Locations
| Region | Site | Other Locations |
|---|---|---|
| East | Greensboro, North Carolina | Providence, Rhode Island, Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Mideast | Indianapolis, Indiana | Bloomington, Indiana, Murfreesboro, Tennessee |
| Midwest | Cincinnati, Ohio | Dallas, Texas, Lawrence, Kansas |
| West | Provo, Utah | Los Angeles, California, Tucson, Arizona |
| Finals | Salt Lake City, Utah |
In the East, the Round of 32 was called Black Sunday because of Penn's upset of #1 North Carolina and St. John's upset of #2-seeded Duke, both in Raleigh. Penn went all the way to the Final Four before losing to eventual champion Michigan State. Both teams had to defeat higher-seeded opponents in the Round of 40 to have the chance to beat UNC and Duke. Penn beat three higher-seeded opponents to reach the Final Four, a feat which was later bettered in 1986 by LSU, 2006 by George Mason and 2011 by Virginia Commonwealth, who each beat four higher-seeded opponents on the way to the Final Four.
Read more about this topic: 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament