The 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 6, 2018. The first tournament was the
2K Sports Classic and the season concluded 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 ...
at
U.S. Bank Stadium
U.S. Bank Stadium is an enclosed stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Built on the former site of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the indoor stadium opened in 2016 and is the home of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Footbal ...
in
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
, on April 8, 2019. Practices officially began on September 28, 2018. The season saw
Zion Williamson
Zion Lateef Williamson (born July 6, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the power forward position. Following a freshman-year stint with the D ...
dominate Player of the Year honors and media attention, while
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
won its first NCAA Championship. The
NCAA Championship Game between Virginia and
Texas Tech
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship institution of the five- ...
would mark the final NCAA game with a 20-foot 9 inch
three-point shot
A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or triple) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two ...
line, as it moved out to the
FIBA
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...
standard of 22 feet and 2 inches the following year.

Rule changes
On February 22, 2019, the NCAA announced a set of experimental rules that it would use in the
2019 National Invitation Tournament.
The following rules were also used in the
2018 NIT:
* The three-point line was moved to the
FIBA
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...
standard of . When the arc approached the sideline, it changed to a line parallel to and from the sideline.
* The free-throw lane was widened from the current college standard of 12 feet to the NBA standard of 16 feet.
* After an offensive rebound, the shot clock was reset to 20 seconds instead of the current NCAA standard of 30.
A set of rules relating to free throws that had been used in the
2017 NIT was used again in the 2019 edition, with one modification:
* Team foul counts, for purposes of determining bonus free throws, were reset to zero at the 10-minute mark of each half, effectively dividing the game into quarters for that purpose.
* The "one-and-one" was eliminated. All bonus free throw situations resulted in two free throws for the non-fouled team. This mirrored current practice in NCAA women's basketball, which has been played in quarters since the 2015–16 season.
* Teams entered the bonus upon the fifth team foul in each 10-minute segment.
* The team foul count was reset to zero at the start of any overtime period. Teams entered the bonus upon the fourth team foul in an overtime period.
* In a completely new feature, the NCAA adopted the NBA's bonus rule regarding team fouls in the last two minutes of any period. Teams entered the bonus on the second team foul in the last two minutes of a ten-minute segment or overtime period, regardless of the total team foul count at that point of the period.
;Notes
Season headlines
* May 23, 2018 – The NCAA announced its
Academic Progress Rate
The Academic Progress Rate (APR) is a measure introduced by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the nonprofit association that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, to ...
(APR) sanctions for the 2018–19 school year. A total of nine programs in eight sports were declared ineligible for postseason play due to failure to meet the required APR benchmark, including the following Division I men's basketball team:
**
Alabama A&M
* May 29 –
Conference USA
Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas.
Mem ...
announced a new men's basketball scheduling format that took effect with the 2018–19 season. The league now plays an 18-game schedule formatted as follows:
** During the first 14 games of the conference season, each team plays its designated travel partner home-and-home, and single games against every other team.
** At this point, teams are placed into three groups based on their conference standings through 14 games, with the top five teams in one group, the next five in a second group, and the bottom four teams in the final group. Teams play within their grouping for the final four games of the conference season, with home and away games determined by a preset formula.
** Each team will be locked into a seed for the
C-USA tournament that corresponds to its group. For example, teams in the top group will be assured the top five seeds. The specific seedings will be determined by conference record across the full league schedule.
* June 4 – The
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that has been affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football confe ...
announced a new men's basketball scheduling format similar to that announced by Conference USA the previous week. Effective with the 2019–20 season, the league was to have played a 20-game schedule formatted as follows:
** The conference would split into East and West Divisions for scheduling purposes, though this split would not affect overall league standings.
*** East: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, South Alabama, Troy
*** West: Arkansas State, Little Rock, Louisiana, Louisiana–Monroe, Texas State, UT Arlington
** For the first 16 games of the conference season, each team would play home-and-home against other divisional members and single games against teams in the other division.
** After 16 conference games, teams would be divided into four "pods" based on their conference standings at that time. The top three teams would be assigned to Pod A, the next three to Pod B, and so on through Pod D for the bottom three teams. The final four games for each team would be home-and-homes against the other two teams in that pod.
** Each team would be locked into a seed for the
Sun Belt tournament that corresponds to its pod. For example, teams in Pod A would be assured the top three seeds. Unlike the C-USA system, the specific seed would be based strictly on standings in the final four conference games—not overall conference record.
: A year later, the conference announced that it would place almost all of these changes on hold. The only part of the plan that was implemented on the original schedule was expansion of the conference schedule to 20 games.
* June 18 –
Purdue University Fort Wayne
Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW) is a public university in Fort Wayne, Indiana. A campus of Purdue University, Purdue Fort Wayne was founded on July 1, 2018, when its predecessor university, Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne fo ...
(PFW), which was set to begin operation on July 1 following the dissolution of
Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne
Indiana ( ) is a state in the 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 south and southeast, and the Wabash Riv ...
(IPFW), announced that the athletic program that it would inherit from IPFW, previously known as the Fort Wayne Mastodons, would become the
Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. PFW also changed its colors from IPFW's former blue and silver scheme to the old gold and black used by
its new parent institution.
* August 8 – In response to the sport's
ongoing corruption scandal, the NCAA announced a suite of major changes to its rules governing college basketball:
** Certain high school players and college players with remaining eligibility will now be allowed to have formal relationships with
agents while retaining college eligibility. These agents must be certified by the NCAA. College players can be represented if they have formally requested an evaluation of their NBA prospects from the league. Should the NBA change the
age limit for the draft to once again allow players to be drafted directly from high school, the rule also allows for high school players to be represented, effective on the July 1 before their senior year, if
USA Basketball
USA Basketball (USAB) is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA, and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States ...
has designated them as "elite senior prospects". However, these relationships will be allowed only during the draft process, and must be terminated if the player returns to school.
** Certain players who declare for the
NBA draft
The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...
but are not selected will be free to return to their former schools, as long as they have not signed professional contracts, or have not complied with NCAA rules for relationships with agents, in the meantime. However, this privilege is only extended to players who have requested NBA evaluation of their draft prospects ''and'' have been invited to the
NBA Draft Combine.
** School presidents, chancellors, and athletics staff members are now contractually required to comply with all NCAA investigations. This effectively gives the NCAA
subpoena
A subpoena (; also subpœna, supenna or subpena) or witness summons is a writ issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of ...
power in its investigations, which it previously lacked.
** Presidents and chancellors are now personally accountable to the NCAA for athletic department compliance with NCAA rules.
** The NCAA and its Committee on Infractions can now use information obtained in outside investigations in its infractions process. Previously, the NCAA could not use such information.
* August 22 – The NCAA announced that effective immediately, the
RPI will no longer be used in the
selection process for the Division I men's tournament. It was replaced by the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), which takes into account the following:
** Game results
** Strength of schedule
** Location (home, away, or neutral site)
** Scoring margin—Teams will receive no added credit for victory margins above 10 points. Additionally, overtime games will be assigned a scoring margin of 1 point, regardless of the actual score.
** Net offensive and defensive efficiency
** Quality of wins and losses—The NCAA will continue to use its "quadrant" system, introduced for last year's tournament selection process, to classify individual wins and losses.
** All games will be evaluated equally; there is no bonus or penalty for when a game is played within the season.
: The NET was adopted only for men's basketball. All other sports that use selection committees to determine NCAA tournament entries, including the
Division I women's basketball tournament, continue to use their own versions of the RPI.
* September 10 – The
Northeast Conference
The Northeast Conference (NEC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Teams in the NEC compete in Division I for all sports; football competes in the Division I Foo ...
(NEC) announced that
Merrimack College
Merrimack College is a Private university, private Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian university in North Andover, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1947 by the Order of St. Augustine with an initial goal to educate World War II veterans. It en ...
would start a transition from the
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 ...
Northeast-10 Conference
The Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the northeastern United States in the states o ...
and join the NEC effective July 1, 2019. The Warriors will not be eligible for the NCAA tournament until becoming a full D-I member in 2023–24.
* September 28 –
LSU
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...
player Wayde Sims, set to play his junior season for the Tigers, was killed in a shooting near the
Southern University
Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a Public university, public historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. It i ...
campus in
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...
, home to both schools.
* October 3 –
Long Island University
Long Island University (LIU) is a private university in Brooklyn and Brookville, New York, United States. The university enrolls over 16,000 students and offers over 500 academic programs at its main campuses, LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post on Long I ...
announced that it would merge its two current athletic programs—the
LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds, full members of the NEC, and the Division II
LIU Post Pioneers
The LIU Post Pioneers (also Long Island–Post Pioneers and formerly the C.W. Post Pioneers) were the athletic teams that represented the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, located in Brookville, New York, in NCAA Division II intercolle ...
—effective with the 2019–20 school year. The new program will compete under the LIU name with a new nickname and maintain LIU Brooklyn's Division I and NEC memberships. This change will have minimal effect on the existing LIU Brooklyn men's basketball program, as LIU has announced that the unified basketball team will be based at the Brooklyn campus.
* October 23 – The
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
preseason
All-American
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
team was released.
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 ...
guard
Carsen Edwards
Carsen Cade Edwards (born March 12, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for FC Bayern Munich (basketball), Bayern Munich of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Purdue B ...
was the leading vote-getter (63 votes). Joining him on the team 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
Luke Maye (52 votes),
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 ...
guard
R. J. Barrett (50),
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 ...
forward
Dedric Lawson (30),
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 ...
forward
Ethan Happ
Ethan Happ (born May 7, 1996) is an American-born naturalized Macedonian professional basketball player for Valencia of the Spanish Liga ACB. At a height of tall, he plays at both the power forward and center positions.
Happ is the all-time le ...
(23) and
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 ...
forward
Caleb Martin (23).
* January 11, 2019 – The
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington (state), Washington.
Due to ...
announced that
Dixie State University would start a transition from Division II and join the conference in July 2020.
* January 19 – The last two undefeated teams lost. First, Michigan suffered a 54–64 point loss at Wisconsin. Later on in the day, Virginia lost on the road to Duke by the score of 72–70.
* February 13 –
Florida A&M announces four athletic teams, including men's basketball, are ineligible for postseason play due to failure to meet the APR multi-year threshold.
* February 20
** North Carolina's 88–72 upset of top-ranked Duke was overshadowed by a freak injury suffered by superstar Duke freshman
Zion Williamson
Zion Lateef Williamson (born July 6, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the power forward position. Following a freshman-year stint with the D ...
. On the Blue Devils' first possession of the game, Williamson's left shoe catastrophically failed, with the sole completely separating from the midsole. Williamson suffered a sprained right knee in the incident, and did not return to the game. The following day, the injury was confirmed to be minor; although Williamson was listed as day-to-day immediately after the injury, he did not return to action until the Blue Devils'
ACC tournament opener on March 14.
** On his way home from a postgame meal after
Syracuse's 69–49 upset of
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 ...
, Orange head coach
Jim Boeheim
James Arthur Boeheim Jr. ( ; born November 17, 1944) is an American former college basketball coach and current Special Assistant to the Athletic Director at Syracuse University. From 1976 until 2023, he was the head coach of the Syracuse Orange ...
was involved in a fatal car accident. A car crashed on
Interstate 690 in Syracuse, and the occupants attempted to cross over to the median. Boeheim hit one of them while swerving to avoid those with disabilities vehicle, and the victim died in a local hospital. Neither driver involved in the incident was found to be impaired, and Syracuse's police chief initially indicated that no charges would be filed in the case.
* March 5 –
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 ...
was eliminated from the race for the
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 ...
regular-season title with an 81–68 loss
at Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
, ending the
Jayhawks' streak of consecutive conference regular-season titles at a Division I men's record of 14.
* March 7 – The district attorney for
Onondaga County, New York
Onondaga County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse, New York, Syracuse. The county i ...
issued his report on the fatal car accident in which Jim Boeheim was involved. According to the report, the disabled vehicle did not have lights on, and also had inoperable rear marker lights. Additionally, the passengers of that vehicle, including the individual who was struck and killed, were wearing dark clothing. Boeheim was officially cleared of wrongdoing, and no charges would be filed against anyone involved.
* March 8 – In further fallout from the corruption scandal,
LSU
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...
suspended head coach
Will Wade indefinitely. This action came the day after it was revealed that
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 ...
wiretaps had intercepted calls between Wade and Christian Dawkins, an aspiring agent who had been convicted on federal felony charges relating to the corruption scandal, during one of which Wade referenced a "strong-ass offer" made to a recruit.
* March 15 – Long Island University announced that its merged athletic program would compete as the
LIU Sharks.
* April 14 – Will Wade was reinstated as LSU head coach after a meeting between the LSU athletic department, Wade, and NCAA compliance officials.
Milestones and records
* During the season, the following players reached the 2,000 career point milestone –
Marshall
Marshall may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria
** Marshall railway station
Canada
* Marshall, Saskatchewan
* The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia
Liberia
* Marshall, Liberia
Marshall Is ...
guard
Jon Elmore
Jonathan Elmore (born December 20, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Manisa Basket of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball for Marshall.
High school
Born in Charleston, West Virginia, Elmore average ...
,
Montana State guard
Tyler Hall,
Wofford guard
Fletcher Magee,
Cornell guard
Matt Morgan
Matthew Thomas Morgan (born September 10, 1976) is an American politician and retired professional wrestler. He is the former mayor and current deputy mayor of the city of Longwood, Florida and is a former gladiator on ''American Gladiators''. ...
,
Lipscomb guard
Garrison Mathews,
Georgia Southern guard
Tookie Brown
Quindarious Deavundre "Tookie" Brown (born November 22, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Juventus Utena of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). He played college basketball for the Georgia Southern University and was nam ...
,
Eastern Kentucky
Eastern or Easterns may refer to:
Transportation
Airlines
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
* Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
*Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...
forward
Nick Mayo,
Northern Colorado guard
Jordan Davis,
Hofstra guard
Justin Wright-Foreman,
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 ...
forward
Ethan Happ
Ethan Happ (born May 7, 1996) is an American-born naturalized Macedonian professional basketball player for Valencia of the Spanish Liga ACB. At a height of tall, he plays at both the power forward and center positions.
Happ is the all-time le ...
,
Charlotte guard
Jon Davis,
UNC Greensboro guard
Francis Alonso,
Purdue Fort Wayne guard
John Konchar,
Appalachian State guard
Ronshad Shabazz,
Northern Kentucky
Northern Kentucky is an urban area in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky consisting of the southern part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. The three main counties of the area are Boone County, Kentucky, Boone, Kent ...
forward
Drew McDonald,
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 ...
swingman
Jordan Caroline,
Wyoming
Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
guard
Justin James,
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 ...
guard
Quinndary Weatherspoon, and
Clemson guard
Marcquise Reed.
** Konchar additionally became the first Division I men's player with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists and 200 steals in his career.
[
* Two players reached the 3,000-point milestone in February. First, Campbell guard Chris Clemons reached the mark on February 16 in the Fighting Camels' 76–71 loss to ]Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
. Then, on February 23, South Dakota State forward Mike Daum reached the mark in the Jackrabbits' 94–89 win over South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...
.
* November 12 – Buffalo was ranked 25th in the AP top 25 poll – signifying the first time in school history that the program cracked the top 25.
* November 24 – High Point head coach Tubby Smith
Orlando Henry "Tubby" Smith (born June 30, 1951) is an American college basketball coach who last coached the men's basketball team at High Point University, his alma mater. Smith previously served in the same role at the University of Tulsa, t ...
won his 600th career Division I game, as his Panthers defeated East Carolina 55–52.
* December 3— Furman was ranked 25th in the AP top 25 poll – signifying the first time in school history that the program cracked the top 25.
* December 7—Mike Daum became the Summit League
The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States, from Minnesota in the east, to the Dakotas, Nebraska and Colorado to the West, and Mis ...
's all-time leading scorer. In a 42-point outing against Southern, Daum passed former 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 Caleb Green's conference record 2,504 points.
* December 21 – Chris Clemons of Campbell became the Big South Conference
The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. Originally a non-football conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 as part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), ...
's all-time leading scorer. He passed VMI guard Reggie Williams' 2,556 career points for the honor.
* January 19 – Montana State's Tyler Hall became the Big Sky Conference
The Big Sky Conference is a List of NCAA conferences, collegiate athletic conference, affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I with college football, football competing in the Football Cha ...
all-time leading scorer, breaking a mark of 2,169 set the previous season by Bogdan Bliznyuk of Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the H ...
.
* February 23 – Syracuse
Syracuse most commonly refers to:
* Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse
* Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area
Syracuse may also refer to:
Places
* Syracuse railway station (disambiguation)
Italy
* Provi ...
drew a crowd of 35,642 in the Carrier Dome
The JMA Wireless Dome, originally the Carrier Dome (1980–2022), is a domed stadium in Syracuse, New York, United States. Located on the campus of Syracuse University in the University Hill neighborhood, it is home to the Syracuse Orange foot ...
for its 75–65 loss to then top-ranked 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 ...
, breaking the school's own record attendance of 35,446 for an on-campus college basketball game. Not only was this a record, it was also greater than the home attendances of more than half of Division I men's teams in the entire regular season (180 out of 353).
* February 25 – Wofford made the AP top 25 for the first time in the school's history, entering the poll at #24.
* March 3 – Marshall
Marshall may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria
** Marshall railway station
Canada
* Marshall, Saskatchewan
* The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia
Liberia
* Marshall, Liberia
Marshall Is ...
guard Jon Elmore
Jonathan Elmore (born December 20, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Manisa Basket of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball for Marshall.
High school
Born in Charleston, West Virginia, Elmore average ...
became the Conference USA
Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas.
Mem ...
all-time leading scorer, passing UTEP
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas, United States. Founded in 1913 as the State School of Mines and Metallurgy, it is the third oldest academic component of the University of Texas Syste ...
's Stefon Jackson. Earlier in the season, Elmore became the conference's all-time assist leader (passing UTEP's Julyan Stone), making him the only player currently leading a conference in both categories all-time.
** Later in the season (March 26), in a quarterfinal match of the CollegeInsider Postseason tournament, Elmore made three 3-pointers to become Conference USA's all-time leader in that category. He surpassed the previous record of 345 set by Charlotte's Jobey Thomas in 2002.[
* March 15 – ]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 ...
head coach 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 ...
won his 600th career Division I game as the Spartans defeated 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 ...
77–70 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Conference tournament.
* March 16 – Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
guard Matisse Thybulle broke former Oregon State star Gary Payton
Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. (born July 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who was a point guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, he is best know ...
's 29 year-old Pac-12 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 ...
career steals record as he collected his 322nd steal in the Huskies' Pac-12 tournament final loss to Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
.
* March 20 – Wichita State
Wichita State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 ...
head coach Gregg Marshall won his 500th career Division I game as the Shockers defeated Furman 76–70 in the 1st round of the NIT.
* March 21 – The first day of the first round of the NCAA tournament saw one significant milestone achieved and one major record broken:
** First, in an afternoon West Regional game, Murray State's Ja Morant
Temetrius Jamel "Ja" Morant ( ; born August 10, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Murray State Racers, where he was ...
became the first player with a triple-double in the NCAA tournament since 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 ...
in 2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
, with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 16 assists in the Racers' 83–64 win over Marquette.
** Then, in a late-evening Midwest Regional game, Wofford's Fletcher Magee became the Division I career leader in three-pointers, surpassing Oakland's Travis Bader
Richard Travis Bader (born July 2, 1991) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
He played college basketball for Oakland Univer ...
in the Terriers' 84–68 win over Seton Hall
Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizab ...
. Magee's seven three-pointers gave him 509 for his career to Bader's previous record of 504. This was also Wofford's first-ever NCAA tournament win.
Conference membership changes
Six schools joined new conferences for the 2018–19 season. Four schools switched between Division I conferences for the 2018–19 season. In addition, two schools moved from Division II starting this season and are ineligible for NCAA-sponsored postseason play until completing their D-I transitions in 2022.
In addition to the schools changing conferences, the 2018–19 season was the last for Savannah State in D-I with its decision to reclassify all of its sports to D-II.
Also, one D-I member adopted a new institutional and athletic identity. The 2017–18 school year was the last for Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne
Indiana ( ) is a state in the 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 south and southeast, and the Wabash Riv ...
(IPFW) as a single institution; the school's health sciences programs were taken over by Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...
as Indiana University Fort Wayne
Indiana University Fort Wayne (IUFW) is a public university in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It is a regional campus of Indiana University founded on July 1, 2018, when its predecessor university, Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne, split ...
, while all other academic programs are now governed by Purdue University
Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...
as Purdue University Fort Wayne
Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW) is a public university in Fort Wayne, Indiana. A campus of Purdue University, Purdue Fort Wayne was founded on July 1, 2018, when its predecessor university, Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne fo ...
(PFW). As noted previously, the former IPFW athletic program was inherited by PFW and is now known as the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons.
Arenas
New arenas
* Elon began play at the new Schar Center, which replaced their home of 69 seasons, Alumni Gym.
* Marquette along with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
moved into the new Fiserv Forum
Fiserv Forum (; stylized as fiserv.forum) is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the home of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball team ...
, which replaced Bradley Center
The Bradley Center (also known as the BMO Harris Bradley Center under sponsorship agreements) was a multi-purpose arena located on the northwest corner of North Vel R. Phillips Ave. and West State Streets in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United ...
after 30 years.
* After 32 seasons at the off-campus Burton Coliseum
The Burton Coliseum, built in 1976, is located in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The arena contains a domed roof and stands 105 feet from the floor to the top of the roof. It and other buildings in the Burton Complex serve many purposes. The coliseu ...
, McNeese State opened the new on-campus Health and Human Performance Education Complex (H&HP Complex).
* The two new Division I entries for 2018 continued to play at existing on-campus facilities. California Baptist plays at the CBU Events Center, which opened in 2017, and North Alabama plays at Flowers Hall, their home since 1972.
Arenas reopening
Four teams returned to newly renovated arenas, all of which were closed for the 2017–18 season.
* Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
returned to Fifth Third Arena.
* Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
initially planned to reopen the renamed Fertitta Center (originally Hofheinz Pavilion) by the start of the 2018–19 season, but the new arena did not open until December 1, 2018, six games into the season. The Cougars' first game in the renovated facility was a 65–61 upset of then-#18 Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
.
* Northwestern returned to Welsh–Ryan Arena
Welsh–Ryan Arena is a 7,039-seat multi-purpose arena in Evanston, Illinois, United States, near the campus of Northwestern University. It is home to four Northwestern Wildcats athletic teams: Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball, men's basket ...
.
* Villanova returned the bulk of its schedule to the renamed Finneran Pavilion (originally duPont Pavilion and later The Pavilion).
Arenas closing
Temporary arenas
* With the reopening of Fertitta Center delayed, Houston began the 2018–19 season at Texas Southern's Health and Physical Education Arena, where the Cougars played most of their 2017–18 home games.[
* Due to delays in the construction of the new UPMC Events Center, originally scheduled to open in January 2019 but since delayed to that summer, Robert Morris played its entire home schedule at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center, a facility that opened in 2017 at the on-campus North Athletic Complex as part of the UPMC Events Center project.
]
Season outlook
Pre–season polls
The top 25 from the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls.
Regular season
Early season tournaments
Upsets
An upset is a victory by an underdog team. In the context of NCAA Division I Men's Basketball this generally constitutes an unranked team defeating a team currently ranked In the Top 25. This list will highlight those upsets of ranked teams by unranked teams as well as upsets of #1 teams. Rankings are from the AP poll.
Bold type indicates winning teams in "true road games"-i.e., those played on an opponent's home court (including secondary homes, such as Intrust Bank Arena
Intrust Bank Arena is a 15,004-seat multi-purpose arena in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is located on the northeast corner of Emporia and Waterman streets in downtown Wichita. It is owned by the government of Sedgwick County and opera ...
for Wichita State).
In addition to the above listed upsets in which an unranked team defeated a ranked team, there were six non-Division I teams to defeat a Division I team this season. Bold type indicates winning teams in "true road games"—i.e., those played on an opponent's home court (including secondary homes).
Conference winners and tournaments
Each of the 32 Division I athletic conference
An athletic conference is a collection of sports teams which play competitively against each other in a sports league. In many cases conferences are subdivided into smaller Division (sport), divisions, with the best teams competing at successively ...
s ends its 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 S ...
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 team with the best regular-season record in each conference is given the number one seed in each tournament, with tiebreakers used as needed in the case of ties for the top seeding. The winners of these tournaments receive automatic invitations to the 2019 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The 2019 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball national champion for the 2018–19 ...
.
Statistical leaders
Source for additional stats categories
Postseason
NCAA tournament
Tournament upsets
For this list, an "upset" is defined as a win by a team seeded 7 or more spots below its defeated opponent.
NIT tournament
CBI tournament
CIT tournament
Conference standings
Award winners
2019 Consensus All-America team
Major player of the year awards
* Wooden Award: Zion Williamson
Zion Lateef Williamson (born July 6, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the power forward position. Following a freshman-year stint with the D ...
, 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 ...
* Naismith Award: Zion Williamson, Duke
* Associated Press Player of the Year: Zion Williamson, Duke
*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 ...
: Zion Williamson, Duke
*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
The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) was founded in 1956 with the urging of National Collegiate Athletic Association director Walter Byers to serve the interests of journalists who cover college basketball.
Scholarships
The U ...
): Zion Williamson, Duke
* ''Sporting News'' Player of the Year: Zion Williamson, Duke
Major freshman of the year awards
* Wayman Tisdale Award (USBWA
The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) was founded in 1956 with the urging of National Collegiate Athletic Association director Walter Byers to serve the interests of journalists who cover college basketball.
Scholarships
The U ...
): Zion Williamson, Duke
* NABC Freshman of the Year
The NABC Freshman of the Year is an annual college basketball award presented by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and sponsored by Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel ...
: Zion Williamson, Duke
*''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: Zion Williamson, Duke
Major coach of the year awards
* Associated Press Coach of the Year: Chris Beard
Christopher Michael Beard (born February 18, 1973) is an American basketball coach who is the head men's coach at University of Mississippi ( Ole Miss). He also previously served as head coach at Texas, Texas Tech, Little Rock, Angelo State, a ...
, Texas Tech
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship institution of the five- ...
*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
The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) was founded in 1956 with the urging of National Collegiate Athletic Association director Walter Byers to serve the interests of journalists who cover college basketball.
Scholarships
The U ...
): Rick Barnes
Richard Barnes (born July 17, 1954) is an American college basketball coach who is currently the head coach at the University of Tennessee. He is also known for coaching at the University of Texas from 1998 to 2015, taking the team to the NCAA ...
, 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 ...
*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. ...
: Matt Painter
Matthew Curtis Painter (born August 27, 1970) is an American basketball coach and former player, who is the current and 19th head coach of the Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball, Purdue Boilermakers, serving in that role since 2005. He played ...
, 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 ...
*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 ...
: Rick Barnes, Tennessee
* ''Sporting News'' Coach of the Year: Mike Young, Wofford
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): Ja Morant
Temetrius Jamel "Ja" Morant ( ; born August 10, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Murray State Racers, where he was ...
, Murray State[
* Jerry West Award (Best shooting guard): RJ Barrett, Duke][
* Julius Erving Award (Best small forward): ]Rui Hachimura
is a Japanese professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball, Gonzaga Bulldogs and has played for the Japan nation ...
, Gonzaga[
* Karl Malone Award (Best power forward): Zion Williamson, Duke][
*]Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award
The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate center. Following the success of the Bob Cousy Award which had been awarded sinc ...
(Best center): Ethan Happ
Ethan Happ (born May 7, 1996) is an American-born naturalized Macedonian professional basketball player for Valencia of the Spanish Liga ACB. At a height of tall, he plays at both the power forward and center positions.
Happ is the all-time le ...
, 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 ...
[
*]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): Ethan Happ, Wisconsin
*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 ...
: De'Andre Hunter, Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
* Naismith Defensive Player of the Year: Matisse Thybulle, Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
* Senior CLASS Award (top senior on and off the court): Luke Maye, 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 ...
* 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’ ...
): Phil Booth, Villanova
*Haggerty Award
__NOTOC__
The Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Award is given to the top men's college basketball player from an NCAA Division I school in the New York metropolitan area. The Haggerty Award is presented by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MB ...
(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): Myles Powell, Seton Hall
Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizab ...
* Ben Jobe Award (Top minority coach): James Jones, Yale
Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...
* Hugh Durham Award (Top mid-major coach): Darian DeVries, Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals and creatures
* A male duck
* Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...
* Jim Phelan Award (Top head coach): Ritchie McKay
Ritchie Lawrence McKay (born April 22, 1965) is an American basketball coach who is in his second stint as the head coach of the Liberty Flames basketball, Liberty Flames of Liberty University. McKay for the previous six seasons had been the asso ...
, Liberty
Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
*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 after head coach Lefty Dries ...
(Top defensive player): Matisse Thybulle, Washington
* Lou Henson Award (Top mid-major player): Fletcher Magee, Wofford
* Lute Olson Award (Top non-freshman or transfer player): Ja Morant, Murray State
* Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award (Coach with moral character): Robert Jones, Norfolk State
* Academic All-American of the Year (Top scholar-athlete): Joe Sherburne, UMBC
* Elite 90 Award (Top GPA among upperclass players at Final Four): Davide Moretti, Texas Tech
*USBWA Most Courageous Award
The USBWA Most Courageous Awards are two annual basketball awards given by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) to figures associated with college basketball who, according to the organization, have "demonstrated extraordinary c ...
: The 2019 men's award was not presented to a figure involved with the Division I game. This year's recipient was involved with the 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 ...
game—namely Ericka Downey, wife of Northeastern State men's head coach Mike Downey.
Coaching changes
Several teams changed coaches during and after the season.
See also
* 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2018-19 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball season