The 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball national champion for the 2011-12 season.

The 74th edition of the tournament began on March 13, 2012, and concluded with the championship game on April 2, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

The South Region saw four double digit seeds win in their opening games, as Colorado and Xavier joined VCU and Lehigh as victors.

Ivy League champion Harvard made its first appearance since 1946, ending the longest tournament drought in NCAA history.

The remaining automatic bid was awarded to the Ivy League regular season champion since they do not hold a conference tournament.

The remaining 37 teams were granted "at-large" bids, which were extended by the NCAA Selection Committee on March 11.

[20] Regional most outstanding player: Chane Behanan, Louisville[20] Regional all-tournament team: Scoop Jardine, Syracuse; Lenzelle Smith, Jr., Ohio State; Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin; Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State.

[21] Regional most outstanding player: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State [21] Regional all-tournament team: Walter Offutt, Ohio; Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas; Jeff Withey, Kansas; Tyler Zeller, North Carolina.

[33] [34] All tournament sites continued to use the uniform courts that were first introduced tournament-wide in 2010, except for a slight variation at the East Regionals in Boston at the TD Garden, where a parquet floor court pattern similar to that used by the hometown Boston Celtics was used.