# 2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The 2022 [NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament](https://www.edgepedia.org/ncaa-division-i-mens-basketball-tournament) was a single-elimination championship of 68 college teams that ended with Kansas defeating North Carolina 72-69 in the national championship game in New Orleans, Louisiana, giving coach [Bill Self](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-self) his second national title with the Jayhawks.[1](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1) • [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIMOY6CoQKI) The tournament is best remembered for two things: Kansas's record comeback in the final, and the run of No. 15 seed [Saint Peter](https://www.edgepedia.org/saint-peter)'s, which became the first 15 seed ever to reach the Elite Eight.[3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1qlo4natGE) • [4](https://time.com/6161142/saint-peters-march-madness-purdue-north-carolina/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Champion | Kansas (34-6), coached by Bill Self, won 72-69 over North Carolina in New Orleans[1](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1) |
| Championship comeback | Kansas trailed by 16 points, the largest comeback in championship game history[3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1qlo4natGE) |
| Runner-up | No. 8 seed North Carolina, led by first-year head coach Hubert Davis[2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIMOY6CoQKI) • [5](https://time.com/6161299/final-four-north-carolina-duke-st-peters/) |
| Signature upset | No. 15 Saint Peter's beat No. 2 Kentucky 85-79 in overtime as an 18.5-point underdog[6](https://www.axios.com/2022/03/18/saint-peters-kentucky-march-madness) |
| Cinderella run | Saint Peter's became the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight, beating Kentucky, Murray State, and Purdue before losing to North Carolina 69-49[4](https://time.com/6161142/saint-peters-march-madness-purdue-north-carolina/) • [5](https://time.com/6161299/final-four-north-carolina-duke-st-peters/) |
| Format | 68-team field with the First Four play-in round; first and second rounds played March 17-18, 2022[7](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-05-07/how-ncaa-mens-basketball-tournament-has-evolved-through-years) • [8](https://www.ncaa.com/_flysystem/public-s3/files/2022-03/2022-ncaa-bracket-for-march-madness.pdf) |
| Final Four date | April 2, 2022, including Duke in coach Mike Krzyzewski's final season[5](https://time.com/6161299/final-four-north-carolina-duke-st-peters/) |
## Format and field
The 2022 tournament used the 68-team format adopted when the field was expanded and the First Four was introduced, in which the last four teams on the overall seed list and the last four at-large selections play opening games to enter the main 64-team bracket.[7](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-05-07/how-ncaa-mens-basketball-tournament-has-evolved-through-years) It was the first men's tournament to return to the pre-pandemic, multi-site format after the 2021 edition had been held entirely in [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis) as a closed environment because of COVID-19.[9](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/court-report-inside-look-at-plans-for-2022-ncaa-tournament-as-march-madness-returns-to-pre-pandemic-format/)
The official bracket placed teams in four regions, Midwest, South, East, and West, with first- and second-round games on March 17 and 18, 2022, at sites including Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Greenville, Fort Worth, San Diego, Buffalo, and Portland.[8](https://www.ncaa.com/_flysystem/public-s3/files/2022-03/2022-ncaa-bracket-for-march-madness.pdf) Kansas entered the tournament 28-6 as a top seed, Gonzaga carried a 26-3 record, and Auburn (27-5), Arizona (31-3), and Baylor (26-6) also held high seeds.[8](https://www.ncaa.com/_flysystem/public-s3/files/2022-03/2022-ncaa-bracket-for-march-madness.pdf)
## The championship game
Kansas met No. 8 seed North Carolina in the final on April 4 in New Orleans and won 72-69.[1](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1) [The Jayhawks](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-jayhawks) fell behind by 16 points before rallying, completing the largest comeback in championship game history.[3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1qlo4natGE) The title was Bill Self's second national championship with Kansas.[2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIMOY6CoQKI) North Carolina's path to the final ran through its in-state rival Duke: the Tar Heels, coached by first-year head coach [Hubert Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/hubert-davis), beat Duke in the national semifinal on April 2, in what was framed as [Mike Krzyzewski](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-krzyzewski)'s swan song, the last tournament of his Duke career.[5](https://time.com/6161299/final-four-north-carolina-duke-st-peters/)
## Saint Peter's run
**The Kentucky upset.** Saint Peter's, a small Jesuit school in [Jersey City, New Jersey](https://www.edgepedia.org/jersey-city-new-jersey), that had never won a tournament game, opened the tournament on March 17 with an 85-79 overtime win over No. 2 seed Kentucky.[6](https://www.axios.com/2022/03/18/saint-peters-kentucky-march-madness) The Peacocks were 18.5-point underdogs, making the result the fourth-largest upset by point spread since the men's bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985, behind Norfolk State over Missouri in 2012 (+21.5), UMBC over Virginia in 2018 (+20.5), and Santa Clara over Arizona in 1993 (+20).[6](https://www.axios.com/2022/03/18/saint-peters-kentucky-march-madness) It was also the tenth time a No. 15 seed had beaten a No. 2 seed in tournament history.[10](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-basketball/news/saint-peters-kentucky-ncaa-tournament-rank-upsets/ymukkroxwvaduqzmfgcivhkr) Daryl Banks III sealed the win with four made free throws in the extra period, giving the program its first NCAA Tournament win; the Peacocks had earned the MAAC's automatic bid by winning three games in four days in their conference tournament after finishing multiple games out of first in the regular season.[11](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/march-madness-2022-saint-peters-stuns-kentucky-no-15-upsets-no-2-for-10th-time-in-ncaa-tournament-history/)
**The Elite Eight.** Saint Peter's then surpassed 12th-seeded Missouri (2002) and 12th-seeded Oregon State (2021) as the lowest-seeded teams to reach the Elite Eight; Saint Peter's was a No. 15 seed.[14](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/ncaa-basketball/news/lowest-seeds-elite-eight-saint-peters-ncaa-tournament/t7fezimyhffqj5ylc7gulwku) 7 seed Murray State and, in the East regional semifinal in Philadelphia, defeated Big Ten power Purdue 67-64, holding the Boilermakers, who owned the No. 1 offense in adjusted efficiency on KenPom.com, to 23-of-54 shooting and forcing 15 turnovers.[4](https://time.com/6161142/saint-peters-march-madness-purdue-north-carolina/) That win made the Peacocks the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight, surpassing 2002 Missouri, a No. 12 seed, as the lowest-seeded team to get that far.[4](https://time.com/6161142/saint-peters-march-madness-purdue-north-carolina/) Their run ended in the Elite Eight, where North Carolina won 69-49 after leading 7-0 early.[5](https://time.com/6161299/final-four-north-carolina-duke-st-peters/) The contrast in resources was widely noted: Saint Peter's head coach [Shaheen Holloway](https://www.edgepedia.org/shaheen-holloway) earned about $266,000, while Kentucky's John Calipari made roughly $9 million a year, and the Peacocks' entire basketball budget was about $1.5 million.[6](https://www.axios.com/2022/03/18/saint-peters-kentucky-march-madness)
## Other results
The first round produced several other notable outcomes. No. 12 Richmond beat Iowa, the Spiders' ninth tournament win as a 12 seed or lower, five more than any other program since seeding began in 1979.[6](https://www.axios.com/2022/03/18/saint-peters-kentucky-march-madness) Three first-round games went to overtime, with Murray State and Creighton also winning in extra time.[6](https://www.axios.com/2022/03/18/saint-peters-kentucky-march-madness) All four Mountain West teams lost, leaving the conference 0-8 in tournament games since Nevada reached the Sweet 16 in 2018.[6](https://www.axios.com/2022/03/18/saint-peters-kentucky-march-madness) New Mexico State's Teddy Allen scored 37 points, the only double-figure total for his team, in an upset of UConn, and Gonzaga freshman [Chet Holmgren](https://www.edgepedia.org/chet-holmgren) recorded 19 points, 17 rebounds, seven blocks, five assists, and two steals in a 93-72 win over Georgia State.[6](https://www.axios.com/2022/03/18/saint-peters-kentucky-march-madness)
## Place in tournament history
The 2026 edition was the last men's tournament in the 68-team format; both men's and women's brackets expand to 76 teams starting in 2027, with a 12-game March Madness Opening Round replacing the First Four.[7](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-05-07/how-ncaa-mens-basketball-tournament-has-evolved-through-years) • [12](https://apnews.com/article/5430c958e232afd8eb9226aa255e9c76) Saint Peter's run is treated in retrospective coverage as the standard against which later [Cinderella](https://www.edgepedia.org/cinderella) runs are measured, and Kansas's 16-point rally remains the benchmark for championship-game comebacks.[3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1qlo4natGE) • [13](https://www.axios.com/2023/03/14/ncaa-tournament-saint-peters-one-year-later)
## References
1. [DI Men's Basketball Championship History, NCAA.com](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1)
2. [Kansas vs. North Carolina: 2022 NCAA men's national championship | FULL REPLAY, March Madness YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIMOY6CoQKI)
3. [Kansas vs. North Carolina - 2022 National Championship extended highlights, March Madness YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1qlo4natGE)
4. [The St. Peter's Peacocks Have Taken Over College Basketball, TIME](https://time.com/6161142/saint-peters-march-madness-purdue-north-carolina/)
5. [Buckle Up for the Most Exciting Final Four in Years, TIME](https://time.com/6161299/final-four-north-carolina-duke-st-peters/)
6. [Saint Peter's beats Kentucky in March Madness shocker, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2022/03/18/saint-peters-kentucky-march-madness)
7. [How the NCAA men's basketball tournament has evolved through the years, NCAA.com](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-05-07/how-ncaa-mens-basketball-tournament-has-evolved-through-years)
8. [2022 DI Men's Basketball Official Printable Bracket, NCAA.com](https://www.ncaa.com/_flysystem/public-s3/files/2022-03/2022-ncaa-bracket-for-march-madness.pdf)
9. [Court Report: Inside look at plans for 2022 NCAA Tournament, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/court-report-inside-look-at-plans-for-2022-ncaa-tournament-as-march-madness-returns-to-pre-pandemic-format/)
10. [Where does Saint Peter's win over Kentucky rank among most unlikely NCAA Tournament upsets?, Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-basketball/news/saint-peters-kentucky-ncaa-tournament-rank-upsets/ymukkroxwvaduqzmfgcivhkr)
11. [March Madness 2022: Saint Peter's stuns Kentucky, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/march-madness-2022-saint-peters-stuns-kentucky-no-15-upsets-no-2-for-10th-time-in-ncaa-tournament-history/)
12. [Fueled by beer ads, March Madness tournaments will expand to 76 teams, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/5430c958e232afd8eb9226aa255e9c76)
13. [Saint Peter's, one year later, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2023/03/14/ncaa-tournament-saint-peters-one-year-later)
14. [What is the lowest seed to make Elite Eight? Saint Peter's makes NCAA Tournament history, Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/ncaa-basketball/news/lowest-seeds-elite-eight-saint-peters-ncaa-tournament/t7fezimyhffqj5ylc7gulwku)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › US college basketball (NCAA, NAIA) › Tournaments, seasons, and conferences*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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