2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

2010 NCAA Division I
men's basketball tournament
Teams65
Finals siteLucas Oil Stadium
Indianapolis, Indiana
ChampionsDuke Blue Devils (4th title, 10th title game,
15th Final Four)
Runner-upButler Bulldogs (1st title game,
1st Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachMike Krzyzewski (4th title)
MOPKyle Singler (Duke)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
«2009 2011»

The 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball national champion for the 2009–10 basketball season. The 72nd annual edition of the tournament began on March 16, 2010, and concluded with the championship game on April 5, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Final Four consisted of Duke, making their first appearance since 2004, West Virginia, who were making their second appearance and first since 1959, Butler, considered the host school and making their first ever appearance, and Michigan State, the national runner-up from 2009 appearing in the Final Four for the sixth time under head coach Tom Izzo.

When Duke and Butler played each other in the tournament final, it was the first title game between private universities in 25 years (Villanova and Georgetown met in 1985), and the fifth such match-up in history (1942, 1954, and 1955 having been the other years). Duke defeated Butler 61–59 in the championship game as Gordon Hayward's last second desperation shot clanged off the rim. It was Duke's first national championship since 2001 and fourth overall.

Entering the tournament, the top four seeds were Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, and Syracuse. Kansas entered the Tournament as the overall No. 1 seed but was defeated in the opening weekend by Northern Iowa, the No. 9 seed in the Midwest region. Northern Iowa was one of four teams seeded lower than No. 8 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, joining the East Region's No. 11 seed Washington, No. 12 seed Cornell and the South Region's No. 10 seed Saint Mary's.

For the first time since 2006, a No. 14 seed advanced out of the first round as Ohio defeated Georgetown. The No. 13 seed in the West Region, Murray State, defeated No. 4-seeded Vanderbilt, marking the second consecutive appearance for the Commodores where they lost as a No. 4 seed. Murray State very nearly upset Butler in their next game, losing by two points.

One of the more exciting games of the tournament was played at the West Regional in Salt Lake City, as No. 6 Xavier took No. 2 Kansas State to two overtimes before falling 101–96. Jordan Crawford hit a three-pointer with seconds remaining in the first overtime period to force a second.


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