2012 NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball tournament - wikipedia 2012 NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball tournament 2012 NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament 2012 Final Four logo Season 2011 -- 12 Teams 68 Finals site Mercedes - Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana Champions Kentucky Wildcats ( 8th title, 11th title game, 15th Final Four ) Runner - up Kansas Jayhawks ( 9th title game, 14th Final Four ) Semifinalists Louisville Cardinals ( vacated ) ( 9th Final Four ) Ohio State Buckeyes ( 11th Final Four ) Winning coach John Calipari ( 1st title ) MOP Anthony Davis ( Kentucky ) NCAA Division I Men 's Tournaments `` 2011 2013 '' The 2012 NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament was a single - elimination tournament involving 68 schools playing to determine the national champion of men 's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 2012, and concluded with the championship game on April 2 at the Mercedes - Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The Final Four consisted of Kentucky, making their second appearance in the Final Four under John Calipari, Louisville, making their second appearance under Rick Pitino and first since 2005, Kansas, making their first appearance since winning the 2008 national championship under head coach Bill Self by defeating Calipari 's Memphis team, and Ohio State, making their first appearance since their runner - up finish in 2007 and second under coach Thad Matta. Kentucky defeated Kansas 67 - 59 to win their first national championship since Tubby Smith led the team there in 1998. This was Calipari 's first national championship in four trips to the Final Four, having previously gone there with Kentucky in 2011, Memphis in 2008 and Massachusetts in 1996. Upsets were once again the story of the tournament in 2012, and for the first time ever two # 15 seeds won in the same tournament. In the South Region, # 15 Lehigh of the Patriot League defeated # 2 Duke. In the West Region, # 15 Norfolk State of the MEAC, making their first ever NCAA tournament appearance, defeated # 2 Missouri. In addition to this, Ohio won a game as a double digit seed for the second time in four tournaments as the # 13 seed Bobcats defeated # 4 seed Michigan to advance to the third round of the Midwest Region. A team from the First Four games also won in the Round of 64 for the second consecutive year as South Florida defeated Midwest # 5 seed Temple, setting up a # 12 vs. # 13 matchup that Ohio won. Virginia Commonwealth, a Final Four team from 2011 as an # 11 seed, made the 2012 tournament as a # 12 seed and once again made the round of 32 by defeating South # 5 seed Wichita State. The South Region saw four double digit seeds win in their opening games, as Colorado and Xavier joined VCU and Lehigh as victors. Xavier advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, where they were defeated by Baylor. Despite the upsets, all four top seeds advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2009. Three made it to the Elite Eight, as only Michigan State of the West Region lost. Kentucky was the only one to advance to the Final Four as Syracuse and North Carolina lost in their regional finals. Two teams made their first NCAA tournament appearances in school history : MEAC champion Norfolk State and Summit League champion South Dakota State. Ivy League champion Harvard made its first appearance since 1946. All four teams from the state of Ohio ( Cincinnati, Ohio, Ohio State, and Xavier ) made it to the Sweet 16, marking the first time in tournament history any state has been represented by four teams in the round of 16. This tournament was also the first tournament since 1985 to feature no teams in the Sweet 16 from the Mountain or Pacific Time Zones. It is also the first tournament ever that both national semifinals and the national championship game were regular season rematches. Contents 1 Tournament procedure 2 Tournament schedule and venues 3 Automatic qualifiers 4 Qualified teams 5 Qualifying teams 5.1 Automatic bids 5.2 At - large bids 5.3 Listed by region and seeding 5.4 Conferences with multiple bids 6 Last four teams out 7 Bids by state 8 Bracket 8.1 First Four -- Dayton, Ohio 8.2 South Regional -- Atlanta, Georgia 8.2. 1 South Regional all - tournament team 8.3 West Regional -- Phoenix, Arizona 8.3. 1 West Regional all - tournament team 8.4 East Regional -- Boston, Massachusetts 8.4. 1 East Regional all - tournament team 8.5 Midwest Regional -- St. Louis, Missouri 8.5. 1 Midwest Regional all - tournament team 8.6 Final Four -- Mercedes - Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana 8.6. 1 Final Four all - tournament team 9 Game summaries 9.1 Final Four 9.2 National Championship 10 Record by conference 11 Media 11.1 Television 11.1. 1 Studio hosts 11.1. 2 Studio analysts 11.1. 3 Announcing teams 11.1. 4 Number of games per network 11.2 Radio 11.2. 1 First Four 11.2. 2 Second and Third Round 11.2. 3 Regionals 11.2. 4 Final Four 12 Courts 13 See also 14 References Tournament procedure Further information : NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball Championship § Current tournament format A total of 68 teams entered the tournament. Thirty out of 31 automatic bids were given to the teams that won their conference tournament. The remaining automatic bid was awarded to the Ivy League regular season champion since they do not hold a conference tournament. The remaining 37 teams were granted `` at - large '' bids, which were extended by the NCAA Selection Committee on March 11. Eight teams -- the four lowest - seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest - seeded at - large teams -- will play 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 will advance to the main draw of the tournament. For the first time ever, the Selection Committee publicly disclosed the overall rankings for each team, which are listed below. Tournament Schedule and venues Dayton Nashville Pittsburgh Greensboro Louisville Columbus Omaha Portland Albuquerque 2012 First Four ( orange ), and second and third rounds ( green ) St. Louis Atlanta Boston Phoenix New Orleans 2012 Regionals ( blue ) and Final Four ( red ) The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 2012 tournament : First Four ( March 13 and 14 ) University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio ( Host : University of Dayton ) Second and third rounds March 15 and 17 Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon ( Host : University of Oregon ) University Arena ( `` The Pit '' ), Albuquerque, New Mexico ( Host : University of New Mexico ) Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ( Host : Duquesne University ) KFC Yum ! Center, Louisville, Kentucky ( Host : University of Louisville ) March 16 and 18 Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio ( Host : Ohio State University ) CenturyLink Center Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska ( Host : Creighton University ) Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee ( Host : Ohio Valley Conference ) Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina ( Host : Atlantic Coast Conference ) Regional sites March 22 and 24 East Regional, TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts ( Host : Boston College ) West Regional, US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona ( Host : Arizona State University ) March 23 and 25 Midwest Regional, Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri ( Host : Saint Louis University ) South Regional, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia ( Host : Georgia Institute of Technology ) Final Four - New Orleans ( March 31 and April 2 ) Mercedes - Benz Superdome ( Host : Tulane University ) The Final Four returned to the Superdome for the fifth time overall and first time since before Hurricane Katrina ; it is scheduled to host again in 2022. The tournament saw two new arenas in previous host cities. For the first time since 1991, the tournament returned to the city of Louisville at its new KFC Yum ! Center, the downtown home of the Louisville Cardinals and successor venue to Freedom Hall. And for the first time in ten years, the city of Pittsburgh hosted the tournament, this time at Consol Energy Center, which replaced the Civic Arena as Pittsburgh 's main arena. As of 2018, this is the most recent year hosting for the Dome at America 's Center, the Greensboro Coliseum, The Pit and Talking Stick Resort Arena ; of these, only the Greensboro Coliseum has been selected thus far for a future site, in 2020. Automatic qualifiers The following teams were automatic qualifiers for the 2012 NCAA field by virtue of winning their conference 's tournament ( except for the Ivy League, whose regular - season champion received the automatic bid ). Conference School Appearance Last bid America East Vermont 5th Atlantic 10 St. Bonaventure 6th 2000 ACC Florida State 14th 2011 Atlantic Sun Belmont 5th 2011 Big 12 Missouri 25th 2011 Big East Louisville 38th 2011 Big Sky Montana 9th Big South UNC Asheville 3rd 2011 Big Ten Michigan State 26th 2011 Big West Long Beach State 6th 2007 Colonial VCU 12th 2011 C - USA Memphis 24th 2011 Horizon Detroit 6th 1999 Ivy League Harvard 2nd 1946 MAAC Loyola ( MD ) 2nd 1994 MAC Ohio 12th MEAC Norfolk State 1st Never Missouri Valley Creighton 17th 2007 Mountain West New Mexico 13th Northeast Long Island 5th 2011 Ohio Valley Murray State 15th Pac - 12 Colorado 11th 2003 Patriot Lehigh 5th SEC Vanderbilt 13th 2011 Southern Davidson 11th 2008 Southland Lamar 6th 2000 SWAC Mississippi Valley State 5th 2008 Summit South Dakota State 1st Never Sun Belt Western Kentucky 22nd 2009 West Coast Saint Mary 's 7th WAC New Mexico State 19th Qualified teams Further information : 2012 NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament : qualifying teams Qualifying teams Team names are those used on CBSsports.com scoreboards and team pages. Automatic bids Automatic bids to the tournament were granted for winning a conference championship tournament, except for the automatic bid of the Ivy League given to the regular season champion. Seeds listed were seeds within the conference tournaments. Runners - up in bold face were given at - large berths. Automatic bids Qualifying school Record ( Conf. ) Last app. Conference regular season Regular season second place Second place record ( Conf. ) Harvard 26 -- 4 ( 12 -- 2 ) 1946 Ivy League Penn 19 -- 12 ( 11 -- 3 ) Qualifying school Record ( Conf. ) Seed Last app. Conference tournament Conf. finals runner - up Runner - up record ( Conf. ) Runner - up seed Florida State 24 -- 9 ( 12 -- 4 ) 2011 ACC North Carolina 29 -- 5 ( 14 -- 2 ) Vermont 23 -- 11 ( 13 -- 3 ) America East Stony Brook 22 -- 9 ( 14 -- 2 ) St. Bonaventure 20 -- 11 ( 10 - 6 ) 2000 Atlantic 10 Xavier 21 -- 12 ( 10 -- 6 ) Belmont 26 -- 7 ( 16 -- 2 ) 2011 Atlantic Sun Florida Gulf Coast 15 -- 17 ( 18 -- 10 ) 6 Missouri 30 -- 4 ( 14 -- 4 ) 2011 Big 12 Baylor 27 - 7 ( 12 -- 6 ) Louisville 26 -- 9 ( 10 -- 8 ) 7 2011 Big East Cincinnati 24 -- 9 ( 12 -- 6 ) Montana 25 -- 6 ( 15 -- 1 ) Big Sky Weber State 24 -- 6 ( 14 -- 2 ) UNC Asheville 24 -- 9 ( 16 -- 2 ) 2011 Big South VMI 17 -- 16 ( 8 -- 10 ) 7 Michigan State 27 -- 7 ( 13 -- 5 ) 2011 Big Ten Ohio State 27 -- 7 ( 13 -- 5 ) Long Beach State 25 -- 8 ( 15 -- 1 ) 2007 Big West UC Santa Barbara 20 -- 10 ( 12 -- 4 ) VCU 28 -- 6 ( 15 -- 3 ) 2011 CAA Drexel 27 -- 6 ( 16 -- 2 ) Memphis 26 -- 8 ( 13 -- 3 ) 2011 C - USA Marshall 21 -- 13 ( 9 -- 7 ) 6 Detroit 22 -- 13 ( 11 -- 7 ) 1999 Horizon Valparaiso 22 -- 11 ( 14 -- 4 ) Loyola ( MD ) 24 -- 8 ( 13 -- 5 ) 1994 MAAC Fairfield 19 -- 14 ( 12 -- 6 ) Ohio 27 -- 7 ( 11 -- 5 ) MAC Akron 22 -- 11 ( 13 -- 3 ) Norfolk State 25 -- 9 ( 13 -- 3 ) Never MEAC Bethune - Cookman 18 -- 17 ( 11 -- 5 ) Creighton 28 -- 5 ( 14 -- 4 ) 2007 Missouri Valley Illinois State 20 -- 13 ( 9 -- 9 ) New Mexico 27 -- 6 ( 10 -- 4 ) Mountain West San Diego State 26 -- 6 ( 10 -- 4 ) Long Island 25 -- 8 ( 16 -- 2 ) 2011 Northeast Robert Morris 24 -- 9 ( 13 -- 5 ) Murray State 30 -- 1 ( 15 -- 1 ) Ohio Valley Tennessee State 20 -- 12 ( 11 -- 5 ) Colorado 22 -- 11 ( 11 -- 7 ) 6 2003 Pac - 12 Arizona 23 - 10 ( 12 -- 6 ) Lehigh 26 -- 7 ( 11 -- 3 ) Patriot Bucknell 24 -- 8 ( 12 -- 2 ) Vanderbilt 24 -- 10 ( 11 -- 6 ) 2011 SEC Kentucky 32 -- 2 ( 16 -- 1 ) Davidson 25 -- 7 ( 16 -- 2 ) South 1 2008 Southern Western Carolina 17 -- 17 ( 8 -- 10 ) North 4 Lamar 23 -- 11 ( 11 -- 5 ) 2000 Southland McNeese State 17 -- 15 ( 10 -- 6 ) South Dakota State 27 -- 7 ( 15 -- 3 ) Never Summit Western Illinois 18 -- 14 ( 9 -- 9 ) Western Kentucky 15 -- 18 ( 7 -- 9 ) East 4 2009 Sun Belt North Texas 18 -- 14 ( 9 -- 7 ) West 4 Mississippi Valley State 21 -- 12 ( 17 -- 1 ) 2008 SWAC Texas Southern 15 -- 18 ( 15 -- 6 ) New Mexico State 26 -- 9 ( 10 -- 4 ) WAC Louisiana Tech 18 -- 16 ( 6 -- 8 ) 5 Saint Mary 's 27 -- 5 ( 14 -- 2 ) West Coast Gonzaga 25 -- 6 ( 13 -- 3 ) At - large bids Team Conference Last appearance # of appearances Alabama SEC 2006 20 Baylor Big 12 2011 7 BYU West Coast 2011 27 California Pac 12 16 Cincinnati Big East 2011 26 Colorado State Mountain West 2003 9 Connecticut Big East 2011 30 Duke ACC 2011 36 Florida SEC 2011 15 Georgetown Big East 2011 28 Gonzaga West Coast 2011 15 Indiana Big Ten 2008 36 Iona MAAC 2006 8 Iowa State Big 12 2005 14 Kansas Big 12 2011 41 Kansas State Big 12 2011 26 Kentucky SEC 2011 52 Marquette Big East 2011 30 Michigan Big Ten 2011 19 NC State ACC 2006 21 North Carolina ACC 2011 43 Notre Dame Big East 2011 32 Ohio State Big Ten 2011 24 Purdue Big Ten 2011 25 Saint Louis Atlantic 10 2000 7 San Diego State Mountain West 2011 8 South Florida Big East 1992 Southern Miss Conference USA 1991 Syracuse Big East 2011 35 Temple Atlantic 10 2011 30 Texas Big 12 2011 30 UNLV Mountain West 2011 19 Virginia ACC 2007 17 West Virginia Big East 2011 25 Wichita State Missouri Valley 2006 9 Wisconsin Big Ten 2011 18 Xavier Atlantic 10 2011 23 Listed by region and seeding East Regional -- Boston, Massachusetts Seed School Conference Record Berth type Overall rank Syracuse Big East 31 -- 2 At - large Ohio State Big Ten 27 -- 7 At - large 7 Florida State ACC 24 -- 9 Automatic 11 Wisconsin Big Ten 24 -- 9 At - large 14 5 Vanderbilt SEC 24 -- 10 Automatic 18 6 Cincinnati Big East 24 -- 10 At - large 22 7 Gonzaga West Coast 25 -- 6 At - large 27 8 Kansas State Big 12 21 -- 10 At - large 32 9 Southern Miss C - USA 25 -- 8 At - large 35 10 West Virginia Big East 19 -- 13 At - large 38 11 Texas Big 12 20 -- 13 At - large 43 12 Harvard Ivy League 26 -- 4 Automatic 46 13 Montana Big Sky 25 -- 6 Automatic 55 14 St. Bonaventure Atlantic 10 20 -- 11 Automatic 58 15 Loyola MAAC 24 -- 8 Automatic 59 16 UNC Asheville Big South 24 -- 9 Automatic 64 Midwest Regional -- St. Louis, Missouri Seed School Conference Record Berth type Overall rank North Carolina ACC 29 -- 5 At - large Kansas Big 12 27 -- 6 At - large 5 Georgetown Big East 23 -- 8 At - large 12 Michigan Big Ten 24 -- 9 At - large 13 5 Temple Atlantic Ten 24 -- 7 At - large 17 6 San Diego State Mountain West 26 -- 7 At - large 24 7 Saint Mary 's West Coast 27 -- 5 Automatic 26 8 Creighton Missouri Valley 28 -- 5 Automatic 29 9 Alabama SEC 21 -- 11 At - large 33 10 Purdue Big Ten 21 -- 12 At - large 37 11 NC State ACC 22 -- 12 At - large 42 12 * California Pac - 12 24 -- 9 At - large 45 South Florida Big East 20 -- 13 At - large 47 13 Ohio MAC 27 -- 7 Automatic 52 14 Belmont Atlantic Sun 27 -- 7 Automatic 57 15 Detroit Horizon 22 -- 13 Automatic 61 16 * Lamar Southland 23 -- 11 Automatic 65 Vermont America East 23 -- 11 Automatic 66 South Regional -- Atlanta, Georgia Seed School Conference Record Berth type Overall rank Kentucky SEC 32 -- 2 At - large Duke ACC 27 -- 6 At - large 6 Baylor Big 12 27 -- 7 At - large 9 Indiana Big Ten 25 -- 8 At - large 15 5 Wichita State Missouri Valley 27 -- 5 At - large 19 6 UNLV Mountain West 26 -- 8 At - large 21 7 Notre Dame Big East 22 -- 11 At - large 25 8 Iowa State Big 12 22 -- 10 At - large 30 9 Connecticut Big East 20 -- 13 At - large 34 10 Xavier Atlantic 10 21 -- 12 At - large 40 11 Colorado Pac - 12 23 -- 11 Automatic 44 12 VCU Colonial 28 -- 6 Automatic 49 13 New Mexico State WAC 26 -- 9 Automatic 54 14 South Dakota State Summit 27 -- 7 Automatic 56 15 Lehigh Patriot 26 -- 7 Automatic 60 16 * Mississippi Valley State SWAC 21 -- 12 Automatic 67 Western Kentucky Sun Belt 15 -- 18 Automatic 68 West Regional -- Phoenix, Arizona Seed School Conference Record Berth type Overall rank Michigan State Big Ten 27 -- 7 Automatic Missouri Big 12 30 -- 4 Automatic 8 Marquette Big East 25 -- 7 At - large 10 Louisville Big East 26 -- 9 Automatic 16 5 New Mexico Mountain West 27 -- 6 Automatic 20 6 Murray State Ohio Valley 30 -- 1 Automatic 23 7 Florida SEC 23 -- 10 At - large 28 8 Memphis C - USA 26 -- 8 Automatic 31 9 Saint Louis Atlantic 10 25 -- 7 At - large 36 10 Virginia ACC 22 -- 9 At - large 39 11 Colorado State Mountain West 20 -- 11 At - large 41 12 Long Beach State Big West 25 -- 8 Automatic 51 13 Davidson Southern 25 -- 7 Automatic 53 14 * BYU West Coast 25 -- 8 At - large 48 Iona MAAC 25 -- 7 At - large 50 15 Norfolk State MEAC 25 -- 9 Automatic 62 16 Long Island Northeast 25 -- 8 Automatic 63 * See First Four. Conferences with multiple bids Bids Conference Schools 9 Big East Cincinnati, Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, South Florida, Syracuse, West Virginia 6 Big Ten Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin 6 Big 12 Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Texas 5 ACC Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia SEC Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt Mountain West Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV Atlantic 10 St. Bonaventure, Saint Louis, Temple, Xavier West Coast Saint Mary 's, Gonzaga, BYU Pac - 12 California, Colorado Conference USA Memphis, Southern Miss MAAC Iona, Loyola ( MD ) Missouri Valley Creighton, Wichita State All other conferences have only one bid ( see Automatic Bids ) NOTE : Teams in bold represent the conference 's automatic bid. Last Four teams out The Selection Committee also announced the last four teams out of the tournament as part of the Hardcore Brackets special following announcement of the teams. In order, they were Oral Roberts, Miami ( Florida ), Nevada, and Drexel. Oral Roberts, Nevada, and Drexel were automatically selected, as regular - season champions, for berths in the National Invitation Tournament, while Miami was also selected for a berth by the NIT Selection Committee. Bids by state Bids State ( s ) Schools 5 North Carolina Davidson, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, UNC Asheville California California, Long Beach State, Saint Mary 's, San Diego State Kentucky Kentucky, Louisville, Murray State, Western Kentucky New York Iona, Long Island, St. Bonaventure, Syracuse Ohio Cincinnati, Ohio, Ohio State, Xavier Florida Florida, Florida State, South Florida Indiana Indiana, Notre Dame, Purdue Kansas Kansas, Kansas State, Wichita State Michigan Detroit, Michigan, Michigan State Tennessee Belmont, Memphis, Vanderbilt Texas Baylor, Lamar, Texas Virginia Norfolk State, Virginia, VCU Colorado Colorado, Colorado State Mississippi Mississippi Valley State, Southern Miss Missouri Missouri, Saint Louis New Mexico New Mexico, New Mexico State Pennsylvania Lehigh, Temple Wisconsin Marquette, Wisconsin Alabama Alabama Connecticut Connecticut Iowa Iowa State Maryland Loyola ( MD ) Massachusetts Harvard Montana Montana Nebraska Creighton Nevada UNLV South Dakota South Dakota State Utah BYU Vermont Vermont Washington Gonzaga Washington, D.C. Georgetown West Virginia West Virginia Bracket * -- Denotes overtime period Unless otherwise noted, all times listed are Eastern Daylight Time ( UTC - 04 ) First Four -- dayton, Ohio South # 16 seed March 13 16 Mississippi Valley State 58 16 Western Kentucky 59 Midwest # 16 seed March 14 16 Lamar 59 16 Vermont 71 West # 14 seed March 13 14 BYU 78 14 Iona 72 Midwest # 12 seed March 14 12 California 54 12 South Florida 65 Both games on March 13 saw historic comebacks : In the opener, Western Kentucky trailed by 16 points with 4 : 51 remaining before storming back to win 59 -- 58. It was the largest comeback in the last five minutes of an NCAA tournament game ; the previous record was 15 by Illinois against Arizona in the 2005 Elite Eight. In the second game of the night, BYU set a record for the largest comeback in a NCAA tournament game, as they were down by 25 points at one point and came back to beat Iona 78 -- 72. The largest previous deficit overcome in the tournament was 22 points by Duke against Maryland in the 2001 national semifinals. In addition, the March 13 session was notable for the attendance of Barack Obama, president of the United States, and David Cameron, prime minister of Great Britain. Cameron was in the U.S. for bilateral political and economic talks with Obama. South regional -- atlanta, georgia First round March 15 -- 16 Second round March 17 -- 18 Regional semifinals March 23 Regional finals March 25 Kentucky 81 16 Western Kentucky 66 Kentucky 87 Louisville -- Thu / Sat 8 Iowa State 71 8 Iowa State 77 9 Connecticut 64 Kentucky 102 Indiana 90 5 Wichita State 59 12 VCU 62 12 VCU 61 Portland -- Thu / Sat Indiana 63 Indiana 79 13 New Mexico State 66 Kentucky 82 Baylor 70 6 UNLV 64 11 Colorado 68 11 Colorado 63 Albuquerque -- Thu / Sat Baylor 80 Baylor 68 14 South Dakota State 60 Baylor 75 10 Xavier 70 7 Notre Dame 63 10 Xavier 67 10 Xavier 70 Greensboro -- Fri / Sun 15 Lehigh 58 Duke 70 15 Lehigh 75 South regional all - tournament team Regional all - tournament team : Quincy Acy, Baylor ; Anthony Davis, Kentucky ; Doron Lamb, Kentucky ; Christian Watford, Indiana. Regional most outstanding player : Michael Kidd - Gilchrist, Kentucky West regional -- phoenix, Arizona First round March 15 -- 16 Second round March 17 -- 18 Regional semifinals March 22 Regional finals March 24 Michigan State 89 16 Long Island 67 Michigan State 65 Columbus -- Fri / Sun 9 Saint Louis 61 8 Memphis 54 9 Saint Louis 61 Michigan State 44 Louisville 57 5 New Mexico 75 12 Long Beach State 68 5 New Mexico 56 Portland -- Thu / Sat Louisville 59 Louisville 69 13 Davidson 62 Louisville 72 7 Florida 68 6 Murray State 58 11 Colorado State 41 6 Murray State 53 Louisville -- Thu / Sat Marquette 62 Marquette 88 14 BYU 68 Marquette 58 7 Florida 68 7 Florida 71 10 Virginia 45 7 Florida 84 Omaha -- Fri / Sun 15 Norfolk State 50 Missouri 84 15 Norfolk State 86 West regional all - tournament team Regional all - tournament team : Bradley Beal, Florida ; Gorgui Dieng, Louisville ; Draymond Green, Michigan State ; Peyton Siva, Louisville. Regional most outstanding player : Chane Behanan, Louisville East regional -- Boston, Massachusetts First round March 15 -- 16 Second round March 17 -- 18 Regional semifinals March 22 Regional finals March 24 Syracuse 72 16 UNC Asheville 65 Syracuse 75 Pittsburgh -- Thu / Sat 8 Kansas State 59 8 Kansas State 70 9 Southern Miss 64 Syracuse 64 Wisconsin 63 5 Vanderbilt 79 12 Harvard 70 5 Vanderbilt 57 Albuquerque -- Thu / Sat Wisconsin 60 Wisconsin 73 13 Montana 49 Syracuse 70 Ohio State 77 6 Cincinnati 65 11 Texas 59 6 Cincinnati 62 Nashville -- Fri / Sun Florida State 56 Florida State 66 14 St. Bonaventure 63 6 Cincinnati 66 Ohio State 81 7 Gonzaga 77 10 West Virginia 54 7 Gonzaga 66 Pittsburgh -- Thu / Sat Ohio State 73 Ohio State 78 15 Loyola ( MD ) 59 East regional all - tournament team Regional all - tournament team : Scoop Jardine, Syracuse ; Lenzelle Smith, Jr., Ohio State ; Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin ; Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State. Regional most outstanding player : Jared Sullinger, Ohio State Midwest regional -- St. louis, Missouri First round March 16 Second round March 18 Regional semifinals March 23 Regional finals March 25 North Carolina 77 16 Vermont 58 North Carolina 87 Greensboro -- Fri / Sun 8 Creighton 73 8 Creighton 58 9 Alabama 57 North Carolina 73 * 13 Ohio 65 5 Temple 44 12 South Florida 58 12 South Florida 56 Nashville -- Fri / Sun 13 Ohio 62 Michigan 60 13 Ohio 65 North Carolina 67 Kansas 80 6 San Diego State 65 11 North Carolina State 79 11 North Carolina State 66 Columbus -- Fri / Sun Georgetown 63 Georgetown 74 14 Belmont 59 11 North Carolina State 57 Kansas 60 7 Saint Mary 's 69 10 Purdue 72 10 Purdue 60 Omaha -- Fri / Sun Kansas 63 Kansas 65 15 Detroit 50 Midwest regional all - tournament team Regional all - tournament team : Walter Offutt, Ohio ; Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas ; Jeff Withey, Kansas ; Tyler Zeller, North Carolina. Regional most outstanding player : Thomas Robinson, Kansas Final Four -- Mercedes - Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana National Semifinals March 31 National Championship Game April 2 S1 Kentucky 69 W4 Louisville 61 S1 Kentucky 67 MW2 Kansas 59 E2 Ohio State 62 MW2 Kansas 64 Final Four all - tournament team Final Four all - tournament team : Anthony Davis, Kentucky ; Michael Kidd - Gilchrist, Kentucky ; Doron Lamb, Kentucky ; Thomas Robinson, Kansas ; Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas Final Four most outstanding player : Anthony Davis, Kentucky Game summaries Final Four CBS March 31 6 : 09 pm Recap Louisville Cardinals 61, Kentucky Wildcats 69 Scoring by half : 28 -- 35, 33 -- 34 Pts : P. Siva 11 Rebs : G. Dieng 12 Asts : P. Siva 3 Pts : A. Davis 18 Rebs : A. Davis 14 Asts : M. Teague 5 Mercedes - Benz Superdome -- New Orleans, LA CBS March 31 9 : 05 pm Recap Ohio State Buckeyes 62, Kansas Jayhawks 64 Scoring by half : 34 -- 25, 28 -- 39 Pts : W. Buford 19 Rebs : J. Sullinger 11 Asts : A. Craft 3 Pts : T. Robinson 18 Rebs : E. Johnson 10 Asts : T. Taylor 9 Mercedes - Benz Superdome -- New Orleans, LA National Championship Main article : 2012 NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball Championship Game CBS April 2 9 : 23 pm Recap, Box score Kansas Jayhawks 59, Kentucky Wildcats 67 Scoring by half : 27 -- 41, 32 -- 26 Pts : T. Taylor 19 Rebs : T. Robinson 17 Asts : T. Taylor 3 Pts : D. Lamb 22 Rebs : A. Davis 16 Asts : A. Davis 5 Mercedes - Benz Superdome -- New Orleans, LA Attendance : 70,913 Referees : Verne Harris, Mark Whitehead, Mike Stuart Kentucky celebrating their 2012 NCAA Championship Record by conference Conference # of Bids Record Win % R64 R32 S16 E8 F4 CG NC SEC 10 -- 3. 769 Big 12 6 10 -- 6. 625 6 0 Big Ten 6 11 -- 6. 647 6 5 0 - 1 ! -- Big East 9 14 -- 9. 609 9 6 0 - 1 ! -- ACC 5 6 -- 5. 545 5 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- Atlantic 10 3 -- 4. 429 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- MAC 2 -- 1. 667 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- Mountain West 1 -- 4. 200 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- WCC 2 -- 3. 400 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- MVC 1 -- 2. 333 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- CAA 1 -- 1. 500 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- MEAC 1 -- 1. 500 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- OVC 1 -- 1. 500 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- Patriot 1 -- 1. 500 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- Pac - 12 1 -- 2. 333 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- C - USA 0 -- 2. 000 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- MAAC 0 -- 2. 000 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- America East 1 -- 1. 500 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- Sun Belt 1 -- 1. 500 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- Atlantic Sun 0 -- 1. 000 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- Big Sky 0 -- 1. 000 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- Big South 0 -- 1. 000 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- Big West 0 -- 1. 000 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- Horizon 0 -- 1. 000 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- Ivy 0 -- 1. 000 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- NEC 0 -- 1. 000 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- Southern 0 -- 1. 000 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- Summit 0 -- 1. 000 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- WAC 0 -- 1. 000 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- Southland 0 -- 1. 000 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- SWAC 0 -- 1. 000 0 - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- - 1 ! -- The R64, R32, S16, E8, F4, CG, and NC columns indicate how many teams from each conference were in the round of 64 ( second round ), round of 32 ( third round ), Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, championship game, and national champion, respectively. Media This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2012 ) Television 2012 marked the second year of a 14 - year partnership between CBS Sports and Turner Broadcasting 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 31st consecutive year. Studio hosts Greg Gumbel ( New York City and New Orleans ) -- Second Round, Third Round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game Ernie Johnson Jr. ( New York City and Atlanta ) -- First Four, Second Round, Third Round and Regional Semi-Finals Matt Winer ( Atlanta ) -- First Four, Second Round and Third Round Studio analysts Greg Anthony ( New York City and New Orleans ) -- First Four, Second Round, Third Round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game Charles Barkley ( New York City and New Orleans ) -- First Four, Second Round, Third Round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game Mike Brey ( Atlanta ) -- Third Round Seth Davis ( Atlanta and New Orleans ) -- First Four, Second Round, Third Round, Regional Semi-Finals, Final Four and National Championship Game Steve Lavin ( New York City ) -- Third Round Frank Martin ( New York City ) -- Regional Finals Shaka Smart ( Atlanta ) -- Regional Semi-Finals Kenny Smith ( New York City and New Orleans ) -- First Four, Second Round, Third Round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game Steve Smith ( Atlanta ) -- First Four, Second Round, Third Round and Regional Semi-Finals Jay Wright ( Atlanta ) -- First Four and Second Round Announcing teams Jim Nantz / Clark Kellogg / Steve Kerr / Tracy Wolfson -- First Four at Dayton, Ohio ; Second and Third Round at Greensboro, North Carolina ; South Regionals at Atlanta, Georgia ; Final Four at New Orleans, Louisiana Kerr joined Nantz and Kellogg during the First Four, Final Four, and National Championship games Marv Albert / Steve Kerr / Craig Sager -- Second and Third Round at Omaha, Nebraska ; Midwest Regionals at St. Louis, Missouri Verne Lundquist / Bill Raftery / Lesley Visser -- Second and Third Round at Louisville, Kentucky ; East Regionals at Boston, Massachusetts Kevin Harlan / Len Elmore / Reggie Miller / Marty Snider -- Second and Third Round at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ; West Regionals at Phoenix, Arizona Ian Eagle / Jim Spanarkel / Lewis Johnson -- First Four at Dayton, Ohio ; Second and Third Round at Nashville, Tennessee Brian Anderson / Dan Bonner / Jenn Hildreth -- Second and Third Round at Portland, Oregon Tim Brando / Mike Gminski / Otis Livingston -- Second and Third Round at Columbus, Ohio Spero Dedes / Bob Wenzel / Jaime Maggio -- Second and Third Round at Albuquerque, New Mexico Number of games per network CBS : 26 TBS : 16 TruTV : 13 TNT : 12 Radio Dial Global Sports ( formerly Westwood One ) and SiriusXM have live broadcasts of all 67 games. First Four Dave Ryan and Alaa Abdelnaby -- at Dayton, Ohio Second and Third Round Kevin Calabro and Bill Frieder -- Second and Third Round at Portland, Oregon Dave Sims and Michael Cage -- Second and Third Round at Albuquerque, New Mexico Scott Graham and Kevin Grevey -- Second and Third Round at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Ted Robinson and Kyle Macy -- Second and Third Round at Louisville, Kentucky Wayne Larrivee and John Thompson -- Second and Third Round at Columbus, Ohio Kevin Kugler and Tom Brennan -- Second and Third Round at Omaha, Nebraska Brad Sham and Pete Gillen -- Second and Third Round at Nashville, Tennessee Gary Cohen and Reid Gettys -- Second and Third Round at Greensboro, North Carolina Regionals Kevin Kugler and Pete Gillen -- East Regional at Boston, Massachusetts Wayne Larrivee and Fran Fraschilla -- Midwest Regional at St. Louis, Missouri Ian Eagle and John Thompson -- South Regional at Atlanta, Georgia Dave Sims and Bill Frieder -- West Regional at Phoenix, Arizona Final Four Kevin Kugler, John Thompson and Bill Raftery -- New Orleans, Louisiana Courts All tournament sites continued to use the uniform courts that were first introduced tournament - wide in 2010, except for a slight variation at the East Regionals in Boston at the TD Garden, where a parquet floor court pattern similar to that used by the hometown Boston Celtics was used. See also 2012 NCAA Division II Men 's Basketball Tournament 2012 NCAA Division III Men 's Basketball Tournament 2012 NCAA Division I Women 's Basketball Tournament 2012 NCAA Division II Women 's Basketball Tournament 2012 NCAA Division III Women 's Basketball Tournament 2012 National Invitation Tournament 2012 Women 's National Invitation Tournament 2012 NAIA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament 2012 NAIA Division II Men 's Basketball Tournament 2012 NAIA Division I Women 's Basketball Tournament 2012 NAIA Division II Women 's Basketball Tournament 2012 College Basketball Invitational 2012 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament References Jump up ^ Ohio is more than just Buckeye State ESPN.com, March 21, 2012 Jump up ^ Davis, Withey will host block party in final ESPN.com, April 1, 2012 Jump up ^ ' Hardcore ' breakdown of bracket NCAA, March 11, 2012 Jump up ^ 2012 NCAA tournament information Fox Sports, September 22, 2009 Jump up ^ First Four to remain in Dayton NCAA, July 8, 2011 Jump up ^ http://kansascity.sbnation.com/kansas-jayhawks/2012/3/11/2863087/ncaa-tournament-2012-drexel-nevada-miami-oral-roberts-bracket Jump up ^ `` Western Kentucky rallies from 16 down in final 5 minutes to win ''. ESPN.com. Associated Press. March 13, 2012. Retrieved March 16, 2012. Jump up ^ `` BYU rallies from 25 - point deficit to shock Iona ''. ESPN.com. Associated Press. March 13, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Three ' Cats on South Regional all - tournament team ''. CBS Sports. ^ Jump up to : `` Michigan State 's Draymond Green honored for NCAA tournament performance ''. ^ Jump up to : `` Ohio State 77, Syracuse 70 : Bucks do n't stop here ''. Metro West Daily News. ^ Jump up to : `` Robinson the biggest of KU 's big guys ''. Kansas City Star. ^ Jump up to : http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/18255833/ncaa-alltournament-teams Jump up ^ `` Television Sports Media Journal Page 8 ''. Sports Media Journal. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 30. Jump up ^ `` NCAA Tourney TV teams announced Sportscasters Talent Agency of America ''. Staatalent.com. 2012 - 02 - 23. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 30. Jump up ^ `` NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball Tourney Schedule with Announcer Assignments ''. Sports Media Journal. 2012 - 03 - 12. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 30. Jump up ^ `` CBS / Turner NCAA basketball announcer gigs for Sweet 16 ''. Content.usatoday.com. 2012 - 03 - 19. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 30. Jump up ^ Greenberg, Chris ( March 11, 2012 ). `` NCAA Tournament 2012 Schedule : Times, Announcers For First And Second Games ''. Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 30. Jump up ^ `` Television Sports Media Journal Page 4 ''. Sports Media Journal. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 30. Jump up ^ `` Television Sports Media Journal Page 5 ''. Sports Media Journal. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 30. Jump up ^ `` A New Name on the Airwaves '' ( Press release ). Dial Global Sports Inc. January 5, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012. Jump up ^ `` SiriusXM Offers Every Game Of The 2012 NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Championship '' ( Press release ). SiriusXM Radio Inc. March 8, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012. Jump up ^ http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2012-articles/march/your-first-a-second-round-ncaa-tournament-announcing-schedule.html NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament Tournaments 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1992 1994 1995 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Structure Selection process Venues # 1 seeds Opening Round Elite Eight Final Four National Championship Game Champions & awards Champions Most Outstanding Player Media & culture Bracketology Broadcasting Tournament Final Four March Madness pools `` One Shining Moment '' Records & statistics All - time team records Bids by school Bids by school and conference Consecutive appearances Final Four appearances by school Final Four participants Final Four appearances by coach Upsets 2012 NCAA Division I men 's basketball tournaments Conference ACC America East Atlantic 10 Atlantic Sun Big 12 Big East Big Sky Big South Big Ten Big West CAA Conference USA Great West Horizon MAAC MEAC Mid-American Missouri Valley Mountain West Northeast Ohio Valley Pac - 12 Patriot SEC Southern Southland SWAC Summit League Sun Belt WAC West Coast National NCAA NIT CBI CIT Kentucky Wildcats men 's basketball 2011 -- 12 NCAA champions 1 Darius Miller 3 Terrence Jones 5 Jarrod Polson 14 Michael Kidd - Gilchrist 20 Doron Lamb 23 Anthony Davis ( MOP ) 25 Marquis Teague 30 Eloy Vargas 33 Kyle Wiltjer Head coach John Calipari Assistant coaches Orlando Antigua Kenny Payne John Robic 2011 -- 12 NCAA Division I championships Baseball Men 's basketball Women 's basketball Bowling Cross country Fencing Field hockey Football ( FBS ) † Football ( FCS ) Men 's golf Women 's golf Men 's gymnastics Women 's gymnastics Men 's ice hockey Women 's ice hockey Indoor track and field Men 's lacrosse Women 's lacrosse Outdoor track and field Rifle Rowing Skiing Men 's soccer Women 's soccer Softball Men 's swimming and diving Women 's swimming and diving Tennis Men 's volleyball Women 's volleyball Men 's water polo Women 's water polo Wrestling † Not an officially sanctioned NCAA championship Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2012_NCAA_Division_I_Men%27s_Basketball_Tournament&oldid=839272320 '' Categories : 2011 -- 12 NCAA Division I men 's basketball season NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament Basketball in New Orleans Sports competitions in New Orleans 2012 in sports in Louisiana Sports in Portland, Oregon Mercedes - Benz Superdome Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from June 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links Articles needing additional references from March 2012 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Français Italiano Edit links This page was last edited on 2 May 2018, at 11 : 08. 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Question: who won the ncaa basketball championship in 2012
Answer: Kentucky Wildcats