See also: 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.
| 1996 NCAA Tournament Championship Game | |
| Type: | ncg |
| Date: | April 1, 1996 |
| Year: | 1995-96 |
| Visitor School: | Syracuse University |
| Visitor Name Short: | Syracuse |
| Visitor Nickname: | Orangemen |
| Visitor Record: | 29–8 |
| Visitor Conference: | Big East |
| Visitor Ap: | 15 |
| Visitor Coaches: | 14 |
| Visitor Coach: | Jim Boeheim |
| Visitor Per1: | 33 |
| Visitor Per2: | 34 |
| Home School: | University of Kentucky |
| Home Name Short: | Kentucky |
| Home Nickname: | Wildcats |
| Home Record: | 34–2 |
| Home Conference: | SEC |
| Home Ap: | 2 |
| Home Coaches: | 2 |
| Home Coach: | Rick Pitino |
| Home Per1: | 42 |
| Home Per2: | 34 |
| Arena: | Continental Airlines Arena |
| City: | East Rutherford, New Jersey |
| Attendance: | 19,229 |
| Referee: | John Clougherty, Scott Thornley and David Libbey |
| Mvp: | Tony Delk, Kentucky |
| Odds: | Kentucky by 14 |
| Us Network: | CBS |
| Us Announcers: | Jim Nantz (play-by-play) Billy Packer (color) Michele Tafoya and Andrea Joyce (sideline) |
| Previous: | 1995 |
| Next: | 1997 |
The 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Game was the finals of the 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and it determined the national champion for the 1995-96 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The game was played on April 1, 1996, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and featured the Midwest Regional Champion, #1-seeded Kentucky versus the West Regional Champion, #4-seeded Syracuse.
This was the first time the national championship game was held in the Greater New York Area since 1950. This was also the last men's national championship game to be held in a basketball/hockey-specific facility. Every Men's National Championship Game since then has been held in a domed stadium (usually built for football) because of NCAA venue capacity requirements. Therefore, this was the last time the national championship game was held in the Greater New York Area, or anywhere else in the Northeastern United States.
Kentucky defeated Syracuse 76–67 to win their first national championship since 1978. Kentucky star Antoine Walker faced off against former high school teammate, Donovan McNabb, in the national championship against Syracuse University. McNabb would later gain fame as a quarterback with the Philadelphia Eagles.[1]
See main article: 1995–96 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team.
See main article: 1995–96 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team.
| Syracuse | Position | Kentucky | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | † Tony Delk 1 | ||||
| G | Anthony Epps | ||||
| Todd Burgan | F | Derek Anderson | |||
| John Wallace 1 | F | Antoine Walker 1 | |||
| C | Walter McCarty 1 | ||||
| † | |||||