| NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship | |
| Year: | 1982 |
| Dates: | December 1982 |
| Num Teams: | 8 |
| Winners: | UC Irvine (2nd title) |
| Second: | Stanford (5th title game) |
| Matches: | 12 |
| Goals: | 192 |
| Attendance: | 2128 |
| Scoring Leader: | Peter Neushul, UCSB (9) |
| Award: | James Bergeson, Stanford & Peter Campbell, UC Irvine & John O'Brien, UC Irvine |
| Prev Season: | 1981 |
| Next Season: | 1983 |
The 1982 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 14th annual NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship to determine the national champion of NCAA men's college water polo. Tournament matches were played at the Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach, California during December 1982.[1]
UC Irvine defeated Stanford in the final, 7–4, to win their second national title. The Anteaters also finished the season undefeated (30–0).
James Bergeson (Stanford), Peter Campbell (UC Irvine), and John O'Brien (UC Irvine) were named the Co-Most Outstanding Players of the tournament. An All-Tournament Team, consisting of eight players, was also named.
The tournament's leading scorer was Peter Neushul from UC Santa Barbara (9 goals).
Since there has only ever been one single national championship for water polo, all NCAA men's water polo programs (whether from Division I, Division II, or Division III) were eligible. A total of 8 teams were invited to contest this championship.
| Team | Appearance | Previous | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown | 4th | 1981 | |
| California | 10th | 1981 | |
| Loyola–Chicago | 7th | 1980 | |
| Stanford | 10th | 1981 | |
| UC Irvine | 13th | 1981 | |
| UC Santa Barbara | 10th | 1981 | |
| UCLA | 11th | 1981 | |
| USC | 6th | 1980 |