1975 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament

The 1975 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 1975, and ended with the championship game on March 31 at the San Diego Sports Arena, now known as Pechanga Arena San Diego, in San Diego, California. A total of 36 games were played, including a third place game in each region and a national third place game. This was the first 32-team tournament.

1975 NCAA Division I
Basketball Tournament
NCAA logo from 1971 to 1979
Season1974–75
Teams32
Finals siteSan Diego Sports Arena
San Diego, CA
ChampionsUCLA Bruins (10th title, 10th title game,
12th Final Four)
Runner-upKentucky Wildcats (6th title game,
7th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachJohn Wooden (10th title)
MOPRichard Washington (UCLA)
Attendance183,857
Top scorerJim Lee Syracuse
(119 points)
NCAA Division I Men's Tournaments
«1974 1976»

UCLA, coached by John Wooden, won his 10th national title and last with a 92–85 victory in the final game over Kentucky, coached by Joe B. Hall. Richard Washington of UCLA was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

The Bruins again had an advantage by playing the Final Four in their home state. It was the last time a team won the national championship playing in its home state.

Tournament notes
  • The bracket expanded to 32 teams; the previous six editions had 25 teams.
  • It was the last time until 2021 that Oregon State officially won an NCAA tournament game. (The Beavers won two games in the 1982 tournament, but those wins were later vacated by the NCAA.) Of the major conferences, only Nebraska, which has never won an NCAA tournament game, had a longer active winning drought.
  • This was the last tournament in which third-place games were contested in each regional. The national third-place game would continue to be played through the 1981 tournament.
  • This was also the first NCAA tournament to allow more than one team per conference. Previously, only one team from each conference was allowed. This change was response to a number of factors:
  • The new selection criteria threatened to exclude Northeastern teams, which did not belong to conferences. To address this problem, this was the first NCAA Tournament to grant automatic bids to the winners of ECAC regional tournaments for Northeastern Division I independents organized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference, a loose sports federation of Northeastern colleges and universities. This practice would continue through the 1982 tournament.[2][3]
  • Finally, the national final was the last game for UCLA coaching legend John Wooden, who had announced his retirement at the press conference following the semi-final game with Louisville. Wooden won his tenth and final NCAA Division I Men's Basketball championship.[4]

Memorable games

There were two memorable games in the 1975 tournament. Number 2 ranked Kentucky upset previously unbeaten Indiana 92–90 in their regional final. The Hoosiers, coached by Bob Knight, were undefeated and the number one team in the nation, when leading scorer Scott May suffered a broken arm in a win over arch-rival Purdue. This was the only loss Indiana would suffer between March 1974 and December 1976. In the national semifinals, UCLA defeated Louisville, coached by former Wooden assistant Denny Crum, 75–74 in overtime, rallying late in regulation to force overtime and coming from behind in overtime to win on a last second shot by Richard Washington.

Both games made USA Today's list of the greatest NCAA tournament games of all time, with the former at #8 and the latter at #28.[5]

Schedule and venues

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1975 tournament:

First Round

Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

National Semifinals, 3rd Place Game, and Championship (Final Four and Championship)

Teams
RegionTeamCoachConferenceFinishedFinal OpponentScore
East
EastBoston CollegeBob ZuffelatoIndependentRegional Fourth PlaceNorth CarolinaL 110–90
EastFurmanJoe WilliamsSouthernRound of 32Boston CollegeL 82–76
EastKansas StateJack HartmanBig EightRegional Runner-upSyracuseL 95–87
EastLa SallePaul WestheadEast CoastRound of 32SyracuseL 87–83
EastNew Mexico StateLou HensonMissouri ValleyRound of 32North CarolinaL 93–69
EastNorth CarolinaDean SmithAtlantic CoastRegional Third PlaceBoston CollegeW 110–90
EastPennChuck DalyIvy LeagueRound of 32Kansas StateL 69–62
EastSyracuseRoy DanforthIndependentFourth PlaceLouisvilleL 96–88
Mideast
MideastCentral MichiganDick ParfittMid-AmericanRegional Third PlaceOregon StateW 88–87
MideastGeorgetownJohn ThompsonIndependentRound of 32Central MichiganL 77–75
MideastIndianaBob KnightBig TenRegional Runner-upKentuckyL 92–90
MideastKentuckyJoe B. HallSoutheasternRunner-upUCLAL 92–85
MideastMarquetteAl McGuireIndependentRound of 32KentuckyL 76–54
MideastMiddle Tennessee StateJimmy EarleOhio ValleyRound of 32Oregon StateL 78–67
MideastOregon StateRalph MillerPacific-8Regional Fourth PlaceCentral MichiganL 88–87
MideastUTEPDon HaskinsWestern AthleticRound of 32IndianaL 78–53
Midwest
MidwestCincinnatiGale CatlettIndependentRegional Third PlaceNotre DameW 95–87
MidwestCreightonTom ApkeIndependentRound of 32MarylandL 83–79
MidwestKansasTed OwensBig EightRound of 32Notre DameL 77–71
MidwestLouisvilleDenny CrumMissouri ValleyThird PlaceSyracuseW 96–88
MidwestMarylandLefty DriesellAtlantic CoastRegional Runner-upLouisvilleL 96–82
MidwestNotre DameDigger PhelpsIndependentRegional Fourth PlaceCincinnatiL 95–87
MidwestRutgersTom YoungIndependentRound of 32LouisvilleL 91–78
MidwestTexas A&MShelby MetcalfSouthwestRound of 32CincinnatiL 87–79
West
WestAlabamaC. M. NewtonSoutheasternRound of 32Arizona StateL 97–94
WestArizona StateNed WulkWestern AthleticRegional Runner-upUCLAL 89–75
WestMichiganJohnny OrrBig TenRound of 32UCLAL 103–91
WestMontanaJud HeathcoteBig SkyRegional Fourth PlaceUNLVL 75–67
WestUNLVJerry TarkanianWest CoastRegional Third PlaceMontanaW 75–67
WestSan Diego StateTim VeziePacific CoastRound of 32UNLVL 90–80
WestUCLAJohn WoodenPacific-8ChampionKentuckyW 92–85
WestUtah StateDutch BelnapIndependentRound of 32MontanaL 69–63

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

East region
Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
Syracuse 87
La Salle 83*
Syracuse 78
North Carolina 76
North Carolina 93
New Mexico State 69
Syracuse 95
Kansas State 87*
Kansas State 69
Penn 62
Kansas State 74
Boston College 65
Boston College 82
Furman 76
East Regional Third Place
   
North Carolina 110
Boston College 90

Mideast region
Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
Indiana 78
UTEP 53
Indiana 81
Oregon State 71
Oregon State 78
Middle Tennessee State 67
Indiana 90
Kentucky 92
Central Michigan 77
Georgetown 75
Central Michigan 73
Kentucky 90
Kentucky 76
Marquette 54
Mideast Regional Third Place
   
Oregon State 87
Central Michigan 88

Midwest region
Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
Maryland 83
Creighton 79
Maryland 83
Notre Dame 71
Notre Dame 77
Kansas 71
Maryland 82
Louisville 96
Cincinnati 87
Texas A&M 79
Cincinnati 63
Louisville 78
Louisville 91
Rutgers 78
Midwest Regional Third Place
   
Notre Dame 87
Cincinnati 95

West region
Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
UCLA 103
Michigan 91*
UCLA 67
Montana 64
Montana 105
Utah State 63
UCLA 89
Arizona State 75
Arizona State 97
Alabama 94
Arizona State 84
UNLV 81
UNLV 90
San Diego State 80
West Regional Third Place
   
Montana 67
UNLV 75

Final Four
  National Semifinals     National Championship Game
                 
  E Syracuse 79  
  ME Kentucky 95    
      ME Kentucky 85
      W UCLA 92
  MW Louisville 74*    
  W UCLA 75   National Third Place Game
 
E Syracuse 88*
  MW Louisville 96

See also

References
  1. Bill Free – This Overtime Lasts 25 Years Archived 2008-09-12 at the Wayback Machine The 1974 team left it all out on the floor. Baltimore Sun, hosted at University of Maryland Terrapins athletic site, February 20, 1999
  2. Varsity Pride: ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments
  3. "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Beginnings of the Big East". Archived from the original on 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  4. Maffei, John (July 6, 2013). "Sports site No. 3: San Diego Sports Arena". U-T San Diego. MLIM Holdings. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  5. Mike Douchant – Greatest 63 games in NCAA Tournament history. The Sports Xchange, published in USA Today, March 25, 2002
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