2006 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament

The 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament involved 65 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball season. It began on March 14, 2006, and concluded on April 3 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana.

See also: 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game

2006 NCAA Division I
Men's Basketball Tournament
Season2005–06
Teams65
Finals siteRCA Dome
Indianapolis, Indiana
ChampionsFlorida Gators (1st title, 2nd title game,
3rd Final Four)
Runner-upUCLA Bruins (13th title game,
16th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachBilly Donovan (1st title)
MOPJoakim Noah (Florida)
Attendance70,254
Top scorersGlen Davis LSU
Joakim Noah Florida
(97 points)
NCAA Division I Men's Tournaments
«2005 2007»

None of the Tournament's top seeds advanced to the Final Four, the first time since 1980 that this occurred. For the second time in history, a team seeded 11th advanced to the Final Four as George Mason of the Colonial Athletic Association won the Washington, D.C. region. They were joined by Atlanta region winner LSU (who was the first team to advance to the Final Four as an 11-seed in 1986), Oakland region winner UCLA, who had not made the Final Four since they won the National Championship in 1995, and Minneapolis region winner Florida, who had not made the Final Four since their runner-up finish in 2000 also in Indianapolis.

Florida won its first-ever national basketball championship by defeating UCLA 73–57 in the final game. Florida's Joakim Noah was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament.

George Mason's run was one of several upsets by lower-seeded teams in the tournament. For the second consecutive year, a No. 14 seed beat a No. 3 seed as Northwestern State defeated Iowa. No. 13 seed Bradley also defeated No. 4 seed Kansas and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen by defeating No. 5-seeded Pittsburgh in the Second Round. Two No. 12 seeds won as well, as Montana and Texas A&M both won their respective First Round matchups. For the second straight year, Milwaukee won as a double-digit seed, this time as the No. 11-seeded Panthers defeated Oklahoma in the first round.

Tournament procedure and locations
Further information: NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship § Tournament format
San Diego
Salt Lake City
Dallas
Auburn Hills
Dayton
Jacksonville
Greensboro
Philadelphia
2006 first and second rounds (note: the play-in game was held in Dayton, Ohio)
Oakland
Minneapolis
Atlanta
Washington, D.C.
Indianapolis
2006 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

A total of 65 teams were selected to participate in the tournament. Of that total, 31 of the teams earned automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments. Penn earned an automatic bid by winning the regular-season title of the Ivy League, which did not conduct a conference tournament. The remaining 34 teams were granted "at-large" bids, which are extended by the NCAA Selection Committee.

The initial game on March 14 officially named the Opening Round game, but popularly called the "play-in game", had Monmouth, winner of the Northeast Conference Tournament, facing Hampton, who won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament, for a chance to play top seed Villanova in the First Round of the Tournament. Monmouth defeated Hampton, 71–49, to advance to play Villanova.

All teams were seeded from 1 to 16 within their regions. The Selection Committee seeded the entire field from 1 to 65. In a practice used since 2004, the ranking of the four top seeds against each other would determine the pairings in the Final Four. The top overall seed would be seeded to play the fourth overall seed in the national semifinals, should both teams advance that far. In 2006, these rankings were as follows: No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Connecticut, No. 3 Villanova, and No. 4 Memphis.[1]

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

  • March 16/18:
Cox Arena, San Diego, California (Host: San Diego State University)
Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina (Host: Atlantic Coast Conference)
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Florida (Host: Jacksonville University)
Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, Utah (Host: University of Utah)
  • March 17/19:
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas (Host: Big 12 Conference)
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan (Host: Oakland University)
University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio (Host: University of Dayton)
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Host: Atlantic 10 Conference)

The four regionals were officially named after the four host cities, a practice which also began in 2004. However, in 2007, the NCAA returned to naming regionals by their geographic location. The 2006 regionals were:

  • March 23/25:
Atlanta Regional, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia (Host: Georgia Institute of Technology)
Oakland Regional, Oakland Arena, Oakland, California (Host: University of San Francisco)
  • March 24/26:
Minneapolis Regional, Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota (Host: University of Minnesota)
Washington, D.C. Regional, Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. (Host: Georgetown University)

Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four, held on April 1 and 3 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, hosted by Butler University and the Horizon League. This was the fourth and final time the RCA Dome would host the Final Four before moving to Lucas Oil Stadium. For the first time, the tournament came to Jacksonville, Florida, playing games at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. This marked the sixth city and fifth metropolitan area in the state of Florida to host games. The 2006 tournament also marked the final tournament games held at the Huntsman Center and Oakland (now Oracle) Arena. Tournament games have moved to downtown Salt Lake City and the Vivint Smart Home Arena since, to take advantage of more amenities there as opposed to the campus of the University of Utah. As for Oakland, there are currently no games scheduled in the near future, with 2022 scheduled to host games at the new Chase Center in downtown San Francisco. As the Golden State Warriors will also be moving to the Chase Center once it opens, it is unclear what will happen to the Oracle Arena once their primary tenant moves out.

Qualifying teams
Atlanta Regional
Seed School Conference Coach Record Berth Type
No. 1 Duke ACC Mike Krzyzewski 30–3 Tournament Champion
No. 2 Texas Big 12 Rick Barnes 27–6 At-Large Bid
No. 3 Iowa Big Ten Steve Alford 25–8 Tournament Champion
No. 4 LSU SEC John Brady 23–8 At-Large Bid
No. 5 Syracuse Big East Jim Boeheim 23–11 Tournament Champion
No. 6 West Virginia Big East John Beilein 20–10 At-Large Bid
No. 7 California Pac-10 Ben Braun 20–10 At-Large Bid
No. 8 George Washington Atlantic 10 Karl Hobbs 26–2 At-Large Bid
No. 9 UNC Wilmington CAA Brad Brownell 25–7 Tournament Champion
No. 10 North Carolina State ACC Herb Sendek 21–9 At-Large Bid
No. 11 Southern Illinois Missouri Valley Chris Lowery 22–10 Tournament Champion
No. 12 Texas A&M Big 12 Billy Gillispie 21–8 At-Large Bid
No. 13 Iona MAAC Jeff Ruland 23–7 Tournament Champion
No. 14 Northwestern State Southland Mike McConathy 25–7 Tournament Champion
No. 15 Pennsylvania Ivy Fran Dunphy 20–8 Regular Season Champion
No. 16 Southern SWAC Rob Spivery 19–12 Tournament Champion
Oakland Regional
Seed School Conference Coach Record Berth Type
No. 1 Memphis C-USA John Calipari 30–3 Tournament Champion
No. 2 UCLA Pac-10 Ben Howland 27–6 Tournament Champion
No. 3 Gonzaga WCC Mark Few 27–3 Tournament Champion
No. 4 Kansas Big 12 Bill Self 25–7 Tournament Champion
No. 5 Pittsburgh Big East Jamie Dixon 24–7 At-Large Bid
No. 6 Indiana Big Ten Mike Davis 18–11 At-Large Bid
No. 7 Marquette Big East Tom Crean 20–10 At-Large Bid
No. 8 Arkansas SEC Stan Heath 22–9 At-Large Bid
No. 9 Bucknell Patriot Pat Flannery 26–4 Tournament Champion
No. 10 Alabama SEC Mark Gottfried 17–12 At-Large Bid
No. 11 San Diego State Mountain West Steve Fisher 24–8 Tournament Champion
No. 12 Kent State Mid-American Jim Christian 25–8 Tournament Champion
No. 13 Bradley Missouri Valley Jim Les 20–10 At-Large Bid
No. 14 Xavier Atlantic 10 Sean Miller 21–10 Tournament Champion
No. 15 Belmont Atlantic Sun Rick Byrd 20–10 Tournament Champion
No. 16 Oral Roberts Mid-Continent Scott Sutton 21–11 Tournament Champion
Washington, D.C. Regional
Seed School Conference Coach Record Berth Type
No. 1 Connecticut Big East Jim Calhoun 27–3 At-Large Bid
No. 2 Tennessee SEC Bruce Pearl 21–7 At-Large Bid
No. 3 North Carolina ACC Roy Williams 23–8 At-Large Bid
No. 4 Illinois Big Ten Bruce Weber 25–6 At-Large Bid
No. 5 Washington Pac-10 Lorenzo Romar 24–6 At-Large Bid
No. 6 Michigan State Big Ten Tom Izzo 22–11 At-Large Bid
No. 7 Wichita State Missouri Valley Mark Turgeon 24–8 At-Large Bid
No. 8 Kentucky SEC Tubby Smith 21–12 At-Large Bid
No. 9 UAB C-USA Mike Anderson 24–6 At-Large Bid
No. 10 Seton Hall Big East Louis Orr 18–11 At-Large Bid
No. 11 George Mason CAA Jim Larranaga 25–7 At-Large Bid
No. 12 Utah State WAC Stew Morrill 23–8 At-Large Bid
No. 13 Air Force Mountain West Jeff Bzdelik 24–6 At-Large Bid
No. 14 Murray State Ohio Valley Mick Cronin 24–6 Tournament Champion
No. 15 Winthrop Big South Gregg Marshall 23–7 Tournament Champion
No. 16 Albany America East Will Brown 21–10 Tournament Champion
Minneapolis Regional
Seed School Conference Coach Record Berth Type
No. 1 Villanova Big East Jay Wright 25–4 At-Large Bid
No. 2 Ohio State Big Ten Thad Matta 25–5 At-Large Bid
No. 3 Florida SEC Billy Donovan 27–6 Tournament Champion
No. 4 Boston College ACC Al Skinner 26–7 At-Large Bid
No. 5 Nevada WAC Mark Fox 27–5 Tournament Champion
No. 6 Oklahoma Big 12 Kelvin Sampson 20–8 At-Large Bid
No. 7 Georgetown Big East John Thompson III 21–9 At-Large Bid
No. 8 Arizona Pac-10 Lute Olson 19–12 At-Large Bid
No. 9 Wisconsin Big Ten Bo Ryan 19–11 At-Large Bid
No. 10 Northern Iowa Missouri Valley Greg McDermott 23–9 At-Large Bid
No. 11 UW-Milwaukee Horizon Rob Jeter 21–8 Tournament Champion
No. 12 Montana Big Sky Larry Krystkowiak 23–6 Tournament Champion
No. 13 Pacific Big West Bob Thomason 24–7 Tournament Champion
No. 14 South Alabama Sun Belt John Pelphrey 24–6 Tournament Champion
No. 15 Davidson Southern Bob McKillop 18–10 Tournament Champion
No. 16* Monmouth Northeast Dave Calloway 18–14 Tournament Champion
No. 16* Hampton MEAC Bobby Collins 16–15 Tournament Champion

*Opening Round participants

Bids by conference
Bids by Conference
Bids Conference(s)
8 Big East
6 SEC, Big Ten
4 ACC, Big 12, Pac-10, Missouri Valley
2 Atlantic 10, CAA, C-USA, Mountain West, WAC
1 19 others

Bracket

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

Opening Round game – Dayton, Ohio

Winner advances to Minneapolis Regional vs. No. 1 Villanova.

Play-In Game
March 13
   
16 Monmouth 71
16 Hampton 49

Atlanta Regional
First round Second round Semi-finals Finals
            
1 Duke 70
16 Southern 54
1 Duke 74
Greensboro
8 George Washington 61
8 George Washington 88*
9 UNC-Wilmington 85
1 Duke 54
4 LSU 62
5 Syracuse 58
12 Texas A&M 66
12 Texas A&M 57
Jacksonville
4 LSU 58
4 LSU 80
13 Iona 64
4 LSU 70*
2 Texas 60
6 West Virginia 64
11 Southern Illinois 46
6 West Virginia 67
Auburn Hills
14 Northwestern State 54
3 Iowa 63
14 Northwestern State 64
6 West Virginia 71
2 Texas 74
7 California 52
10 North Carolina State 58
10 North Carolina State 54
Dallas
2 Texas 75
2 Texas 60
15 Pennsylvania 52

Oakland Regional
First round Second round Semi-finals Finals
            
1 Memphis 94
16 Oral Roberts 78
1 Memphis 72
Dallas
9 Bucknell 56
8 Arkansas 55
9 Bucknell 59
1 Memphis 80
13 Bradley 64
5 Pittsburgh 79
12 Kent State 64
5 Pittsburgh 66
Auburn Hills
13 Bradley 72
4 Kansas 73
13 Bradley 77
1 Memphis 45
2 UCLA 50
6 Indiana 87
11 San Diego State 83
6 Indiana 80
Salt Lake City
3 Gonzaga 90
3 Gonzaga 79
14 Xavier 75
3 Gonzaga 71
2 UCLA 73
7 Marquette 85
10 Alabama 90
10 Alabama 59
San Diego
2 UCLA 62
2 UCLA 78
15 Belmont 44

Minneapolis Regional
First round Second round Semi-finals Finals
            
1 Villanova 58
16 Monmouth 45
1 Villanova 82
Philadelphia
8 Arizona 78
8 Arizona 94
9 Wisconsin 75
1 Villanova 60*
4 Boston College 59
5 Nevada 79
12 Montana 87
12 Montana 56
Salt Lake City
4 Boston College 69
4 Boston College 88**
13 Pacific 76
1 Villanova 62
3 Florida 75
6 Oklahoma 74
11 UW–Milwaukee 82
11 UW–Milwaukee 60
Jacksonville
3 Florida 82
3 Florida 76
14 South Alabama 50
3 Florida 57
7 Georgetown 53
7 Georgetown 54
10 Northern Iowa 49
7 Georgetown 70
Dayton
2 Ohio State 52
2 Ohio State 70
15 Davidson 62

Washington, D.C. Regional
First round Second round Semi-finals Finals
            
1 Connecticut 72
16 Albany 59
1 Connecticut 87
Philadelphia
8 Kentucky 83
8 Kentucky 69
9 UAB 64
1 Connecticut 98*
5 Washington 92
5 Washington 75
12 Utah State 61
5 Washington 67
San Diego
4 Illinois 64
4 Illinois 78
13 Air Force 69
1 Connecticut 84
11 George Mason 86*
6 Michigan State 65
11 George Mason 75
11 George Mason 65
Dayton
3 North Carolina 60
3 North Carolina 69
14 Murray State 65
11 George Mason 63
7 Wichita State 55
7 Wichita State 86
10 Seton Hall 66
7 Wichita State 80
Greensboro
2 Tennessee 73
2 Tennessee 63
15 Winthrop 61

Final Four – Indianapolis, Indiana
RCA Dome during the Final Four
National Semifinals National Championship Game
      
AT4 LSU 45
OA2 UCLA 59
OA2 UCLA 57
MI3 Florida 73
MI3 Florida 73
WA11 George Mason 58

Record by conference
Conference # of Bids Record Win % R32 S16 E8 F4 CG
Big East 8 11–8 .579 5 4 2 – –
SEC 6 13–5 .722 5 2 2 2 1
Big Ten 6 3–6 .333 3 – – – –
ACC 4 6–4 .600 4 2 – – –
Big 12 4 4–4 .500 2 1 1 – –
Pac-10 4 8–4 .667 3 2 1 1 1
Missouri Valley 4 4–4 .500 2 2 – – –
Atlantic 10 2 1–2 .333 1 0– – – –
CAA 2 4–2 .667 1 1 1 1 0–
C–USA 2 3–2 .600 1 1 1 0– –
MWC 2 0–2 .000 0– – – – –
WAC 2 0–2 .000 0– 0– – – –
Southland Conference 1 1–1 .500 1 0– – – –
WCC 1 2–1 .667 1 1 – – –
Patriot League 1 1–1 .500 1 0– – – –
Horizon League 1 1–1 .500 1 0– – – –
Big Sky Conference 1 1–1 .500 1 0– – – –
Northeast Conference 1 1–1* .500 – – – – –

*Monmouth University won the Opening Round game.

The America East, Atlantic Sun, Big South, Big West, Ivy, MAAC, MAC, MEAC, Ohio Valley, SoCon, SWAC, Mid-Continent, and Sun Belt conferences all went 0–1.

The columns R32, S16, E8, F4, and CG respectively stand for the Round of 32, Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, Final Four, and Championship Game.

Announcers

Greg Gumbel once again served as the studio host, joined by analysts Clark Kellogg and Seth Davis.

See also

Notes
  • The futures of two of this year's Final Four teams would be polar opposites of the other two in 2007. Both George Mason and LSU would fail to receive a bid to either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT, while both Florida and UCLA would return to the Final Four (the two teams would have a rematch, this time in the semifinals, with the same result, a Florida victory).
  • George Mason became the first team from a "mid-major" conference to reach the Final Four since UNLV's loss to Duke in 1991.
  • This was the second of three Final Fours to feature no No. 1 seeds (1980 and 2011 being the others).
  • Duke was the last team before Florida to win back-to-back titles, and like Florida, they won their first of the two in Indianapolis at the RCA Dome.

References
  1. UConn, 'Nova No. 1 seeds
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