 | |||||
| Season | 2012–13 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 68 | ||||
| Finals site | Georgia Dome Atlanta, Georgia | ||||
| Champions | Louisville Cardinals (Vacated) (3rd title, 3rd title game, 10th Final Four) | ||||
| Runner-up | Michigan Wolverines (6th title game, 7th Final Four) | ||||
| Semifinalists |
| ||||
| Winning coach | Rick Pitino* [a] (2nd title) | ||||
| MOP | Luke Hancock (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.[4]
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.
- ^ James, Emily (February 20, 2018). "Louisville men's basketball must vacate wins and pay fine". NCAA.org – The Official Site of the NCAA (Press release). Retrieved February 20, 2018.
- ^ "Louisville to vacate 2013 national title, take banner down after NCAA upholds penalties". CBSSports.com. February 20, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
- ^ Tracy, Marc (February 20, 2018). "Louisville Must Forfeit Basketball Championship over Sex Scandal". The New York Times. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
- ^ "NCAA denies Louisville's appeal, rules Cardinals must vacate 2013 national title". ESPN.com. February 20, 2018.
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