<Tr> <Td> "2016 </Td> <Td> 2018" </Td> </Tr> <P> The 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single - elimination tournament to determine the men's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 2016--17 season . The 79th edition of the tournament began on March 14, 2017, and concluded with the championship game on April 3 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona . The championship game was the first to be contested in a Western state since 1995 when Seattle was the host of the Final Four for that year . </P> <P> In the Final Four, North Carolina beat Oregon (making their first Final Four appearance since 1939) while Gonzaga defeated South Carolina (both making their first ever Final Four appearance). North Carolina then defeated Gonzaga 71--65 to win the national championship . </P> <P> A total of 68 teams entered the 2017 tournament, with all 32 conference tournament winners receiving an automatic bid . The Ivy League, which previously granted its automatic tournament bid to its regular season champion, hosted a postseason tournament to determine a conference champion for the first time . In previous years, had the Ivy League had two schools tied for first in the standings, a one - game playoff (or series as was the case in the 2002 season) determined the automatic bid . On March 10, 2016, the Ivy League's council of presidents approved a four - team tournament where the top four teams in the regular season would play on March 11 and 12 at Philadelphia's Palestra . </P>

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