2013 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament explained

Year:2013
Teams:68
Finalfourarena:Georgia Dome
Finalfourcity:Atlanta, Georgia
Champions:Louisville Cardinals (Vacated)
(3rd title, 3rd title game, 10th Final Four)
Champgamecount:3rd
Champffcount:10th
Runnerup:Michigan Wolverines
Gamecount:6th
Runnerffcount:7th
Semifinal1:Syracuse Orange
Finalfourcount:5th
Semifinal2:Wichita State Shockers
Finalfourcount2:2nd
Coach:Rick Pitino
Coachcount:2nd
Mop:Luke Hancock
Mopteam:Louisville

The 2013 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball national champion for the 2012-13 season. The 75th annual edition of the tournament (dating to 1939) began on March 19, 2013, and concluded with the championship game on April 8, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

The Final Four consisted of Louisville, Wichita State (second appearance), Syracuse (first appearance since their 2003 national championship), and Michigan, returning for the first time since the Fab Five's second appearance in 1993 (later vacated). By winning the West Region, Wichita State became the first #9 seed and first Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) team to reach the Final Four since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The last #9 seed to reach the Final Four was Penn, and the last MVC team to do so was Indiana State, both in 1979. Louisville defeated Michigan in the championship game by a final score of 82–76, winning their first national title since 1986. On February 20, 2018, the NCAA vacated Louisville's entire tournament run, including its national title, due to a 2015 sex scandal.[1]

The tournament featured several notable upsets. For the first time since 1991, at least one team seeded #9 through #15 won at least once in the tournament. The most notable was Florida Gulf Coast University of the Atlantic Sun Conference, who made their tournament debut in only their second year of Division I eligibility. They upset Georgetown and San Diego State in their first two games, becoming the first #15 seed to advance to the regional semifinals (where they were defeated by Florida). For the first time since 2010, a #14 seed won as Harvard defeated New Mexico in the West Region. The same region saw #13 La Salle, who won in the opening round, defeat #4 Kansas State and #12 Mississippi defeat #5 Wisconsin. In addition to that, the region's top seed, Gonzaga, was defeated in the round of 32 by eventual region winner Wichita State, who defeated La Salle in the Sweet Sixteen.

Two other teams also earned their first ever NCAA Tournament victory: Ivy League champion Harvard and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion North Carolina A&T. Another school, Liberty, won the Big South tournament to become the second 20-loss team to make the field, after Coppin State did that in 2008.

Tournament procedure

A total of 68 teams entered the 2013 tournament. A total of 32 automatic bids are awarded to each program that won a conference tournament. The remaining 36 bids are issued "at-large", with selections extended by the NCAA Selection Committee. The Selection Committee also seeds the entire field from 1 to 68.

Eight teams—the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams—played in the First Four (the successor to what had been popularly known as "play-in games" through the 2010 tournament). The winners of these games advanced to the main tournament bracket.

Schedule and venues

The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 2013 tournament:[2] [3] [4]

First Four

First and Second rounds

Regional semifinals and Finals

National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)

Atlanta hosted the Final Four for the sixth time, having previously hosted in 2007. As of 2024, this is the most recent Final Four to be held in Atlanta (The 2020 edition, which was to be held in Atlanta, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Qualified teams

Automatic qualifiers

The following teams were automatic qualifiers for the 2013 NCAA field by virtue of winning their conference's tournament (except for the Ivy League, whose regular-season champion received the automatic bid).

ConferenceSchooldata-sort-type="number" AppearanceLast bid
America EastAlbany3rd2007
Atlantic 10Saint Louis8th2012
ACCMiami6th2008
Atlantic SunFlorida Gulf Coast1stNever
Big 12Kansas42nd2012
Big EastLouisville39th2012
Big SkyMontana10th2012
Big SouthLiberty3rd2004
Big TenOhio State29th2012
Big WestPacific9th2006
ColonialJames Madison5th1994
C-USAMemphis25th2012
HorizonValparaiso8th2004
Ivy LeagueHarvard3rd2012
MAACIona10th2012
MACAkron4th2011
MEACNorth Carolina A&T10th1995
Missouri ValleyCreighton18th2012
Mountain WestNew Mexico14th2012
NortheastLong Island6th2012
Ohio ValleyBelmont6th2012
Pac-12Oregon11th2008
PatriotBucknell6th2011
SECOle Miss7th2002
SouthernDavidson12th2012
SouthlandNorthwestern State3rd2006
SWACSouthern8th2006
SummitSouth Dakota State2nd2012
Sun BeltWestern Kentucky23rd2012
West CoastGonzaga16th2012
WACNew Mexico State20th2012

Tournament seeds

South Regional – Arlington, Texas
SeedSchoolConferenceRecordCoachBerth typeOverall rank
  1. 1
KansasBig 1229–5Bill SelfAutomatic2
  1. 2
GeorgetownBig East25–6John Thompson IIIAt-large7
  1. 3
FloridaSEC26–7Billy DonovanAt-large10
  1. 4
MichiganBig Ten26–7John BeileinAt-large13
  1. 5
VCUAtlantic 1026–8Shaka SmartAt-large20
  1. 6
UCLAPac-1225–9Ben HowlandAt-large24
  1. 7
San Diego StateMountain West22–10Steve FisherAt-large26
  1. 8
North CarolinaACC24–10Roy WilliamsAt-large29
  1. 9
VillanovaBig East20–13Jay WrightAt-large38
  1. 10
OklahomaBig 1220–11Lon KruegerAt-large40
  1. 11
MinnesotaBig Ten20–12Tubby SmithAt-large41
  1. 12
AkronMAC26–6Keith DambrotAutomatic51
  1. 13
South Dakota StateSummit25–9Scott NagyAutomatic53
  1. 14
Northwestern StateSouthland23–8Mike McConathyAutomatic57
  1. 15
Florida Gulf CoastAtlantic Sun24–10Andy EnfieldAutomatic59
  1. 16
Western KentuckySun Belt20–15Ray HarperAutomatic63
West Regional – Los Angeles, California
SeedSchoolConferenceRecordCoachBerth typeOverall rank
  1. 1
GonzagaWest Coast31–2Mark FewAutomatic4
  1. 2
Ohio StateBig Ten26–7Thad MattaAutomatic8
  1. 3
New MexicoMountain West29–5Steve AlfordAutomatic9
  1. 4
Kansas StateBig 1227–7Bruce WeberAt-large14
  1. 5
WisconsinBig Ten23–11Bo RyanAt-large19
  1. 6
ArizonaPac-1225–7Sean MillerAt-large21
  1. 7
Notre DameBig East25–9Mike BreyAt-large27
  1. 8
PittsburghBig East24–8Jamie DixonAt-large31
  1. 9
Wichita StateMissouri Valley26–8Gregg MarshallAt-large35
  1. 10
Iowa StateBig 1222–11Fred HoibergAt-large39
  1. 11
BelmontOhio Valley26–6Rick ByrdAutomatic44
  1. 12
Ole MissSEC26–8Andy KennedyAutomatic47
  1. 13*
Boise StateMountain West21–10Leon RiceAt-large45
La SalleAtlantic 1021–9Dr. John GianniniAt-large49
  1. 14
HarvardIvy19–9Tommy AmakerAutomatic58
  1. 15
IonaMAAC20–13Tim CluessAutomatic61
  1. 16
SouthernSWAC23–9Roman BanksAutomatic64
East Regional – Washington, D.C.
SeedSchoolConferenceRecordCoachBerth typeOverall rank
  1. 1
IndianaBig Ten27–6Tom CreanAt-large3
  1. 2
MiamiACC27–6Jim LarranagaAutomatic5
  1. 3
MarquetteBig East23–8Buzz WilliamsAt-large12
  1. 4
SyracuseBig East26–9Jim BoeheimAt-large16
  1. 5
UNLVMountain West25–9Dave RiceAt-large18
  1. 6
ButlerAtlantic 1026–8Brad StevensAt-large22
  1. 7
IllinoisBig Ten22–12John GroceAt-large28
  1. 8
NC StateACC24–10Mark GottfriedAt-large32
  1. 9
TempleAtlantic 1023–9Fran DunphyAt-large34
  1. 10
ColoradoPac-1221–11Tad BoyleAt-large36
  1. 11
BucknellPatriot28–5Dave PaulsenAutomatic48
  1. 12
CaliforniaPac-1220–11Mike MontgomeryAt-large42
  1. 13
MontanaBig Sky25–7Wayne TinkleAutomatic54
  1. 14
DavidsonSouthern26–7Bob McKillopAutomatic55
  1. 15
PacificBig West22–12Bob ThomasonAutomatic60
  1. 16*
James MadisonCAA20–14Matt BradyAutomatic66
Long IslandNortheast20–13Jack PerriAutomatic65
Midwest Regional – Indianapolis, Indiana
SeedSchoolConferenceRecordCoachBerth typeOverall rank
  1. 1
LouisvilleBig East29–5Rick PitinoAutomatic1
  1. 2
DukeACC27–5Mike KrzyzewskiAt-large6
  1. 3
Michigan StateBig Ten25–8Tom IzzoAt-large11
  1. 4
Saint LouisAtlantic 1027–6Jim CrewsAutomatic15
  1. 5
Oklahoma StateBig 1224–8Travis FordAt-large17
  1. 6
MemphisC-USA30–4Josh PastnerAutomatic23
  1. 7
CreightonMissouri Valley27–7Greg McDermottAutomatic25
  1. 8
Colorado StateMountain West25–8Larry EustachyAt-large30
  1. 9
MissouriSEC23–10Frank HaithAt-large33
  1. 10
CincinnatiBig East22–11Mick CroninAt-large37
  1. 11*
Middle TennesseeSun Belt28–5Kermit DavisAt-large50
Saint Mary's (CA)West Coast27–6Randy BennettAt-large46
  1. 12
OregonPac-1226–8Dana AltmanAutomatic43
  1. 13
New Mexico StateWAC24–10Marvin MenziesAutomatic52
  1. 14
ValparaisoHorizon26–7Bryce DrewAutomatic56
  1. 15
AlbanyAmerica East24–10Will BrownAutomatic62
  1. 16*
LibertyBig South15–20Dale LayerAutomatic68
North Carolina A&TMEAC19–16Cy AlexanderAutomatic67
*See First Four.

Bracket

Unless otherwise noted, all times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−04)

First Four – Dayton, Ohio

The First Four games involved eight teams: the four overall lowest-ranked teams, and the four lowest-ranked at-large teams.

Midwest Regional – Indianapolis, Indiana

Midwest Regional all-tournament team

Regional all-tournament team: Seth Curry, Duke; Gorgui Dieng, Louisville; Mason Plumlee, Duke; Peyton Siva, Louisville[5]

Regional most outstanding player: Russ Smith, Louisville[6]

West Regional – Los Angeles, California

West Regional all-tournament team

Regional all-tournament team: Carl Hall, Wichita State; Mark Lyons, Arizona; LaQuinton Ross, Ohio State; Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State[7]

Regional most outstanding player: Malcolm Armstead, Wichita State[8]

South Regional – Arlington, Texas

South Regional all-tournament team

Regional all-tournament team: Mitch McGary, Michigan; Ben McLemore, Kansas; Mike Rosario, Florida; Nik Stauskas, Michigan[9]

Regional most outstanding player: Trey Burke, Michigan[10]

East Regional – Washington, D.C.

East Regional all-tournament team

Regional all-tournament team: Vander Blue, Marquette; C. J. Fair, Syracuse; Davante Gardner, Marquette; James Southerland, Syracuse[11] [12]

Regional most outstanding player: Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse[13]

Final Four – Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

During the Final Four round, the champion of the top overall top seed's region was to play against the champion of the fourth-ranked top seed's region, and the champion of the second overall top seed's region was to play against the champion of the third-ranked top seed's region.[14] Louisville (placed in the Midwest Regional) was selected as the top overall seed, and Gonzaga (in the West Regional) was named as the final top seed.[15] Thus, the Midwest champion played the West Champion in one semifinal game, and the South Champion faced the East Champion in the other semifinal game.

Wichita State surprised the college basketball world by reaching the Final Four from the West region. They lost to Louisville in the first semifinal game, 72–68. Michigan defeated Syracuse 61–56 in the second semifinal.[16]

  1. — On February 20, 2018, the NCAA announced that the wins and records for Louisville's 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, and 2014–15 seasons were vacated due to the sex scandal at Louisville.[17] Unlike forfeiture, a vacated game does not result in the other school being credited with a win, only with Louisville removing the wins from its own record.

Final Four all-tournament team

Final Four all-tournament team: Spike Albrecht, Michigan; Trey Burke, Michigan; Mitch McGary, Michigan; Cleanthony Early, Wichita State; Peyton Siva, Louisville; Luke Hancock, Louisville; Chane Behanan, Louisville;

Final Four most outstanding player: Luke Hancock, Louisville (the first non-starter to earn this title) [18]

Game summaries

National Championship

See main article: 2013 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game.

Louisville defeated Michigan 82–76 in the championship game. The win gave Louisville its first championship since 1986, and third overall. It became the eighth school to win at least three championships until vacated by the NCAA on February 20, 2018, due to a 2015 sex scandal.[19]

Head coach Rick Pitino became the first coach to win an NCAA championship with two different schools. Michigan fell to 1–5 all time in championship games (including two losses vacated because of sanctions against the university).

Michigan's Trey Burke scored seven quick points to get Michigan out to a 7–3 lead, but also picked up two quick fouls and sat during much of the first half. With Burke on the bench, Michigan got a spark from freshman Spike Albrecht, a minor role player during the regular season. Albrecht hit four straight 3-pointers en route to a 17-point first half performance, easily surpassing his previous single game best of 7. Louisville trailed Michigan 35–23 late in the first half, before going on a run fueled by four straight three-pointers by Luke Hancock. At halftime, Michigan led 38–37.

The second half featured several lead changes before Louisville pushed the margin to 10 on a three-pointer by Hancock with 3:20 remaining in the game. Michigan fought back, closing the gap to four points in the last minute, but ran out of time in its comeback effort.

Hancock hit all five three-point shots he attempted in the game and led Louisville with 22 points, while teammate Peyton Siva scored 18 and had a game high 4 steals. Chane Behanan pulled down 12 rebounds to go with 15 points. Burke led Michigan with 24 points. Russ Smith, Louisville's leading scorer on the season, struggled in the game, shooting 3-for-16.[20] Hancock was named as the game's most outstanding player.[21]

Record by conference

ConferenceBidsRecordWin %R64R32S16E8F4CGNC
Big East813–78333211
Big Ten714–7764211
MVC25–222111
ACC46–44321
SEC34–33211
Pac-1255–5532
Atlantic Sun12–1111
Atlantic 1057–5551
Big 1253–5521
Mountain West52–542
WCC22–221
Ivy11–111
C-USA11–111
CAA11–11
MEAC11–11

Other events surrounding the tournament

On May 10, 2012, the NCAA announced that as part of the celebration of the 75th Division I tournament, it would hold all three of its men's basketball championship games in Atlanta. The finals of the Division II and Division III tournaments were held at Philips Arena on April 7, the day between the Division I semifinals and final.[22] In addition, Atlanta-based tournament broadcaster TBS announced that Conan O'Brien would tape his Conan talk show at The Tabernacle, located a few blocks from the Georgia Dome and Philips Arena, in the week leading up to the Final Four. March Madness studio analyst Charles Barkley and Dick Vitale were among the guests who appeared.[23]

Media

U.S. television

The year 2013 marked the third year of a 14-year partnership between CBS and Turner cable networks TBS, TNT and truTV to cover the entire tournament under the NCAA March Madness banner. CBS aired the Final Four and championship rounds for the 32nd consecutive year.[24] [25] The tournament was considered a ratings success. Tournament games averaged 10.7 million viewers, and the championship game garnered an average of 23.4 million viewers and a peak viewership of 27.1 million.

Studio hosts

Studio analysts

Commentary teams

Radio

Dial Global Sports (formerly Westwood One) and SiriusXM have live broadcasts of all 67 games.[26] [27]

First four

Second and third rounds

Regionals

Final Four

Local radio

International

ESPN International held broadcast rights to the tournament outside of the United States: it produced its own broadcasts of the semi-final and championship game, called by ESPN College Basketball personalities Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Dick Vitale (analyst for the final and one semi-final), and Jay Bilas (analyst for the other semi-final).[28] For the initial rounds, they use CBS/Turner coverage with an additional host to transition between games, with whiparound coverage similar to the CBS-only era. ESPN also has exclusive digital rights to the NCAA tournament outside of North America.[29]

Canada

In Canada, the TSN family of media outlets (including TSN2, RDS, and TSN Radio), which are part-owned by ESPN, own broadcast rights to the tournament. TSN produces separate studio coverage with Kate Beirness, Jack Armstrong, Dan Shulman and Sam Mitchell,[30] but simulcasts CBS/Turner game coverage for the first five rounds (and ESPN International coverage for the Final Four).

As in past years, TSN and TSN2 carry whiparound coverage (often in parallel) during the second, third and fourth rounds, in 2013 focusing when possible on games not being broadcast on CBS (as that network, but not the Turner channels, is also widely available in Canada).

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: NCAA denies Louisville's appeal, rules Cardinals must vacate 2013 national title. ESPN.com. February 20, 2018.
  2. Web site: Archived copy . www.ncaa.org . 15 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091203022814/http://www.ncaa.org/wps/ncaa?key=%2Fncaa%2Fncaa%2Fmedia+and+events%2Fpress+room%2Fnews+release+archive%2F2009%2Fchampionships%2F20090921+mbb+site+selection+2011-13 . 3 December 2009 . dead.
  3. Web site: NCAA College Basketball News, Videos, Scores, Standings, Stats, Teams – FOX Sports on MSN . Msn.foxsports.com . April 14, 2013 .
  4. Web site: First Four to remain in Dayton . NCAA.com . April 14, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180221100834/https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/2011-06-27/first-four-remain-dayton . February 21, 2018 . dead . mdy-all .
  5. Web site: Smith, Siva, Dieng make Midwest Regional All-Tournament team. WHAS 11. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130407002912/http://www.whas11.com/sports/Smith-Siva-Dieng-make-Midwest-Regional-All-Tournament-team-200814831.html. April 7, 2013.
  6. Web site: Louisville beats Duke 85–63 to reach Final Four. NCAA.
  7. Web site: Ross leaves no doubt: He's coming back. The Columbus Dispatch.
  8. Web site: MBB: Shockers Marching on to Atlanta, Final Four. Wichita State Shockers. March 31, 2013. October 22, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131022040337/http://www.goshockers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=207006965&DB_OEM_ID=7500. dead.
  9. Web site: Michigan's Trey Burke named most outstanding player, joined by Nik Stauskas, Mitch McGary on all-region team. Ann Arbor.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130404023251/http://annarbor.com/mi/wolverines/2013/03/michigans_trey_burke_named_mos/. April 4, 2013.
  10. Web site: Michigan rolls into Final Four, beats Fla. 79–59. NCAA.
  11. Web site: Marquette outclassed by Syracuse in the Elite Eight. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  12. Web site: Syracuse vs. Marquette: Live Score, Highlights and Elite 8 Game Reaction. Bleacher Report.
  13. Web site: SYRACUSE HEADS TO THE FINAL FOUR!. Syracuse University Athletics.
  14. Web site: NCAA DIVISION I MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP – PRINCIPLES AND PROCEDURES FOR ESTABLISHING THE BRACKET . NCAA . March 28, 2011 . The committee will then place the four "top seed" teams ranked 1 through 4 in each of the four regions, then determine the Final Four semifinals pairings, making best effort to pair the top no. 1 rank's region against the fourth no. 1 rank's region and the second no. 1 rank's region against the third no. 1 rank's region..
  15. Web site: Gonzaga, Louisville, Kansas, Indiana Get NCAA's No. 1 Seeds . https://web.archive.org/web/20130321020019/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-03-17/gonzaga-louisville-kansas-indiana-get-ncaa-s-no-dot-1-seeds . dead . March 21, 2013 . Bloomberg News . Business Week . March 17, 2013 . March 17, 2013.
  16. Tim Layden . In uncertain times, Louisville-Michigan NCAA title game shines - March Madness 2013 - Tim Layden - SI.com . Sports Illustrated. April 8, 2013 . April 14, 2013.
  17. James. Emily. Louisville men's basketball must vacate wins and pay fine. NCAA.org - The Official Site of the NCAA. February 20, 2018. en. February 20, 2018.
  18. Web site: WSU's Early Named To Final Four All Tournament Team . April 9, 2013 . April 9, 2013 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130927195346/http://www.kake.com/sports/headlines/WSUs-Early-Named-To-Final-Four-All-Tournament-Team-202112911.html . September 27, 2013 .
  19. Web site: NCAA denies Louisville's appeal, rules Cardinals must vacate 2013 national title. ESPN.com. February 20, 2018.
  20. News: 10 things you need to know about Louisville's win. USA Today. Paul Myerberg. April 4, 2013. April 4, 2013.
  21. News: Louisville beats Michigan 82–76 to win NCAA men's basketball championship. Associated Press. Fox News. April 9, 2013. April 9, 2013.
  22. Success paves way for 75th celebration . NCAA . May 10, 2012 . May 11, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120521072156/http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2012-05-10/success-paves-way-75th-celebration . May 21, 2012 . dead . mdy-all .
  23. Web site: CONAN Live From Atlanta @ . Teamcoco.com . April 1, 2013 . April 14, 2013.
  24. Web site: CBS SPORTS AND TURNER SPORTS RETURN ALL-STAR LINEUP OF BROADCAST TEAMS FOR COVERAGE OF 2013 NCAA® DIVISION I MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP. CBS Sports. March 12, 2013. March 11, 2013.
  25. Web site: CBS Sports and Turner Sports Return All-Star Line-up of Broadcast Teams for Coverage of 2013 NCAA® Division I Men's Basketball Championship. Turner Sports. March 12, 2013. March 11, 2013.
  26. Web site: The 2013 NCAA basketball tournament on Dial Global Sports!. Dial Global Sports. March 12, 2013. March 4, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130323160806/http://dialglobalsports.com/2013/03/2013-ncaa-mens-basketball-tournament-on-dial-global-sports/. March 23, 2013. dead.
  27. Web site: NCAA Tournament Announcers. Dial Global Sports. March 12, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130326122634/http://dialglobalsports.com/ncaa-tournament-announcers/. March 26, 2013. dead.
  28. Web site: Dick Vitale to Call NCAA Final Four Games. Michael. Humes. ESPN MediaZone. February 5, 2013. March 23, 2013.
  29. Web site: NCAA® March Madness® Basketball Tournament live on ESPN America and ESPN Player. Berg. James. March 6, 2013. March 29, 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130527143457/http://espnmediazone3.com/wpmu/uk/?p=2421. May 27, 2013.
  30. Web site: TSN and TSN2 Got Game with Complete Live Coverage in Canada of NCAA® MARCH MADNESS®, Beginning March 21. The Sports Network. March 18, 2013. March 23, 2013.