The 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 7, 2011, with the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and ended with the 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament's championship game on April 2, 2012, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The 2011–12 season saw the first wave of membership changes resulting from a major realignment of NCAA Division I conferences.

Source for additional stats categories For this list, a "major upset" is defined as a win by a team seeded 7 or more spots below its defeated opponent.

The semifinals and final were respectively held on March 27 and 29 at the traditional site of Madison Square Garden.

Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City The fifth College Basketball Invitational (CBI) Tournament was held beginning March 13 and ended with a best-of-three final, which went to the maximum number of games and ended on March 30.