard Kendall Marshall 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 U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

On March 9 in an ACC tournament game against NC State, Marshall eclipsed Craig Neal'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 collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...

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 gene ...

. 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 (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 (basketball), power forward pos ...

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 businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson List of NBA players who have spent their entire career w ...

(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's NCAA tournament blocked shot record of 29, set in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

. 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 NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

conferences. The cycle began in 2010 with the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

and the then-

Pacific-10 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...

announcing their intentions to expand. The fallout from these conferences' moves later affected a majority of Division 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 ...

, which had played since 1960 at the on-campus Anderson Arena, 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 Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball, men's and ...

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

Howard Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for ...

63–48 on November 11. *

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

moved from Roberts Municipal Stadium, 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 Ex ...

. 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 pantries, pantr ...

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.) *

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

made its Division I debut in the new

Ralston Arena The Liberty First Credit Union Arena, formerly known as Ralston Arena and sometimes as Ralston Sports and Event Center, is an arena located in Ralston, Nebraska, a suburb of Omaha. It serves as the home of the Omaha Lancers of the United States ...

, an off-campus venue in Ralston, a suburb of

. The team's former on-campus home, Lee & Helene Sapp Fieldhouse, remained in use by the Omaha women's team. (Both teams would move in 2015 to the on-campus Baxter Arena.) * 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 built in 1963. The arena was named in 1973 for Charlie "Choo-Choo" Justice, a native of Asheville and former NFL halfback. It is home to the University of Nort ...

, 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, Asheville, North Carol ...

. 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, won 91–75. (UNC Asheville was also christening a new arena for the second consecutive season; the 2010–11 team defeated Auburn in the first regular-season game at the Tigers' new Auburn Arena.) * UT Arlington moved in midseason. The Mavericks started the season at Texas Hall, which opened in 1965 when the team was known as the Arlington State Rebels. On February 1, the Mavericks opened College Park Center, 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.

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

Thirty-one

conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

seasons concluded with a

single-elimination tournament A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, ...

. The teams in each conference that won their regular-season titles were given the number one

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

in their respective conference tournaments. Conference tournament winners received an automatic bid to the

except for the winner of the Great West Conference tournament, although its champion received an automatic bid to the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Tournament. The

was the only

conference that did not hold a conference tournament, instead sending its regular-season champion to the NCAA tournament.

Conference standings

Division I independents

Four schools played as Division I independents, although Nebraska–Omaha was in transition from

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

and not yet considered a full Division I school. Antwan Carter of Longwood was named Independent Player of the Year.

Informal championships

St. Joseph's and Temple finished with 3–1 records in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

Statistical leaders

Source for additional stats categories

Postseason tournaments

NCAA tournament

Final Four – Mercedes-Benz 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 Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 2023, all rounds of the tournament are played at various sites across the country whi ...

. 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 (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 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament 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:

* Naismith Award: 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 across the three largest college athletic associations in the United States. Th ...

Oscar Robertson Trophy The Oscar Robertson Trophy is given out annually to the most outstanding NCAA Division I men's basketball player by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), first presented in 1958–59 NCAA University Division men's basketball season, 19 ...

( USBWA): 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 annual college basketball award given to the top player in men's NCAA Division I competition. It was awarded between 1972 and 2015. The recipient of the award was selected by an independent panel consisting of nat ...

: 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 ( USBWA): 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 ...

'' 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,

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') 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 border ...

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 ...

( USBWA): Frank Haith, Missouri *

NABC Coach of the Year The NABC Coach of the Year is an award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to recognize the top head coach in men's college basketball across the four largest college athletic associations in the United States. ...

Naismith College Coach of the Year The Naismith College Coach of the Year Award (officially known for sponsorship reasons as the Werner Ladder Naismith College Coach of the Year) is an award given by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to one men's and one women's NCAA Division I collegiate c ...

: Bill Self,

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

Other major awards

Bob Cousy Award The Bob Cousy Award, sponsored by the College of the Holy Cross, is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate point guard. It is named after six-time National Basketball Assoc ...

(Best point guard): Kendall Marshall,

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

(Best big man): Anthony Davis, Kentucky *

NABC Defensive Player of the Year The NABC Defensive Player of the Year is a college basketball award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to recognize the top men's defensive player in NCAA Division I competition. It has been given since 1987 a ...

: 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 players who excelled on the court in spite of their height. The award, named in honor of James Naismith's daughter-in-law, was establi ...

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

* Lowe's Senior CLASS Award (top senior): Robbie Hummel,

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

* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in

Philadelphia Big 5 The Philadelphia Big 5, known simply as the "Big 5", is an association of six 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’ ...

): Zack Rosen, Penn * NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

metro area):

* Ben Jobe Award (Top minority coach): Sean Woods, Mississippi Valley State * Hugh Durham Award (Top mid-major coach): Eddie Payne, USC Upstate * Jim Phelan Award (Top head coach):

Mike Brey Michael Paul Brey (born March 22, 1959) is an American basketball coach (sport), coach. Currently an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association, he was previously the men's head basketball coach at the Universit ...

, Notre Dame * Lefty Driesell Award (Top defensive player): Anthony Davis, Kentucky * Lou Henson Award (Top mid-major player): Kyle O'Quinn, Norfolk State * Lute Olson Award (Top non-freshman or transfer player): Doug McDermott, Creighton * Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award (Coach with moral character): Jimmy Patsos, Loyola (MD) * Academic All-American of the Year (Top scholar-athlete): Tyler Zeller,

* Elite 89 Award (Top GPA at Final Four): Aaron Craft,

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

Coaching changes

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

References

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