1983 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament

Last updated
1983 NCAA Division I
Men's Basketball Tournament
1983 Final Four logo.png
Season 198283
Teams52
Finals site The Pit
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Champions NC State Wolfpack (2nd title, 2nd title game,
3rd Final Four)
Runner-up Houston Cougars (1st title game,
4th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coach Jim Valvano (1st title)
MOP Akeem Olajuwon (Houston)
Attendance364,356
Top scorer Dereck Whittenburg NC State
(120 points)
NCAA Division I Men's Tournaments
« 1982 1984 »

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. [1] A total of 51 games were played.

Contents

North Carolina State, coached by Jim Valvano, won the national title with a 54–52 victory in the final game over Houston, coached by Guy Lewis. The ending of the final game is one of the most famous in college basketball history, with a buzzer-beating dunk by Lorenzo Charles off a desperation shot from 30 feet out by Dereck Whittenburg.

Both Charles's dunk and Valvano's running around the court in celebration immediately after the game have been staples of NCAA tournament coverage ever since. North Carolina State's victory has often been considered one of the greatest upsets in college basketball history, and is the fourth biggest point-spread upset in Championship Game history.

Akeem Olajuwon of Houston was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, becoming the last player to date to earn this award while playing for a team that failed to win the national title.

National championship game

In the final game, played in Albuquerque, New Mexico, NC State led at halftime by a score of 33–25. Houston was hampered by foul trouble that plagued star Clyde Drexler, who picked up four first half fouls. In the second half, the Cougars came out with a second wind and established control of the game, eventually taking a seven-point lead.

However, things were not all good for Houston. Since the game was played in Albuquerque, players had to deal with the city's mile-high altitude. The Cougars' star center, Akeem Olajuwon, had problems adjusting to the environment and tired quickly, needing to check out of the game multiple times so he could put on an oxygen mask and recover. With Olajuwon on the bench, Houston head coach Guy Lewis decided that in order to protect the lead and the health of his big man at the same time, the Cougars needed to start slowing the game down.

Once again, this enabled the Wolfpack to return to their standby strategy of extending the game. Houston's free throw shooting was very suspect entering the game, which worked greatly in NC State's favor as they were able to rally back and even the score at 52 in the final two minutes. On what would be the last Houston possession, Valvano called for his players to back off and let freshman guard Alvin Franklin bring the ball up the court. The Wolfpack defenders would let the Cougars employ their slowdown strategy of passing it around. Once the ball got back to Franklin he was to be fouled immediately. With 1:05 left, the freshman was fouled and sent to the line for a one-and-one. The idea to foul Franklin sprung from the enormity of the moment; NC State believed that the relatively inexperienced Franklin could not withstand the pressure of going to the line with the championship at stake and knowing that fifty million viewers were tuned in to watch the game. The theory proved correct as Franklin failed to convert and the Wolfpack grabbed the rebound. Valvano called timeout with 44 seconds left and drew up a play for senior guard Dereck Whittenburg during the timeout, which called for the team to pass him the ball with ten seconds left on the clock so he could take the final shot.

Houston needed a defensive stop so they could get another chance to close out the game. Lewis decided to move from the man-to-man defense his team had been running the whole game to a half court zone trap defense. The Wolfpack, who were not expecting the defensive adjustment, were forced to deviate and began passing the ball around just to keep the Cougars from stealing it. Houston nearly got the turnover it was looking for when Whittenburg made an errant pass to Gannon that Drexler nearly came away with before the sophomore regained control of the ball. The ball eventually wound up in the hands of guard Sidney Lowe, who gave it to forward and fellow senior Thurl Bailey in the corner.

Trying to keep the ball moving, as he had been double teamed as soon as he received the pass, Bailey looked back toward Whittenburg, who was approximately thirty feet away from the hoop near midcourt. Bailey threw what Whittenburg would later call a "poor fundamental" overhanded pass which Houston's Benny Anders, guarding Whittenburg on the play, was in position to steal. At this point, Whittenburg hearkened back to his high school days with Morgan Wootten at DeMatha Catholic High School, where he was taught to always catch the basketball with both hands. If Whittenburg had not attempted to do so in this case, Anders may have gotten the steal and a game-winning breakaway layup. In college basketball at the time, the game clock continued to run after a made field goal, and the Wolfpack likely would not have had time even to inbound the ball. As it was, Anders knocked the ball out of Whittenburg's hands, but Whittenburg quickly regained control.

The clock, meanwhile, had ticked down to five seconds and Whittenburg was still standing a significant distance from the goal. Once he regained control, Whittenburg turned and launched a desperation shot, later claimed by Whittenburg to be a pass, to try and win the game for NC State. The shot's trajectory took it to the front of the basket where Olajuwon was covering Wolfpack center Lorenzo Charles. As he watched the shot, Olajuwon said he knew the shot was going to come up short but he also did not want to go for the ball too early because of the potential for goaltending. Charles took advantage of the indecision by Olajuwon and went up for the air ball, and, in one motion, he scored the go-ahead points with a two-handed dunk. The final second ticked off the clock before Houston could inbound the ball, and with that, the game ended, and the Wolfpack were the national champions.

Schedule and venues

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Dayton
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Philadelphia
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Greensboro
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Evansville
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Corvallis
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Boise
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Hartford
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Houston
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Louisville
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Tampa
1983 sites for play-in (orange) and first and second (green) rounds
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Syracuse
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Knoxville
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Kansas City
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Ogden
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Albuquerque
1983 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1983 tournament:

Opening Round

First and Second Rounds

Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

National Semifinals and Championship (Final Four and Championship)

Albuquerque became the 20th host city, and The Pit the 21st host venue, for the Final Four. Albuquerque was the third smallest metropolitan area to host a Final Four, ahead of only Lexington and Greensboro. While it is not on the main campus of the University of New Mexico, the arena is part of the south campus of the school (which includes Dreamstyle Stadium, Santa Ana Star Field, and most other campus athletics facilities, as well as neighboring Isotopes Park), making this the last Final Four held on a campus of any kind. The 1983 tournament saw five new host cities - Boise, Evansville, Hartford, Syracuse and Tampa. Of the five, only Evansville has not repeated as a host city yet. The tournament also saw two venues returning after long absences, with Kansas City (first time since 1964) and Corvallis, Oregon (first time since 1967). While Kansas City, Kemper Arena and its successor venue the Sprint Center have continued to host tournament games, this would be the last time Corvallis has hosted since. Any future tournament games to be played in Tampa would be at the Amalie Arena or Tropicana Field; in Knoxville, the Thompson-Boling Arena.

Teams

RegionSeedTeamCoachConferenceFinishedFinal OpponentScore
East
East1 St. John's Lou Carnesecca Big EastSweet Sixteen4 Georgia L 70–67
East2 North Carolina Dean Smith Atlantic CoastRegional Runner-up4 Georgia L 82–77
East3 Ohio State Eldon Miller Big TenSweet Sixteen2 North Carolina L 64–51
East4 Georgia Hugh Durham SoutheasternFinal Four6 NC State L 67–60
East5 VCU J.D. Barnett Sun BeltSecond Round4 Georgia L 56–54
East6 Syracuse Jim Boeheim Big EastSecond Round3 Ohio State L 79–74
East7 West Virginia Gale Catlett Atlantic 10First Round10 James Madison L 57–50
East8 Southwestern Louisiana Bobby Paschal IndependentFirst Round9 Rutgers L 60–53
East9 Rutgers Tom Young Atlantic 10Second Round1 St. John's L 66–55
East10 James Madison Lou Campanelli ECAC SouthSecond Round2 North Carolina L 68–49
East11 Morehead State Wayne Martin Ohio ValleyFirst Round6 Syracuse L 74–59
East12 Boston University Rick Pitino ECAC NorthPreliminary Round12 La Salle L 70–58
East12 La Salle Lefty Ervin East CoastFirst Round5 VCU L 76–67
Mideast
Mideast1 Louisville Denny Crum MetroFinal Four1 Houston L 94–81
Mideast2 Indiana Bob Knight Big TenSweet Sixteen3 Kentucky L 64–59
Mideast3 Kentucky Joe B. Hall SoutheasternRegional Runner-up1 Louisville L 80–68
Mideast4 Arkansas Eddie Sutton SouthwestSweet Sixteen1 Louisville L 65–63
Mideast5 Purdue Gene Keady Big TenSecond Round4 Arkansas L 78–68
Mideast6 Illinois State Bob Donewald Missouri ValleyFirst Round11 Ohio L 51–49
Mideast7 Oklahoma Billy Tubbs Big EightSecond Round2 Indiana L 63–49
Mideast8 Tennessee Don DeVoe SoutheasternSecond Round1 Louisville L 70–57
Mideast9 Marquette Hank Raymonds IndependentFirst Round8 Tennessee L 57–56
Mideast10 UAB Gene Bartow Sun BeltFirst Round7 Oklahoma L 71–63
Mideast11 Ohio Danny Nee Mid-AmericanSecond Round3 Kentucky L 57–40
Mideast12 Georgia Southern Frank Kerns Trans AmericaPreliminary Round12 Robert Morris L 64–54
Mideast12 Robert Morris Matt Furjanic ECAC MetroFirst Round5 Purdue L 55–53
Midwest
Midwest1 Houston Guy Lewis SouthwestRunner Up6 NC State L 54–52
Midwest2 Missouri Norm Stewart Big EightSecond Round7 Iowa L 77–63
Midwest3 Villanova Rollie Massimino Big EastRegional Runner-up1 Houston L 89–71
Midwest4 Memphis State (vacated) Dana Kirk MetroSweet Sixteen1 Houston L 70–63
Midwest5 Georgetown John Thompson Big EastSecond Round4 Memphis State L 66–57
Midwest6 Alabama Wimp Sanderson SoutheasternFirst Round11 Lamar L 73–50
Midwest7 Iowa Lute Olson Big TenSweet Sixteen3 Villanova L 55–54
Midwest8 Maryland Lefty Driesell Atlantic CoastSecond Round1 Houston L 60–50
Midwest9 Chattanooga Murray Arnold SouthernFirst Round8 Maryland L 52–51
Midwest10 Utah State Rod Tueller Pacific CoastFirst Round7 Iowa L 64–59
Midwest11 Lamar Pat Foster SouthlandSecond Round3 Villanova L 60–58
Midwest12 Alcorn State Davey Whitney Southwest AthleticFirst Round5 Georgetown L 68–63
Midwest12 Xavier Bob Staak Midwestern CityPreliminary Round12 Alcorn State L 81–75
West
West1 Virginia Terry Holland Atlantic CoastRegional Runner-up6 NC State L 63–62
West2 UCLA Larry Farmer Pacific-10Second Round10 Utah L 67–61
West3 UNLV Jerry Tarkanian Pacific CoastSecond Round6 NC State L 71–70
West4 Boston College Gary Williams Big EastSweet Sixteen1 Virginia L 95–92
West5 Oklahoma State Paul Hansen Big EightFirst Round12 Princeton L 56–53
West6 NC State Jim Valvano Atlantic CoastChampion1 Houston W 54–52
West7 Illinois Lou Henson Big TenFirst Round10 Utah L 52–49
West8 Washington State George Raveling Pacific-10Second Round1 Virginia L 54–49
West9 Weber State Neil McCarthy Big SkyFirst Round8 Washington State L 62–52
West10 Utah Jerry Pimm Western AthleticSweet Sixteen6 NC State L 75–56
West11 Pepperdine Jim Harrick West CoastFirst Round6 NC State L 69–67
West12 North Carolina A&T Don Corbett Mid-EasternPreliminary Round12 Princeton L 53–41
West12 Princeton Pete Carril Ivy LeagueSecond Round4 Boston College L 51–42

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

Preliminary round

East #12 Seed
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
   
12 La Salle70
12 Boston University 58
Mideast #12 Seed
Dayton, Ohio
   
12 Robert Morris64
12 Georgia Southern 54
Midwest #12 Seed
Dayton, Ohio
   
12 Alcorn State81
12 Xavier 75
West #12 Seed
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
   
12 Princeton51
12 North Carolina A&T 42

East region

First round Second round Regional Semifinals Regional Finals
            
8 Southwest Louisiana 53
9 Rutgers60
9 Rutgers 55
1 St. John's66
1 St. John's 67
4 Georgia70
4 Georgia56
5 VCU 54
5 VCU76
12 La Salle 67
4 Georgia82
2 North Carolina 77
6 Syracuse74
11 Morehead State 59
6 Syracuse 74
3 Ohio State79
3 Ohio State 51
2 North Carolina64
2 North Carolina68
10 James Madison 49
7 West Virginia 50
10 James Madison57

West region

First round Second round Regional Semifinals Regional Finals
            
8 Washington State62
9 Weber State 52
8 Washington State 49
1 Virginia54
1 Virginia95
4 Boston College 92
4 Boston College51
12 Princeton 42
5 Oklahoma State 53
12 Princeton56
1 Virginia 62
6 NC State63
6 NC State69
11 Pepperdine 67**
6 NC State71
3 UNLV 70
6 NC State75
10 Utah 56
2 UCLA 61
10 Utah67
7 Illinois 49
10 Utah52

Mideast region

First round Second round Regional Semifinals Regional Finals
            
8 Tennessee57
9 Marquette 56
8 Tennessee 57
1 Louisville70
1 Louisville65
4 Arkansas 63
4 Arkansas78
5 Purdue 68
5 Purdue55
12 Robert Morris 53
1 Louisville80
3 Kentucky 68*
6 Illinois State 49
11 Ohio51
11 Ohio 40
3 Kentucky57
3 Kentucky64
2 Indiana 59
2 Indiana63
7 Oklahoma 49
7 Oklahoma71
10 UAB 63

Midwest region

First round Second round Regional Semifinals Regional Finals
            
8 Maryland52
9 Chattanooga 51
8 Maryland 50
1 Houston60
1 Houston70
4 Memphis State 63
4 Memphis State66
5 Georgetown 57
5 Georgetown68
12 Alcorn State 63
1 Houston89
3 Villanova 71
6 Alabama 50
11 Lamar73
11 Lamar 58
3 Villanova60
3 Villanova55
7 Iowa 54
2 Missouri 63
7 Iowa77
7 Iowa64
10 Utah State 59

Final Four

National Semifinals National Championship Game
      
E4 Georgia 60
W6 NC State67
W6 NC State54
MW1 Houston 52
ME1 Louisville 81
MW1 Houston94

Tournament notes

The Louisville vs. Houston semi-final was a matchup of the #1 vs. #2 team. [2] [3] The #1 ranked Houston Cougars (nicknamed Phi Slama Jama) vs. #2 the Louisville Cardinals (nicknamed "The Doctors of Dunk") was considered likely to produce the national champion. It featured two strong offensive teams that specialized in the slam dunk. [4] Both teams put on a show of offense, with Houston winning out over Louisville 94-81. This would have been the biggest game of the tournament[ clarification needed ] had it not been eclipsed by the North Carolina State win over Houston in the championship game.

Another historically significant game in this tournament was the Mideast Regional final between Kentucky and Louisville, in-state rivals that had not played one another in basketball since the 1959 NCAA tournament, and had not played in the regular season since 1922. After regulation time ended with Kentucky tying the game at the buzzer, Louisville dominated the overtime to advance to the Final Four. This result directly led to the start of the Battle for the Bluegrass annual basketball series between the two schools that November. [4]

A historically significant run in the tournament was that of Georgia, who became the last team to date to advance to the Final Four in its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. But the N.C. State team led by Jim Valvano became the archetype of the "Cinderella team", the underdog that many fans look to as a possible spoiler over top-ranked teams. This label has, since then, been applied to many programs, including Villanova in 1985, Gonzaga in 1999, George Mason in 2006, Butler in 2010 and 2011, VCU in 2011, Wichita State in 2013, and Loyola in 2018. Not only did N.C. State beat Houston to win the championship, but they also beat #1 seeded Virginia on their way to the Final Four. The Wolfpack did not assure themselves of a tournament bid until they upset Virginia in the championship game of the ACC tournament. North Carolina State became the first team in tournament history to win six games en route to the title (the tournament being 32 teams or fewer prior to 1979, and all champions from 1979 to 1982 had first-round byes).

Christopher Cross' "All Right" accompanied the highlight montage at the end of CBS' broadcast of the championship game.

Announcers

See also

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References

  1. "1983 NCAA Tournament Summary".
  2. Johnson, Gary K.; Sean W. Straziscar; Jeff Williams; Kevin Buerge (2007). Official 2007 NCAA Men's Basketball Records Book. NCAA Records Books. National Collegiate Athletic Association. ISSN   1089-5280.
  3. Drexler, Clyde., Eggers, Kerry. Clyde the Glide: My Life in Basketball. United States: Sports Publishing, 2011.
  4. 1 2 Weintraub, Robert – Jamfest for the Ages. E-Ticket – ESPN.COM the magazine, March 29, 2007