1972 NCAA University Division basketball tournament explained

Year:1972
Teams:25
Finalfourarena:Memorial Sports Arena
Finalfourcity:Los Angeles, California
Champions:UCLA Bruins
Titlecount:8th
Champgamecount:8th
Champffcount:9th
Runnerup:Florida State Seminoles
Gamecount:1st
Runnerffcount:1st
Semifinal1:Louisville Cardinals
Finalfourcount:2nd
Semifinal2:North Carolina Tar Heels
Finalfourcount2:6th
Coach:John Wooden
Coachcount:8th
Mop:Bill Walton
Mopteam:UCLA
Attendance:147,304
Topscorer:Jim Price
Topscorerteam:Louisville
Points:103

The 1972 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of NCAA University Division (now Division I) 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.

Led by longtime head coach John Wooden, the undefeated UCLA Bruins won the national title with an 81 - 76 victory in the final game over Florida State, coached by Hugh Durham. Sophomore center Bill Walton of UCLA was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player;[1] [2] [3] the first of two consecutive.

On a historically significant note, the Southwestern Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns made the tournament in their first season of eligibility for postseason play; the next to achieve this feat was North Dakota State in 2009.[4] SW Louisiana also made the tournament in 1973, but due to major infractions that resulted in the basketball program receiving the NCAA death penalty (and very nearly expelled from the NCAA altogether), both appearances have since been vacated and the records expunged.

This was the last year in which the championship game was played on Saturday; it moved to Monday night in 1973.

Schedule and venues

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1972 tournament:

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)

Teams

Region Team Coach Conference Finished !Final Opponent Score
East
East Southern First roundVillanovaL 85–70
East Atlantic Coast Third PlaceLouisvilleW 105–91
East Ivy League Regional Runner-upNorth CarolinaL 73–59
East Independent First roundPennL 76–60
East Independent Regional third placeVillanovaW 90–78
East Middle Atlantic First roundSouth CarolinaL 53–51
East Independent Regional Fourth PlaceSouth CarolinaL 90–78
Mideast
Mideast Ohio Valley First roundFlorida StateL 83–81
Mideast Independent Runner UpUCLAL 81–76
Mideast Southeastern Regional Runner-upFlorida StateL 73–54
Mideast Independent Regional Fourth PlaceMinnesotaL 77–72
Mideast Big Ten Regional third placeMarquetteW 77–72
Mideast Mid-American First roundMarquetteL 73–49
Midwest
Midwest Independent First roundTexasL 85–74
Midwest Big Eight Regional Runner-upLouisvilleL 72–65
Midwest Southwestern Louisiana (Vacated) Southland Regional third placeTexasW 100–70
Midwest Missouri Valley Fourth PlaceNorth CarolinaL 105–91
Midwest Independent First roundSouthwestern LouisianaL 112–101
Midwest Southwest Regional Fourth PlaceSouthwestern LouisianaL 100–70
West
West Western Athletic First roundLong Beach StateL 95–90
West Independent First roundWeber StateL 91–64
West Pacific Coast Regional Runner-upUCLAL 73–57
West West Coast Regional third placeWeber StateW 74–64
West Pacific-8 ChampionFlorida StateW 81–76
West Gene Visscher Big Sky Regional Fourth PlaceSan FranciscoL 74–64

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

Mideast region

  1. - Minnesota vacated its appearance in the 1972 tournament.[5]

Final Four

Announcers

Curt Gowdy, Tom Hawkins, and Jim Simpson (Final Four only) - First Round at Pocatello, Idaho (Long Beach State-BYU); East Regional Final at Morgantown, West Virginia; Final Four at Los Angeles, California

See also

Notes and References

  1. Oh, Johnny, Oh, Johnny Oh! . Sports Illustrated . Kirkpatrick . Curry . April 3, 1972 . 30.
  2. News: Super soph Bill Walton sparkles; Bruins earn another NCAA title . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington) . Associated Press . March 26, 1972 . 1, sports.
  3. News: It was the same old story-- Bruins win NCAA crown . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon) . Associated Press . March 26, 1972 . 1D.
  4. News: Woodside hits jumper with 3 seconds left to push N. Dakota St. to Summit title . https://web.archive.org/web/20090314043507/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=290692449 . dead . March 14, 2009 . . . 2009-03-10 . 2009-03-11.
  5. Web site: Forfeits and Vacated Games. Sports-Reference.com. April 30, 2024.