2009 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament: A Comprehensive Overview

The 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament captivated audiences with its upsets, thrilling games, and the culmination of a season's worth of hard work. This single-elimination tournament featured 65 teams vying for the national championship, ultimately won by the University of North Carolina.

Tournament Overview

The 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament was a tournament involving 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2008-09 basketball season. It began on March 17, 2009, and concluded with the championship game on April 6 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, where the University of North Carolina defeated Michigan State to become the champion.

The 2009 tournament marked the first time for a Final Four having a minimum seating capacity of 70,000 and by having most of the tournament in the February Sweeps of the Nielsen Ratings due to the digital television transition in the United States on June 12, 2009, which also made this the last NCAA Basketball Tournament, in all three divisions, to air in analog television.

Top Teams and Debutants

Prior to the start of the tournament, the top ranked team was Louisville in both the AP Top 25 and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Polls, followed by North Carolina, Memphis, and Pittsburgh. Only the Tar Heels of North Carolina were the regional winners and played in the Final Four. Four schools made their NCAA tournament debut, all respective conference champions: Binghamton (America East), Morgan State (MEAC), Stephen F.

Tournament Structure

Sixty-five teams were selected for the tournament. Thirty of the teams earned automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments. The automatic bid of the Ivy League, which does not conduct a postseason tournament, went to Cornell, its regular season champion. Two teams play an opening-round game, popularly called the "play-in game". The winner of that game advances to the main draw of the tournament as a 16 seed and plays a top seed in one of the regionals. All 64 teams were seeded 1 to 16 within their regions; the winner of the play-in game automatically received a 16 seed. The Selection Committee seeded the entire field from 1 to 65. Hubert H. Stephen F. Stephen F. Winner advanced to Midwest Regional vs. Stephen F.

Read also: Florida vs. Oklahoma: 2009 BCS

The four regionals are officially named after their areas, a practice which resumed in 2007. Between 2004 and 2006, the regionals were named for their host cities. The four regionals were the East, West, Midwest and South.

Notable Games and Upsets

The tournament was filled with memorable moments, including several notable upsets and close games.

Opening Round

To play the top-seeded Louisville Cardinals in the first round, Morehead State defeated Alabama State 58-43, with the Eagles keeping the Hornets without a lead the entire game. This marked the first time either team had played in the tournament in five years; the Eagles had not played since 1984. Morehead State fell to Louisville 74-54, the 100th time a 1 seed beat a 16 seed in the tournament since seeding began. However, the Eagles managed to keep the game close until halftime, when Louisville led by only 2 points. In the second half, the Cardinals began to apply their signature fullcourt pressure, forcing turnovers and outscoring Morehead State 22-6 at the beginning of the half. Leon Buchanan's 17 points for the Eagles were not enough to upset Louisville, whose top scorers, Samardo Samuels and Terrence Williams, scored a combined 28 points.

First Round Upsets

Several lower-seeded teams pulled off surprising victories in the first round.

Siena vs. Ohio State: In two overtimes, the Siena Saints beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 74-72. Ohio State had the advantage of playing an hour from their campus, and received 25 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists from Evan Turner. The Saints made 6 out of 23 3-pointers and had 22 turnovers. Accordingly, Siena trailed for most of the game, but scored the last four points in regulation to force overtime. At the end of the first overtime, Siena's Ronald Moore drained his first 3-pointer to force a second overtime. With 3.9 seconds left in that overtime, he hit a second three from the same location to give the Saints a late 2-point lead. In an attempt to send the game into a third overtime, Turner shot a 15-footer immediately afterwards, but he missed it.
Arizona vs. Utah: The Fifth-seeded Utah Utes were upset by the twelfth-seeded Arizona Wildcats, one of the last teams to make it in the tournament and a questionable entry, by a score of 84-71. The Utes closed the lead to two with roughly five minutes left in the game, but the Wildcats' answer was a 10-1 run. Utah's Luke Nevill committed two fouls less than four minutes into the game and scored only 12 points. Nic Wise of Arizona, meanwhile, led the team with 29 points, with 21 in the second half.
Cleveland State vs. Wake Forest: The Cleveland State Vikings shocked the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 84-69. This 15-point win ties for third-greatest victory margin for a 13 seed over a 4 seed. Wake Forest, once ranked first in the country, had 16 turnovers in the matchup, compared to six for the Vikings. James Johnson of the Demon Deacons scored 22 points, although this could not compensate for a substandard offense. Their scoring leader, Jeff Teague, finished with 10 points, half his average.
Dayton vs. West Virginia: For the first time in 19 years, Dayton advanced to the second round of the tournament with a win over West Virginia 68-60. This also ended West Virginia's first-round winning streak, which had lasted since 1992. Chris Wright led the Dayton Flyers with 27 points, a career high, while also chalking up 10 rebounds. Charles Little also aided the Flyers with 18 points. Darryl Bryant, who led West Virginia with 21 points, shot two consecutive three-pointers to bring Dayton's lead to 48-47 with 11:02 minutes left in the game.
North Dakota State vs. Kansas: In their first eligible year, North Dakota State appeared in the tournament, facing defending champion Kansas. The three-seeded Kansas Jayhawks staved off the fourteenth-seeded Bison's upset bid with an 84-74 victory. Ben Woodside shined with 37 points for the Bison, his sixth game of the season with at least 30 points.
USC vs. Boston College: The tenth-seeded USC Trojans demolished the seventh-seeded Boston College Eagles by a score of 72-55, helped by Taj Gibson's 10-for-10 shooting from the field, tied for the second-best NCAA tournament field-goal shooting performance in history. He led the team with 24 points and recorded six rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. Dwight Lewis also added 20 points for the Trojans.
Robert Morris vs. Michigan State: Robert Morris, the region's 15 seed, was blown away by second-seeded Michigan State 77-62. The game was tied with 4:44 left in the first half, but then the Colonials went almost 20 minutes without scoring a single point. The Spartans took advantage of this for a 21-0 run that sealed the game in their favor. The Colonials' Jeremy Chappell was the only team member to score double-digit points with 11, and he also led the team with six rebounds, two steals, and three blocks.
Oklahoma St. vs. Tennessee: (8) Oklahoma St. def. (9) Tennessee, 77-75
(1) Pittsburgh def. (16) East Tennessee St., 72-62
(4) Xavier def. (13) Portland St., 77-59
(12) Wisconsin def. (5) Florida St., 61-59
(3) Villanova def. (14) American, 80-67
(6) UCLA def. (11) VCU, 65-64
(7) Texas def. (10) Minnesota, 76-62
(2) Duke def. (15) Binghamton, 86-62
(9) Texas A&M def. (8) BYU, 79-66
(1) Connecticut def. (16) Chattanooga, 103-47
(5) Purdue def. (12) Northern Iowa, 61-56
(4) Washington def. (13) Mississippi St., 71-58
(6) Marquette def. (11) Utah St., 58-57
(3) Missouri def. (14) Cornell, 78-59
(2) Memphis def. (15) Cal State Northridge, 81-70
(10) Maryland def. (7) California, 84-71
(8) LSU def. (9) Butler, 75-71
(1) North Carolina def. (16) Radford, 101-58
(4) Gonzaga def. (13) Akron, 77-64
(12) Western Kentucky def. (5) Illinois, 76-72
(3) Syracuse def. (14) Stephen F. Austin, 59-44
(6) Arizona St. def. (11) Temple, 66-57
(10) Michigan def. (7) Clemson, 62-59
(2) Oklahoma def. (15) Morgan St., 82-54

Second Round

Siena vs. Louisville: Ninth-seeded Siena faced top seed Louisville, with the Cardinals emerging victorious 79-72. Taking advantage of Louisville's 19 turnovers, the Saints came back from a 12-point deficit with 17:21 left in the game to snatch the lead around the 9-minute mark. Edwin Ubiles broke through Louisville's full-court pressure and added 24 points for Siena. Terrence Williams, known as one of the most relaxed players on the Cardinals roster, saved his team by grabbing rebounds and making 3s. He led the team with 24 points, 15 rebounds, two steals, and four assists.
Arizona vs. Cleveland State: In a 12 vs. 13 seed Cinderella matchup, Arizona handily defeated Cleveland State. The Wildcats' zone defense puzzled Cleveland State, and their fast breaks sealed the game. The smallest deficit the Vikings faced was 48-44 about midway through the second half, though the Wildcats then went on a 13-2 run led by Nic Wise's five consecutive points. His 21 points led the team's four double-digit scorers.
Kansas vs. Dayton: Cole Aldrich's triple-double with 13 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 blocked shots paved the way for a third-seeded Kansas win over 11 seed Dayton. This was only the sixth triple-double in NCAA tournament history. With 43 points, Dayton scored the fewest points they had all season, compared to Kansas's 60. Despite their small point total, the Flyers shot 72 times, its most all season, amounting to a 22.2 shooting percentage. The Jayhawks were also not having one of their better offensive games, with Sherron Collins being an exception; he made 25 points.
Michigan State vs. USC: Playing the tenth-seeded USC Trojans, second-seeded Michigan State utilized Travis Walton's career-high 18 points for a 74-69 win. Normally known as a defensive player and averaging 4.9 points per game, Walton shot 8 for 13 from the field. His team out-rebounded USC 33 to 23, and USC made only one three-point play. Star Trojan Taj Gibson was in foul trouble throughout much of the game, and yet his teammates rallied for 14 lead changes and 16 ties. Dwight Lewis, who gave a 19-point performance overall, scored six consecutive points for USC for a late tie. The Spartans only earned a victory after the Trojans missed their last nine shots.
Louisville vs. Arizona: Louisville, the region's top seed, routed twelfth-seeded Arizona 103-64. In NCAA tournament history, this was Louisville's largest win and Arizona's largest loss. It was no surprise, given the Cardinals' 57.6 field goal percentage and their 48% shooting behind the arc. Their fullcourt pressure forced 15 turnovers on the Wildcats the entire game, including nine in the first half. Earl Clark led the Cardinals with 19 points, whose ballhandling garnered 29 assists.
(1) North Carolina def. LSU
(4) Gonzaga def. Western Kentucky
(3) Syracuse def. Arizona St.
(10) Michigan def. Oklahoma
(1) Pittsburgh vs. Xavier
(3) Villanova def. Duke
(1) Connecticut def. Purdue
(3) Missouri def. Memphis

Regional Semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

Michigan State vs. Kansas: After overcoming a 13-point first half deficit, the Spartans won 67-62. They shot 16 of 17 from the foul line, and on their only miss they rebounded the ball and gave Raymar Morgan the only points of the night on a dunk. Such rallies in the second half narrowed the deficit and occasionally took the lead, although the Jayhawks responded and were up by 2 with 2 minutes left in the game. They were helped by Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich's combined 37 points. However, Kalin Lucas of the Spartans, who had scored 11 points in the first 39 minutes of the game, made seven straight points with 48 seconds left.
Pac-10 champions Washington Huskies scored 46 points in the second half, but it was not enough to beat the Purdue Boilermakers in the second round of West Regional, falling short by two points (76-74). Leaders for Purdue were JaJuan Johnson with 22 points and Keaton Grant with 12 rebounds.
Connecticut faced Purdue at University of Phoenix Stadium in a West Regional semifinal. In the nightcap of the sweet sixteen matchups, two sets of Tigers met, pitting Missouri against Memphis in a matchup that saw teams with similar fast-paced styles meet. Missouri was able to pull away with a 27-7 run that gave them a 64-40 lead.

Regional Finals (Elite Eight)

Michigan State vs. Louisville: Michigan State defeated overall number one seed Louisville, 64-52, to advance to their fifth Final Four since 1999. Michigan State held Louisville to their second lowest point total of the season with their man-to-man defense keeping them out of sync all game. Center Goran Suton had 19 points and Durrel Summers had 12 in the rout.
Number one seed Pittsburgh was upset by the Villanova Wildcats, 78-76 in the East Regional Finals, denying the Panthers a chance for a first national championship in men's basketball. With five seconds remaining, Levance Fields, who was fouled by Corey Fisher, shot two free-throws to tie the game for Pitt. But Scottie Reynolds' one-second jumper was good to give Villanova an upset victory. Pitt's Sam Young scored 28 points and DeJuan Blair had 20 points.

Final Four

All final four teams in the tournament had won at least one national championship. The Spartans had home court advantage by playing in their home state. Six teams have played the Final Four in their home states, but only four of them won. UCLA (1968, 1972, 1975) and North Carolina State (1974) won the national title, but Duke (1994) and Purdue (1980) lost in the Final Four.

Michigan State vs. Connecticut: Michigan State vs. Michigan State, with 7 minutes to play, finally took hold of the game and defeated the number one seed Connecticut to advance to the championship game against North Carolina. The Spartans started the game with a 7-point run, but the Huskies came back to take a lead in the first half. Michigan State took it back and was leading by two at the half. Connecticut had the lead twice early in the second period. Michigan State, led by guard Kalin Lucas with 21 points and forward Raymar Morgan with 18 points, was just too much at the end for the Huskies. Scoring for Connecticut was shared by Jeff Adrien (13), Stanley Robinson (15), Hasheem Thabeet (17) and A.J.
North Carolina vs. Villanova: After the first five minutes, North Carolina used an 11-point run to end Villanova's hope for a national championship and put the Tar Heels into the championship game for a chance to win their fifth title in nine trips. Ty Lawson produced 22 points, followed by Wayne Ellington with 20 points and Tyler Hansbrough with 18 points. Hansbrough, the sixth-leading scorer in tournament history, pulled down 11 rebounds.

Championship Game

The 2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game was the final game of the 2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and determined the National Champion for the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The game was played on April 6, 2009, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan as the final game of the Final Four. The game was played between the South Regional Champions, No. 1-seeded North Carolina, and the Midwest Regional Champions, No. 2-seeded Michigan State.

This 71st title game featured #1 seed North Carolina, which had a 4-4 record in the finals, versus #2 seed Michigan State, which had a 2-0 record going into the game. The game was a rematch of "BasketBowl II", of 2008's ACC-Big Ten Challenge, won by the Tar Heels 98-63.

North Carolina, with a first bucket from Deon Thompson, took off and ran to a 21-point lead at the 10-minute mark. The lead grew to 24 with less than 5 minutes remaining in the first half, with most points coming from Wayne Ellington (15). The Spartans were behind 55-34 at the half, a tournament record lead for the Tar Heels. In the second half, Michigan State made a comeback to within 13 points of North Carolina with 4:56 to go in the game, but was unable t…

North Carolina was the third team since 1985 to advance to the national championship game having won their previous five tournament games by 10 points or more.

North Carolina got hot early during the 2009 National Championship Game, as they got off to a 34-11 lead with 9:46 remaining in the 1st half. North Carolina kept their dominance going as they had a 55-34 lead at halftime, which marks the largest halftime lead in NCAA Tournament History and the most points scored in the 1st half in NCAA Tournament History. The game was over before it began as North Carolina had a 17-7 lead with 15:35 remaining in the 1st half, and the game never got closer. By beating Michigan State by 17, North Carolina became the 1st team since Duke in 2001 to win all their NCAA Tournament games by double digits.

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