1974 NCAA Division I basketball tournament

Edition of USA college basketball tournament August 2023 March 2026 January 2022 1974 NCAA 70s logo.svg NCAA logo from 1971 to 1979 25 Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, North Carolina NC State Wolfpack 1st 1st 2nd Marquette Warriors 1st 1st Kansas Jayhawks 6th UCLA Bruins 11th Norm Sloan 1st David Thompson NC State 154,112 David Thompson NC State 97 The 1974 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It was the first tournament to be designated as a Division I championship—previously, NCAA member schools had been divided into the "University Division" and "College Division". The NCAA created its current three-division setup, effective with the 1973–74 academic year, by moving all of its University Division schools to Division I and splitting the College Division members into Division II (fewer scholarships) and Division III (no athletic scholarships allowed). Previous tournaments would retroactively be considered Division I championships. The 36th annual edition of the tournament began on March 9, 1974, and ended with the championship game on March 25, at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. Until 2019, when Virginia defeated Texas Tech, 85–77 in overtime, it was the last tournament in which neither school had previously appeared in any national championship game at any level. A total of 29 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game. North Carolina State, coached by Norm Sloan, won the national title with a 76–64 victory in the final game over Marquette, coached by Al McGuire. This result ended UCLA's record streak of seven consecutive titles. David Thompson of North Carolina State was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. This was the final year that only conference champions and independents could participate in the tournament. During the same time in 1974, the Collegiate Commissioners' Association held a tournament in St. Louis, Missouri. They invited the second-place teams from eight conferences to participate. In 1975, the NCAA would expand the field to include at-large bids for conference runners-up. UCLA-North Carolina State semifinal The UCLA – North Carolina State semifinal game made USA Todays 2002 list of the greatest NCAA tournament games of all time at #13.Mike Douchant – Greatest 63 games in NCAA Tournament history. The Sports Xchange, published in USA Today, March 25, 2002 NC State won the tap to start the second overtime. The Wolfpack looked to score first and then possibly apply the four corners stall offense, but they missed their first three shots, were unable to get an offensive rebound, and committed a goaltending. UCLA scored on its first three possessions, with Bill Walton's four points on two free throws and a turnaround jumper, and Keith Wilkes' layin, which became a three-point play, off a perfect bounce feed from Tommy Curtis. With 3:27 remaining, the Bruins led 74–67, by 7 points, and seemed to have the game won. But State's pesky, diminutive point guard, Monte Towe, began to create havoc, and with it started a wave of momentum which swung in the direction of the Pack, along with a supportive Greensboro crowd. He dribbled quickly into the front court, then stopped on a dime, and was fouled by Curtis from behind. With his usual style of not bouncing the ball at the line, Towe converted both shots, a quick start of a rally for his team. He then fouled Curtis, who made the first of the one and one, but missed the second, UCLA's first miss from the line in the game. Tim Stoddard rebounded, then David Thompson drove through the lane and tapped in the rebound of his own miss off the glass. In the backcourt, Towe immediately drew another foul on Curtis, an offensive foul and turnover. After a rebound, John Wooden called a timeout, but it may have backfired. The Wolfpack tightened the backcourt pressure and Curtis threw it back to Greg Lee who, trapped, made an errant throw past half court which was lost by Dave Meyers out of bounds. Then State's towering 7'4" center, Tom Burleson, rose high above and behind Walton for a rebound putback, and UCLA's lead was two. A Walton forced pass into the paint was stolen by Moe Rivers off a deflection. Burleson was fouled with 1:38 to play and made the first before missing the second. State missed two shot attempts to take the lead, then Stoddard fouled out. The future major league baseball pitcher and World Series winner was disconsolate on the bench, but his teammates would respond. Meyers missed the front end of the 1&1, and Thompson jumped high for the rebound. Then, from the left of the free throw circle, he drifted right, then drove left on Wilkes and banked in his shot behind a Burleson screen. NC State now led, 76–75, with under a minute to go. Lee missed an outside jumper and Wilkes, called for pushing off on the rebound, fouled out. Thompson converted both ends of a 1&1 with 34 seconds left. A Lee long inbounds pass was knocked away by Burleson, for another Rivers steal. Curtis fouled out with 12 seconds to go and Towe hit both free throws. Walton's jumper in the final seconds was too little, too late.YouTube - 1974 NCAA final 4 semi final UCLA-NC StateBasketball VHS archives Walton later called the 80–77 semifinal game the most disappointing outcome of his entire basketball career, given how UCLA lost a 5-point lead late in regulation and a 7-point lead in the 2nd overtime, before NC State rallied to win. The game, played in Greensboro, was like a home game for the Wolfpack; UCLA had defeated NC State by 18 points in a neutral site game in St. Louis (where UCLA defeated Memphis State the previous March to win its seventh consecutive national championship) earlier in the season. Tournament notes The Wolfpack became the fifth team in history to win the national championship playing in its home state. CCNY won the 1950 NCAA championship (as well as the NIT championship) at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Kentucky won the 1958 championship at Freedom Hall in Louisville, and UCLA won both the 1968 and 1972 championships at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. UCLA also would win the 1975 championship in its home state, at the San Diego Sports Arena. No team has accomplished the feat since then, although the Kansas Jayhawks won the 1988 championship in nearby Kansas City, Missouri, at Kemper Arena, which is closer to the KU campus in Lawrence, Kansas than Greensboro is to Raleigh. This was the last Sweet Sixteen appearance for Creighton and Oral Roberts until the 2021 tournament, when both teams returned for the first time in 47 years. Schedule and venues The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1974 tournament: First round March 9 East Region Alumni Hall, Jamaica, New York (Host: St. John's University) WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, West Virginia (Host: West Virginia University) The Palestra, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Hosts: University of Pennsylvania, Ivy League) Mideast Region Hulman Center, Terre Haute, Indiana (Host: Indiana State University) Midwest Region UNT Coliseum, Denton, Texas (Host: North Texas State University) West Region ASISU Minidome, Pocatello, Idaho (Hosts: Idaho State University, Big Sky Conference) Regional semifinals, 3rd-place games, and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) March 14 and 16 East Regional, Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh, North Carolina (Host: North Carolina State University) Mideast Regional, Memorial Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Host: University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa) Midwest Regional, Mabee Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma (Host: Oral Roberts University) West Regional, McKale Center, Tucson, Arizona (Host: University of Arizona) National semifinals, 3rd-place game, and championship (Final Four and championship) March 23 and 25 Greensboro Memorial Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina (Host: Atlantic Coast Conference) Teams Region Team Coach Conference Finished Final Opponent Score East East 1973 men Furman Paladins Furman Joe Williams Southern Regional Fourth PlaceProvidenceL 95–83 East NC State Norm Sloan Atlantic Coast ChampionMarquetteW 76–64 East 1973 men Penn Quakers Penn Chuck Daly Ivy League First roundProvidenceL 84–69 East 1973 men Pittsburgh Panthers Pittsburgh Buzz Ridl Independent Regional Runner-upNC StateL 100–72 East 1973 men Providence Friars Providence Dave Gavitt Independent Regional third placeFurmanW 95–83 East South Carolina Frank McGuire Independent First roundFurmanL 75–67 East 1973 men Saint Joseph's Hawks Saint Joseph's Jack McKinney Middle Atlantic First roundPittsburghL 54–42 Mideast Mideast 1973 men Austin Peay Governors Austin Peay Lake Kelly Ohio Valley First roundNotre DameL 108–66 Mideast Marquette Al McGuire Independent Runner UpNC StateL 76–64 Mideast Michigan Johnny Orr Big Ten Regional Runner-upMarquetteL 72–70 Mideast Notre Dame Digger Phelps Independent Regional third placeVanderbiltW 118–88 Mideast Ohio James Snyder Mid-American First roundMarquetteL 85–59 Mideast 1973 men Vanderbilt Commodores Vanderbilt Roy Skinner Southeastern Regional Fourth PlaceNotre DameL 118–88 Midwest Midwest Creighton Eddie Sutton Independent Regional third placeLouisvilleW 80–71 Midwest Kansas Ted Owens Big Eight Fourth PlaceUCLAL 78–61 Midwest Louisville Denny Crum Missouri Valley Regional Fourth PlaceCreightonL 80–71 Midwest Oral Roberts Ken Trickey Independent Regional Runner-upKansasL 93–90 Midwest Syracuse Roy Danforth Independent First roundOral RobertsL 86–82 Midwest 1973 men Texas Longhorns Texas Leon Black Southwest First roundCreightonL 77–61 West West 1973 men Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles Cal State Los Angeles Bob Miller Pacific Coast First roundDaytonL 88–80 West Dayton Don Donoher Independent Regional Fourth PlaceNew MexicoL 66–61 West Idaho State Jim Killingsworth Big Sky First roundNew MexicoL 73–65 West 1973 men New Mexico Lobos New Mexico Norm Ellenberger Western Athletic Regional third placeDaytonW 66–61 West 1973 men San Francisco Dons San Francisco Bob Gaillard West Coast Regional Runner-upUCLAL 83–60 West UCLA John Wooden Pacific-8 Third PlaceKansasW 78–61 Bracket * – Denotes overtime period East region 1 y high no 1973 Providence Friars Providence 84 1973 Penn Quakers Penn 69 1973 Pittsburgh Panthers Pittsburgh 54 1973 Saint Joseph's Hawks Saint Joseph's 42 1973 Furman Paladins Furman 75 South Carolina 67 NC State 92 Providence 78 Pittsburgh 81 Furman 78 NC State 100 Pittsburgh 72 East Regional third place Providence 95 Furman 83 Mideast region 1 y high no Marquette 85 Ohio 59 Notre Dame 108 1973 none Austin Peay Governors Austin Peay 66 1973 Vanderbilt Commodores Vanderbilt 61 Marquette 69 Michigan 77 Notre Dame 68 Marquette 72 Michigan 70 Mideast Regional third place Vanderbilt 88 Notre Dame 118 Midwest region 1 y high no Creighton 77 1973 Texas Longhorns Texas 61 1973 Oral Roberts Titans Oral Roberts 86 Syracuse 82* Kansas 55 Creighton 54 Louisville 93 Oral Roberts 96 Kansas 93 Oral Roberts 90* Midwest Regional third place Creighton 80 Louisville 71 West region 1 y high no Dayton 88 1973 Cal State Los Angeles Diablos Cal State Los Angeles 80 1973 New Mexico Lobos New Mexico 73 Idaho State 65 UCLA 111*** Dayton 100 1973 San Francisco Dons San Francisco 64 New Mexico 61 UCLA 83 San Francisco 60 West Regional third place Dayton 61 New Mexico 66 Final Four National semifinalsSaturday, March 23 National Championship GameMonday March 25 high E NC State 80** W UCLA 77 ME Marquette 64 MW Kansas 51 E NC State 76 ME Marquette 64 National third-place game W UCLA 78 MW Kansas 61 Announcers Curt Gowdy, Tom Hawkins, Charlie Jones, and Ross Porter - First Round at Terre Haute, Indiana (Marquette-Ohio, Notre Dame-Austin Peay)); Mideast Regional Final at Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Final Four at Greensboro, North Carolina; Jones was used as a sideline reporter for the first round and Porter was used for the Final Four. Charlie Jones and Ross Porter - West Regional Final at Tucson, Arizona Jay Randolph and Pat Hernon - Midwest Regional Final at Tulsa, Oklahoma Bill O'Donnell and Billy Packer - East Regional Final at Raleigh, North Carolina See also 1974 NCAA Division II basketball tournament 1974 National Invitation Tournament 1974 NAIA basketball tournament 1974 National Women's Invitation Tournament References Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Ncaa Category:College basketball tournaments in Greensboro, North Carolina NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Category:College basketball tournaments in North Carolina