NCAA Basketball Champions: A Detailed Look at the Men's and Women's Tournaments

The year saw thrilling contests and unexpected outcomes in both the men's and women's tournaments, which culminated in crowning the national champions of NCAA Division I college basketball.

2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament

The 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament was a single-elimination tournament featuring 65 teams, all vying for the national championship. This tournament served as the culmination of the 2007-08 basketball season.

Key Highlights

One of the most remarkable aspects of the 2008 tournament was that, for the first time since seeding began in 1979, all four top seeds made it to the Final Four. This underscored the dominance of the top-ranked teams throughout the season.

The national championship game featured a clash between Memphis and Kansas. Memphis had achieved a record-setting 38 wins for the season after their semifinal victory, surpassing the previous mark set by Duke in 1999 (a record later matched by Kentucky in 2012 and 2015). However, Kansas ultimately dashed Memphis's championship hopes, winning the game in overtime with a score of 75-68.

Several schools made their inaugural appearances in the tournament, including American University (Patriot), UMBC (America East), Texas-Arlington (Southland), and Portland State (Big Sky). Additionally, Coppin State, after winning the MEAC Tournament, became the first school with 20 losses to enter the field.

Upsets and Surprises

In contrast to the 2007 tournament, the 2008 edition was marked by numerous upsets. The sub-regional pod held at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, saw double-digit seeds winning in four games. These upsets included #5 seeds Drake and Clemson losing to #12 seeds Western Kentucky and Villanova, respectively, while #4 seeds Vanderbilt and Connecticut were defeated by #13 seeds Siena and San Diego.

Western Kentucky advanced to the West regional in Phoenix but lost to UCLA, whereas Villanova was one of two double-digit seeds to advance to the Midwest regional. The other was #10 seed Davidson, led by Stephen Curry's impressive shooting, who defeated Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Wisconsin before narrowly losing to Kansas in the regional final.

Tournament Structure and Selection

The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship is an annual single-elimination tournament involving 65 teams from all Division I conferences. A "play-in" game determined which of the two lowest seeds would advance to the first round of 64 to play a top-seeded team. The Selection Committee seeded the entire field from 1 to 65 within four regionals of 16 teams each.

Thirty-one conferences received automatic bids based on winning their conference tournament championship. The Ivy League, which does not hold a tournament, sent its regular-season champion as its automatic bid. The remaining 34 at-large bids were decided by the NCAA Selection Committee.

Notable Games and Moments

In the East Regional, top seed North Carolina defeated the play-in game winner Mount St. Mary's with a high score of 113-74, tying the mark for the second-most points in North Carolina tournament history. They then faced Arkansas in the second round, who had defeated Indiana. Fifth seed Notre Dame advanced to the second round, while fourth-seeded Washington State defeated Winthrop.

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In Birmingham, Alabama, sixth seed Oklahoma defeated St. Joseph's, and third seed Louisville defeated Boise State. Seventh seed Butler defeated South Alabama, and second seed Tennessee survived a scare against American.

Washington State secured a spot in the Sweet 16 by defeating Notre Dame, marking their first-ever trip to this stage. North Carolina defeated Arkansas, setting a school record for wins in a season with 34. Tennessee survived an upset bid from Butler in overtime, and Louisville defeated Oklahoma.

North Carolina defeated Washington State, holding them to their lowest point total since 1946. Louisville went on to face the Tar Heels in the East finals after defeating Tennessee. In the East Regional finals, Tyler Hansbrough led North Carolina to a victory over Louisville, securing their place in the Final Four.

The Midwest Region saw several upsets, including Kansas State's win over Southern California and Davidson's victory over Gonzaga. Siena upset Vanderbilt, and Villanova upset Clemson. Top seed Kansas defeated Portland State, while second seed Georgetown defeated Maryland-Baltimore County, and third seed Wisconsin stopped an upset threat from Cal State Fullerton.

Wisconsin defeated Kansas State to advance to the Midwest Regional. Kansas also advanced to the Sweet 16 by defeating UNLV. Villanova defeated Siena, and Davidson ousted Georgetown.

Stephen Curry led Davidson to a victory over Wisconsin, advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1969. Kansas defeated Villanova. Kansas completed the first all top-seeded Final Four in NCAA Tournament history by defeating Davidson.

In the South Region, top seed Memphis defeated Texas-Arlington and Mississippi State. Fifth-seed Michigan State defeated Temple, and fourth-seed Pittsburgh defeated Oral Roberts. Sixth-seeded Marquette won against Kentucky. Third-seeded Stanford beat Marquette in overtime.

Michigan State defeated Pittsburgh. Memphis beat Mississippi State. Texas defeated Miami (Florida). Texas defeated Stanford. Memphis defeated Michigan State and then Texas to reach the Final Four for the first time since 1985.

In the West Region, Western Kentucky defeated Drake in overtime.

Conclusion of the Men's Tournament

Kansas won its third national championship, defeating Memphis in an overtime thriller. The tournament was notable for the numerous upsets and the success of double-digit seeds in Tampa, Florida.

2008 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament

The 2008 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament involved 64 teams competing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of women's NCAA Division I college basketball for the 2007-08 season.

Tournament Summary

The tournament commenced on March 22, 2008, and culminated on April 8, 2008, when the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers defeated the Stanford University Cardinal 64-48 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

Preliminary Rounds

The preliminary rounds largely adhered to the seeding, with all number one and number two seeds advancing to the regional finals. In the Greensboro and Oklahoma City Regionals, top seeds Connecticut and Tennessee, respectively, secured their places in the Final Four. Connecticut defeated Big East rival Rutgers to advance. Tennessee's Candace Parker sustained an injury against Texas A&M but managed to continue playing with a stabilizing sleeve on her shoulder.

In the New Orleans Regional, LSU defeated North Carolina to reach the Final Four for the fifth consecutive time, matching a record previously set by Connecticut between 2000 and 2004. In the Sacramento Regional, the two seed, Stanford, prevailed.

Final Four

The Final Four matchups featured Connecticut against Stanford and Tennessee against LSU.

Connecticut and Stanford had previously met earlier in the season at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, where the Huskies won 66-54. However, Connecticut was not at full strength for the Final Four game, as Mel Thomas and Kalana Greene, both starters, had sustained season-ending injuries. Despite Connecticut narrowing Stanford's lead to a single point, Candice Wiggins hit two three-pointers to spark a 10-0 run. Wiggins finished the game with 25 points and was later named the Women's Basketball Coaches Association national player of the year.

The game between SEC rivals Tennessee and LSU was described as "one of the ugliest games played this or any season" by The New York Times. Tennessee initially led by ten points, but LSU responded with a 10-0 run to tie the game. In the final seconds, LSU took a one-point lead with two free throws. Tennessee inbounded the ball to Candace Parker, who passed to Nicky Anosike, but her shot was deflected to Alexis Hornbuckle, who had missed seven of her field goal attempts. With less than a second remaining, Hornbuckle caught the deflection and made the winning basket. This loss extended LSU's Final Four losing streak to 0-5. Combined with the men's team's 0-6 record, LSU's overall Final Four record of 0-11 was the worst among schools with multiple appearances in both the men's and women's Final Fours.

Championship Game

The final game between Tennessee and Stanford was anticlimactic compared to the semifinal drama. The Lady Vols took an early 30-19 lead, and the Stanford Cardinal were unable to close the gap, resulting in Tennessee winning the national championship.

Tournament Format

The tournament format mirrored that of the Division I men's basketball tournament, with the exception of having only 64 teams and no play-in game. This marked the fourth and final year that eight sites hosted subregional games. The regional winners advanced to the Final Four, held at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, and hosted by the University of South Florida.

Team Selection

Sixty-four teams were selected to participate in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Thirty-one conferences were eligible for an automatic bid, with 30 teams receiving automatic bids for winning their conference tournament championship. The Ivy League, which does not hold a tournament, awarded its automatic bid to its regular-season champion.

Participating Teams

The sixty-four teams represented thirty states, plus Washington, D.C. Texas had the most teams with six bids.

Recognition

The University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers, the national champions, were honored at the White House by the President of the United States.

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