Season | 1984–85 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Teams | 64 | ||||
Finals site | Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky | ||||
Champions | Villanova Wildcats (1st title, 1st title game, 2nd Final Four) | ||||
Runner-up | Georgetown Hoyas (4th title game, 5th Final Four) | ||||
Semifinalists |
| ||||
Winning coach | Rollie Massimino (1st title) | ||||
MOP | Ed Pinckney (Villanova) | ||||
Attendance | 422,519 | ||||
Top scorer | Chris Mullin (St. John's) (110 points) | ||||
|
The 1985 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. This was the first year the field was expanded to 64 teams, from 53 in the previous year's tournament. It began on March 14, 1985, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Lexington, Kentucky. A total of 63 games were played.
Eighth-seed Villanova, coached by Rollie Massimino, won their first national title with a 66–64 victory in the final game over Georgetown, coached by John Thompson. Ed Pinckney of Villanova was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The game, often cited as "The Perfect Game", is widely considered among the greatest upsets in college basketball history, and is the second biggest point-spread upset in Championship Game history. [1] [2] This Villanova team remains the lowest-seeded team to win the tournament. The Wildcats are also notable as the last Division I men's national champion to date to represent a school that did not sponsor varsity football at the time of its title (Villanova had dropped football after the 1980 season and did not reinstate the sport until the 1985 season, the first after the championship game). The game is also notable as the last played without a shot clock.
This year's Final Four saw an unprecedented and unmatched three teams from the same conference, with Big East members Villanova and Georgetown joined by St. John's. The only "interloper" in the Big East party was Memphis State, then of the Metro Conference (Memphis State's 1985 Final Four appearance was vacated due to using ineligible players, as were all of its tournament appearances from 1982 to 1986). Lehigh, champion of the East Coast Conference Tournament, became the first team in NCAA Tournament history to compete with a record below .500, as they were 12–18 at the time they played in the First Round. [3]
This was also the first year that one of the regionals was named "Southeast", replacing "Mideast". This name was used until 1998, when the regional was renamed "South". This was also the last tournament until 2010 to feature two private schools in the title game. This tournament was also the last until 2012 to feature no teams in the Sweet 16 from the Mountain or Pacific Time Zones.
This tournament's East Region is the only one in NCAA Tournament history in which the higher-seeded team won every game.
The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1985 tournament:
First and Second Rounds
Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)
National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)
Region | Seed | Team | Coach | Conference | Finished | Final Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
East | |||||||
East | 1 | Georgetown | John Thompson | Big East | Runner-up | 8 Villanova | L 66–64 |
East | 2 | Georgia Tech | Bobby Cremins | Atlantic Coast | Regional Runner-up | 1 Georgetown | L 60–54 |
East | 3 | Illinois | Lou Henson | Big Ten | Sweet Sixteen | 2 Georgia Tech | L 61–53 |
East | 4 | Loyola Chicago | Gene Sullivan | Midwestern City | Sweet Sixteen | 1 Georgetown | L 65–53 |
East | 5 | SMU | Dave Bliss | Southwest | Round of 32 | 4 Loyola–Chicago | L 70–57 |
East | 6 | Georgia | Hugh Durham | Southeastern | Round of 32 | 3 Illinois | L 74–58 |
East | 7 | Syracuse | Jim Boeheim | Big East | Round of 32 | 2 Georgia Tech | L 70–53 |
East | 8 | Temple | John Chaney | Atlantic 10 | Round of 32 | 1 Georgetown | L 63–46 |
East | 9 | Virginia Tech | Charles Moir | Metro | Round of 64 | 8 Temple | L 60–57 |
East | 10 | DePaul | Joey Meyer | Independent | Round of 64 | 7 Syracuse | L 70–65 |
East | 11 | Wichita State | Gene Smithson | Missouri Valley | Round of 64 | 6 Georgia | L 67–59 |
East | 12 | Old Dominion | Paul Webb | Sun Belt | Round of 64 | 5 SMU | L 85–68 |
East | 13 | Iona | Pat Kennedy | Metro Atlantic | Round of 64 | 4 Loyola–Chicago | L 59–58 |
East | 14 | Northeastern | Jim Calhoun | ECAC North | Round of 64 | 3 Illinois | L 76–57 |
East | 15 | Mercer | Bill Bibb | Trans America | Round of 64 | 2 Georgia Tech | L 65–58 |
East | 16 | Lehigh | Tom Schneider | East Coast | Round of 64 | 1 Georgetown | L 68–43 |
Midwest | |||||||
Midwest | 1 | Oklahoma | Billy Tubbs | Big Eight | Regional Runner-up | 2 Memphis State | L 63–61 |
Midwest | 2 | Memphis State | Dana Kirk | Metro | National semifinals | 8 Villanova | L 52–45 |
Midwest | 3 | Duke | Mike Krzyzewski | Atlantic Coast | Round of 32 | 11 Boston College | L 74–73 |
Midwest | 4 | Ohio State | Eldon Miller | Big Ten | Round of 32 | 5 Louisiana Tech | L 79–67 |
Midwest | 5 | Louisiana Tech | Andy Russo | Southland | Sweet Sixteen | 1 Oklahoma | L 86–84 |
Midwest | 6 | Texas Tech | Gerald Myers | Southwest | Round of 64 | 11 Boston College | L 55–53 |
Midwest | 7 | UAB | Gene Bartow | Sun Belt | Round of 32 | 2 Memphis State | L 67–66 |
Midwest | 8 | USC | Stan Morrison | Pacific-10 | Round of 64 | 9 Illinois State | L 58–55 |
Midwest | 9 | Illinois State | Bob Donewald | Missouri Valley | Round of 32 | 1 Oklahoma | L 75–69 |
Midwest | 10 | Michigan State | Jud Heathcote | Big Ten | Round of 64 | 7 UAB | L 70–68 |
Midwest | 11 | Boston College | Gary Williams | Big East | Sweet Sixteen | 2 Memphis State | L 59–57 |
Midwest | 12 | Pittsburgh | Roy Chipman | Big East | Round of 64 | 5 Louisiana Tech | L 78–54 |
Midwest | 13 | Iowa State | Johnny Orr | Big Eight | Round of 64 | 4 Ohio State | L 75–64 |
Midwest | 14 | Pepperdine | Jim Harrick | West Coast | Round of 64 | 3 Duke | L 75–62 |
Midwest | 15 | Penn | Craig Littlepage | Ivy League | Round of 64 | 2 Memphis State | L 67–55 |
Midwest | 16 | North Carolina A&T | Don Corbett | Mid-Eastern | Round of 64 | 1 Oklahoma | L 96–83 |
Southeast | |||||||
Southeast | 1 | Michigan | Bill Frieder | Big Ten | Round of 32 | 8 Villanova | L 59–55 |
Southeast | 2 | North Carolina | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast | Regional Runner-up | 8 Villanova | L 56–44 |
Southeast | 3 | Kansas | Larry Brown | Big Eight | Round of 32 | 11 Auburn | L 66–64 |
Southeast | 4 | LSU | Dale Brown | Southeastern | Round of 64 | 13 Navy | L 78–55 |
Southeast | 5 | Maryland | Lefty Driesell | Atlantic Coast | Sweet Sixteen | 8 Villanova | L 46–43 |
Southeast | 6 | Purdue | Gene Keady | Big Ten | Round of 64 | 11 Auburn | L 59–58 |
Southeast | 7 | Notre Dame | Digger Phelps | Independent | Round of 32 | 2 North Carolina | L 60–58 |
Southeast | 8 | Villanova | Rollie Massimino | Big East | Champion | 1 Georgetown | W 66–64 |
Southeast | 9 | Dayton | Don Donoher | Independent | Round of 64 | 8 Villanova | L 51–49 |
Southeast | 10 | Oregon State | Ralph Miller | Pacific-10 | Round of 64 | 7 Notre Dame | L 79–70 |
Southeast | 11 | Auburn | Sonny Smith | Southeastern | Sweet Sixteen | 2 North Carolina | L 62–56 |
Southeast | 12 | Miami (OH) | Jerry Peirson | Mid-American | Round of 64 | 5 Maryland | L 69–68 |
Southeast | 13 | Navy | Paul Evans | ECAC South | Round of 32 | 5 Maryland | L 64–59 |
Southeast | 14 | Ohio | Danny Nee | Mid-American | Round of 64 | 3 Kansas | L 49–38 |
Southeast | 15 | Middle Tennessee State | Bruce Stewart | Ohio Valley | Round of 64 | 2 North Carolina | L 76–57 |
Southeast | 16 | Fairleigh Dickinson | Tom Green | ECAC Metro | Round of 64 | 1 Michigan | L 59–55 |
West | |||||||
West | 1 | St. John's | Lou Carnesecca | Big East | National semifinals | 1 Georgetown | L 77–59 |
West | 2 | VCU | J. D. Barnett | Sun Belt | Round of 32 | 7 Alabama | L 63–59 |
West | 3 | NC State | Jim Valvano | Atlantic Coast | Regional Runner-up | 1 St. John's | L 69–60 |
West | 4 | UNLV | Jerry Tarkanian | Pacific Coast | Round of 32 | 12 Kentucky | L 64–61 |
West | 5 | Washington | Marv Harshman | Pacific-10 | Round of 64 | 12 Kentucky | L 66–58 |
West | 6 | Tulsa | Nolan Richardson | Missouri Valley | Round of 64 | 11 UTEP | L 79–75 |
West | 7 | Alabama | Wimp Sanderson | Southeastern | Sweet Sixteen | 3 NC State | L 61–55 |
West | 8 | Iowa | George Raveling | Big Ten | Round of 64 | 9 Arkansas | L 63–54 |
West | 9 | Arkansas | Eddie Sutton | Southwest | Round of 32 | 1 St. John's | L 68–65 |
West | 10 | Arizona | Lute Olson | Pacific-10 | Round of 64 | 7 Alabama | L 50–41 |
West | 11 | UTEP | Don Haskins | Western Athletic | Round of 32 | 3 NC State | L 86–73 |
West | 12 | Kentucky | Joe B. Hall | Southeastern | Sweet Sixteen | 1 St. John's | L 86–70 |
West | 13 | San Diego State | Smokey Gaines | Western Athletic | Round of 64 | 4 UNLV | L 85–80 |
West | 14 | Nevada | Sonny Allen | Big Sky | Round of 64 | 3 NC State | L 65–56 |
West | 15 | Marshall | Rick Huckabay | Southern | Round of 64 | 2 VCU | L 81–65 |
West | 16 | Southern | Robert Hopkins | Southwestern Athletic | Round of 64 | 1 St. John's | L 83–59 |
* – Denotes overtime period
First round | Quarter-finals | Regional semifinals | Regional Finals | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Georgetown | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
16 | Lehigh | 43 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Georgetown | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
Hartford | |||||||||||||||||||
8 | Temple | 46 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | Temple | 60 | |||||||||||||||||
9 | Virginia Tech | 57 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Georgetown | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Loyola Chicago | 53 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | SMU | 85 | |||||||||||||||||
12 | Old Dominion | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | SMU | 57 | |||||||||||||||||
Hartford | |||||||||||||||||||
4 | Loyola Chicago | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Loyola–Chicago | 59 | |||||||||||||||||
13 | Iona | 58 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Georgetown | 60 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Georgia Tech | 54 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | Georgia | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
11 | Wichita State | 59 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | Georgia | 58 | |||||||||||||||||
Atlanta | |||||||||||||||||||
3 | Illinois | 74 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Illinois | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
14 | Northeastern | 57 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Illinois | 53 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Georgia Tech | 61 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Syracuse | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
10 | DePaul | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Syracuse | 53 | |||||||||||||||||
Atlanta | |||||||||||||||||||
2 | Georgia Tech | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Georgia Tech | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
15 | Mercer | 58 |
First round | Quarter-finals | Regional semifinals | Regional Finals | ||||||||||||||||
1 | St John's | 83 | |||||||||||||||||
16 | Southern | 59 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | St John's | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
Salt Lake City | |||||||||||||||||||
9 | Arkansas | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | Iowa | 54 | |||||||||||||||||
9 | Arkansas | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | St John's | 86 | |||||||||||||||||
12 | Kentucky | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Washington | 58 | |||||||||||||||||
12 | Kentucky | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
12 | Kentucky | 64 | |||||||||||||||||
Salt Lake City | |||||||||||||||||||
4 | UNLV | 61 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | UNLV | 85 | |||||||||||||||||
13 | San Diego State | 80 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | St John's | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | NC State | 60 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | Tulsa | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
11 | UTEP | 79 | |||||||||||||||||
11 | UTEP | 73 | |||||||||||||||||
Albuquerque | |||||||||||||||||||
3 | NC State | 86 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | NC State | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
14 | Nevada | 56 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | NC State | 61 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Alabama | 55 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Alabama | 50 | |||||||||||||||||
10 | Arizona | 41 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Alabama | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
Albuquerque | |||||||||||||||||||
2 | VCU | 59 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | VCU | 81 | |||||||||||||||||
15 | Marshall | 65 |
CBS |
Saturday, March 16 2:30 PM MST/4:30 PM EST |
#1 St. John's Redmen68, #9 Arkansas Razorbacks 65 |
Special Events Center – Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 9,226 |
CBS |
Friday, March 22 8:09 PM MST/10:09 PM EST |
#1 St. John's Redmen86, #12 Kentucky Wildcats 70 | ||
Pts: C. Mullin – 30 Rebs: W. Berry – 7 Asts: C. Mullin – 7 | Pts: K. Walker – 23 Rebs: K. Walker – 8 Asts: R. Harden – 7 Halftime Score: St. John's, 39–38 |
McNichols Sports Arena – Denver, Colorado Attendance: 17,022 Referees: John Clougherty, Bobby Dibler, Willis McJunkin |
CBS |
Sunday, March 24 2:03 PM MST/4:03 PM EST |
#1 St. John's Redmen69, #3 NC State Wolfpack 60 | ||
Pts: C. Mullin – 25 Rebs: B. Wennington – 10 Asts: M. Moses, M. Jackson – 5 | Pts: L. Charles – 15 Rebs: L. Charles, C. McQueen – 11 Asts: S. Webb – 9 Halftime Score: St. John's, 30–29 |
McNichols Sports Arena – Denver, Colorado Attendance: 17,022 Referees: John Clougherty, Bobby Dibler, Willis McJunkin |
First round | Quarter-finals | Regional semifinals | Regional Finals | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Michigan | 59 | |||||||||||||||||
16 | Fairleigh Dickinson | 55 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Michigan | 55 | |||||||||||||||||
Dayton | |||||||||||||||||||
8 | Villanova | 59 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | Villanova | 51 | |||||||||||||||||
9 | Dayton | 49 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | Villanova | 46 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Maryland | 43 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Maryland | 69* | |||||||||||||||||
12 | Miami (OH) | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Maryland | 64 | |||||||||||||||||
Dayton | |||||||||||||||||||
13 | Navy | 59 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | LSU | 55 | |||||||||||||||||
13 | Navy | 78 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | Villanova | 56 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | North Carolina | 44 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | Purdue | 58 | |||||||||||||||||
11 | Auburn | 59 | |||||||||||||||||
11 | Auburn | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
South Bend | |||||||||||||||||||
3 | Kansas | 64 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Kansas | 49 | |||||||||||||||||
14 | Ohio | 38 | |||||||||||||||||
11 | Auburn | 56 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | North Carolina | 62 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Notre Dame | 79 | |||||||||||||||||
10 | Oregon State | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Notre Dame | 58 | |||||||||||||||||
South Bend | |||||||||||||||||||
2 | North Carolina | 60 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | North Carolina | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
15 | Middle Tennessee State | 57 |
CBS |
Sunday, March 24 |
#8 Villanova Wildcats56, #2 North Carolina Tar Heels 44 | ||
Pts: H. Pressley – 15 Rebs: E. Pinckney – 7 Asts: E. Pinckney, H. Jensen – 3 | Pts: B. Daugherty – 17 Rebs: B. Daugherty – 12 Asts: J. Wolf, K. Smith – 5 Halftime Score: North Carolina, 22–17 |
BJCC Coliseum – Birmingham, Alabama |
First round | Quarter-finals | Regional semifinals | Regional Finals | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Oklahoma | 96 | |||||||||||||||||
16 | North Carolina A&T | 83 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Oklahoma | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
Tulsa | |||||||||||||||||||
9 | Illinois State | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | USC | 55 | |||||||||||||||||
9 | Illinois State | 58 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Oklahoma | 86* | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Louisiana Tech | 84 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Louisiana Tech | 78 | |||||||||||||||||
12 | Pittsburgh | 54 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Louisiana Tech | 79 | |||||||||||||||||
Tulsa | |||||||||||||||||||
4 | Ohio State | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Ohio State | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
13 | Iowa State | 64 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Oklahoma | 61 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Memphis State# | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | Texas Tech | 53 | |||||||||||||||||
11 | Boston College | 55 | |||||||||||||||||
11 | Boston College | 74 | |||||||||||||||||
Houston | |||||||||||||||||||
3 | Duke | 73 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Duke | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
14 | Pepperdine | 62 | |||||||||||||||||
11 | Boston College | 57 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Memphis State# | 59 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | UAB | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
10 | Michigan State | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | UAB | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
Houston | |||||||||||||||||||
2 | Memphis State# | 67* | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Memphis State# | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
15 | Penn | 55 |
* - denotes overtime
CBS |
Saturday, March 23 |
#2 | ||
Pts: D. Kennedy – 16 Rebs: W. Tisdale – 12 Asts: T. McCalister, A. Bowie – 5 | Pts: K. Lee – 23 Rebs: K. Lee – 11 Asts: A. Turner – 12 Halftime Score: 33–33 |
Reunion Arena – Dallas, Texas |
National semifinals | National Championship Game | ||||||||
E1 | Georgetown | 77 | |||||||
W1 | St John's | 59 | |||||||
E1 | Georgetown | 64 | |||||||
S8 | Villanova | 66 | |||||||
S8 | Villanova | 52 | |||||||
M2 | Memphis State# | 45 |
# - Memphis State was forced to vacate its NCAA tournament appearance after a massive gambling scandal and a criminal investigation into head coach Dana Kirk. Unlike forfeiture, a vacated game does not result in the other school being credited with a win, only with Memphis removing the wins from its own record. [4] [5]
CBS |
Saturday, March 30 |
#8 Villanova Wildcats52, #2 | ||
Pts: D. McClain – 19 Rebs: E. Pinckney – 9 Asts: M. Plansky, G. McLain, D. McClain – 2 | Pts: A. Turner – 11 Rebs: Vincent Askew, W. Bedford, K. Lee – 7 Asts: V. Askew – 7 Halftime Score: 23–23 |
Rupp Arena – Lexington, Kentucky |
CBS |
Saturday, March, 30 |
#1 Georgetown Hoyas77, #1 St. John's Redmen 59 | ||
Pts: R. Williams – 20 Rebs: D. Wingate – 6 Asts: M. Jackson – 11 | Pts: W. Glass – 13 Rebs: W. Berry – 6 Asts: M. Jackson – 5 Halftime Score: Georgetown, 32–28 |
Rupp Arena – Lexington, Kentucky |
CBS |
Monday, April 1 |
#8 Villanova Wildcats66, #1 Georgetown Hoyas 64 | ||
Pts: D. McClain – 17 Rebs: E. Pinckney – 6 Asts: E. Pinckney – 5 | Pts: D. Wingate – 16 Rebs: B. Martin, P. Ewing – 5 Asts: M. Jackson – 9 Halftime Score: Villanova, 29–28 |
Rupp Arena – Lexington, Kentucky Referees: John Clougherty, Bobby Dibler, Don Rutledge |
ESPN and NCAA Productions
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 1995 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 16, 1995, and ended with the championship game on April 3 at the Kingdome in Seattle, Washington. This Final Four would be the last time that the Final Four was hosted in the Western United States until the 2017 edition of the tournament where Glendale, Arizona was the host. A total of 63 games were played.
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 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 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 1988 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. The 50th annual edition of the tournament began on March 17, 1988, and ended with the championship game on April 4 returning to Kansas City for the 10th time. A total of 63 games were played.
The 1989 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 16, 1989, and ended with the championship game on April 3 in Seattle. A total of 63 games were played.
The 1990 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of NCAA Division I men's college basketball. It began on March 15, 1990, and ended with the championship game on April 2 in Denver, Colorado. A total of 63 games were played.
The 1992 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 19, 1992, and ended with the championship game on April 6 in Minneapolis. A total of 63 games were played.
The 1996 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 14, 1996, and ended with the championship game on April 1 at Continental Airlines Arena in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. A total of 63 games were played.
The 1997 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, 1997, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the RCA Dome. A total of 63 games were played.
The 2016 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 2015–16 season. The 78th edition of the Tournament began on March 15, 2016, and concluded with the championship game on April 4 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. This was the first NCAA tournament to adopt the NCAA March Madness branding, including fully-branded courts at each of the tournament venues.
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 the Western United States since the 1995 tournament when Seattle was the host of the Final Four.
The 2019 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball national champion for the 2018–19 season. The 81st annual edition of the tournament began on March 19, 2019, and concluded with the championship game on April 8, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Virginia Cavaliers, with Virginia winning 85–77 in overtime.