The 2019 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's 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.[1][2]
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| Season | 2018–19 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 68 | ||||
| Finals site | U.S. Bank Stadium Minneapolis, Minnesota | ||||
| Champions | Virginia Cavaliers (1st title, 1st title game, 3rd Final Four) | ||||
| Runner-up | Texas Tech Red Raiders (1st title game, 1st Final Four) | ||||
| Semifinalists |
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| Winning coach | Tony Bennett (1st title) | ||||
| MOP | Kyle Guy (Virginia) | ||||
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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.[a] As of the 2024 tournament, this was the only Final Four since 2012 that did not include at least one team seeded #7 or higher.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
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 championship game was the first time since 1979 to see two first-time participants playing in the championship, and the first since 2006 to have a first-time national champion.[13] As a result of a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic that started in late 2019 and subsequently forced the cancellation of the 2020 tournament, this would be the last tournament held until 2021, and this would be also the last tournament held across the United States until 2022.
Carsen Edwards of Purdue was the leading scorer, with 139 points in only 4 games–producing an 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 so 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."[14]
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 (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 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.
Schedule and venues
The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 2019 tournament:[15]
First Four
- March 19 and 20
First and Second Rounds (Subregionals)
- March 21 and 23
- East and West Region
- XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut (Host: University of Connecticut)
- Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa (Host: Drake University)
- VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Florida (Host: Jacksonville University)
- Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah (Host: University of Utah)
- March 22 and 24
- South and Midwest Region
- Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina (Host: University of South Carolina)
- Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio (Host: Ohio State University)
- BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma (Host: University of Tulsa)
- SAP Center, San Jose, California (Host: West Coast Conference)
Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)
- March 28 and 30
- West Regional, Honda Center, Anaheim, California (Host: Big West Conference)
- South Regional, KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky (Host: University of Louisville)
- March 29 and 31
- East Regional, Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C. (Host: Georgetown University)
- Midwest Regional, Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri (Host: Missouri Valley Conference)
National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)
- April 6 and 8
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.[17]
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.[18][19][20]
Automatic qualifiers
The tournament seeds and regions were determined through the NCAA basketball tournament selection process.
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*See First Four
Tournament bracket
First Four – Dayton, OH
The First Four games involved eight teams: the four overall lowest-ranked teams, and the four lowest-ranked at-large teams.
| March 19 – West Region | ||||
| 16 | Prairie View A&M | 76 | ||
| 16 | Fairleigh Dickinson | 82 | ||
| March 20 – East Region | ||||
| 16 | North Carolina Central | 74 | ||
| 16 | North Dakota State | 78 | ||
| March 20 – West Region | ||||
| 11 | St. John's | 65 | ||
| 11 | Arizona State | 74 | ||
East Regional – Washington, DC
| First round Round of 64 March 21 and 22 | Second Round Round of 32 March 23 and 24 | Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 29 | Regional Final Elite 8 March 31 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Duke | 85 | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 | North Dakota State | 62 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Duke | 77 | |||||||||||||||||
| Columbia – Fri/Sun | |||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | UCF | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | VCU | 58 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | UCF | 73 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Duke | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Virginia Tech | 73 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Mississippi State | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Liberty | 80 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Liberty | 58 | |||||||||||||||||
| San Jose – Fri/Sun | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Virginia Tech | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Virginia Tech | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
| 13 | Saint Louis | 52 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Duke | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Michigan State | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Maryland | 79 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Belmont | 77 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Maryland | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
| Jacksonville – Thu/Sat | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | LSU | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | LSU | 79 | |||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Yale | 74 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | LSU | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Michigan State | 80 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Louisville | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Minnesota | 86 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Minnesota | 50 | |||||||||||||||||
| Des Moines – Thu/Sat | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Michigan State | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Michigan State | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Bradley | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
East Regional Final
CBS |
March 31 5:05 pm EDT |
| #2 Michigan State Spartans 68, #1 Duke Blue Devils 67 | ||
| Scoring by half: 34–30, 34–37 | ||
| Pts: C. Winston – 20 Rebs: K. Goins, X. Tillman – 9 Asts: C. Winston – 10 | Pts: Z. Williamson – 24 Rebs: Z. Williamson – 14 Asts: R. Barrett – 6 | |
Capital One Arena – Washington, D.C. Attendance: 20,125 Referees: Doug Sirmons, Keith Kimble, John Gaffney |
East Regional all tournament team
- Cassius Winston, Michigan State (MOP)
- Xavier Tillman, Michigan State
- Zion Williamson, Duke
- RJ Barrett, Duke
- Kerry Blackshear Jr., Virginia Tech
West Regional – Anaheim, CA
| First round Round of 64 March 21 and 22 | Second Round Round of 32 March 23 and 24 | Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 28 | Regional Final Elite 8 March 30 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Gonzaga | 87 | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Fairleigh Dickinson | 49 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Gonzaga | 83 | |||||||||||||||||
| Salt Lake City – Thu/Sat | |||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Baylor | 71 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Syracuse | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Baylor | 78 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Gonzaga | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Florida State | 58 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Marquette | 64 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Murray State | 83 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Murray State | 62 | |||||||||||||||||
| Hartford – Thu/Sat | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Florida State | 90 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Florida State | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
| 13 | Vermont | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Gonzaga | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Texas Tech | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Buffalo | 91 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Arizona State | 74 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Buffalo | 58 | |||||||||||||||||
| Tulsa – Fri/Sun | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Texas Tech | 78 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Texas Tech | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Northern Kentucky | 57 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Texas Tech | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Michigan | 44 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Nevada | 61 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Florida | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Florida | 49 | |||||||||||||||||
| Des Moines – Thu/Sat | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Michigan | 64 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Michigan | 74 | |||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Montana | 55 | |||||||||||||||||
West Regional Final
TBS |
March 30 3:09 pm PDT |
| #3 Texas Tech Red Raiders 75, #1 Gonzaga Bulldogs 69 | ||
| Scoring by half: 35–37, 40–32 | ||
| Pts: J. Culver – 19 Rebs: T. Owens – 7 Asts: M. Mooney – 5 | Pts: R. Hachimura – 23 Rebs: B. Clarke – 12 Asts: J. Perkins – 6 | |
Honda Center – Anaheim, California Attendance: 15,277 Referees: John Higgins, Roger Ayers, Earl Walton |
West Regional all tournament team
- Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech (MOP)
- Matt Mooney, Texas Tech
- Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga
- Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga
- Trent Forrest, Florida State
South Regional – Louisville, KY
| First round Round of 64 March 21 and 22 | Second Round Round of 32 March 23 and 24 | Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 28 | Regional Final Elite 8 March 30 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Virginia | 71 | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Gardner–Webb | 56 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Virginia | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
| Columbia – Fri/Sun | |||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Oklahoma | 51 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Ole Miss | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Oklahoma | 95 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Virginia | 53 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Oregon | 49 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Wisconsin | 54 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Oregon | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Oregon | 73 | |||||||||||||||||
| San Jose – Fri/Sun | |||||||||||||||||||
| 13 | UC Irvine | 54 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Kansas State | 64 | |||||||||||||||||
| 13 | UC Irvine | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Virginia | 80OT | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Purdue | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Villanova | 61 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Saint Mary's | 57 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Villanova | 61 | |||||||||||||||||
| Hartford – Thu/Sat | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Purdue | 87 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Purdue | 61 | |||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Old Dominion | 48 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Purdue | 99OT | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Tennessee | 94 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Cincinnati | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Iowa | 79 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Iowa | 77 | |||||||||||||||||
| Columbus – Fri/Sun | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Tennessee | 83OT | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Tennessee | 77 | |||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Colgate | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
South Regional Final
TBS |
March 30 8:49 pm EDT |
| #3 Purdue Boilermakers 75, #1 Virginia Cavaliers 80 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by half: 30–29, 40–41 Overtime: 5–10 | ||
| Pts: C. Edwards – 42 Rebs: T. Williams – 7 Asts: N. Eastern – 3 | Pts: K. Guy – 25 Rebs: K. Guy – 10 Asts: T. Jerome – 7 | |
KFC Yum! Center – Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 21,623 Referees: Ron Groover, Tony Padilla, Bo Boroski |
South Regional all tournament team
- Carsen Edwards, Purdue (MOP)
- Kyle Guy, Virginia
- Mamadi Diakite, Virginia
- Ty Jerome, Virginia
- Ryan Cline, Purdue
Midwest Regional – Kansas City, MO
| First round Round of 64 March 21 and 22 | Second Round Round of 32 March 23 and 24 | Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 29 | Regional Final Elite 8 March 31 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | North Carolina | 88 | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Iona | 73 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | North Carolina | 81 | |||||||||||||||||
| Columbus – Fri/Sun | |||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Washington | 59 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Utah State | 61 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Washington | 78 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | North Carolina | 80 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Auburn | 97 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Auburn | 78 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | New Mexico State | 77 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Auburn | 89 | |||||||||||||||||
| Salt Lake City – Thu/Sat | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Kansas | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Kansas | 87 | |||||||||||||||||
| 13 | Northeastern | 53 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Auburn | 77OT | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Kentucky | 71 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Iowa State | 59 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Ohio State | 62 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Ohio State | 59 | |||||||||||||||||
| Tulsa – Fri/Sun | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Houston | 74 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Houston | 84 | |||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Georgia State | 55 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Houston | 58 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Kentucky | 62 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Wofford | 84 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Seton Hall | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Wofford | 56 | |||||||||||||||||
| Jacksonville – Thu/Sat | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Kentucky | 62 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Kentucky | 79 | |||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Abilene Christian | 44 | |||||||||||||||||
Midwest Regional Final
CBS |
March 31 1:20 pm CDT |
| #5 Auburn Tigers 77, #2 Kentucky Wildcats 71 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by half: 30–35, 30–25 Overtime: 17–11 | ||
| Pts: J. Harper – 26 Rebs: S. Doughty, D. Purifoy – 7 Asts: J. Harper – 5 | Pts: P. Washington – 28 Rebs: P. Washington – 13 Asts: T. Herro – 6 | |
Sprint Center – Kansas City, Missouri Attendance: 17,174 Referees: Terry Wymer, Mike Roberts, Brian Dorsey |
Midwest Regional all tournament team
- Jared Harper, Auburn (MOP)
- Bryce Brown, Auburn
- Chuma Okeke, Auburn
- P. J. Washington, Kentucky
- Tyler Herro, Kentucky
Final Four – Minneapolis, MN
| National Semifinals Final Four Saturday, April 6 | National Championship Game Monday, April 8 | ||||||||
| E2 | Michigan State | 51 | |||||||
| W3 | Texas Tech | 61 | |||||||
| W3 | Texas Tech | 77 | |||||||
| S1 | Virginia | 85OT | |||||||
| S1 | Virginia | 63 | |||||||
| MW5 | Auburn | 62 | |||||||
National semifinals
CBS |
Saturday, April 6 5:09 pm CDT |
| #MW5 Auburn Tigers 62, #S1 Virginia Cavaliers 63 | ||
| Scoring by half: 31–28, 31–35 | ||
| Pts: S. Doughty – 13 Rebs: A. McLemore – 12 Asts: J. Harper, B. Brown – 3 | Pts: T. Jerome – 21 Rebs: T. Jerome – 9 Asts: T. Jerome – 6 | |
U.S. Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, Minnesota Attendance: 72,711 Referees: Doug Sirmons, Keith Kimble, James Breeding |
CBS |
Saturday, April 6 7:49 pm CDT |
| #W3 Texas Tech Red Raiders 61, #E2 Michigan State Spartans 51 | ||
| Scoring by half: 23–21, 38–30 | ||
| Pts: M. Mooney – 22 Rebs: N. Odiase – 9 Asts: Three tied – 2 | Pts: C. Winston – 16 Rebs: X. Tillman, K. Goins – 8 Asts: K. Goins, C. Winston – 2 | |
U.S. Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, Minnesota Attendance: 72,711 Referees: Jeff Anderson, Doug Shows, Bo Boroski |
National Championship
CBS |
Monday, April 8 8:20 pm CDT |
| #W3 Texas Tech Red Raiders 77, #S1 Virginia Cavaliers 85 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by half: 29–32, 39–36 Overtime: 9–17 | ||
| Pts: B. Francis – 17 Rebs: J. Culver – 9 Asts: J. Culver – 6 | Pts: D. Hunter – 27 Rebs: B. Key – 10 Asts: T. Jerome – 9 | |
U.S. Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, Minnesota Attendance: 72,062 Referees: Michael Stephens, Terry Wymer, Ron Groover |
Final Four all-tournament team
- Kyle Guy (Jr, Virginia) – Final Four Most Outstanding Player[22]
- Jarrett Culver (So, Texas Tech) [22]
- Matt Mooney (Gr, Texas Tech)[22]
- De'Andre Hunter (So, Virginia)[22]
- Ty Jerome (Jr, Virginia)[22]
Game summaries and tournament notes
Upsets
Per the NCAA, "Upsets are defined as when the winner of the game was seeded five or more places lower than the team it defeated." There were 5 upsets during the whole tournament, and all of them were in the first round.
| Round | East | West | South | Midwest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | No. 12 Liberty defeated No. 5 Mississippi State, 80–76 | No. 12 Murray State defeated No. 5 Marquette, 83–64 |
| No. 11 Ohio State defeated No. 6 Iowa State, 62–59 |
Record by conference
| Conference | Bids | Record | Win % | R64 | R32 | S16 | E8 | F4 | CG | NC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACC | 7 | 15–6 | .714 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Big 12 | 6 | 8–6 | .571 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – |
| Big Ten | 8 | 13–8 | .619 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – |
| SEC | 7 | 12–7 | .632 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | – | – |
| WCC | 2 | 3–2 | .600 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – |
| American | 4 | 3–4 | .429 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| Pac-12 | 3 | 4–3 | .571 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| Big East | 4 | 1–4 | .200 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ohio Valley | 2 | 2–2 | .500 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Atlantic Sun | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Big West | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| MAC | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Southern | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Atlantic 10 | 2 | 0–2 | .000 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mountain West | 2 | 0–2 | .000 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| NEC | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Summit | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
- The R64, R32, S16, E8, F4, CG, and NC columns indicate how many teams from each conference were in the round of 64 (first round), round of 32 (second round), 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
CBS Sports and Turner Sports (via TBS, TNT, and truTV) had U.S. television rights to the tournament.[23] 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 (which featured an unconventional two-hour format where all the qualifying teams were first revealed in alphabetical order before the matchups were actually unveiled, and had viewership fall by 52% partly due to it also being aired on cable rather than CBS), 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."[24] The show attracted its highest viewership since 2014 and averaged a 4.0 share on Nielsen overnight ratings.[25]
Television channels
- First Four – truTV
- First and Second rounds – CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV
- Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) – CBS and TBS
- National semifinals (Final Four) and championship – CBS
Studio hosts
- Greg Gumbel (New York City and Minneapolis) – First round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
- Ernie Johnson (New York City, Atlanta, and Minneapolis) – First round, second round, Regional Semi-Finals, Final Four and National Championship Game
- Casey Stern (Atlanta) – First Four, first round and Second Round
- Adam Zucker (New York) – First round and second round (game breaks)
Studio analysts
- Charles Barkley (New York City and Minneapolis) – First round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
- Mike Brey (Atlanta) – Regional Semi-Finals
- Jeff Capel (Atlanta) – First round
- Seth Davis (Atlanta and Minneapolis) – First Four, first round, second round, Regional Semi-Finals, Final Four and National Championship Game
- Brendan Haywood (Atlanta) – First Four, first round, second round and Regional Semi-Finals
- Clark Kellogg (New York City and Minneapolis) – First round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
- Porter Moser (Atlanta) – Second Round
- Candace Parker (Atlanta and Minneapolis) – First Four, first round, second round, Regional Semi-Finals and Final Four
- Kenny Smith (New York City and Minneapolis) – First round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
- Gene Steratore (New York City and Minneapolis) (Rules Analyst) – First Four, first round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
- Wally Szczerbiak (New York City and Minneapolis) – Second Round and Final Four
- Jay Wright (Minneapolis) – Final Four
Commentary teams
- 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 (Tuesday); 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 (Wednesday); First and Second Rounds at San Jose, California
- Jackson called the First Four (Wednesday) 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
ESPN International had international rights to the tournament. Coverage uses CBS/Turner play-by-play teams until the Final Four.[26]
- Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas (Texas Tech vs. Michigan State), Dick Vitale (Virginia vs. Auburn, National Championship Game)
Radio
Westwood One had exclusive radio rights to the entire tournament.
Internet
Video
Live video of games was available for streaming through the following means:[27]
- NCAA March Madness Live (website and app, no CBS games on digital media players; access to games on WarnerMedia channels (TBS, TNT, truTV) required TV Everywhere authentication through provider)
- CBS All Access (only CBS games, service subscription required)
- CBS Sports website and app (only CBS games)
- Watch TBS website and app (only TBS games, required TV Everywhere authentication)
- Watch TNT website and app (only TNT games, required TV Everywhere authentication)
- Watch truTV website and app (only truTV games, required TV Everywhere authentication)
- Websites and apps of cable, satellite, and OTT providers of CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV (access required subscription)
In addition, the March Madness app offered Fast Break, whiparound coverage of games similar to NFL RedZone.
- Adam Lefkoe, Tony Delk, Steve Alford, Andy Katz - Atlanta[28]
Audio
Live audio of games was available for streaming through the following means:
- NCAA March Madness Live (website and app)
- Westwood One Sports website
- TuneIn (website and app)
- Websites and apps of Westwood One Sports affiliates
Film
#16 seed Gardner-Webb's season and appearance in the tournament became the subject of a documentary titled The Dancin' Bulldogs released on October 16, 2020.