Season | 1968–69 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Teams | 25 | ||||
Finals site | Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky | ||||
Champions | UCLA Bruins (5th title, 5th title game, 6th Final Four) | ||||
Runner-up | Purdue Boilermakers (1st title game, 1st Final Four) | ||||
Semifinalists |
| ||||
Winning coach | John Wooden (5th title) | ||||
MOP | Lew Alcindor (UCLA) | ||||
Attendance | 165,712 | ||||
Top scorer | Rick Mount (Purdue) (122 points) | ||||
|
The 1969 NCAA University Division men's basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1969, and ended with the championship game on March 22 in Louisville, Kentucky. Including consolation games in each of the regions and an overall consolation game, a total of 29 games were played.
UCLA, coached by John Wooden, won the national title with a 92–72 victory in the final game over Purdue, coached by George King. Lew Alcindor of UCLA was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
In the game, John Vallely, the "Money Man", scored 22 points and Alcindor had 37 points, to give UCLA a win over Purdue, which is Wooden's alma mater. Purdue was hampered due to injuries to starting point guard Billy Keller and forward Herm Gilliam; Purdue had also lost 7'0" center Chuck Bavis to a broken collarbone during the Mideast Regionals against Miami, (OH). In earlier matchups, Bavis had provided an ample challenge to Alcindor. Wooden was an All-American guard for the Boilermakers from 1928 to 1932.
The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1969 tournament, and their host(s):
First round
Regional semifinals, 3rd-place games, and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)
National semifinals, 3rd-place game, and championship (Final Four and championship)
Region | Team | Coach | Conference | Finished | Final Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
East | ||||||
East | Davidson | Lefty Driesell | Southern | Regional Runner-up | North Carolina | L 87–85 |
East | Duquesne | John Manning | Independent | Regional third place | St. John's | W 75–72 |
East | North Carolina | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast | Fourth Place | Drake | L 104–84 |
East | Princeton | Pete Carril | Ivy League | First round | St. John's | L 72–63 |
East | St. John's | Lou Carnesecca | Independent | Regional Fourth Place | Duquesne | L 75–72 |
East | Saint Joseph's | Jack McKinney | Middle Atlantic | First round | Duquesne | L 74–52 |
East | Villanova | Jack Kraft | Independent | First round | Davidson | L 75–61 |
Mideast | ||||||
Mideast | Kentucky | Adolph Rupp | Southeastern | Regional third place | Miami (OH) | W 72–71 |
Mideast | Marquette | Al McGuire | Independent | Regional Runner-up | Purdue | L 75–73 |
Mideast | Miami (OH) | Tates Locke | Mid-American | Regional Fourth Place | Kentucky | L 72–71 |
Mideast | Murray State | Cal Luther | Ohio Valley | First round | Marquette | L 82–62 |
Mideast | Notre Dame | John Dee | Independent | First round | Miami (OH) | L 63–60 |
Mideast | Purdue | George King | Big Ten | Runner Up | UCLA | L 92–72 |
Midwest | ||||||
Midwest | Colorado | Sox Walseth | Big Eight | Regional third place | Texas A&M | W 97–82 |
Midwest | Colorado State | Jim Williams | Independent | Regional Runner-up | Drake | L 84–77 |
Midwest | Dayton | Don Donoher | Independent | First round | Colorado State | L 52–50 |
Midwest | Drake | Maury John | Missouri Valley | Third Place | North Carolina | W 104–84 |
Midwest | Texas A&M | Shelby Metcalf | Southwest | Regional Fourth Place | Colorado | L 97–82 |
Midwest | Trinity (TX) | Bob Polk | Southland | First round | Texas A&M | L 81–66 |
West | ||||||
West | BYU | Stan Watts | Western Athletic | First round | New Mexico State | L 74–62 |
West | New Mexico State | Lou Henson | Independent | Regional Fourth Place | Weber State | L 58–56 |
West | Santa Clara | Dick Garibaldi | West Coast | Regional Runner-up | UCLA | L 90–52 |
West | Seattle | Morris Buckwalter | Independent | First round | Weber State | L 75–73 |
West | UCLA | John Wooden | Pac-8 | Champion | Purdue | W 92–72 |
West | Weber State | Phil Johnson | Big Sky | Regional third place | New Mexico State | W 58–56 |
* – Denotes overtime period
Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
North Carolina | 79 | |||||||||||||
Duquesne | 78 | |||||||||||||
Duquesne | 74 | |||||||||||||
Saint Joseph's | 52 | |||||||||||||
North Carolina | 87 | |||||||||||||
Davidson | 85 | |||||||||||||
Davidson | 75 | |||||||||||||
Villanova | 61 | |||||||||||||
Davidson | 79 | |||||||||||||
St. John's | 69 | |||||||||||||
St. John's | 72 | |||||||||||||
Princeton | 63 |
Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
Purdue | 91 | |||||||||||||
Miami (OH) | 71 | |||||||||||||
Miami (OH) | 63 | |||||||||||||
Notre Dame | 60 | |||||||||||||
Purdue | 75 | |||||||||||||
Marquette | 73 | |||||||||||||
Kentucky | 74 | |||||||||||||
Marquette | 81 | |||||||||||||
Marquette | 82 | |||||||||||||
Murray State | 62 |
Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
Drake | 81 | |||||||||||||
Texas A&M | 63 | |||||||||||||
Texas A&M | 81 | |||||||||||||
Trinity (TX) | 66 | |||||||||||||
Drake | 84 | |||||||||||||
Colorado State | 77 | |||||||||||||
Colorado | 56 | |||||||||||||
Colorado State | 64 | |||||||||||||
Colorado State | 52 | |||||||||||||
Dayton | 50 |
Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
UCLA | 53 | |||||||||||||
New Mexico State | 38 | |||||||||||||
New Mexico State | 74 | |||||||||||||
BYU | 62 | |||||||||||||
UCLA | 90 | |||||||||||||
Santa Clara | 52 | |||||||||||||
Santa Clara | 63 | |||||||||||||
Weber State | 59* | |||||||||||||
Weber State | 75 | |||||||||||||
Seattle | 73 |
National semifinals | National Final | ||||||||
E | North Carolina | 65 | |||||||
ME | Purdue | 92 | |||||||
ME | Purdue | 72 | |||||||
W | UCLA | 92 | |||||||
MW | Drake | 82 | |||||||
W | UCLA | 85 |
National third-place game [1] | ||||
E | North Carolina | 84 | ||
MW | Drake | 104 |
|
|
|
|
Curt Gowdy, Charlie Jones, Pat Hernon and Jim Simpson - First Round at Raleigh, North Carolina (Davidson-Villanova, St John's-Princeton); Mideast Regional Final at Madison, Wisconsin; Final Four at Louisville, Kentucky; Jones was used at the sideline reporter for the first round, Hernon was used for the Regional Final, and Simpson was used for the Final Four.
The 1982 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1982, and ended with the championship game on March 29 in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. A total of 47 games were played.
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.
The 1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1986, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in Dallas, Texas. A total of 63 games were played.
The 1970 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 7, 1970, and ended with the championship game on March 21 in College Park, Maryland. A total of 29 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game. This tournament was notable for the number of small schools that reached the Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final 4, and championship Game. Another notable aspect of the tournament was that Marquette became the first team to turn down an announced NCAA Tournament bid for the National Invitation Tournament. Coach Al McGuire took issue with being seeded in the Midwest regional instead of the geographically closer Mideast. They were replaced in the field by Dayton. As a result of this action, the NCAA now forbids its members from playing in other postseason tournaments if offered an NCAA bid.
The 1971 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1971, and ended with the championship game on March 27 in Houston, Texas. A total of 29 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game. This was the last time the Final Four was held in Houston until 2011.
The 1972 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of NCAA University Division college basketball. It began on Saturday, March 11, and ended with the championship game in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 25. A total of 29 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game.
The 1973 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA University Division college basketball. It began on Saturday, March 10, and ended with the championship game on Monday, March 26, in St. Louis, Missouri. A total of 29 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game.
The 1974 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It was the first tournament to be designated as a Division I championship—previously, NCAA member schools had been divided into the "University Division" and "College Division". The NCAA created its current three-division setup, effective with the 1973–74 academic year, by moving all of its University Division schools to Division I and splitting the College Division members into Division II and Division III. Previous tournaments would retroactively be considered Division I championships.
The 1976 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 13, 1976, and ended with the championship game on March 29 in Philadelphia. A total of 32 games were played, including a national third-place game.
The 1977 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 32 American schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the National Champion of Men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on Saturday, March 12, 1977, and ended with the championship game on Monday, March 28 in Atlanta. A total of 32 games were played, including a national third-place game. This was the final tournament in which teams were not seeded.
The 1978 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 11, 1978, and ended with the championship game on March 27 in St. Louis, Missouri. A total of 32 games were played, including a national third-place game.
The 1979 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 40 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 9 and ended with the championship game on March 26 in Salt Lake City. A total of 40 games were played, including a national third-place game. This was the tournament's only edition with forty teams; the previous year's had 32, and it expanded to 48 in 1980. The 1979 Indiana State team was the last squad to reach a national title game with an undefeated record for 42 years; their achievement was finally matched by the 2021 Gonzaga Bulldogs, who reached that year's title contest against Baylor with a 31–0 record.
The 1980 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 6, 1980, and ended with the championship game on March 24 at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. A total of 48 games were played, including a national third-place game.
The 1981 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1981, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in Philadelphia. A total of 48 games were played, including a national third-place game. It was also the last tournament to be televised on NBC, before CBS took over the following year. Additionally, it was the last season in which the NCAA sponsored championships only in men's sports; the first Division I women's tournament would be played the following year.
The 1983 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 52 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 17, 1983, and ended with the championship game on April 4 at The Pit, then officially known as University Arena, on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. A total of 51 games were played.
The 1984 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 53 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1984, and ended with the championship game on April 2 in Seattle. A total of 52 games were played. This was the last tournament in which some teams earned first-round byes as the field expanded to 64 teams beginning in the 1985 tournament when each team played in the first round. It was also the second year with a preliminary round; preliminary games would not be played again until 2001.
The 1987 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1987, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A total of 63 games were played.
The 1968–69 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team won an unprecedented third consecutive NCAA National Basketball Championship, the fifth in six years under head coach John Wooden with a win over Purdue, coach Wooden's alma mater. The Bruins opened with 25 wins, on a 41-game winning streak, but lost the regular season finale to rival USC on March 8, which snapped a home winning streak of 85 games.
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 2015 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 2014–15 season. The 77th edition of the tournament began on March 17, 2015, and concluded with the championship game on April 6, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.