For the fifth time in school history, North Carolina ended the season as National Champions. Behind stellar play from Ty Lawson (21 points and a championship game record 8 steals), Wayne Ellington (19 points), and Tyler Hansbrough (18 points), the Tar Heels defeated Michigan State 89-72 in front of 72,922, the largest crowd ever to watch a National Championship game. Not since Duke did it in 2001, North Carolina won every game of the Tournament by double digits.

Michigan State pulled away in the last 1:20 seconds to beat the No. 1 seeded Huskies 82-73. The Spartans secured their spot in the National Championship due in part to Kalin Lucas ' 21 points and Raymar Morgan's 18 points. Travis Walton's solid defensive also played a key role in the victory, as he kept UCONN's leading scorer, A.J. Price, to only 15 points.

Villanova was no match for the heavy favorites, as North Carolina defeated the Wildcats 83-69 on their way to the National Championship for a matchup against Michigan State. The decisive victory was made possible by Ty Lawson's 22 points, Wayne Ellington’s 20 points, and Tyler Hansbrough 18 points and 11 rebounds. Although Villanova fell short of repeating their performance in the 1985 Tournament, they did post a respectable 30-8 record for the season.

Michigan State advanced to the Final Four for the fifth time under head coach Tom Izzo following a 64-52 victory over No.1 seed Louisville. In this low scoring game played in front of roughly 72,000, the Spartans' Goran Suton and the Cardinals' Earl Clark each posted a respectable 19 points. However, Michigan State's defense dominated the Cardinals' by holding them to only 38.3 percent from the field.

The Tar Heels made it their to their 18th NCAA Final Four appearance by defeating Oklahoma, 72-60. North Carolina rolled past the Sooners with the help of Ty Lawson's 19 points and Danny Green's 18 points. The season may have ended for the Sooners' Blake Griffin, but he managed 114 points and 60 rebounds throughout the tournament, both tournament highs.

With only 5.5 seconds left in the game, Pittsburgh's Levance Fields made two free throws to tie the game 76-76. Moments later, Villanova's Scottie Reynolds took the ball the length of the court for the game winner to advance the Wildcats to the Final Four.

Kemba Walker's 23 points led the Huskies past Missouri 82-75 on their way to their 3rd Final Four appearance. The outcome of the game was particularly surprising, as Missouri was just coming off a game where they scored an amazing 102 points, while UCONN was dealing with recent reports of alleged recruiting violations.

Blake Griffin's 30 points and 14 rebounds, plus Tony Crocker's career-high 28 points, powered the Sooners past Syracuse 84-71 on their way to the Elite Eight. It was no surprise Oklahoma led the game the entire way, as Syracuse missed its first ten 3 pointers and gave up the ball 18 times throughout the game.

Michigan State rallied in the last two minutes to beat defending champs Kansas 67-62. The Jayhawks' Sherron Collins and the Spartans' Goran Sutton each had 20 points, however it was Kalin Lucas who led the charge in the final moments by scoring seven points in the last 49 seconds, thus earning Michigan State a spot in the Elite Eight where [they matched up against Louisville.

Scoring an astonishing 103 points, Louisville paved their way to the Elite Eight after an impressive blowout over Arizona. Earl Clark led Louisville's explosive offense with 19 points and nine rebounds. The Cardinals' offense shot 57.6 percent from the field, while their defense held Arizona to only 64 points in this lopsided victory.

North Carolina made tournament history with their 99th NCAA Tournament victory in a decisive 98-77 win over Gonzaga. Ty Lawson set the tone early on with 17 points in the first half. Tyler Hansbrough's 24 points and 10 rebounds added more fuel to the fire as North Carolina cruised to the Regional Finals to square off against Oklahoma.

Villanova handed Duke its fifth straight Sweet 16 loss during a 77-54 blowout. Duke leapt to a 5-0 lead, however Villanova quickly caught up and never looked back. The Wildcats posted a tournament record 14th victory over a higher seeded team, with the help of Dante Cunningham's 14 points and 11 rebounds. Villanova went on to the Elite Eight where they beat Pittsburgh in a nail-biter.

Connecticut led the whole way during a 72-60 win over the Boilermakers. UCONN's Hasheem Thabeet, the Big East co-player of the year, posted his 18th double-double of the season, with 15 points and 15 rebounds. This win earned the Huskies a spot in the Elite Eight and a chance to move deeper into the later rounds.

Missouri outscored Memphis in a 102-91 shootout to earn a spot in the Elite Eight. Tyreke Evans, with 33 points on the day, led Memphis' valiant comeback attempt after trailing by 24 points early in the second half. However at the end of the day, it was Missouri's offense that carried them to victory and a chance to move on and square off against UConn.

Clutch play in the final two minutes earned Pitt its first trip to the Elite Eight in 35 years. Levance Fields' three pointer , key steal, and two point layup in the final 51 seconds sealed Pitt's 60-55 win over Xavier. Solid offensive play by Fields and Sam Young, who netted 19 points, was matched by a stingy Panther defense who held Xavier to only 24 percent shooting in the second half.