The 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 68 teams to determine the men's National Collegiate Athletic AssociationDivision Icollege basketball national champion for the 2018–19 season. The 81st annual edition of the tournament began on March 19, 2019, and concluded with the championship game on April 8 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Virginia Cavaliers, with Virginia winning 85–77 in overtime. Two schools made their first appearances in the tournament: Big South champion Gardner–Webb and Southland champion Abilene Christian. For the first time since 2001, no #8 seed survived the first round of the tournament. This was also the first time since the First Four was established in 2011 that no team in the First Four advanced past the first round of the tournament. This tournament marked the first time that the Auburn Tigers of the Southeastern Conference and the Texas Tech Red Raiders of the Big 12 Conference made the Final Four. This also marked the third Final Four appearance for the Virginia Cavaliers of the Atlantic Coast Conference, but their first since 1984. The 2019 tournament was the first since 1979 to see two first-time finalists, and the first since 2006 to have a first-time national champion. Carsen Edwards of Purdue was the leading scorer, with 139 points in only 4 games–producing a stellar average of 34.8 points per game. Edwards also set the record for most made 3-point shots in a tournament, with 28. The previous record holder, Glen Rice of Michigan in 1989, made 27, but did it in 6 games. In the previous year's tournament, Virginia had infamously become the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed. At the conclusion of this year's title game, CBS announcer Jim Nantz dubbed Virginia's win the "all-time turnaround title."
Tournament procedure
A total of 68 teams entered the 2019 tournament. 32 automatic bids were awarded to each program that won their conference's tournament. The remaining 36 bids were "at-large", with selections extended by the NCAA Selection Committee. Eight teams played in the First Four. The winners of these games advanced to the main draw of the tournament. The Selection Committee seeded the entire field from 1 to 68. The selections and seedings were completed and revealed on Sunday, March 17.
2019 NCAA Tournament schedule and venues
The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 2019 tournament: First Four
U.S. Bank Stadium became the 40th venue to host the Final Four. This was the first hosting of the event at the facility, built on the former site of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, a two-time host in 1992 and 2001. The tournament returned to Hartford's XL Center for the first time since 1998. For the first time since 1970, the tournament returned to Columbia, South Carolina, with games played at the Colonial Life Arena.
Qualification and selection
Four teams, out of 353 in Division I, were ineligible to participate in the 2019 tournament; Alabama A&M and Florida A&M failed to meet APR requirements, while California Baptist and North Alabama are amidst reclassification from Division II.
The R64, R32, S16, E8, F4, CG, and NC columns indicate how many teams from each conference were in the round of 64, round of 32, Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, championship game, and national champion, respectively.
The "Record" column includes wins in the First Four for the NEC, Ohio Valley, Pac-12, and Summit conferences and losses in the First Four for the American and Big East conference.
The SWAC and MEAC each had one representative, eliminated in the First Four with a record of 0–1.
The America East, Big Sky, Big South, Colonial, C-USA, Horizon, MAAC, Missouri Valley, Patriot, Southland, Sun Belt, WAC, and Ivy League each had one representative, eliminated in the Round of 64 with a record of 0–1.
Media coverage
Television
and Turner Sports had U.S. television rights to the tournament. As part of a cycle than began in 2016, CBS televised the 2019 Final Four and championship game. In response to criticism over TBS's handling of the selection show in 2018, it was announced that CBS's selection show would revert to an hour-long format, and prioritize unveiling the bracket. CNN president Jeff Zucker, who had also become head of WarnerMedia's sports properties after a reorganization, explained that "it's a sign of understanding when things don't necessarily go as well as you would hope you change it. So there's no shame in that. At the end of the day, you have to give the fans what they want." The show attracted its highest viewership since 2014 and averaged a 4.0 share on Nielsen overnight ratings.
Jim Nantz/Bill Raftery/Grant Hill/Tracy Wolfson – First and Second Rounds at Columbia, South Carolina; East Regional at Washington, D.C.; Final Four and National Championship at Minneapolis, Minnesota
Brian Anderson/Chris Webber/Allie LaForce – First and Second Rounds at Columbus, Ohio; South Regional at Louisville, Kentucky
Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel/Jamie Erdahl – First and Second Rounds at Jacksonville, Florida; Midwest Regional at Kansas City, Missouri
Kevin Harlan/Reggie Miller/Dan Bonner/Dana Jacobson – First Four at Dayton, Ohio ; First and Second Rounds at Des Moines, Iowa; West Regional at Anaheim, California
Brad Nessler/Steve Lavin/Jim Jackson/Evan Washburn – First and Second Rounds at Tulsa, Oklahoma
Spero Dedes/Steve Smith/Len Elmore or Jim Jackson/Rosalyn Gold-Onwude – First Four at Dayton, Ohio ; First and Second Rounds at San Jose, California
* Jackson called the First Four with Elmore doing the First and Second Rounds with Dedes, Smith and Gold-Onwude.
Andrew Catalon/Steve Lappas/Lisa Byington – First and Second Rounds at Salt Lake City, Utah
Carter Blackburn/Debbie Antonelli/John Schriffen – First and Second Rounds at Hartford, Connecticut
Radio
had exclusive radio rights to the entire tournament.
