The 2017 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the men's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 2016–17 season. The 79th edition of the tournament began on March 14, 2017, and concluded with the championship game on April 3 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The championship game was the first to be contested in a Western state since 1995 when Seattle was the host of the Final Four.
In the Final Four, North Carolina beat Oregon (making their first Final Four appearance since the inaugural tournament in 1939) while Gonzaga defeated South Carolina (both making their first ever Final Four appearance). North Carolina then defeated Gonzaga 71–65 to win their 6th national championship, and 3rd under Roy Williams.
Tournament procedures
A total of 68 teams entered the 2017 tournament, with all 32 conference tournament winners receiving an automatic bid. The Ivy League, which previously granted its automatic tournament bid to its regular season champion, hosted a postseason tournament to determine a conference champion for the first time. In previous years, had the Ivy League had two schools tied for first in the standings, a one-game playoff (or series as was the case in the 2002 season) determined the automatic bid. On March 10, 2016, the Ivy League's council of presidents approved a four-team tournament where the top four teams in the regular season would play on March 11 and 12 at Philadelphia's Palestra.
The remaining 36 teams received "at-large" bids which are extended by the NCAA Selection Committee. On January 24, 2016, the NCAA announced that the Selection Committee would, for the first time, unveil in-season rankings of the top four teams in each division on February 11, 2017.
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 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 also seeded the entire field from 1 to 68.
The committee's selections resulted in two historic milestones. The Northwestern Wildcats of the Big Ten Conference made their first-ever NCAA Tournament in school history, officially becoming the last "power conference" school to make the tournament. (This fact is ironic considering that Northwestern hosted the first-ever NCAA Tournament in 1939). The Wildcats' First round opponent, the Vanderbilt Commodores of the Southeastern Conference, also made history: with a record of 19–15, they set the mark for the most ever losses for an at-large team in tournament history.
Four conference champions also made their first NCAA appearances: North Dakota (Big Sky Conference), UC Davis (Big West Conference), Jacksonville State (Ohio Valley Conference), and first-year Division I school Northern Kentucky (Horizon League).
Schedule and venues
The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2017 tournament
First Four
March 14 and 15
University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio (Host: University of Dayton)
First and Second Rounds
March 16 and 18
Amway Center, Orlando, Florida (Hosts: University of Central Florida and Stetson University) Bradley Center, Milwaukee (Host: Marquette University) KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York (Host: Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Niagara University and Canisius College) Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City (Host: University of Utah) March 17 and 19 Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis (Hosts: Horizon League and IUPUI) BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma (Host: University of Tulsa) Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina, (Hosts: Southern Conference and Furman University) Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California (Host: California State University, Sacramento)
Regional semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) March 23 and 25 Midwest Regional, Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri (Host: Big 12 Conference) West Regional, SAP Center, San Jose, California (Host: Pac-12 Conference) March 24 and 26 East Regional, Madison Square Garden, New York City (Hosts: St. John's University and Big East Conference) South Regional, FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee (Host: University of Memphis)
National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship) April 1 and 3 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona (Host: Arizona State University)