1975 NCAA Division I basketball tournament

Edition of USA college basketball tournament August 2023 March 2026 January 2022 1975 NCAA 70s logo.svg NCAA logo from 1971 to 1979 32 San Diego Sports Arena San Diego, California UCLA Bruins 10th 10th 12th Kentucky Wildcats 6th 7th Louisville Cardinals 3rd Syracuse Orangemen 1st John Wooden 10th Richard Washington UCLA 183,857 Jim Lee Syracuse 119 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. The 37th annual edition of the tournament 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. UCLA, coached by John Wooden, won his 10th and last national title with a 92–85 victory in the final game over Kentucky, coached by Joe B. Hall. Richard Washington of UCLA was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.1975 NCAA tournament: Bracket, scores, stats, records NCAA.com https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2020-05-18/1975-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records 2025-12-13 www.ncaa.com en The Bruins again had an advantage by playing the Final Four in their home state. It was the last time a team won the national championship playing in its home state. Tournament notes The bracket expanded to 32 teams;https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pZZfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HjEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5733%2C4835935 Lewiston Morning Tribune Idaho Associated Press 'At large' spots set in NCAA cage playoffs August 21, 1974 13 the previous six editions had 25 teams, and had varied between 22 and 25 from 1953 through 1974. With the expanded bracket, seven teams made their NCAA tournament debuts: Alabama, Central Michigan, Middle Tennessee, Montana, UNLV, Rutgers, and San Diego State. This was the most new teams since a then-record eleven new teams made the 25-team bracket in 1956. Alabama had previously won the Southeastern Conference in 1956, but were deemed ineligible for the tournament due to their entire starting lineup having played as freshmen, which was not allowed at the time. They had also tied Vanderbilt for the 1974 SEC title, but lost the bid because Vanderbilt was ranked higher. It was the last time until 2021 that Oregon State officially won an NCAA tournament game. (The Beavers won two tournament games in 1982, but those were later vacated by the NCAA.)Daschel Nick 2021-03-14 Oregon State looks to end a 39-year winless NCAA Tournament streak: Beavers’ NCAA history https://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/2021/03/oregon-state-looks-to-end-a-39-year-winless-ncaa-tournament-streak-beavers-ncaa-history.html 2025-12-13 oregonlive enPress The Associated 2021-03-19 No. 12 Oregon State upsets No. 5 Tennessee to reach 2nd round https://thescore.com/ncaab/news/2137363 2025-12-13 theScore.com en Of the major conferences, only Nebraska, which, until March 19, 2026, had never won an NCAA tournament game, had a longer active winning drought. This was the last tournament in which third-place games were contested in each regional; the national third-place game continued through 1981.1975 NCAA tournament: Bracket, scores, stats, records NCAA.com https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2020-05-18/1975-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records 2025-12-13 www.ncaa.com en This was also the first NCAA tournament to allow more than one team per conference; previously, only one team from each conference was allowed. This change was in response to a number of factors: The USC Trojans were ranked fifth in both major polls in 1971,https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JDNWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=u-cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3130%2C3174900 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon Associated Press Both wire service polls agree-- UCLA is best club in country March 16, 1971 2B their only two losses were to Pac-8 rival and top-ranked UCLA (the defending and eventual national champion), but were excluded from the 25-team NCAA tournament due to being runner-up in the conference. The 1974 ACC tournament final pitted two of the three best teams in the country: North Carolina State and Maryland.Bill Free – This Overtime Lasts 25 Years https://web.archive.org/web/20080912060326/http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022199aab.html 2008-09-12 The 1974 team left it all out on the floor. Baltimore Sun, hosted at University of Maryland Terrapins athletic site, February 20, 1999 In 1974, the Collegiate Commissioners' Association held a tournament in St. Louis, Missouri. They invited the second-place teams from eight conferences to participate. The new selection criteria threatened to exclude Northeastern teams, which did not belong to conferences. To address this problem, this was the first NCAA Tournament to grant automatic bids to the winners of ECAC regional tournaments for Northeastern Division I independents organized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference, a loose sports federation of Northeastern colleges and universities; this practice continued through 1982.Varsity Pride: ECAC Men's Basketball Tournamentshttp://www.hoyabasketball.com/history/hist15.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Beginnings of the Big East 2014-03-22 https://web.archive.org/web/20131217044717/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/history/hist15.htm 2013-12-17 dead Finally, the national final was the last game for UCLA coaching legend John Wooden, who had announced his retirement at the press conference following the Saturday semifinal win over Louisville. Two days later, he won his tenth and final NCAA championship.John Maffei U-T San Diego MLIM Holdings Sports site No. 3: San Diego Sports Arena http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/06/travel-top-50-sites-sports-arena-john-ooden/ July 6, 2013 July 8, 2013 Bob Wortman became the first person to officiate championship games in college basketball and the National Football League when he worked the UCLA-Kentucky final alongside Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame referee Hank Nichols. Wortman was the field judge for Super Bowl VI in January 1972, and later for Super Bowl XII at the same position. The UCLA-Kentucky matchup was the first of six championship games officiated by Nichols (1979, '80, 82, '83, '86), who later became the NCAA's national coordinator of officiating. Memorable games There were two memorable games in the 1975 tournament. Number 2 ranked Kentucky upset previously unbeaten Indiana 92–90 in their regional final. The Hoosiers, coached by Bob Knight, were undefeated and the number one team in the nation, when leading scorer Scott May suffered a broken arm in a win over arch-rival Purdue. This was the only loss Indiana would suffer between March 1974 and December 1976. In the national semifinals, UCLA defeated Louisville, coached by former Wooden assistant Denny Crum, 75–74 in overtime, rallying late in regulation to force overtime and coming from behind in overtime to win on a last second shot by Richard Washington. Both games made USA Todays 2002 list of the greatest NCAA tournament games of all time, with the former at #8 and the latter at #28.Mike Douchant – Greatest 63 games in NCAA Tournament history. The Sports Xchange, published in USA Today, March 25, 2002 Schedule and venues The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1975 tournament:First roundMarch 15East Region Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina (Host: University of North Carolina at Charlotte) The Palestra, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Hosts: University of Pennsylvania, Ivy League)Mideast Region Memorial Coliseum, Lexington, Kentucky (Host: University of Kentucky) Memorial Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Host: University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa)Midwest Region Lubbock Municipal Coliseum, Lubbock, Texas (Host: Texas Tech University) Mabee Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma (Host: Oral Roberts University)West Region WSU Performing Arts Coliseum, Pullman, Washington (Host: Washington State University) ASU Activity Center, Tempe, Arizona (Host: Arizona State University)Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) March 20 and 22East Regional, Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island (Host: Providence College)Mideast Regional, University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio (Host: University of Dayton)Midwest Regional, Pan American Center, Las Cruces, New Mexico (Host: New Mexico State University)West Regional, Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon (Host: University of Portland)National semifinals, 3rd-place game, and championship' (Final Four and championship) March 29 and 31 San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, California (Host: San Diego State University) Teams Region Team Coach Conference Finished Final Opponent Score East East Boston College Bob Zuffelato Independent Regional Fourth PlaceNorth CarolinaL 110–90 East Furman Joe Williams Southern Round of 32Boston CollegeL 82–76 East Kansas State Jack Hartman Big Eight Regional Runner-upSyracuseL 95–87 East La Salle Paul Westhead East Coast Round of 32SyracuseL 87–83 East New Mexico State Lou Henson Missouri Valley Round of 32North CarolinaL 93–69 East North Carolina Dean Smith Atlantic Coast Regional third placeBoston CollegeW 110–90 East Penn Chuck Daly Ivy League Round of 32Kansas StateL 69–62 East Syracuse Roy Danforth Independent Fourth PlaceLouisvilleL 96–88 Mideast Mideast Central Michigan Dick Parfitt Mid-American Regional third placeOregon StateW 88–87 Mideast Georgetown John Thompson Independent Round of 32Central MichiganL 77–75 Mideast Indiana Bob Knight Big Ten Regional Runner-upKentuckyL 92–90 Mideast Kentucky Joe B. Hall Southeastern Runner-upUCLAL 92–85 Mideast Marquette Al McGuire Independent Round of 32KentuckyL 76–54 Mideast Middle Tennessee State Jimmy Earle Ohio Valley Round of 32Oregon StateL 78–67 Mideast Oregon State Ralph Miller Pacific-8 Regional Fourth PlaceCentral MichiganL 88–87 Mideast UTEP Don Haskins Western Athletic Round of 32IndianaL 78–53 Midwest Midwest Cincinnati Gale Catlett Independent Regional third placeNotre DameW 95–87 Midwest Creighton Tom Apke Independent Round of 32 Maryland L 83–79 Midwest Kansas Ted Owens Big Eight Round of 32Notre DameL 77–71 Midwest Louisville Denny Crum Missouri Valley Third PlaceSyracuseW 96–88 Midwest Maryland Lefty Driesell Atlantic Coast Regional Runner-upLouisvilleL 96–82 Midwest Notre Dame Digger Phelps Independent Regional Fourth PlaceCincinnatiL 95–87 Midwest Rutgers Tom Young Independent Round of 32LouisvilleL 91–78 Midwest Texas A&M Shelby Metcalf Southwest Round of 32CincinnatiL 87–79 West West Alabama C. M. Newton Southeastern Round of 32Arizona StateL 97–94 West Arizona State Ned Wulk Western Athletic Regional Runner-upUCLAL 89–75 West Michigan Johnny Orr Big Ten Round of 32UCLAL 103–91 West Montana Jud Heathcote Big Sky Regional Fourth PlaceUNLVL 75–67 West UNLV Jerry Tarkanian West Coast Regional third placeMontanaW 75–67 West San Diego State Tim Vezie Pacific Coast Round of 32UNLVL 90–80 West UCLA John Wooden Pacific-8 ChampionKentuckyW 92–85 West Utah State Dutch Belnap Independent Round of 32MontanaL 69–63 Bracket * – Denotes overtime period East region no high Syracuse 87 1974 La Salle Explorers La Salle 83* North Carolina 93 1974 none New Mexico State Aggies New Mexico State 69 1974 Kansas State Wildcats Kansas State 69 1974 Penn Quakers Penn 62 1974 Boston College Eagles Boston College 82 1974 Furman Paladins Furman 76 Syracuse 78 North Carolina 76 Kansas State 74 Boston College 65 Syracuse 95 Kansas State 87* East Regional third place North Carolina 110 Boston College 90 Mideast region no high Indiana 78 1974 UTEP Miners UTEP 53 1974 Oregon State Beavers Oregon State 78 1974 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Middle Tennessee 67 1974 Central Michigan Chippewas Central Michigan 77 Georgetown 75 Kentucky 76 Marquette 54 Indiana 81 Oregon State 71 Central Michigan 73 Kentucky 90 Indiana 90 Kentucky 92 Mideast Regional third place Oregon State 87 Central Michigan 88 Midwest region no high Maryland 83 1974 Creighton Bluejays Creighton 79 1974 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame 77 Kansas 71 1974 Cincinnati Bearcats Cincinnati 87 1974 Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M 79 Louisville 91 1974 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Rutgers 78 Maryland 83 Notre Dame 71 Cincinnati 63 Louisville 78 Maryland 82 Louisville 96 Midwest Regional third place Notre Dame 87 Cincinnati 95 West region no high UCLA 103 Michigan 91* Montana 69 1974 Utah State Aggies Utah State 63 1974 Arizona State Sun Devils Arizona State 97 1974 Alabama Crimson Tide Alabama 94 1974 none UNLV Runnin' Rebels UNLV 90 1974 San Diego State Aztecs San Diego State 80 UCLA 67 Montana 64 Arizona State 84 UNLV 81 UCLA 89 Arizona State 75 West Regional third place Montana 67 UNLV 75 Final Four National semifinalsSaturday, March 29 National Championship GameMonday, March 31 E Syracuse 79 ME Kentucky 95 MW Louisville 74* W UCLA 75 ME Kentucky 85 W UCLA 92 National third-place game E Syracuse 88* MW Louisville 96 Announcers Curt Gowdy, Billy Packer, Jim Simpson and Jerry Lucas (Final Four only) - First Round at Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Marquette-Kentucky); West Regional Final at Portland, Oregon; Final Four in San Diego, California Jim Simpson and Tom Hawkins - First Round at Tempe, Arizona (Arizona State-Alabama); East Regional Final at Providence, Rhode Island Charlie Jones and Jerry Lucas - First Round at Lexington, Kentucky (Indiana-UTEP) Marv Albert and Jerry Lucas - Mideast Regional Final at Dayton, Ohio Jay Randolph and Ross Porter - Midwest Regional Final at Las Cruces, New Mexico See also 1975 NCAA Division II basketball tournament 1975 NCAA Division III basketball tournament 1975 National Invitation Tournament 1975 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament 1975 National Women's Invitation Tournament References Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Ncaa Category:Basketball in San Diego NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 1975 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Category:College basketball tournaments in California Category:Sports competitions in San Diego