The 50th annual edition of the tournament began on March 17, 1988, and ended with the championship game on April 4 returning to Kansas City for the 10th time.

The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee made this change after each of the previous two Final Fours featured a team which played its first and second-round games at home: LSU in 1986 (as a No.

The team which was arguably hurt the most by the change was North Carolina, whose Dean Smith Center hosted for the first (and as of 2023, only) time.

Arizona, now known as a prominent basketball powerhouse, made their debut in this year's Final Four, marking the 80th different school (including official NCAA vacations; 78th otherwise) to do so.

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1988 tournament: First and Second Rounds Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship) (#) Kentucky was later stripped of its two NCAA tournament wins due to an ineligible player.