2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

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2007 NCAA Men's Division I
Basketball Tournament
2007 Final Four logo
2007 Final Four logo
Teams 65
Finals Site Georgia Dome
Atlanta, Georgia
Champions Florida (2nd title)
Runner-Up Ohio State (5th title game)
Semifinalists Georgetown (5th Final Four)
UCLA (17th Final Four)
Winning Coach Billy Donovan (2nd title)
MOP Corey Brewer Florida
Attendance 696,992
Top scorer Ron Lewis Ohio State
(108 points)
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournaments
«2006  2008»

The 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 NCAA schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. Team selections were announced on March 11, 2007, and the tournament began on March 13, 2007 with the play-in game between Florida A&M and Niagara, and concluded with the championship game on April 2, 2007 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.[1] The Florida Gators repeated as national champions with an 84-75 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes. Florida's Corey Brewer was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament.[2] Florida became the first team to repeat since the 1991-92 Duke Blue Devils, and this was the first time in history that the exact same starting five were able to repeat as champions.[2]

This tournament was significant for bracketologists because it had many fewer upsets than in previous years. There were only 12 games in which a lower-seeded team defeated a higher-seeded team, and eight of these "upsets" were by teams ranked only one seed lower than their opponent. UNLV, seeded seventh in the Midwest Regional, was the lowest-seeded team to make it to the Sweet Sixteen. This marked the first time since the tournament expanded to 64 teams that no team seeded eighth or lower played in the Sweet Sixteen.

Contents

[edit] Tournament procedure

For more details on this topic, see NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship#Tournament format.

A total of 65 teams entered 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 post-season tournament, went to its regular season champion. The remaining 34 teams were granted "at-large" bids, which are extended by the NCAA Selection Committee. All teams are seeded 1 to 16 within their regionals, while the Selection Committee seeded the entire field from 1 to 65.

The first and second-round games were played at the following sites:

March 15 and 17
HSBC Arena, Buffalo, New York (Hosts: Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Canisius College and Niagara University)
ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California (Host: University of the Pacific)
Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky (Host: University of Kentucky)
Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, North Carolina (Host: Wake Forest University)
March 16 and 18
United Center, Chicago, Illinois (Host: Big Ten Conference)
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio (Host: Ohio State University)
Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, Washington (Host: Washington State University)
New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana (Host: Tulane University)

The NCAA had also resumed naming the regionals after geographic directions. Regionals were named after their host cities from 2004 to 2006. The regional final sites were:

March 22 and 24
South Regional, Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas (Host: University of Texas at San Antonio)
West Regional, HP Pavilion, San José, California (Host: San José State University)
March 23 and 25
East Regional, Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey (Host: Rutgers University)
Midwest Regional, Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri (Host: Missouri Valley Conference)

Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four at the Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia, hosted by Georgia Tech. The semi-final games were held on March 31 and the final on April 2, 2007

[edit] Qualifying teams

Main article: 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament: Qualifying Teams

Team names are those listed on the NCAA's scoreboard for the play-in game and first round matchups. Only UCLA, UNLV, and USC (Southern California) use abbreviations; all other names are unabbreviated except for the common abbreviation "A&M".[3]

Here are the top seeded teams in each regional and their overall seeds.

  • Midwest Regional (St. Louis) (top seed: Florida; top overall seed)
  • West Regional (San Jose) (top seed: Kansas; fourth overall seed)
  • East Regional (East Rutherford) (top seed: North Carolina; third overall seed)
  • South Regional (San Antonio) (top seed: Ohio State; second overall seed)

[edit] Listed by Grouping & Seeding

Midwest Regional - St. Louis
Seed School Conference Record Berth Type
#1 Florida SEC 29-5 Tournament Champion
#2 Wisconsin Big Ten 29-5 At-Large Bid
#3 Oregon Pac-10 26-7 Tournament Champion
#4 Maryland ACC 24-8 At-Large Bid
#5 Butler Horizon 27-6 At-Large Bid
#6 Notre Dame Big East 24-7 At-Large Bid
#7 UNLV Mountain West 28-6 Tournament Champion
#8 Arizona Pac-10 20-10 At-Large Bid
#9 Purdue Big Ten 21-11 At-Large Bid
#10 Georgia Tech ACC 20-11 At-Large Bid
#11 Winthrop Big South 28-4 Tournament Champion
#12 Old Dominion CAA 24-8 At-Large Bid
#13 Davidson Southern 29-4 Tournament Champion
#14 Miami (Ohio) Mid-American 18-14 Tournament Champion
#15 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Southland 26-6 Tournament Champion
#16 Jackson State SWAC 21-13 Tournament Champion
East Regional - East Rutherford
Seed School Conference Record Berth Type
#1 North Carolina ACC 28-6 Tournament Champion
#2 Georgetown Big East 26-6 Tournament Champion
#3 Washington State Pac-10 25-7 At-Large Bid
#4 Texas Big 12 24-9 At-Large Bid
#5 USC Pac-10 23-11 At-Large Bid
#6 Vanderbilt SEC 20-11 At-Large Bid
#7 Boston College ACC 20-11 At-Large Bid
#8 Marquette Big East 24-9 At-Large Bid
#9 Michigan State Big Ten 22-11 At-Large Bid
#10 Texas Tech Big 12 21-12 At-Large Bid
#11 George Washington Atlantic 10 23-8 Tournament Champion
#12 Arkansas SEC 21-13 At-Large Bid
#13 New Mexico State WAC 25-8 Tournament Champion
#14 Oral Roberts Mid-Continent 23-10 Tournament Champion
#15 Belmont Atlantic Sun 23-9 Tournament Champion
#16 Eastern Kentucky Ohio Valley 21-11 Tournament Champion
South Regional - San Antonio
Seed School Conference Record Berth Type
#1 Ohio State Big Ten 30-3 Tournament Champion
#2 Memphis C-USA 30-3 Tournament Champion
#3 Texas A&M Big 12 25-6 At-Large Bid
#4 Virginia ACC 20-10 At-Large Bid
#5 Tennessee SEC 22-10 At-Large Bid
#6 Louisville Big East 23-9 At-Large Bid
#7 Nevada WAC 28-4 At-Large Bid
#8 Brigham Young Mountain West 25-8 At-Large Bid
#9 Xavier Atlantic 10 24-8 At-Large Bid
#10 Creighton Missouri Valley 22-10 Tournament Champion
#11 Stanford Pac-10 18-12 At-Large Bid
#12 Long Beach State Big West 24-7 Tournament Champion
#13 Albany America East 23-9 Tournament Champion
#14 Penn Ivy 22-8 Regular Season Champion
#15 North Texas Sun Belt 23-10 Tournament Champion
#16 Central Connecticut State Northeast 22-11 Tournament Champion
West Regional - San Jose
Seed School Conference Record Berth Type
#1 Kansas Big 12 30-4 Tournament Champion
#2 UCLA Pac-10 26-5 At-Large Bid
#3 Pittsburgh Big East 27-7 At-Large Bid
#4 Southern Illinois Missouri Valley 27-6 At-Large Bid
#5 Virginia Tech ACC 21-11 At-Large Bid
#6 Duke ACC 22-10 At-Large Bid
#7 Indiana Big Ten 20-10 At-Large Bid
#8 Kentucky SEC 21-11 At-Large Bid
#9 Villanova Big East 22-10 At-Large Bid
#10 Gonzaga WCC 23-10 Tournament Champion
#11 Virginia Commonwealth CAA 27-6 Tournament Champion
#12 Illinois Big Ten 23-11 At-Large Bid
#13 Holy Cross Patriot 25-8 Tournament Champion
#14 Wright State Horizon 23-9 Tournament Champion
#15 Weber State Big Sky 20-11 Tournament Champion
#16 Niagara
(Play-in Winner)		 MAAC 22-11 Tournament Champion
#16B Florida A&M
(Play-in Loser)		 MEAC 21-13 Tournament Champion

[edit] Brackets

(*) - Number of asterisks denotes number of overtimes.

[edit] Final Four – Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

  National Semifinals
March 31		 National Championship
April 2
                 
M1  Florida 76  
W2  UCLA 66  
    M1  Florida 84
  S1  Ohio State 75
E2  Georgetown 60
S1  Ohio State 67  

[edit] Midwest Regional – St. Louis, Missouri

  First round
March 15-16		 Second round
March 17-18		 Regional semifinals
March 23		 Regional finals
March 25
                                     
1  Florida 112  
16  Jackson State 69  
  1  Florida 74  
New Orleans
  9  Purdue 67  
8  Arizona 63
9  Purdue 72  
  1  Florida 65  
  5  Butler 57  
5  Butler 57  
12  Old Dominion 46  
  5  Butler 62
Buffalo
  4  Maryland 59  
4  Maryland 82
13  Davidson 70  
  1  Florida 85
  3  Oregon 77
6  Notre Dame 64  
11  Winthrop 74  
  11  Winthrop 61
Spokane
  3  Oregon 75  
3  Oregon 58
14  Miami (Ohio) 56  
  3  Oregon 76
  7  UNLV 72  
7  UNLV 67  
10  Georgia Tech 63  
  7  UNLV 74
Chicago
  2  Wisconsin 68  
2  Wisconsin 76
15  Texas A&M-CC 1 63  

[edit] West Regional – San Jose, California

  First round
March 15-16		 Second round
March 17-18		 Regional semifinals
March 22		 Regional finals
March 24
                                     
1  Kansas 107  
16  Niagara 67  
  1  Kansas 88  
Chicago
  8  Kentucky 76  
8  Kentucky 67
9  Villanova 58  
  1  Kansas 61  
  4  Southern Illinois 58  
5  Virginia Tech 54  
12  Illinois 52  
  5  Virginia Tech 48
Columbus
  4  Southern Illinois 63  
4  Southern Illinois 61
13  Holy Cross 51  
  1  Kansas 55
  2  UCLA 68
6  Duke 77  
11  VCU 79  
  11  VCU 79
Buffalo
  3  Pittsburgh 84*  
3  Pittsburgh 79
14  Wright State 58  
  3  Pittsburgh 55
  2  UCLA 64  
7  Indiana 70  
10  Gonzaga 57  
  7  Indiana 49
Sacramento
  2  UCLA 54  
2  UCLA 70
15  Weber State 42  

[edit] East Regional – East Rutherford, New Jersey

  First round
March 15-16		 Second round
March 17-18		 Regional semifinals
March 23		 Regional finals
March 25
                                     
1  North Carolina 86  
16  Eastern Kentucky 65  
  1  North Carolina 81  
Winston-Salem
  9  Michigan State 67  
8  Marquette 49
9  Michigan State 61  
  1  North Carolina 74  
  5  USC 64  
5  USC 77  
12  Arkansas 60  
  5  USC 87
Spokane
  4  Texas 68  
4  Texas 79
13  New Mexico State 67  
  1  North Carolina 84
  2  Georgetown 96*
6  Vanderbilt 77  
11  George Washington 44  
  6  Vanderbilt 78**
Sacramento
  3  Washington State 74  
3  Washington State 70
14  Oral Roberts 54  
  6  Vanderbilt 65
  2  Georgetown 66  
7  Boston College 84  
10  Texas Tech 75  
  7  Boston College 55
Winston-Salem
  2  Georgetown 62  
2  Georgetown 80
15  Belmont 55  

[edit] South Regional – San Antonio, Texas

  First round
March 15-16		 Second round
March 17-18		 Regional semifinals
March 22		 Regional finals
March 24
                                     
1  Ohio State 78  
16  Central Connecticut State 57  
  1  Ohio State 78*  
Lexington
  9  Xavier 71  
8  BYU 77
9  Xavier 79  
  1  Ohio State 85  
  5  Tennessee 84  
5  Tennessee 121  
12  Long Beach State 86  
  5  Tennessee 77
Columbus
  4  Virginia 74  
4  Virginia 84
13  Albany 57  
  1  Ohio State 92
  2  Memphis 76
6  Louisville 78  
11  Stanford 58  
  6  Louisville 69
Lexington
  3  Texas A&M 72  
3  Texas A&M 68
14  Penn 52  
  3  Texas A&M 64
  2  Memphis 65  
7  Nevada 77*  
10  Creighton 71  
  7  Nevada 62
New Orleans
  2  Memphis 78  
2  Memphis 73
15  North Texas 58  

[edit] Play-In Game – Dayton, Ohio

Winner advances to 16th seed in West Regional vs. (1) Kansas.

  Play-In Game
March 13
       
16a  Florida A&M 69
16b  Niagara 77

Schools listed with abbreviations:
1 - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

[edit] Scores and schedule

Unless otherwise specified, all games were on CBS, except for the play-in game, which aired on ESPN and two additional games. Those games were broadcast on CSTV except in the natural areas of the teams involved, as those were broadcast on CBS. Times listed are US EDT (UTC-4).

Team names are those listed on the NCAA's scoreboard for the play-in game and first-round matchups. Only UNLV and UCLA use abbreviations; all other names are unabbreviated except for the common abbreviation "A&M".

[edit] Opening Rounds

Main article: 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament: Opening Rounds

[edit] First round upsets, close games, and other facts

The two major upsets of the first round were #11 Virginia Commonwealth's win over #6 Duke (West Regional), and #11 Winthrop's win over #6 Notre Dame (Midwest Regional). VCU beat Duke, 79-77, on a shot by Eric Maynor with 1.8 seconds left, sending Duke out for the first time in the first round since 1996. Winthrop's highly-touted offense built a 21-point second-half lead before surviving a late Notre Dame rally to win, 74-64, earning their first tournament victory in school history. The only overtime game of the first round was in the South Regional, between #7 Nevada and #10 Creighton, ending 77-71 in favor of the Nevada Wolf Pack. Other close games included #3 Oregon squeaking by #14 Miami (Ohio), 58-56 (Midwest Regional), #5 Virginia Tech's win over #12 Illinois 54-52 (West Regional), and #9 Xavier's win over #8 BYU, 79-77 (South Regional). The highest score accumulated by a team in the 2007 tournament went to Tennessee's 121 points over Long Beach State (South Regional), which set a school record. This was the first year since 1993 that a #10 seed did not advance to the second round. It was also only the second time in the last 17 years that a #12 seed failed to advance against a #5 seed. #15 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi had leads of 10-0 and 25-7 in the first half against the #2 Wisconsin Badgers but Wisconsin prevailed 76-63.[4][5]

[edit] Second round upsets, close games, and other facts

The two biggest upsets of the second round were #6 Vanderbilt's win over #3 Washington State (East Regional) and #7 UNLV's win over #2 Wisconsin (Midwest Regional). Vanderbilt won a heart-stopper, 78-74, in double overtime. UNLV won by six points, 74-68, in their biggest win since the 1990s. Other overtime games included #1 Ohio State's 78-71 win over #9 Xavier (South Regional) and #3 Pittsburgh's 84-79 overtime victory over #11 Virginia Commonwealth (West Regional). Ohio State's Ron Lewis hit a three-pointer with two seconds remaining to force overtime against Xavier, and Pittsburgh fought Virginia Commonwealth's comeback from 19 points down to come up with the victory. Other close games were #3 Texas A&M over #6 Louisville, 72-69 (South Regional), #5 Butler's victory over #4 Maryland, 62-59 (Midwest Regional), and #5 Tennessee defeating #4 Virginia, 77-74 (South Regional). This tournament marked the first time since 1995 that a double-digit seed did not advance to the Sweet 16 (Midwest #7 seed UNLV was the lowest).[6][7]

[edit] Regional Semifinals (Sweet Sixteen) upsets, close games, other facts

No upsets or overtime games occurred in this round of the tournament, although there were several very close games. In the South Region, #2 Memphis barely defeated #3 Texas A&M as Aggie senior Acie Law, after a solid performance for most of the game, missed an open layup with under a minute left. A controversial clock situation with 3.1 seconds left added to the emotion. [8] #1 Ohio State sneaked past #5 Tennessee, coming back from 20 points down to win, 85-84, with a blocked shot by Buckeye Greg Oden with 0.2 seconds left. In the East Region, #2 Georgetown won possibly the most controversial game of the tournament, beating #6 Vanderbilt, 66-65, on a shot by Jeff Green with 2.5 seconds left. The play was controversial because some analysts and fans believe Green traveled before launching the shot. [9] [10] [11]

[edit] Regional Finals (Elite Eight)

The seeds of the Elite Eight teams were four #1s, three #2s, and one #3. This was the lowest combination of seeds in an Elite Eight since seeding began in the NCAA Tournament.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

  • South Final at San Antonio:
South Regional Final [12]
Teams 1st Half 2nd Half Final
Ohio State 41 51 92
Memphis 38 38 76

Although Ohio State star freshman Greg Oden got into early foul trouble, a close game at the half turned into a blowout as the Buckeyes went on a 20-8 run to win. Game leaders were Memphis' Jeremy Hunt with 26 points, and Robert Dozier with 11 rebounds. This ended Memphis' 25-game win streak, previously the longest in the nation. [13] [14]
  • West Final at San Jose:
West Regional Final [15]
Teams 1st Half 2nd Half Final
UCLA 35 33 68
Kansas 31 24 55
After a tight first-half, the Bruins slowly put away the top-seeded Jayhawks in the second-half using their 2006 national championship game experience, along with a strong defense. Shooting percentage was a key factor in the game as UCLA shot 53% to Kansas's 41%. UCLA's Arron Afflalo led all scorers with 24 points while Brandon Rush of Kansas led the Jayhawks with 18. UCLA and Kansas combined for 35 steals, breaking the previous tournament record of 28.[16]

Sunday, March 25, 2007

  • East Final at East Rutherford:
East Regional Final [17]
Teams 1st Half 2nd Half OT